WIDOWS' FATE

EPISODE 2: THE IGBO BRIDE

Light shines in Chief Ayinla's sitting room. Ronke, Ashabi and Chinanza were together with Lawyer Kunle. Everywhere was silent and song 2 stops slowly.

Song 2

Call: Oro yi su mi…

Resp: Hun o riro

Lawyer Kunle: Emmn…ehnehn, now that y’all don’t want me to leave here again, what should I do? I have somewhere else to go this afternoon and its getting late already ehn…

Chinanza: (phone rings…) Hello ma, oooh ! You are already here (Ronke & Ashabi face each other then face Lawyer Kunle) Ok am coming ma

L. Kunle: Ah ! eh eeeh!! moma daran oh, why are you now looking at me, I really need to be going now (peeps from the window then made a turn around and saw Ronke and Ashabi standing like they are ready for war) ija nla, lao feni ja, ija nlaaa ni ao fi eni ja oh (moved closer to them then hid at the back of a chair)

Ashabi: What happen to you? (facing Lawyer Kunle) are you scared of her? Mtcheew woman wrapper !

Ronke: Leave him alone and lets face this lady and her mother

Chinanza enters the sitting room with her mum with joy on her face

Mrs. Okooro: Good afternoon oh my people (no response then face Chinanza) What is happening here?

Chinanza: Mummy don’t worry I can handle this… emn please welcome my mummy

Ronke, Ashabi: To where?

Ashabi: You better pack yourself away from here ASHAWO!!!

Chinanza: (annoyed) ewoo oh…did you just call me ashawo?

Ronke: What if she said that what will you do? We never welcomed you here you called your mum to come, to come and do what? The property we suffered and worked for is what you think you and your BASTARD want to inherit?

Chinanza: (provoked) I swear I go slap person face for here today

Mrs Okooro: eh eh… wetuo nwam nwanyi Chinanza wetuo oh wetuo Obi

Chinanza: I dey calm mama, I dey calm gidigan oh, mama u know oh

Ashabi: (laughs) wetin weyray ashawo won do again weh I never see

Chinanza: I swear she repeat am oh (removes her scalf and wig) na today you go see say I dey craze true true, you go know today say I be confirm igbo girl (move closer to Ashabi but stopped by her mum) if them born your mama well move closer to me and call me that name again

Ashabi: Mummy Bisola you can hear what she is saying now oh

Ronke: Ashabi jhor ni suru

Ashabi: No dey tell me kin ni suru, we suppose gather hand beat this Ashewo and her mother join

Chinanza: Very good !

Chinanza passed another way to get to Ashabi’s front by force then suddenly she mistakenly slapped her mother heavily while Ashabi waved it. Mrs. Okooro found herself sitting on the chair after been slapped.

L. Kunle: (from the hide out which is at the back of where Mrs Okooro is) yeeeh…..eh ori iya mi ooh

Chinanza: (feeling remorse) Ma mama O di m nwute n’ezie mama, I don’t expect you to come at all ma

Mrs. Okooro: Will yo…ou..u shut up! (struggling to open her second eye very well) I told you to calm down now see what you’ve caused Chinanza

Ronke, Ashabi: (laughs silently) awwn awwwwn sorry mama (laughs continuously)

Ronke: (facing Ashabi) My superwoman, my wonder woman aha ah

Ashabi: Na me be that oh… na she talk say she go slap person today and God don help me crown her effort… (laughs again with Ronke)

Lawyer Kunle was trying to sneak out of where he was thinking they are all carried away with what happened

Mrs. Okooro: (turned to her left side) ah… aha.. ah who be this?

L. Kunle: (shocked and paused) Who be who?

Mrs. Okooro: Who are you now?

L. Kunle: (speaks silently) ah o ka mi sha mtcheew (got up) Good afternoon ma, how’s fa…

Mrs. Okooro: (cuts in) aha ah ah Lawyer Kunle!

L. Kunle: Absent ma (pretending to cry)

Ronke, Ashabi and Chinanza were terrified to what is happening

Mrs. Okooro: (laughs and claps) Lawyer Kunle, so you are here

L. Kunle: I no here oh, wetin u talk sef I no hear oh

Mrs. Okooro: Hmmm you can never hear but I thank God you are here

Ashabi: Please what is happening here ma

Mrs. Okooro: (face Ashabi with a side eye and eyed her then later face L. Kunle) How are you doing sir

L. Kunle: Fine thank you ma, pls I need to go now ( about to leave but stopped by Chinanza, Ronke and Ashabi by pulling his belt)

Ronke: Lawyer Kunle what is happening here

Mrs. Okooro: Let do it this way Lawyer Kunle, since you introduced me to Late Chief Ayinla, why don’t you introduce my child to them as well?

L. Kunle: See as you dey talk like say e easy, with due respect ma oh if e easy u sef run am na… mtcheew, first of all

Mrs. Okooro: Introduction

L. Kunle: Your daughter don do am already ma, first of all…

Mrs. Okooro: …still on the introduction, introduce my daughter to them my friend!

L. Kunle: Ah (his two hands on his head) MODARAN !

Ronke: Hmm what is happening? Pls separate the sand from the gaari

L. Kunle: Are you sure about this ma? (Ronke noded yes in response) ok I honestly don’t know how things turned out this way, it was just an idea from my friend Investor Lam because the guy too sabi infact I dey call am sabinus, hin wife na from east and he don get 4 pikins like this and all of them na boys, four BOYS o all of them pata pata na hin I kon advice my late friend Ayinla say make he get baby mama outside make she sha be igbo girl say e b like say na dem dey get male pass like dis nah hin Ayinla asked me again say am I sure I said yes he kon ask again I said yes na say if the baby no turn out to a boy say we no go accept am, we discussed a lot oh but the day I find out say Chief Ayinla don pay bride price for this igbo girl nah hin I don sabi say problem go still dey men go surely stain your white but my friend no hear, you see the day he told you he was traveling to Anambra for his friend’s wedding, na the day he go pay the bride price gangan be that and I swea…

Ronke: (removed her hand from L. Kunle then Ashabi while he was talking) aaaaah ah (screamed heavily)

L. Kunle: Aaaaaah ahaaa and I swea…

Ronke: Lawyer Kunle! (left the scene angrily)

L. Kunle: …and I swea…

Ashabi: (sobbing) is it man that provides Child or God? And what if her unborn child is a girl..?

Mrs. Okooro: Tofiakwa ! Na boy she go born

L. Kunle: …and I swear I…

Ashabi: You what?

L. Kunle: I swear I to…

Ashabi: mtcheew, Animal! (left)

L. Kunle: (sobbing) I swear I to…

Mrs. Okooro: That what?

L. Kunle: …that I need to leave now

Mrs Okooro: Please do

L. Kunle: Thank you ma (ran out and slams the door)

Chinanza: Mummyyy……

FADE OUT