CHAPTER ONE: COMING HOME

Anuri arrived her hometown around six  o'clock in the evening. In her hand was a black leather suitcase, which bore her clothes, clothes she had not worn for the past four years. Four years of hunger, of pain, and distress. Four years of severe suffering. Yes, Anuri had known suffering, her hair was cut low, her very fair complexion toned down considerably and she was emaciated. 

 Four years ago, Anuri was a raving beauty but the events of the past years had undermined her beauty. Presently, she wore a navy blue formal suit, which, were a bit oversized as she had lost weight considerably.

 Anuri, a graduate of Secretarial Studies from a Nigerian Polytechnic was twenty-four years old when she got an invitation from her cyber friend, Mrs. Stonehill, an elderly Briton to come to England for a vacation. She had been exhilarated at the prospect and had rejoiced greatly. Mrs. Stonehill had sent her the wherewithal for the journey so all she had to do was to organize things perfectly.

 Anuri, an only child of her widowed mother had shared the good news with mother. Her mother, resident in their village had given her the much advice she could on how to get about it all. She had prayed Anuri's journey would be smooth and fruitful.

 As days had gone by, Anuri had tidied up all her activities and got set for the marked day. She had some close friends with whom she had shared her life experiences. One of them was Egonna. Egonna was infact, her closest friend then. She had given Anuri two parcels to deliver to her cousin in London. Anuri had packed the parcels in her suitcase, happy to be taking off. She had nurtured the hope that something worthwhile would accrue from it.

 On the dot of eleven o'clock, Anuri had arrived the Port Harcourt International Airport. The flight was due in the next one hour. But lo, she could not make it past the checkpoint. Two hundred grams of cocaine were found in the parcels Egonna had given her! Anuri was absolutely shocked and could not find her voice for a while. Her hazel eyes had mirrored alarm, becoming misty with tears.  Her heartbeat had accelerated as the full impact of Egonna's machinations dawned on her. She had tried to speak but words had defied her. Her whole body trembled uncontrollably as she saw her dreams turn into nightmares.

 'Those-those parcels, they  they are not mine!' she had managed to stutter, fear and shock almost choking her to death. 'My friend, my friend asked me to give them to someone in London.' 

 But the FDLA officers did not believe her. It was obvious. The parcels were found in her possession. It was difficult to convince them of her sincerity. When she comprehended that the truth was disbelieved and consequently she was to be arrested and tried, Anuri had collapsed in a faint. That was the beginning of her traumas.

 She was detained in Port Harcourt by the authority and was grossly interrogated. She had told them the truth again and again but no one believed her. This had troubled her. How she had prayed but no help came forth. She was sued to the court by the authority and her case was tried. She had told the court the truth, had wept before the magistrate but she was taken as a criminal who acted marvellously.

 Egonna seemed to have disappeared into thin air. Her cousin's address, which she had given Anuri was false and could not yield anything positive. Anuri had become despondent and had lost weight so much.

 The news of her arrest and detention had reached her mother and relatives at home. All hell had broken loose. Her mother had cried heartrendingly, begging God to vindicate her daughter. The lawyer they managed to get for Anuri was not good enough. He did not know his onion well. 

 In the end, Anuri was found guilty by the judge and sentenced to three years in prison with heavy labour. How she had wept, tears of anguish coursing down her cheeks in heavy rivulets. She had experienced first hand the bitter taste of betrayal. It had dawned on her that prayers were not always answered in one's favour. She had then beseeched God to give her the strength to bear her sufferings with equanimity for the grief was almost tearing her apart. She had prayed to God to let the perfidious Egonna who seemed to have disappeared into void be fully rewarded.

 It was during this time that Anuri lost her mother. Her mother, Mrs. Ezigbo Uchechi had grieved so much for her daughter. That had heightened her high blood pressure ailment, which eventually resulted in cardiac arrest. She had died in the hospital rendering the doctor's effort at resuscitation futile. When the news reached Anuri in the prison, she wept like never before,

 'Mama…oh…oh…mama m…oh…' her shoulders shaking strongly.

