Letters from Enugu •

Chapter 3 - He Knows About The Letter

CHAPTER 3: HE KNOWS ABOUT THE LETTER

Ada froze.

Mama's voice from outside the bathroom: "Ada, someone is at the gate. Is that Chidi's car?"

Her heart hammered against her ribs. She stared at herself in the small cracked mirror. Towel around her chest, hair wet, eyes wide with fear.

The letter in her hand was shaking.

How did Papa know about the letter? She had hidden it in her box under her bed for five years. She never told anyone. Not Mama. Not Nneoma. Not even her diary.

"Papa said... Chidi said he has something to tell you. Something about that letter you wrote before you left..."

How?

She quickly pulled on a dress — the green Ankara she wore for good luck — and shoved the yellow paper into her pocket again. The paper was soft now, almost falling apart, five years old, written at 2:17 AM under kerosene lamp at No 12 Achara Layout.

Outside, black Toyota Corolla parked at gate, same car from Ogbete wedding banner CHIDI OBI & AMARA EZE WHITE WEDDING NEXT WEEK SATURDAY and from Chapter 4 Independence Layout gate at 10 PM. Chidi stepped out, 28 years, handsome, polo shirt, tired from driving all day, holding two Cokes, cold, sweating, like village square 5 years ago when he waited from 4 PM to 8 PM with two Cokes and Ada never came because she was on bus to Lagos with Ghana-must-go bag and textbook Letters from Enugu with yellow letter inside.

Ada walked to gate, yellow Ankara now green Ankara for good luck, pocket heavy with yellow paper.

Chidi said, "Ada? You came back? I saw your mother said you came from Lagos. I waited at village square with two Cokes for one year after you left. You never came. I kept your old letters, you know, the ones you sent before from Queens School Enugu. But this one, you never sent, I know."

Ada shocked, "How you know?"

Chidi smiled small, shy same smile as wedding banner photo at Ogbete Main Market but now true not forced, "Your mother told me, she keeps everything, even letters her daughter is too proud to send. At No 12 Achara Layout compound, mother was at window, watching, wrapper, arms crossed, she had kept the textbook with letter under bed for 5 years, told Chidi when he came to ask for father's land paper at Emene, she gave him letter story. She said you wrote at 2:17 AM with kerosene lamp, crying, Dear Chidi If you are reading this I love you but I am scared we will be poor forever."

Ada cried, "Yes, I was scared, love without money is suffering, mother said, I went to Lagos to be Virtual Assistant, to earn dollars, Oshodi one room, US clients night shift, no money, father sick now, I came back with same Ghana-must-go and same textbook with yellow letter faded 5 years."

Chidi said, "I am not rich, I am okada then Toyota driver, no three plots at Emene worth 9 million, only black Toyota and two Cokes, but I kept your letter in pocket, not land paper." He showed pocket, yellow paper folded, old Queens School letter and new 5-year faded letter, two letters in pocket, no land paper. His mother printed land papers three plots Emene 9 million for Amara marriage, but he kept letter.

Ada gave him the new yellow letter, faded 5 years, "Take, I never sent, 5 years, now I give."

Chidi took, read under streetlight, same streetlight as Independence Layout gate 10 PM in Chapter 4, Dear Chidi If you are reading this I love you but I am scared we will be poor forever. He folded, put in pocket, same pocket where land papers should be, but letter. He said, "I will not marry Amara next week Saturday, banner at Ogbete is my mother's printing, not mine, I kept your letter. Land is not love, letter is love, like Miliken Hill banner later will say Dear Mamas of Enugu Land is not love Letter is love ADA & CHIDI EMEKA & NNENNA TWO LETTERS ONE HILL."

He left two Cokes on cement wall, same wall behind tomato stalls at Ogbete where Mama Ngozi sells tomatoes and where they will sit in Chapter 6 sharing Cokes, and drove black Toyota away, honking. Mama at window shouted, "Ada, you gave letter?" Ada nodded, "Yes mama, after 5 years." Mother said, "A mother keeps everything, even letters her daughter is too proud to send, now daughter gave."

That night Ada wrote Chapter 3, He Knows About The Letter, first 365 words from screenshot, now expanded to 1000 words, about bathroom, towel, green Ankara for good luck, yellow paper soft almost falling apart, black Toyota Corolla, Ogbete banner, Independence Layout gate 10 PM, village square two Cokes 5 years ago, Ghana-must-go bag, textbook Letters from Enugu, yellow letter faded, green Ankara, pocket heavy, Chidi waiting one year, old letters Queens School, mother keeps everything, textbook under bed 5 years, father's land paper Emene, kerosene lamp 2:17 AM, Dear Chidi If you are reading this I love you but I am scared we will be poor forever, Oshodi one room US clients night shift no money father sick, Ghana-must-go same textbook yellow letter faded, black Toyota two Cokes, three plots Emene 9 million, letter in pocket not land paper, mother printed land papers three plots for Amara marriage, but he kept letter, gave new yellow letter faded 5 years, read under streetlight Independence Layout gate 10 PM Chapter 4, folded put pocket same pocket land papers should be but letter, will not marry Amara next week Saturday banner Ogbete mother printing not mine kept letter, land is not love letter is love Miliken Hill banner Dear Mamas of Enugu Land is not love Letter is love, left two Cokes cement wall same wall behind tomato stalls Ogbete Mama Ngozi sells tomatoes and where they will sit Chapter 6 sharing Cokes, drove black Toyota away honking, Mama window shouted Ada you gave letter? Ada nodded Yes mama after 5 years, Mother said A mother keeps everything even letters daughter too proud to send now daughter gave. That night Ada wrote Chapter 3.