THE NAIJA HUSTLE

TWO

                       EMEKA 

It had been two weeks since my father travelled to Owerri to meet my uncle Mazi Uche who came from Lagos.

My uncle always invited people from his kindred to his house in Owerri every December to collect the items he brought for them. These items included clothes, foodstuffs and money to start the New Year with. 

  To him it was his was of giving back to his community because they had gathered money to send him to school. 

I remember when I was younger, I accompanied Papa to his house and I asked him why he built a house in Owerri instead of our village in Orlu and he told me that it was because they were bad people in our village that didn't like his progress. That was why he choose to stay in Owerri so no one except members of his kindred will know he was back. 

Even two years ago when his last child died of pneumonia,he blamed it on his "village people"  who didn't want him to succeed. To make matters worse the child that died was a boy, everybody knows how Igbo men are with their sons.

Ever since then he only allowed certain people to come to his place in Owerri. Lucky for us Papa was on that exclusive list, which was good because Mazi Uche was a very generous man. I mean very very generous man if you know what I mean.

***

Papa had been away for two weeks, so the day he was to return was a very eventful day. That day Mama had shared the chores with so much passion and seriousness as if she was sharing our inheritance there and then.

After she had shared the chores and taken her bath, mama went to her shop in the market. When I was sure that Mama had gone far I went back to my room to sleep because I knew mama will not be back early, she usually came back around 5pm so I could quickly sweep the leaves and pack them behind the Mango tree in our house making it look like I thoroughly swept the compound. At least that's what I've been doing for years and it hasn't failed me, one more time won't hurt right?

The deafening booming of the mortar woke me up and when I checked the time it was just 2:15pm so I just decided to go and sweep the compound like I was told to do because thanks my sister's and their mortars I couldn't sleep.

I was sweeping when I heard the sound of a car approaching our house and I suspected it was papa because the road infront of our wasn't one people liked to use. I heard the car pull up in front of our gate. I quckily dropped the broom and went to open the gate. 

When I opened the gate and saw papa, I greeted Papa and bent down in order for him to touch my back as that's how we were taught to greet our elders. "Nna thank you, go and carry the things from the boot"Papa's said. Then he asked if mama was home which I quckily answered no to. 

Then I went to the boot and looked at Papa's bags, wondering how I will carry them and which one to carry first,  then I heard Chidi and Chinedu's voices from behind me. I knew they came to call me to go to training with them, so before they uttered a word I told them to help me with the bags so we can go quickly.

When we were done with luggage. I went to go get my training kit so we could go for the training that afternoon.

When I got to the living room, I saw my two friends sitting down having a serious discussion with my father which was making him shout, so I sat down to know what all the fuss was about then my dad said" Hey my God this boy will not allow someone to drink water and drop the cup in this village, that's how last week when Mazi Secondus came to Chief Uche's house, he told us that boy had the audacity to go the Igwe's palace and tell him to step down from the throne because he now has more money than the Igwe and that money can buy anything including the throne.

"The boy is really getting out of hand oo and his parents are just watching him what a shame". 

At that point I didn't need to be Albert Einstein to know that Emenike was the topic of discussion.

Then a week after the discussion about Emenike in my living room, just when villagers were learning to cope with Emenike and his trouble while also praying that the festive season will quickly end so they don't have to put up with him again, his two friends Obinna and Jude came back. It was like jumping from a frying pan directly into the fire itself. These three were known for nothing but mischief back in our secondary school days. They were the back benchers who only cared about chasing girls and luxuries.

I knew with the arrival of these two, life was not going to be easy for my and I because those three didn't like us, especially Chidi. You see  back in school Emenike had chased the most beautiful girl in our school then who was Njideka, but she rejected him and instead went for Chidi because according her Chidi was not like other boys who liked her for her curves and looks but instead for who she was. This incensed Emenike and he swore to have his  revenge, I knew that time had come now.

Over the next few weeks, what started happening looked like well a planned move, Emenike and his friends bought people's lands but just anyone's land it was was that of my parents and that of my friends.

While my parents were still in shock, I wondered how it was possible to buy people's land without their consent until Chinedu told me that he heard that the Igwe had given Emenike the consent, reason being that the land was in the kingdom that he ruled so he could do whatever he liked.

Chinedu also told me that Emenike had threatened the King to comply if not he will de-throne the king. 

Even when it was not traditionally possible to dethrone the king he was justifiably scared of Emenike and I didn't blame him. They sort out any opportunity they could get to disgrace myself and my .

Translations

Igwe - king

Another chapter finished, I want to sincerely thank everyone for their suggestions God bless

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