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EXILE - Chapter Sixty-five
Children clapped as they circled a glowing fire. They sang an Igbo song and when it ended, they laughed, jumped and stamped their feet on the ground. The parents of the children were clustered in one part of the village square, chatting in low voices.
A child spotted Ibekwe and ran to him.
"How are you?" Ibekwe asked the child.
"I am fine," the child responded with flickering eyes.
Ibekwe carried the child on his shoulders and was spinning the young boy in a playful manner when a short woman approached him. From the giggling coming from the child, Ibekwe knew the woman was the child's mother.
"The gods will bless you my child. I have been looking for my son everywhere," the short woman said.
"He is a good boy who likes to play," Ibekwe replied.
Ibekwe handed the child to the short woman and she dragged the young boy into her arms. Suddenly, Ibekwe felt an urge to ask the woman why children were playing close to the fire but he r
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Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Sixty-six
High in the sky, a thunder struck and the rains began to pour suddenly and violently, as though someone was persuading the rain from a powerful shrine. Ezeugo laid on the bamboo bed, listening to the sound of the rain droplets hitting the ground peevishly. His eyes moved to an old table, where a palm oil lamp rested. A cold breeze blew and the light vanished. Everywhere was dim.He lifted himself to a sitting position and moved his head in a way of reasoning. He stared at the plain darkness that engulfed the room and saw nothing. His wife, Ojiugo was beside him, breathing slowly and silently with each heart throb preparing the way for the other. Her hands were well rested in her chest, covering her large breasts that were yet to encounter the mouth of a child.Ezeugo had never talked about his childlessness and no one was there to bother him about it. The only people that could have irritated him with constant questions pertaining to the fertility of his wife wer
Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Sixty-seven
Like a wavy spirit, morning came quickly but the rooster in Ezeugo's compound did not crow and its refusal to remind Ezeugo that daylight had come did not stop him from waking up early. He got up and found Ojiugo still asleep, eyes closed and staring into space. He went outside and grabbed pieces of bundled firewoods which he used to make a fire. A few minutes passed and the water he placed on the fire was heated. He put off the fire and took the hot water and went to bath. When he returned to the room, he found Ojiugo still sleeping. Her posture had not changed. She was facing the opposite side of the window, still staring into space.He wore his clothes and kissed her on the cheek before leaving the room. When he stopped at Okwudili's compound, he knocked at the door. Okwudili opened the door and they whispered after exchanging greetings. A while later, Okwudili came out and told him to lead the way."Where is the charm that Osisiakalaka gave you?" Okwudili asked.
Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Sixty-eight
Osisiakalaka was standing barefooted in the verandah of his shrine when he began to feel dizzy. He drained half of the gourd of palm wine in one gulp, grimacing at whatever special flavour the woman in his shrine had filled it with. There was a deadening clunk of wood on wood, and the woman inside the shrine vibrated as the gourd fell from his grip and hit the table. A pulse ran through his skull. Osisiakalaka turned his head, eyes drawn to the palm wine, spattered on the floor. The woman inside his shrine brought a rag and asked for his permission to clean the spilled contents, he allowed her with a stretch of his hand.As he focused on the woman who crouched childlike on the floor, swinging her arms in rotational motion. There was a gentle sway about her, as if she moved to a rhythm only she could understand and feel. It was enthralling and spellbinding. She sang in hushed whispers as the Igbo words flowed gently from her lips. Osisiakalaka watched and raised his chest, eac
Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Sixty-nine
An hour had passed when a pregnant Chinelo had left the shrine and Osisiakalaka had succumbed to her grief and commit an enormous crime against his moral code of conduct. Abortion. He dropped the palm oil lamp and opened the door slightly. The yellow light flickered, showing the faces of two matured men. He looked at the first man. The man's lined face crinkled into a smile."Great one! We greet you," the man chorused."You are welcome servants of the gods. You may come inside and sit down," he replied and waved the lamp on their faces as if he was trying to ascertain their identities.As the two men entered inside the shrine, Osisiakalaka peeped to see if anyone was hovering outside the verandah of the sacred place of the gods. Pleased with the fact that it was only the two men and him that were around the vicinity of the shrine , he shut the door."How are your wives? Are they well?" Osisiakalaka asked."Great one! They are well."The two
Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Seventy
Anyone who knew Okoli well would know that his spirit has not been at ease for the past six days. Apart from discovering Nnadi cheating on his wife with Chinelo, he did an abnormally weird thing for the first time in his life. He beat Akwaudo.The pain of the beating that Okoli gave to Akwaudo was felt strongly by no one but himself. He did not care about the recent unannounced visits of his mother-in-law or brother-in-law rather he was more bothered about what he did. The fact that he turned his anger towards Akwaudo and beat the hell out of her. But could he be judged? In times of despair, a man of his time could be involved in anything as long as his name was preserved. Ezeugo shamed him and in return, he had to shame someone. Unfortunately it was Akwaudo who received the shame.Also, in their time, women running away from their husband's compound and seeking refuge in their parents home were common. They would sway their waist in a desolate manner, clutch their han
Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Seventy-one
Akwaudo came in the morning when Okoli had gone to see Nnadi to deliberate on important issues concerning their families. The bruises she got from him had gradually subsided and were slowly transforming into dark spots. As she entered Okoli's compound, Ibekwe heard the sound of her exculpating voice and came out from the hut to hug her."How are you doing Ibekwe?" Akwaudo asked, squeezing his head on her breast."I am fine," Ibekwe said and asked. "Why did you leave us and run away?""I didn't run away. I went to see your grandparents," Akwaudo replied."Why didn't you take me along with you?""I forgot, maybe next time I will take you along with me. Cheer up Ibekwe and help me call your brother.""He is coming," Ibekwe said. "There he is.""Mother!" Ifeme said, running past Ibekwe. He hugged Akwaudo."How are you Ifeme?""I am fine."Ibekwe went inside and brought water for her to drink. Akwaudo drank.
Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Seventy-two
"I am sorry," Ibekwe said."Why are you sorry?" Akwaudo asked.She flounced slowly down the stream and stopped when her feet touched the water. Then, she bent down, rolled her hands in the shape of a cup and forced some amount of water into her palms. Ibekwe was watching. She lifted her right hand upwards and moved her left hand to the back of her right hand. Ibekwe knew what was coming. She got up and ran towards him. Before Ibekwe could stop the impending danger, she threw the water on his face. It spluttered round his face and flowed to his chest. He fell down."You are happy with what you did?" Ibekwe asked with a large smile."I am. Just wait and see what I will do again."Ibekwe stood up and saw her run back to the stream. She was having fun with him. He waited and watched as she took some more water from the stream and splashed it on his face. She laughed loudly. He had never seen her laugh in a lively and energetic manner before.
Shading Black EXILE - Chapter Seventy-three
The town crier sounded the metal gong, summoning the indigenes of Umuise to an important meeting in the village square. Men, women and children came out from different directions and as always, the children carried low stools from behind while the adults led the way.Osinala was the oldest man in Umuise. Also, he was once the richest man in Umuise before the incident that occurred between his son and Okoli swallowed a huge portion of his wealth. As was tradition, the oldest man was allowed to address the crowd if a good orator was not moved to speak. As the people of Umuise clustered in the village square, whispering about the unfortunate death of a man who looked like a diviner in a stream owned by Umuise before being reduced to silence by the metal gong of the town crier, Osinala was allowed to address the crowd."People of Umuise! Great people of Umuise!" Osinala chanted."Yaa!" They chorused."Great and wonderful people of Umuise!""Yaa!"
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