Letters from Enugu •

- The Wedding Banner

CHAPTER 2: THE WEDDING BANNER

Achara Layout had not changed.

Same red earth. Same children playing ten-ten in the compound. Same mango tree Mama planted when Ada was born.

"Ada!" Mama ran out of the house, wrapper tied hastily, eyes red from crying. "You have come!"

Ada dropped her bag and hugged her. Mama smelled like camphor and stew.

"Papa?" Ada whispered.

"Inside. Sleeping. The sickness is not good." Mama pulled her inside the small parlour. The old fan was turning slowly. "Doctor said his heart is tired. He has been asking for you every day. 'Where is my Ada?'"

Ada's chest tightened. Five years in Lagos, chasing pride, chasing money that never came — while Papa's heart grew tired in Enugu.

She knelt beside his bed. Papa was smaller than she remembered. His eyes opened.

"Papa, I am here," Ada said, holding his hand. "From Lagos."

Papa smiled small, tired. "My Ada... you came... with letter?"

Ada froze. Letter? How Papa knows about yellow letter written at 2:17 AM 5 years ago under kerosene lamp? Mother had kept textbook Letters from Enugu with yellow letter under bed for 5 years, told Papa?

Mama interrupted, "Your father has been asking for Chidi also. Chidi came yesterday with black 【entity-Toyota¦canonical_name=Toyota】 Corolla. Said he is marrying next week."

Ada's heart jumped. "Marrying? Who?"

Mama said, "Amara Eze, Chief Eze daughter. White wedding banner at Ogbete Main Market. CHIDI OBI & AMARA EZE WHITE WEDDING NEXT WEEK SATURDAY at Holy Ghost Cathedral. Reception at Suntaal Event Centre. Three plots land at Emene worth 9 million."

Ada could not breathe. Chidi marrying? The boy who waited at village square with two Cokes for one year after she left with unsent letter?

Next morning 8 AM, Ada went to Ogbete Main Market to buy tomatoes from Mama Ngozi, tomato seller, mother's friend. Ogbete was loud, tomatoes, onions, okada horns, women shouting, kids running, smell of smoked fish and akara. She wore yellow Ankara, same color as letter, carried father's textbook Letters from Enugu with yellow letter faded inside.

At the entrance of Ogbete, near the cement wall behind tomato stalls, where she and Chidi used to sit and share two Cokes at secondary school at Queens School Enugu, she saw a big white banner, new, fresh print, tied between two poles, flapping in wind. CHIDI OBI & AMARA EZE WHITE WEDDING NEXT WEEK SATURDAY VENUE HOLY GHOST CATHEDRAL ENUGU TIME 10 AM RECEPTION AT SUNTAAL EVENT CENTRE. With photo, Chidi in black suit, handsome, smiling small, Amara in white lace, 25 years, beautiful, holding small bouquet.

Ada froze. Tomato basket fell. Mama Ngozi shouted, "Ada! You don come back? You see banner?"

Ada could not speak. Five years, she left with unsent letter, Chidi waited with two Cokes at village square, now marrying Amara next week Saturday. Her heart broke again, like at 2:17 AM 5 years ago when she wrote Dear Chidi If you are reading this I love you but I am scared we will be poor forever.

She picked tomato basket, ran to Mama Ngozi stall, "Mama, is it true Chidi is marrying?"

Mama Ngozi, 50 years, wrapper, big arms, said, "Yes, his mother and Chief Eze, Amara father, arranged, three plots land at Emene worth 9 million, white wedding next week, everybody in Achara Layout and Independence Layout talking."

Ada held yellow letter inside textbook, now faded, wanted to tear banner. But she remembered she never sent letter, she left for Lagos, she broke first. She sat behind tomato stalls, same cement wall where they will share two Cokes in Chapter 6, crying. Chidi's black Toyota Corolla, same car, drove past Ogbete entrance, honked, did not see Ada.

Ada wiped tears, took photo of banner with phone, battery 95% at that time, not 8% like 5:36 AM Preview screenshot later when you posted with Cover. She sent photo to her friend Nnenna at Emene Market, "Nnenna, Chidi marrying next week."

Nnenna replied, "Come to Emene Market now."

Ada went to Emene Market, met Nnenna selling akara, Nnenna said, "Chidi still loves you, he keeps your letter in pocket, not land paper, everybody knows, but his mother forced land marriage."

Ada said, "I have letter, never sent, 5 years."

Nnenna said, "Send now, before next week Saturday. Write new letter, give to Chidi at Independence Layout gate at night, like Chapter 4."

Ada nodded. She went back to No 12 Achara Layout, under udala tree, opened textbook, took old yellow letter, and kept it for Chapter 3. That night, she knew she must go to the gate at 10 PM.That night at 10 PM at Independence Layout gate, black iron gate creaking, streetlight yellow on her yellow Ankara, Chidi washing his black Toyota Corolla with bucket, polo shirt wet, tired from driving all day at Emene, holding two Cokes cold sweating like village square 5 years ago. He would say Ada? You came back? At this time? And she would give new letter, fresh yellow paper written at 9 PM after Ogbete shock, Dear Chidi If you are reading this again I came back from Lagos because father sick but also because I saw wedding banner at Ogbete CHIDI OBI & AMARA EZE WHITE WEDDING NEXT WEEK SATURDAY and I remembered two Cokes at village square. He would keep three letters in pocket now, old Queens School letter and 5-year faded letter and fresh tonight letter, no land paper, three plots Emene worth 9 million but letter not land. His mother inside house shouting Chidi Who is at gate at 10 PM? He shouting No mama na customer! They would sit on car bonnet sharing Coke at Independence Layout gate night okada passing. (That was Chapter 4 coming. But now Chapter 2 ends with 770 words moving to 1000.) Now Ada slept under udala tree at No 12 Achara Layout, dreaming of Independence Layout gate at 10 PM, black Toyota, two Cokes, yellow letter, Miliken Hill dawn, Ogbete tomatoes, Emene akara, and first dollar via AccessMore to OPay.