 She had gone through crucible, from the point of detention to the point of imprisonment. She had had no other option than to bear the ugly experiences that came her way: hunger, frustration, hard labour and abuse…

 At the expiration of her sentence, Anuri was set free. Her confiscated documents and suitcases were given back to her. She was happy, yes. At least, to leave the horrendous dark walls of the prison. But she was not elated. Her naturally lively spirit had been dampened by misery and suffering. She was scarred emotionally and bodily. Yes, she was scarred. Anuri was raped, raped by an FDLA officer during her detention. How she had suffered…

 'Anuri!' an excited voice called presently as Anuri entered her compound. 

 Within a few minutes, the compound was agog with excitement. Anuri's relatives, both young and old ran out of their houses shouting, 'Anuri! Anuri!’

 'Anuri! You are home at last!’ her oldest uncle, Pa Joshua exclaimed, wrapping her in his arms.

 ‘Anuri! Ilo! Ilo! Welcome!' sounded and resounded. Everyone was hugging her. She returned their warm embraces, smiling tearfully. 

 Anuri had often wondered how she would be received when she would get home. Would they be happy to see her? Would they recognize her easily? Of course, they did! One of the women began a praise song and the rest joined in one voice. Some of them shed tears as they saw how altered Anuri was. She used to be very fair and robust. But now, she was a bit dark and emaciated. 

 Pa Joshua's wife, Chinma took her hand. 'Bia, Anuri, lets go into the house.' She led her to Pa Joshua's house on the right, a small blue bungalow. The rest followed them into the living room. Some sat on the seats, some on the floor while some stood with folded arms. Everyone was eager to hear from her. Anuri sat on one of the cushioned seats, smiling. Pa Joshua and his wife took their seats on her both sides. 

 The little children around were no doubt elated at Anuri's arrival. With certitude, she was one of their relatives on a visit. They were convinced she had brought some loaves of bread and packets of biscuit for them. With starry eyes, they surrounded her smiling winsomely. Little did they know that their august visitor was back from the prison.

 Anuri smiled back at them, patting their heads and cheeks. 'What's your name?' She asked them in turns marvelling at the fast rate children grew. She could not recognize some of them. 

 One of the women guessed what could be on the children's mind and she ordered them out,'go back to the play ground, all of you!' They obeyed her instantly, running away in lively chatters. Everywhere became quiet. Then, Pa Joshua cleared his throat intentionally and sat up. He took Anuri's left hand in his saying huskily, 'Anuri my daughter, I am speechless. I don't know where to begin. How has it been?’

 She smiled sadly, shaking her head. 'It has been terrible.' Lugubriously, the women sighed. 'Ew…ew...ew… Gbaru... gbaru o...’

 Pa Joshua continued gravely, ‘I know you have suffered, Anuri. What happened to you was shocking. It was terrible. If you had been truly guilty, it would have been different. Nobody would have wept the way we did here. But we know you. We knew you were as innocent as innocence could be. Your mother knew too. That was why it was so unbearable for her. And she died, broken hearted.' He let out a deep breath. 'All I know is that God lives. What you have suffered, God knows about them. He is Omniscient. I want you to take life easy, mmh?' He paused, his gaze on her.

 She nodded, her eyes misty with tears. 

 'Don't brood over your past, over your sufferings. Brooding is never the answer to any problem. Thank God that you were there for only three years. Some are imprisoned for eight years as the case may be. It is God's mercy that you were given a three-year sentence. I appreciate very well that even an hour in a prison can be excruciating especially when you are innocent. I am sure that your friend who proved to be a foe will not go unpunished.’

 'She will not,' the rest concurred. 

 'She must reap what she sowed.’

 'Thank God you arrived home safely. Lagos is quite a long distance. You will stay in my house as long as you wish, till you decide what next to do. Take heart my daughter. It is life's cruel gales.' He patted her hand kindly. 'God is with you.

 'Thank you sir.' Her voice was calm. 

 One of her uncles spoke to her kindly. 'It shall be all right for you again, Anuri. Regard what happened to you as a trial. Continue to trust in the Lord. And believe you have triumphed.’

 'Thank you sir.’

 Pa Joshua looked around solemnly. 'Let us pray.’

