NO LONGER WILL...
Two things Grandma (maternal granny) never did were saying sorry to us or pleading with me. Even when she mistakenly hit you with her odu ogugu (cane), she would never say sorry. She would never! Grandma adighi asi ndo.
Pls, don’t call her a bitter soul. She was not. That was her nature, her family orientation. She was brought up that way. You can say she was harsh and tough. I agree. She was really harsh and tough that no other grandchild of hers agreed to live with her, except me. Others came, lived with her for just few weeks and ran away, back to their fathers’ houses.
For my case, I started living with her even as a toddler. She put me at her back the moment my late father was committed to the mother earth and headed home. That was how I started living with her. Her case and my case was kpokirikpo versus kpokirikpo.
I don’t even know why I began this story this way. But it is important I explain the nature of person who raised me to be able to tell my story well.
I told you my granny never said sorry or pleaded with me for any course. But that day she did. I made her do. In fact, she was calling me a pet name; “ Njii, Nnne, Jidekwa coin, agu nwanyi, etc”
Me? I asked myself. The more she was hailing me and pleading with me to come, the more I took steps backward, calculating the available escape routes in case she change am for me.
The woman who came to the house had joined her to call me pet names and pleading with me. Na ebee? Me? Una no see me, I kept murmuring in my heart.
My granny kept begging and also promised she won’t flog me. I was holding the tough woman on her balls.
Ask me what happened.
After a heavy rain, I went out to hunt for fruits in the bush and farms. I wasn’t lucky that day, other kids have gone before me and gathered all the fruits. When I was returning, I went to the back of the house to observe the pear tree. The Pear tree belonged to one Margaret Thatcher granny, living nearby. They told us the woman had a gun because her late husband was a soldier.
It was not Pear season. But this Pear tree belonged to the early bird. O na-eji n’oge. There was this bunch I have been observing and luckily that day, 5 among them had turned black.
I moved closer, I darted my eyes at left and right, no one was looking. I also saw the animal skulls and red cloths tied around the pears and the tree (e doro ya iyi) accursed fruits.
Trees with this kind of charm are not to be trespassed. They should not be climbed, plucked or even picked from except by the full permission of the owner. I knew about that but kachie nti, ghoo ube edoro iyi and went home with them.
When I got home, I went to fire and soft-roasted the pears. It was a big pear, very unique. I leaked one at the fire place and brought out four and presented to my granny.
“Mama, lee ube ohuu (see new pears). I got them from the bush, on the ground”. She was so happy. She collected two from the plate and left two for me. I quickly devoured the two and joined other kids in the compound to play.
A moment later, the owner of the Pear rushed into the compound, blowing fire. “Someone stole my pears on the tree. Iyi will kill the person ooo”.
I saw my Grandma walking out from her house when she heard the voice of the woman. The worst, she was still holding the second Pear in her hand. But she had leaked half of it.
The owner of Pear saw the footprints and traced it to our house. Like I told you earlier, it just finished raining. Granny beckoned on her with guilt all over her face. The woman inspected the Pear in her hand and confirmed it was her pear.
She screamed; “this child has killed me oh!”
Aru my granny na-aso mkpari. She detested insults and embarrassment so much. Taking someone’s belonging was a taboo let alone stealing the one with yoke and charm.
The case wasn’t taken up as supposed because my Granny was involved. She was respected by many and revered for her contentment. The owner of the Pear knew she would never part-take from the stolen Pear if she had known the source.
So, why are they calling me pet names?
The owner of the Pear needed to take me to the Pear tree, hold my hand and place my palms on the tree so that the potency of the charms on the tree will be revoked. If it was not done according to them, the charms on the tree will harm me and also harm whoever that ate from the stolen Pear, My grandma.
Me, I don’t want to go near the house. I was afraid granny would skin me alive. But she kept calling me and begging me to come, even the woman joined in the pleading; “Nne, bianu, i nugo. Ezigbo nwa...”.
No longer Will...
OH JESUS! THANKS TO GOD FOR THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL.
If not for the light of the gospel, the death and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we will still be in the dark. We will continue to beg and appease the spirits of our dead fathers who committed evils in order to be free.
Ezekiel 18:20
The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.
