Share
EXILE - Chapter Forty-two
"Okoli! Are you out of your mind?" Nnadi asked as he approached Okoli.
"Did you call me back to ask if I was mad?" Okoli retorted.
Nnadi shook his head.
"I know that you are a hard-working man. I know that you worked very hard to cover last year mistakes but the Okoli I know would never stoop so low to make a bet with a man like Obisike. You of all people should know that Osinala family is not a family to joke around with. He is the richest man in the whole of Umuise and every man knows that."
"I hope this is not why you are shouting at me," Okoli said then bit his lips, "if you want to be a good friend, you should start encouraging me rather than telling me things that I already know about. I want to make that fool know that I am not a coward."
"No one cares if you are a coward or not."
"If no one cares, I do."
"If you don't want to start another fight with Akwaudo, you know
Related chapters
Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Forty-three
Ibekwe followed Akwaudo's advice and went home after he was done with the initiation ceremony and watching Okoli get himself involved in a bet with Obisike. The stench of his body irritated him more than the pain he had been feeling since his banishment from Umuoku. He felt a moment of peace as he let the knowledge of being a bona fide member of Umuise rest in his mind.As he walked back home, he decided not to follow the main path that led to Okoli's compound so that the villagers who were receding from the village town square would not stop and exchange pleasantries with him.Although he had been publicly adopted in the eyes of the whole village, he still wanted to have his personal space for sometime before he could start getting to know every member of Umuise.He followed the lonely path that had a longer route compared to the main path. He passed two to three huts, brushing his feet on the ground and hearing t
Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Forty-four
Okwudili had not been at peace with himself ever since the last quarrel he had with his brother, Okoli over a piece of land that their father had left for them to share. He moved from one side to another, in his room, as he thought of the way his father counselled him when he was worried about something."Okwi!" His father would say, "what troubles your mind and has kept you in distress?"In those days, Okwudili would shook his head and tell his father not to bother himself. He would assure his father that he was fine. It was his own way of letting his father know that he was a grown up man.Okwudili wondered how quickly time passed. He wondered how the unity he had once shared with his brothers had totally crumbled into a piece of regrets and malice. He knew that as one grew older, things changed. But the way things were happening in his life right now, he knew that the change that was taken place was neither for his go
Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Forty-five
Okwudili was amazed at all the things Ezeugo had told him. They stuck deeply in his mind as he tried to make sense of all he had just heard. Although Ezeugo was sound asleep, he could still feel the movements of his lips as he poured out his heart to him. The story that Ezeugo had told him was a tale that could easily pass as an illusion than a reality. No man in his right mind wouldn't call Ezeugo a fool after listening to all he had just said about his journey.Deep down, Okwudili could remember that he had heard a lot of stories about the magical powers that the diviners of Umuoku possessed but none of them had even come close to the diviner that Ezeugo had just told him about. Even Osisisiakalaka would feel a threat to his supremacy if he ever heard of such a man who could do a wonderful miracle that was only reserved for the high god, Chukwu.As Okwudili pondered about what he had just heard. The only reasonable concept he could come up
Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Forty-six
The hoarse voice of a troubled mind came out from nowhere, startling Okwudili. A simple answer was all it demanded."Who is lying?"Okwudili shifted from one side of the bamboo bed to another as he wondered who had spoken to him. The room was empty except for him and his dark, lifeless shadow that was cast on the wall by the palm oil lamp that was almost dead. He grabbed the lamp and walked towards the window to see who had dared to come into his compound at midnight. He saw nothing. He staggered back to his bed, trying to assure himself that it was just his own thoughts deceiving him."If you don't tell me who is lying at this moment, I will make sure that you are beaten properly."Okwudili got up from his bed again. He was alert. He could ignore a man playing around with his pride anywhere in the village but he couldn't manage a man who would come to his own compound to threaten him with words. He
Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Forty-seven
Ezeugo could not believe what had happened to him. He had woken up with a stubborn head ache that prevented him from thinking properly. His cheeks were hurt from the slaps that Okwudili had given to him. He sat down on an old cane chair that was owned by their father. A personal gift to Okwudili for being the last son. As he chewed the kola nuts that Isioma had brought for him, slowly, while watching his teeth get stained by its brown particles, he looked at Okwudili with a feeling of irritation."I cannot believe that you slapped me on both cheeks," Ezeugo said."That was the best way to lure you away from whatever that was possessing your body," Okwudili replied."Why didn't you pour me cold water or try to wake me up? Must it be slaps? Must you always succumb to violence at every opportunity you are presented?""I was not trying to be violent," Okwudili fired. "I was trying to save the life of my
Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Forty-eight
The two children murdered on the day of Ibekwe's adoption ceremony were the sons of Akwaudo's sister, Chinelo. Their bodies were found lying without hope in the centre of the village town square by a small girl who was on her way to the stream to fetch water. Dead.All eyes went to Okoli's family because it was the day after a ceremony was done in honor of their family but those staunch eyes were quickly averted when Osisiakalaka came to the scene and declared in front of everyone that the children had died a good death and Chinelo shouldn't cry but rejoice because they were with the high god, Chukwu and having a better life that she would never provide for them.The only person that knew what had happened to the children of Chinelo was Nnadi. He was the only one present when the children were taken away by a masked man on the day of Ibekwe's adoption. He was the last law-abiding indigene of Umuise to set eyes on the children before they dre
Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Forty-nine
From the look of disbelief in the faces of the people of Umuise, Osisiakalaka could tell they weren't pleased with him declaring the death of Chinelo's children a good one but he didn't care. As was his usual practice after waking up in the morning, he offered appreciation to the gods for keeping him alive to see a new day and then he sat down and waited for people seeking his help to come and they did.Ever since Osisiakalaka had made a public announcement that he would be staying in Umuise for some days, no single hour of the day had passed without a visitor stepping inside the threshold of his shrine. Day by day, the crowd increased as the reports of his temporary stay reached new ears. Some of the people who came to seek his counsel were from neighbouring villages, others were from far villages, in puzzling circumstances that the few diviners in their villages were unable to solve.There was once an irregular visitor that stunned Osisiak
Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Fifty
"We should pay Okoli a visit," Ezeugo said."Yes we should," Okwudili replied.They stopped at Okoli's compound in the afternoon. Luckily, he was around, sitting quietly in his verandah and whistling slowly as he thought of his bet with Obisike.Akwaudo was the first to see them. Her huge smile filled the upper part of her cheek as she embraced them, separately. She welcomed them and told them to sit down."Thank you my wife," Ezeugo said as he sat down."Thank you my husband for visiting me," Akwaudo replied.Okoli stormed out in anger as Akwaudo informed him about his brothers visit. He tried to be patient as he thought of the best approach but all he could think about was his previous fight with Okwudili. When he saw them sitting comfortably in front of Akwaudo's hut, he stopped and pointed at Okwudili with constrained fingers."Okwudili! What are you doing in my compound?" He asked, wearing a stern face."Okoli, pleas
Latest chapter
- Shading Black About the Author
- Shading Black Epilogue
- Shading Black NEW LIFE - Chapter One hundred and three
- Shading Black NEW LIFE - Chapter One hundred and two
- Shading Black NEW LIFE - Chapter One hundred and one
- Shading Black NEW LIFE - Chapter One hundred
- Shading Black NEW LIFE - Chapter Ninety-nine
- Shading Black NEW LIFE - Chapter Ninety-eight
- Shading Black NEW LIFE - Chapter Ninety-seven