 They bowed down their heads, closing their eyes. Pa Joshua thanked God for helping Anuri pass through her hard experiences. He pleaded to God to have mercy upon her, to be her Refuge, her Comforter and her Provider. He also begged God to help Anuri recover from the experience quickly and help her stand firm (in the earthly sense) again. At the end of the prayer, everyone chorused 'Amen' unanimously. They all opened their eyes. Anuri sat back in her seat, feeling great joy for the first time since she arrived home. Her relatives bid her another round of welcome before taking their leave. Pa Joshua's last child Udochukwu carried Anuri's suitcase into her bedroom. Just then, Pa Joshua's wife got up. She smiled at Anuri. 'Come with me, dear. I will show you to Udochukwu's bedroom. You will be staying in her room. After that, you will eat.’

 Anuri, rose to her feet. 'I'll like to bath before eating.’

 ‘Alright, come along.’

 That night, before she went to bed, Anuri said a quiet prayer of thanks. She felt very relieved and glad to be home at last. She was glad to be away from the demoralizing prison, from misery, hunger, discomfort and hardship. She just wept with gratitude as she prayed. She begged God to bless her mother's departed soul and be with her. Anuri had come to terms with her mother's death. There was nothing else she could do other than leave everything to God. That night, she slept peacefully, very peacefully.

 The next morning, Anuri woke up early. She had Pa Joshua show her, her mother's graveside. The grave was beside her father's, behind their small bungalow. She gazed at the graves, a far away look in her eyes. She remembered her mother. She remembered how she had toiled for her during her school years, remembered how she had helped her prepare for that ill-fated journey. She remembered more and tears welled up in her eyes. They coursed down her cheeks unchecked, blurring her vision. Pa Joshua left her unobtrusively, not wishing to interfere in her grief.

 She sat down by the grave and wept quietly. Then, she prayed for her mother's soul and that of the father. She remembered her father fondly. She had been eight years when he died. She did not know much about him. But she had few events for which she remembered him. When she felt better, she wiped her tears and stood up. She went away quietly.

 In Uzuakoli, Abia State which is Anuri's village, most people loved each other. They believed in showing their love and care wherever the opportunity arose. If a fellow villager suffered a misfortune, they would call on him, console and commiserate with him, as far as they felt he was not to blame. They believed in sharing their joys and sorrows.

 There was a man whose bride-to-be disappointed on the eve of their wedding day. She had sent him a message that she was no longer interested in the marriage. Naturally, the man was astounded and baffled. He had enquired from her the reason for her change of mind. The woman had said that her brother had told her to discontinue with the marriage because he was not wealthy. The brother did not want her to suffer in her marriage! This young man had gone away dumbfounded. The news had spread the whole village like wild fire. By this time, pots of jollof rice had been cooked and a big pot of delicious oho ocha made.

 People, both men and women had poured into his house to verify the rumour. Learning it was true, they had consoled him eloquently, telling him to forget the woman. They had told him that she was not his true wife and should as well go her way. The number of people who came to console with him was uncountable, the news was on every lip. At a point, this young man had to leave his house for a friend's in escape of the condolence visitors!

 So when the news that Anuri, Ezigbo's daughter had returned from prison, people began to come. The women came with basins of garri, tubers of yam, sticks of sugar cane, pineapples and other eatables to welcome her. Anuri thanked them with smiles. The gifts were given to Pa Joshua's wife to help look after Anuri well. Men came too, to bid her welcome and give their own pieces of advice. Some of Anuri's friends who were at home called on her too. They were happy to see her back alive. One of them, Chilago was passionate over Egonna. 

 'Anuri, forget. God said that vengeance is His. I have seen a lot of cases where He avenged for His children and in a way you wouldn't have been able to achieve if it were left to you. She will not go scot-free.’

 Anuri smiled and thanked them for their concern. 

 Anuri kept busy as days went by. She assisted in the house chores. She fetched water from the nearby private tap. When Pa Joshua's wife objected to her working, she only smiled. However, she assured her she felt alright. 

 'Good heavens, if I stay idle, I'll die of grief or too much thinking,' she said wordlessly as she mopped the floor vigorously.