Chapter 5 Absent minds

Nmachi sat in class, day dreaming of how she had happily given her virginity to Echezona. Despite the pain that came with it, she felt excited about it especially the fact that she loved how she felt while he was in her.

"Nmachi!" Her teacher shouted her name upon sensing her absent mindedness. She jumped in her seat upon hearing her name being called in such a way.

"Miss," she replied while on her feet and staring at her teacher.

"Can you tell us what year the amalgamation of the northern and southern protectorate took place?" Her teacher asked. The question was obviously from what she had been teaching.

Nmachi stood still for a while staring at the teacher while over fifty pair of eyes were on her waiting for an answer to the question.

"Since you do not know the answer why then have you not been paying attention." Her teacher asked while adjusting the huge glasses she was wearing.

Nmachi didn't want to respond so that the issue doesn't go beyond what it already is. Besides, it would be very disrespectful if she does so.

"Remain standing." Her teacher ordered.

"All she ever talks about is Echezona." She heard someone say which made the entire class laugh in mockery but the teacher was already focused on the chalkboard.

"Yet she comes top of the class. Don't you think it's high time you start thinking about someone that would add a little meaning to your life?" Ukokwe hissed, glaring at them which made them face the board and the only thing they could do was whisper.

"Thank you." Nmachi mouthed at her friend who was sitting two rows behind hers.

After two hours, the class was suddenly over and Nmachi was allowed to sit down after the teacher left.

While others left the classroom and some, the school premises. Ukokwe walked up to Nmachi's seat and joined her in it.

Taking her seat beside her, Ukokwe pulled out a small oily nylon bag from the big bag she carries to school which contains all her notebooks.

The smell of oil and pepper graced Nmachi's nose, making her bring her attention to the nylon on the locker. Ukokwe must have noticed how focused Nmachi was on the bag because she immediately tore it open, revealing five pieces of freshly made akara.

Nmachi didn't even wait for Ukokwe's permission because she immediately took one out of them and began to chew on it.

"Mmm," she moaned softly while eating the akara.

"Why were you so lost during class?" Ukokwe asked her in a very concerned voice and she shrugged.

She didn't want to tell her friend about her ordeal with Echezona. She thought it best to keep it a secret even to her best friend.

Taking another one of the akara, She began to pack up her things to leave the classroom. She wiped her oily hands on the wall before picking up her school bag.

"I was just wondering how life would be for Aunty Akudo." She responded, which was actually a very big lie. "I would love to be like her. Smart, educated and rich."

Although she held independent rich women with high esteem, Aunty Akudo wasn't one whom her mother or most women in the village would be proud of hearing her talk about with so much pride.

"Hmmm, okay o." Ukokwe responded. "If you say so."

"Ehe, Uko, She called her friend,"Do you know that your father was at my house with so-"

"I heard so my dear, what do you want me to say?"Ukokwe asked in a very sad voice. "My mother's chi has refused to give us a brother but I am glad you refused."

"There is no way I was going to agree besides I have Echezona." Nmachi bragged as she grabbed her school bag and stood on her feet.

Laughing, Ukokwe said,"With the way you talk about him, one would think you both are getting married."

"He promised me that yesterday." She revealed as they began walking out of the classroom.

Ukokwe shook her head. It is not as if she disliked Echezona but she had a strong feeling that they were being led by their teenage or youthful hormones.

"A man can promise you a bowl of akpu and a hut full of soup just to get between your legs, you know that right?" Ukokwe asked her but having her head in the clouds, she smiled at what Ukokwe had said and as usual, she had a suitable reply for her.

She took Ukokwe's hand in hers as they left the schools compound and said,"You said 'a man', not 'Echezona,' there's a difference."

"Hmmm, There is an obvious difference because Echezona isn't even a man yet and he's already making promises. What do you think would happen when he becomes a man?" Ukokwe asked her.

Just then, she began to think through what Ukokwe had said. What if she had made a huge mistake? It can't be reversed and she can't change it.

"What makes you th-"

"Na the snake be that?" They heard someone shout and the next thing they saw was someone hitting something with a thick wood.

Nmachi's eyes widened as she thought of what they might be hitting with the stick and she moved a little closer while holding Ukokwe and just then, they found a huge eke lying lifeless on the floor.

Without thinking, both ladies took to their heels as what had just happened is an abomination. No one dared to kill the snake.

Just when they were about to get to the market square, the boy who had just killed the snake held it in his hand and ran past them. He was rejoicing for being able to kill the snake as it was meat to him.

"Bịa, Stop there!" A man shouted at the boy which made him halt.

The boy walked towards the man and just then the idol worshippers who were having a meeting at the market square noticed what was going on and upon seeing what the boy was holding, they started circling him.

"Arụ!" They said in turns as they took a glance at the boy who was still holding the snake. The boy was no longer rejoicing as fear had gripped him. Who wouldn't be scared being surrounded by older people most of whom were mostly women dressed in white wrappers from the top of their breast to their ankles where they had red beads on.

"What have you done?" Their leader, an elderly man asked the boy before making him sit on the sandy ground before folding the already dead snake and putting it in the boy's arms as though it was a newborn.

Nmachi and Ukokwe have never seen someone who killed the snake being punished; all they have ever been told was that no one ever kills the snake. But right now, they are about to witness it.

"He's not from this village!" One of the women shouted from behind.

"It doesn't matter. When you go to Rome, behave like the Romans." Their leader said immediately to the woman as the boy began to wail.

"Let's go home." Ukokwe pulled at Nmachi but she wasn't done watching..she had made up her mind to see whatever was going to happen till the end.

"Who do you live with?" The man asked the boy who was visibly shaken by what was going on.

"Un-uncle, Sah." He replied staring from the snake in his arms to the surrounding.

