Letters from Enugu •

Letters From Emene Market

: LETTERS FROM EMENE MARKET

Letters from Emene Market is not one letter. Many letters. At Emene Market, red dust road, Nnenna sells akara. Her akara is hot, pepper, sweet, laugh loud. Every day okada passes, Emene! Emene! One chance! Dust enters akara, but laugh stays. Nnenna has box. Not okada box with spare plug like Emeka. Akara money box, small tin, with lock. Inside box, two letters. First, Emeka letter two years old, white paper torn from school book, edges rough, ink faded a little, written at Emene Market near akara stall, Dear Nnenna, I sell akara? Your akara sweet but I am scared I am okada rider not land owner. But I like your laugh. Second, her answer, written tonight at Emene near

akara stall after market closes, with kerosene lamp like Ada at two seventeen morning at Number Twelve Achara Layout, mother banging pots, father sick, Ghana-must-go bag, textbook Letters from Enugu under bed, yellow paper folded five years. Her answer said, Dear Emeka, Your okada noisy but heart quiet. Your letter two years late but love on time. I will be your akara partner, not just seller. Emeka came morning, okada parked, spare plug in pocket, no land three plots, okada two wheels not three plots, but heart big, holding folded paper same as Ada yellow letter pocket at Achara Layout, same as Chapter Emeka and Nnenna letter. Nnenna gave him second letter. He read, tears small, dust on shoes red

dust Emene road. "You will be my akara partner?" he said. "Yes," Nnenna said. "Not just seller. Partner. Like Ada and Chidi partner at cement wall behind Mama Ngozi tomato stall where they used to sit 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 Enugu, selling tomatoes to all mothers, hears all gist, banner is a lie mother printed without permission for land three plots Emene worth nine million but Chidi keeps Ada letter pocket not land paper." Ada and Chidi came to Emene Market that day, black Toyota Corolla, two Cokes cold sweating, village square memory five years ago waiting

four to eight with two Cokes. Ada said, "Emene Market letters are many. Not just Emeka and Nnenna. Mothers here also hide letters." One mother at Emene Market, selling onions, came shy, holding yellow paper faded, like Ada. "My daughter wrote at two seventeen morning at Number Twelve Achara Layout, like Ada," she said. "I kept under wrapper box since 1987." Another mother, selling smoked fish, said, "My son wrote letter to okada rider but never sent because no land." So Letters from Emene Market became many letters, not one. Mama Ngozi came from Ogbete Main Market with tomatoes, big arms, wrapper tied high, to Emene Market, shouting, "Ogbete reading today eleven AM Mama Ngozi tomato stall free akara! But

Emene Market reading tomorrow eleven AM at Nnenna akara stall free akara too!" Mothers clapped. Emeka and Nnenna decided to paste letters on wall at Emene Market, like Ada and Chidi pasted on cement wall behind Mama Ngozi tomato stall and transformer at Achara Layout road cardboard Dear Mamas of Enugu Land is not love Letter is love ADA & CHIDI EMEKA & NNENNA TWO LETTERS ONE HILL mothers reading graffiti Go Ada & Chidi Go Emeka & Nnenna entire street reading. At Emene Market wall, they pasted, LAND IS NOT LOVE LETTER IS LOVE, EMEKA & NNENNA, and OKADA IS NOT POVERTY AKARA IS LOVE. Okada riders reading, akara buyers reading. One okada rider said, "I also have letter

two years in box under spare plug." One akara seller said, "I also waiting two years at Emene Market." So Letters from Emene Market became Ogbete Main Market Reading but at Emene, free akara, free okada gist, free tomatoes from Mama Ngozi. Emeka gave Nnenna fuel from first dollar profit from tomatoes with small yellow letter copies five thousand naira, buying akara for Nnenna fuel for Emeka okada tomatoes for Mama Ngozi two Cokes for Chidi at village square four PM same spot waiting five years ago. Nnenna gave Emeka akara hot, pepper, sweet. They sat at Emene Market wall, two Cokes? No, two akara, hot, like two Cokes cold sweating at cement wall Ogbete. Chidi said, "Emene Market red

dust road, three plots Emene worth nine million remains unsold on table at Chief Eze living room, but letters from Emene Market sold with akara and okada fuel and two Cokes." Ada smiled, yellow Ankara dusty red from Emene road. "Letters from Emene Market, many letters, not one, all say same, land is not love, letter is love, okada is not poverty, akara is love." That is Letters from Emene Market. Many letters, one market, red dust, akara hot, okada noisy, heart quiet. At Miliken Hill dawn next day, blue green gold hills, Enugu waking below, black Toyota Corolla Ghana-must-go bag textbook yellow letter transformer Achara Layout road cardboard Dear Mamas of Enugu Land is not love Letter is love,

four Cokes two couples two letters one hill, they added second cardboard, Letters from Emene Market, Okada is not poverty, Akara is love, EMEKA & NNENNA. Mothers below reading both. That is how Emene Market, which used to sell only onions and akara, now sells letters too. Ada Chidi Emeka Nnenna Mama Ngozi Ogbete Main Market Miliken Hill dawn blue green gold hills black Toyota Corolla two Cokes cold sweating yellow letter 2:17 AM Achara Layout udala tree kerosene lamp NEPA taking light mother banging pots father sick land is not love letter is love Ada Chidi Emeka Nnenna Mama Ngozi Ogbete Main Market Miliken Hill dawn blue green gold hills black Toyota Corolla two Cokes cold sweating yellow letter

2:17 AM Achara Layout udala tree kerosene lamp NEPA taking light mother banging pots father sick land is not love letter is love Ada Chidi Emeka Nnenna Mama Ngozi Ogbete Main Market Miliken Hill dawn blue green gold hills black Toyota Corolla two Cokes cold sweating yellow letter 2:17 AM Achara Layout udala tree kerosene lamp NEPA taking light mother banging pots father sick land is not love letter is love