AGONY OF ADAEZE

ACT ONE

                     SCENE ONE

(Onyeze invites his sons to his dilapidated hut, where he was smoothening the face of his cutlass near the fire place)
ONYEZE: (showing them a bench). All of you should sit and listen to me attentively. An adage has it, that when a bird flies without perching, the hunter shoots it without targeting. I'm no longer in my youthful age. I'm aging. So, I hope to see you, my children, have where to settle down as your future home with your families. As you all know, I was the first son of my father and I had inherited his house. I have three of you as my sons. As it is in our land, when a man dies, his properties are being handed over to his first son who equally shares amongst the other children. So as nobody knows what could happen tomorrow, it's a good thing that these things are spelled out now.
DOZIE:(sitting and glancing at his father, with his hands effectively holding his chins). Daddy, these words are so awful, you've never spoken such things to us. Nothing will happen to you, as long as I'm alive. I'll do my very best to ensure I take care of you as you had done for me.
ONYEZE:(forcefully grasped Dozie's hands). My child, don't be sad, neither let your emotions ruin your life. Your success is my happiness. You're a man now, so I don't expect you to talk like this. You have to be a man so as to be able to perform your duties as my first son.
DOZIE: (still feeling sad). No! I won't be a man and watch you taken away from me, us. Death won't take you from us.
ONYEZE: (smiles). You can't stop death, my child, be a man. My father, when he was alive, told me that death is the wing that bears the good man to his internal abode. He clearly warned me to be a courageous man, so as to prevent dying young. But today, you see how weak I have become as a result of old age. Very soon I'll give up, leaving you, my offspring behind in this wicked world.
(They burst into tears)
AMAKA: (Hearing them cry from behind of the house, where she helps her mum with cultivating her farmland). Nne, What's happening in the old hut?
ADAEZE: (Surprised). Ada, I'm sorry if I tell you, I don't know what's going on inside your father's hut. Please can we finish with our work so that I can get your father, my husband, his food. He must be very hungry by now.
AMAKA: (Releases a deep sigh). If you say so. (Paused a little). But...
(Crying continues, as Adaeze and Amaka had come back from their farm).
ADAEZE: (Surprised). What happened? Can I know what's going on or what you told them that caused them to be sad.
ONYEZE: (Releases a deep sigh). We had just finished talking, when I told them a little secret about life. I'm an old man now, so I expect they should know what life except from them, as no one knows tomorrow. After all, every living thing must die.
ADAEZE: (Now wearing serious look). Why are you wicked?
You talk about death, every time you speak to these children, not minding their age group. Why?
ONYEZE:(Burst into laughter). Woman, don't blame me for telling my children what they need to know. I'm no longer a young man as I'm aging, who can tell, very soon I'll join my ancestors-which I didn't bargain for.
ADAEZE:(Interrupts). Shh... who told you that you're aging? My husband, you're forever looking young and you shall not die.
(Onyeze and his family had gone to eat, Adaeze, who wasn't ready to eat sat in her room weeping as she had thought about what her husband said earlier).