"I've sent someone to call his Oga, they'd be here in a few minutes." A man who had a red wrapper tied around his waist replied. His chest was bare and so were that of most of the men.

There were white chalks -nzu- on parts of their body used in drawing different patterns and designs on their skin while most of the women used uli, a local dye which is often used in temporarily tattooing their skin with beautiful patterns and designs.

Even Nmachi and Ukokwe had theirs at the upper part of their arm so that it could be hidden by the uniform away from teachers who often warn them to stop using it and might punish them.

After waiting for a while, a man came running towards where the crowd was gathered.

"Wait oo!" The man shouted when he got close to them which caught their attention.

"He's my apprentice." The man said upon entering the circle and the leader nodded.

"You know what it means to kill this snake?" He asked the boy's master who nodded in affirmation.

"Good," the elderly man exclaimed,"You'd have to get a new mortar and a white cloth and a few more things like schnapps, kolanut so that we can bury it." The man informed him and Nmachi's mouth hung open in surprise upon hearing those things.

"Let's go home." Ukokwe pleaded with Nmachi while pulling her away from the crowd so they could go home together.

Although Nmachi wanted to see everything till the end, she had gotten enough information out of what had just happened and followed her friend without any complaint.

"My mother has been on the edge for days," Ukokwe said as they walked,"If my father feels like having a male son right now, I can give him tha-"

Nmachi immediately stretched her hand over Ukokwe's mouth,"Don't say that again!" She snapped

Ukokwe took down the hand Nmachi had placed over her mouth and sighed,"I can get pregnant and if it's a boy, I'll leave him for my dad. You know it's possible to have a child for your father especially when your lineage is at stake." She asked her and she nodded in agreement.

"Many have done that but what if the person that impregnates you wants the child? What if it's not a male child?" Nmachi asked her these questions so that she could reflect on them.

"You're even lucky to have siblings. Look at me, it's just me in this world aside from my parents. No brother, no sister." Nmachi said, trying to console her.

"Nmachukwu, You don't know what it feels like to see your mother being mocked by family and even sometimes my father hits her. He deprives us of some benefits, nobody knows this. All they know is that we're rich." She poured out her heart and her eyes were beginning to water.

"I didn't even tell you that he has been pressuring me into marriage." Ukokwe said and shook her head,"ije ụwa! -the journey of life- I just hope things gets better."

Nmachi stayed quiet and listened to her friend. She didn't want to interrupt her so that she could express herself. She even felt guilty because she was holding something from her. Her ordeal with Echezona.

If she can open up about anything to me, why can't I do the same? She asked herself before pulling her friend who was now shading tears into a tight, warm and comforting hug.

"I slept with Echezona." She whispered into her ears and Ukokwe jumped, pulling out of the hug.

"What did you just say?" Ukokwe asked her.

"Stop shouting, biko." Nmachi said to her and pulled her towards the nearest path road which she knew so well.

"Where are you taking me to? This is not the way home." Ukokwe tried to remind her friend but followed her.

"I know, I just want to see Echezona before I go home. This road leads faster to his house." Nmachi informed her friend, smiling in excitement as she walked.

"Why are you taking me to his house?" Ukokwe asked while looking carefully at either side of the bush in case of any impending danger.

"I'm not taking you there, you're there already." She replied pointing at the open compound not too far from them.

Upon reaching the first hut in the compound as there were four huts situated at different positions in the compound, she clapped her hands at the entrance and waited for a response.

She noticed that the compound was unusually quiet as it was always lively whenever she passed by.

"Are you sure there's someone in there?" Ukokwe asked her and she shrugged.

She was going to clap again but stopped when she saw an older woman come out of the hut just opposite to theirs. It was Echezona's stepmother. His father's first wife.

Upon seeing her, Nmachi and Ukokwe walked to her and bent their knees a little to the front and lowered their waist,"Ndewo," they greeted the woman in their typical native language.

"Mhmm," the woman replied,"who are you looking for?" She asked them.

"Mama, we're looking for Echezona." Nmachi replied and the woman scrunched up her eyebrows. She knew it doesn't tell well for a girl in the village to come looking for a man in the village who is not related to them by blood so she quickly added,"there's a homework he promised to teach us."

"Oh, I see." The woman replied, a smile appearing on her face. Then she said,"Echezona has gone to the university."

"Eeh!" Nmachi couldn't hold back her surprise. She had been with him yesterday and he hadn't told her that he'd be traveling the following day which was today.

Worried, the woman asked,"Hope there's no problem."

"No o,"Ukokwe replied also surprised

"Are you Nmachi?" The woman asked Nmachi.

In surprise, Nmachi nodded and the woman smiled,"Wait here, he asked me to give something to you." The woman informed her before turning around and entering into her hut.

"What do you think it might be?" Ukokwe asked gripped with fear but Nmachi remained silent, trying to process what she had just been told. Just yesterday, they had made love for the first time together at the spot they usually meet in the bush and today, he has travelled.

Ukokwe began to pull at her arm but she didn't budge,"You know she's his stepmother. You know how stepmothers can be." Ukokwe said while pulling at her arm but Nmachi peeled her hand off her arm and stood still.

Unknown to Ukokwe, Nmachi knew of the relationship between Echezona and his stepmother. She also knew that he confides more in her than he does his own mother.

Soon, the woman came out of the hut with a white paper in her hand and walked up to them.

"He asked that I give this to you and you write back." She said before leaving them to go back into her hut.

Nmachi still found it both surprising and scary how he left but put the letter into her school bag and turned around in anger while Ukokwe followed closely behind her, knowing better to keep her mouth shut than ask the content of the letter.

Arụ: Abomination

Akara: Beans cake

Bia: Come

Oga: Master, Boss

Ndewo: Well done, Good day