Letters from Enugu •

- The Emeka Problem

Emeka had a problem. It was not his okada.

His okada was old, but it ran. Two wheels, noisy, spare plug under the box, fuel small small. It took him from Emene to Ogbete every day, shouting Emene! Emene! One chance! People knew his okada sound.

His problem was a letter.

Two years ago, at night, under kerosene lamp at Emene, with NEPA taking light, mother banging pot in next room, he wrote it. On small paper torn from his son's school book.

It said, "Dear Nnenna, I sell akara? Your akara sweet but I am scared I am okada rider not land owner. But I like your laugh."

Nnenna sold akara at Emene Market. Her akara was hot, pepper, sweet. She laughed loud, even when okada dust entered her akara. Emeka passed her stall every day. Every day he wanted to give letter. Every day he did not.

Why? Because he had no land.

At Emene, Chief Eze had three plots, survey with red stamp, worth nine million. He wanted Chidi to marry Amara for that land. Emeka had no plots. He had only okada, two wheels, not three plots. He had no paper with red stamp. Only letter with small writing.

He kept letter in okada box, under spare plug. Two years, paper faded.

Then Ada came back from Lagos.

Ada had yellow letter written at two seventeen in the morning at Number Twelve Achara Layout, with kerosene lamp flickering, mother banging pots, father sick, Ghana-must-go bag packed, textbook Letters from Enugu under bed, yellow paper folded five years. She never sent it. She took bus at Holy Ghost Park, eight hours to Lagos, one room at Oshodi, Virtual Assistant work at night for America clients, no money. She thought Lagos would make her rich. It made her tired.

She came back. At Ogbete Main Market, she saw yellow banner, CHIDI OBI AND AMARA EZE WHITE WEDDING NEXT WEEK SATURDAY, VENUE HOLY GHOST CATHEDRAL ENUGU, TIME TEN O CLOCK, RECEPTION SUNTAAL EVENT CENTRE, photo Chidi black suit handsome smiling small, Amara white lace twenty-five beautiful small bouquet. Banner was lie, mother printed without permission for land three plots Emene worth nine million, but Chidi kept Ada letter in pocket not land paper.

Ada and Chidi sat at cement wall behind Mama Ngozi tomato stall, where they used to sit and share two Cokes at Queens School Enugu, two Cokes cold, sweating, Mama Ngozi fifty years old, big arms, wrapper tied high, tomato seller who knows every gist in Enugu, shouting Go Ada and Chidi.

And at Miliken Hill dawn, blue, green, gold hills, Enugu waking below, they climbed. Ada, Chidi, Emeka, Nnenna. Four Cokes in small nylon, cold. Ghana-must-go bag, textbook, yellow letter.

At top rock, Emeka saw Ada give yellow letter to Chidi, five year faded letter and fresh tonight letter, no land paper. Chidi said, My mother printed banner for land but I kept your letter. Ada said, I left with letter never sent at two seventeen, Dear Chidi, If you are reading this, I love you but I am scared we will be poor forever. Now I sent.

Sun rose over Enugu, green, gold, blue. At bottom Achara Layout road transformer, Ada had pasted cardboard with Mama Ngozi idea, DEAR MAMAS OF ENUGU, LAND IS NOT LOVE, LETTER IS LOVE, ADA AND CHIDI, EMEKA AND NNENNA, TWO LETTERS, ONE HILL. Now mothers reading, adding graffiti Go Ada and Chidi, entire street reading.

Emeka looked at Nnenna. Nnenna looked at Emeka. Both holding akara and okada, two more Cokes, now four Cokes, two couples, two letters, one hill, original banner true.

That was when Emeka knew his problem was not okada. His problem was hiding letter.

So at Miliken Hill dawn, after sun rose, he brought out his small faded paper from okada box. Not new paper. Two years old. Same as Ada yellow letter five years old.

He gave to Nnenna. Hand shaking.

"Dear Nnenna, I sell akara? Your akara sweet but I am scared I am okada rider not land owner. But I like your laugh."

Nnenna opened. She read. Her eyes filled, but she laughed too, loud laugh that made okada riders below look up at hill.

"You wrote this two years ago?" she said.

"Yes. I kept under spare plug. I thought okada rider cannot marry akara seller if no land. No three plots at Emene worth nine million."

Nnenna hugged him. Akara basket fell. Akara rolled down small small hill like tomatoes at Ogbete.

"I was waiting at Emene Market for two years!" she shouted, not caring who heard at dawn. "Every day you shout Emene! Emene! You never stop at my akara! I thought you like only fuel, not me!"

"Fuel is expensive," Emeka said, small voice. "But your laugh is free."

Everyone laughed. Ada and Chidi clapped. Four Cokes opened. Hiss loud at dawn.

Ada said, "Emeka, your problem solved. Not with land. With letter."

Chidi added, "Land is not love. Letter is love."

Mama Ngozi later, when they came down hill with four empty Cokes, two yellow letters exchanged, big cardboard on transformer below Achara Layout road saying DEAR MAMAS OF ENUGU, LAND IS NOT LOVE, LETTER IS LOVE, said, "Emeka don pass exam! Okada rider to writer! Like Ada Virtual Assistant to Novelist!"

She gave Emeka five baskets tomatoes for his letter.

That day, Emeka did not ride okada many. He sat at Emene Market, near Nnenna akara, writing second letter, better. It said, "Dear Nnenna, Second letter. First letter two years old, small paper from school book. Second letter new. I still have okada two wheels, not three plots. But I have you, and four Cokes at Miliken Hill dawn, two couples, two letters, one hill."

Nnenna kept both letters in her akara money box, not in okada box.

And at Ogbete Main Market next day, Mama Ngozi wrote on cement wall behind tomato stalls where Ada and Chidi used to sit and share two Cokes at Queens School, "EMEKA PROBLEM SOLVED. OKADA IS NOT POVERTY. AKARA IS LOVE."

That is Chapter Eight. Not about banner or land papers three plots worth nine million. About okada rider who kept letter two years under spare plug because he thought no land means no love. Until he saw Ada yellow letter at two seventeen in morning keep love five years with no land.

Now he knows. Land is not love. Letter is love. Okada is not poverty. Akara is love.