AWERO

CORONATION

Oba Deotti always felt very unlucky to not have had another son asides Dekunle he could pass on the throne to when it was finally time for him to join his ancestors.Maybe this was his punishment for banishing his younger and after taking the throne in his stead against the wish of their late father Oba Alaiyeluwa Adelaja, he had donehis penance, tried to atone for this deed through sacrifices but still the gods had chosen to punish him and had sent 'Dekunle as his only son. He knew deep within himhe couldn't govern the affairs of the village and feared the villagers may turn on him when he was no more. This was the third meeting he had had with different familiesdiscretely in two years to discuss 'Dekunle's refusal to take responsibility for a pregnancy and the subsequent termination of the said pregnancy.

He had threatened to pass the throne to one of his younger brothers sons if 'Dekunle didn't change and stop all his infamous activities but the son knew as much as thefather that they were nothing but empty threats, he knew his father was just as greedy to keep the kingship in his lineage and so pain no heed to his words, he was the onlyson and was just one official declaration away to securing his status as the next in-line to the throne.

"Ke de o, ati onile ati a'lejo, ni omo de, ni la gba, Oba Alaiyeluwa Adeotti, oba ilu Ijaye wa yi ni ki so fun yin wi pe, ti o ba ti di ni osupa meji si ojo oni ki nigbo gbo eniyan ni arugbo ati Odo, okunrin ati ni obinrin ki e parapo ni Aafin fun Iwuye ti Omo Oba Adekunle o, mo wi re ta bi mi o wi re" the villagers who had heardthe town crier would respond "O wi ree" wherever he had made the announcement all through the village. Some people were left with mixed feelings as they heard the news,excited for the festivities that was to hold for three days, people would come from far and wide to witness and join in the festivities yet at the same time they wishedit wasn't 'Dekunle who was to be crowned but then they had no say 'for it seemed the gods had decided already.

The weeks that led up to the coronation were by far the most intriguing he had experienced in Ijaye since he moved back, wherever he turned he would find people talking about it,news had spread to all the villages surrounding them, it had improved sales and relations between between the village and its neighbors but it only meant he got to spendmore time away from 'Dunni, the last time he had seen her was when him and his kinsmen had gone to formally introduce themselves to her kinsmen, he had insisted on a dateafter the coronation to go perform the traditional rites because he was sure to be busy during that period as he would have to travel to other villages for trade, she hadargued they could go ahead and have the rites performed and she would travel with him but he had insisted against it.

She had caught sight of his figure approaching, the butterflies in her stomach leaped to her throat much to the disgust of the grouching worms she had decided to starvesince the beginning of that day in the name of being busy, her wrapper trickled down her waist with each step she took as she ran towards him, if the earth she stomped on couldtalk they sure would have complained at how forcefully she stomped against it, she met arms spread expecting her to run in to them, his smile stretched almost the length of thefamous oya river, the scorching sun did very little to dampen his spirits, not while she charged at him like a bull that had just seen the red flag, its not everyday you get to find a love as he had found his and with the prettiest woman in the whole of Ijaye by a mile longer than the nile, and as he wrapped his long outstretched hands aroundsher waist he could feel his heart finally beat with ease for it was where its had always wanted to be with whom he could only entrust it, he drew in the fresh smell ofher hair, pulled her apart to take in her sight one more time before planting a soft kiss on her head, she let out a girlish giggle, threw her arms arounds his neck, let herweight on him, "fa mi so ke ife mi" she said, he smiled, peered through her dreamy eyes, let out a grunt and soon a kiss followed before he dropped his shoulders so lowthey almost touched the earth and as they came back up her feet came up with them, he gathered her into his arms, carried her away from the jealous sun that burned holesinto their heads, maybe if its didn't have to be so shy whenever it met with the moon, maybe it would know just how warm it feels to be in the arms of the one being soopposite but yet completes themselves. The next five hours he spent narrating every detail about his travels, occasionally pausing to steal a kiss from her lips and shelistened, enjoying the sound of his voice and how his eyes lights up whenever he spoke about how he had longed for her in those moments. "Mo si du pe ni owo eledua to fi ese ololufe e mi Omodunni mi"

People came from far and near days before the commencement of the festivity, there were so much people that the Oba decided to change the venue to the market square as toaccommodate the multitude that had come to celebrate his sons' coronation. A portion of the market where full of gifts brought by villagers and well wishers from other villages,the rest of it was divided in three, a portion for where the king and other important dignitaries would sit, a portion for the males and the the last for women. Entertainerswere invited from far and near to perform at this occasion, there was more than enough refreshments courtesy of the Iyalode and the Oloris. It was an occasion blessed bythe gods it seemed, the rainmakers had the job of preventing a drop of rain, everything fell perfectly in to place. Despite most of their reserved judgement of him theywished him only good things and that when his time comes to rule, the gods would back him.

It was drawing nearer to the end of the day and subsequently the end of the coronation but the oba still hadn't announced him as his heir, the concern were on the faces ofhis mother and sisters, some members were concerned too, they failed to understand why the king was stalling, the crowning of the prince was expected to happen before thesun left its peak but now as they sat with worried faces, the sight of dusk was being anticipated. Otun was the only one among his chiefs that could talk him in and outof any decision so as expected the rest of his chiefs turned to him and he in turn went to meet the king where he sat, reminded him whom everyone had left their houses tocome and see. If it were possible to conceive a son within the hours that had passed he wouldn't have thought twice about it but that was not possible even for the gods to doit seemed, finally he stood, called 'Dekunle to come forward, he kneeled right in front of the oba, head bowed, the oba drew his eyes closed, prayed to the gods and finallyfor his son, when he opened his eyes, they were red like sango's, in that moment it hit him, maybe there was a way he could curtail his son's bad reputation, maybe just maybehis plan would work, he closed his eyes again, muttered prayers to the gods and when he opened them again he went ahead to the front of the crowd and announced that before hecould be crowned he had to pick a wife amongst the women, any woman at all, be it an indigene or a visitor from another village.

She turned looking to run off but the guards were mounted at every exit of the market, she screamed as they closed in on her but her tears fell on deaf ears, he had managed to pick her out in a sea of women, she had protested claiming she was married, he had second her motion as the guards dragged her away from his arms, the motherwhen questioned had told the oba her traditional rites had not being the performed yet so in the eyes of the gods and everyone there she was still not spoken for. "Ta ni o nife je iya olori" were the last words she said to "Dekunle later that night when he went to plead for her to go recant her words to the king, she had reminded him that itwas his decision to hold off the traditional rites till after the coronation, it was not in her hands anymore, he should look within for someone to blame she'd told him. It rained that night but no raindrop was heard, he sat in his pool of tears, not his grandmothers words could console him, he was tainted by regrets and wished he couldgo back to make different choices but it was too late. "Omodunni mi, ha 'Dekunle fi owo ola gba mi ni oju, o si gba Omodunni mi ni owo mi"With tears streaming down her eyes, she made out his face and his laughter rang aloud each wall of his room, she had asked, begged, cried and later threatened to kill him ifhe didn't let him go back to 'Motoye, he had laughed off her threat and reminded her who he was and what would happen to her family if any harm was to come to her or him byher accord. Finally she drew back her tears, raised herself from her despair and looked him squarely and told him "O le se ohun ti o ba fe pe lu ara mi o sugbon ife mi atiokan o le je ti e ti ma fi ku ro ni ori ile yi", "Oba ba le ohun gbo gbo" he had responded with the most sinister laugh.