Overthrown #ProjectNigeriaUC2017

Chapter 6

After that, I did not see Obuike for days which stretched to weeks, then months. I wanted to see him but at the same time I did not want to. Time had helped heal my wounded heart but deep down, I knew I still felt something for Obuike. I sometimes wondered if he felt the same thing for me and what he did about it.

One day, Aunty Nwibari came home with all smiles. 'Obuike has done wine carrying,' she announced happily.

Wine carrying was a rite of passage before marriage. It involved the suitor presenting before the family of the girl he wants to marry, some wine. Because it was most definitely followed by marriage, some viewed wine carrying as good as marriage.

I wish I could have shared in her joy that day but I could not bring myself to fake it. Instead I forced a smile and said, 'I wish him the best.'

Aunty Nwibari did not notice my odd behaviour that day. I made my way outside to take in some fresh air. In a way, I felt dejected but I knew it was stupid to feel that way. He was a king while I was a slave. He was a son of the land while I was only a stranger. Above all, his father had contributed in destroying my land and separating me from my mother. Instead of love, I should feel hatred towards him. I braced myself. I was determined to forget Obuike and suppress every iota of feeling I had for him.

* * * * * * *

A few months had passed since Aunty Nwibari told me of the wine carrying. She had been so overjoyed then, humming and singing as she went about her business.

Strangely enough, I noticed her spirits dampen over time. She became somewhat sad and stayed out more. I wanted to ask her the cause of the drastic change in her mood but decided not to. I only assumed it was perhaps a temporal mood swing.

One day, she returned home terribly exhausted. I asked her if she was hungry but she replied that water would be just fine. I met her crying, her face buried in her hands, when I returned.

'Ma!' I exclaimed rushing to her side and holding her comfortingly, 'What happened?'

'They want to kill my son,' she croaked tearfully.

'Obuike?' I asked to be sure.

She nodded.

'Ma, I do not understand.'

She explained how Obuike had been very sick for the past one month. At first, it was a mild fever then his health began deteriorating. Obuike was no longer himself. He had become dangerously thin, laid in bed all day and could hardly utter a word. The only thing that showed he was alive was his slow steady breathing. The best native healers including Aunty Nwibari had tried all they could to revive him but all to no avail.

'They have finally got him. They have tried to kill him many times before and now they are succeeding. They want to take away my child!' she wailed bitterly.

Timidly, I asked, 'Who are they?'

She shook her head. 'I do not know my daughter, I do not know. Whenever I go to the palace, I feel this aura of bitter envy and hatred but what can we do? He is the king and the palace should be his home. Madume told me he suspects that the step-mother, the witch is behind this. She had been eyeing the throne ever since. She has even started taking control of the palace and wants to participate in making decisions that concern the kingdom but Madume and the council of chiefs are watching her carefully...'

She finally stopped crying and requested for her water. I gave it to her.

'Maybe it is his time to leave this wicked world but why now in the prime of his life? He has been made king, his kingdom is peaceful and he is about to marry a beautiful princess. Why now?'