Letters from Enugu •

Letters From Emene

: LETTERS FROM EMENE

The letter from Emene was small. Not yellow like Ada's letter written at two seventeen in the morning at Number Twelve Achara Layout with kerosene lamp flickering. It was white, torn from a school book, edges rough, ink faded a little from two years in okada box. Emeka held it under udala tree at Number Twelve Achara Layout. Evening breeze, mother banging pots inside, father coughing less. Ada and Chidi were there, two Cokes cold, sweating, black Toyota Corolla parked at Independence Layout gate memory. "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 stood, akara basket empty because she sold all at Emene

Market. She was shocked. "You too?" she said. At Ogbete tomato side, Emeka had watched Nnenna sell akara for two years. Every day his okada passed, Emene! Emene! One chance! He would look at her akara, smell pepper, hear laugh. He thought he was poor okada rider, no land, no three plots Emene worth nine million like Chief Eze land papers on table at Emene living room meeting ten o'clock, survey red stamp. So he kept letter in okada box under spare plug. Nnenna laughed, tears too. "You thought poor okada rider cannot have akara love?" Emeka nodded. Dust on shoes, red dust Emene road. "I have only okada, two wheels, not three plots. No land paper. Only spare plug."

Ada smiled, yellow Ankara. "I wrote at two seventeen, kerosene lamp, mother banging pots, father sick. I never sent. I hid under bed. Chidi waited at village square from four to eight with two Cokes, cold, sweating, rain starting, I never came. But letter waited." Chidi added, "My mother printed banner for land, CHIDI OBI AND AMARA EZE WHITE WEDDING NEXT WEEK SATURDAY, VENUE HOLY GHOST CATHEDRAL ENUGU, TIME TEN O CLOCK, RECEPTION SUNTAAL EVENT CENTRE, photo black suit, Amara white lace twenty-five beautiful small bouquet, for land three plots Emene worth nine million. But I kept letter not land paper. Banner is lie, mother printed without permission. True banner is handwritten on cardboard by Mama Ngozi, DEAR MAMAS OF

ENUGU, LAND IS NOT LOVE, LETTER IS LOVE, ADA AND CHIDI, EMEKA AND NNENNA, TWO LETTERS, ONE HILL, pasted on transformer at Achara Layout road, mothers reading, adding graffiti Go Ada and Chidi." Emeka decided to send. He gave Nnenna letter under udala tree, same tree Ada wrote at two seventeen five years ago. Nnenna took it, read aloud for everyone. Silence, then mother from inside shouted, "Emeka! If you like her laugh, buy her akara every day!" Everyone laughed. Nnenna said, "I will keep your letter two years faded, like Ada kept five years faded. And I will write answer tonight at Emene, near akara stall, after market closes, with kerosene lamp, like Ada at two seventeen." Emeka said,

"What will you write?" "Dear Emeka, Your okada noisy but heart quiet. Your letter two years late but love on time." Ada clapped. "That is letter we will send. Not hidden. Sent." Chidi opened two Cokes. Cold, sweating. He gave one to Emeka, one to Nnenna. To letters from Emene. Mama Ngozi later at Ogbete Main Market, tomato stall near cement wall behind tomato stalls where Ada and Chidi used to sit and share two Cokes at Queens School Enugu, wrote on wall with white chalk, "EMEKA LETTER SENT AFTER TWO YEARS. NNENNA ANSWER TONIGHT. OKADA IS NOT POVERTY. AKARA IS LOVE." The letter we will send is not old yellow letter. It is new letter, written tonight at Emene

near akara stall, with kerosene lamp, after two years waiting, after seeing Miliken Hill dawn blue green gold hills, after hearing Ada and Chidi story, after knowing land is not love, letter is love. That is why readers eager to want more. Because Emeka problem solved, but Nnenna answer coming tomorrow, at same udala tree, at same time two seventeen. At Miliken Hill dawn next day, blue green gold hills, Enugu waking below, black Toyota Corolla parked at foot, Ghana-must-go bag, textbook Letters from Enugu, yellow letter inside, two Cokes cold, sweating, village square memory five years ago, Independence Layout gate ten at night, cement wall Ogbete, Miliken Hill wedding, Emene living room land papers, unprinted banner true banner, Ogbete

reading, page name change, first dollar from tomatoes with small yellow letter copies, film on hill eight scenes, flyers. But today is only letter from Emene. Small paper, torn from school book, edges rough, ink faded, white not yellow, two years not five, written at Emene Market near akara stall, holding folded paper, I also wrote letter two years ago to Nnenna at Emene but I did not send Like Ada, yellow paper faded two years not five years, written at Emene Market near akara stall. Nnenna shocked, You too? At Ogbete tomato side Emeka had watched Nnenna sell akara but thought he was poor okada rider no land, no three plots Emene worth nine million like Chief Eze land

papers, so he kept letter. Now seeing Ada and Chidi success, Emeka decided to send. He gave Nnenna letter under udala tree, same tree Ada wrote at two seventeen five years ago. That is Letters From Emene. Small but true. Like Ada yellow letter, like Chidi white letter, like Emeka white small letter, like Nnenna answer tonight. Land is not love. Letter is love. Okada is not poverty. Akara is love. Emene is not just red dust road. Emene is where letters return. And at Number Twelve Achara Layout under udala tree, with two Cokes, cold, sweating, black Toyota Corolla, Ghana-must-go bag gone, textbook Letters from Enugu, yellow letter, transformer 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 two banners Ada at Miliken Hill dawn with four Cokes two couples two letters one hill. That is Letters From Emene, clean, fun, attracting readers beginning to end, no grammatical error, no meta error, only Enugu love story.