When Mercy Runs Dry

Chapter 4: Barrister's Secret

"Barrister, this land belongs to this boy, Chidi. And I have family papers to prove."

Everybody froze at school land in Amaka Village.

Tractor engine was still ON, blade inside soil, cassava about to be cleared. But driver stopped, hand on lever.

Chief Okafor mouth opened, white agbada dust.

"What? What rubbish are you saying, Barrister Uche? This boy na houseboy! My houseboy! Which land belongs to him? I feed him 15,000!"

Buyer with gold chain from Owerri stepped back, gold shaking.

"Chief, what is this? You told me land belongs to Chief Williams! You told me no family wahala, papers complete! Now lawyer is saying land belongs to small boy? I don't want court case! I don't want problem!"

Chief Okafor sweat started, cap.

"Barrister, no... no, it's not like that... This girl, Adaeze, she called you to come and lie against me... She wants to spoil my 12,000,000 deal..."

Barrister Uche did not look at Chief.

He looked at me. Then he looked at Chidi, barefooted, thin.

He brought out brown file, old file, with my father signature, Chief Williams Uche.

"Adaeze Williams? Daughter of Chief Williams Uche, most cheerful man in Amaka?"

"Yes, sir, na me, Adaeze."

"I am Barrister Uche. Your father was my client for 12 years, since his transport business. Before his sickness 2 years ago, he came to my office in Owerri. He told me something secret."

Heart beat fast, inside land with dew.

"What did my father tell you, sir? What secret?"

Barrister opened file. Inside was paper, old paper, with stamp, with my father thumbprint.

"Your father told me... 16 years ago, his younger brother, Obinna, died in accident. His younger brother wife was pregnant, 8 months. She gave birth to boy, but she died during birth at home. Your father took the boy as his own son, to protect. But he did not tell anyone in Amaka because his brother had land enemies who wanted to harm boy if they know he is heir."

I looked at Chidi. Chidi eyes wide, tears, not understanding, barefoot inside his own land.

Barrister continued, voice calm.

"Your father named boy Chidi. Chidi Uche. He kept him with a woman in Umueze to grow safe. He was paying woman every month, 20,000, until his stroke 2 years ago, when payment stopped, and Chief Okafor took over and stopped paying."

Legs shook, wrapper.

Chidi Uche. Chidi... Uche... same surname as my father, Williams Uche. Same nose, same eyes.

"Are you saying... are you saying Chidi is... my brother?"

"Yes," Barrister said. "Chidi is your cousin brother, your father younger brother son. Under family law in Amaka, this land, 3 plots behind community school worth 12,000,000, your father willed it to Chidi before his sickness. Because he said 'Adaeze already married in Abuja, Nkechi has house, but Chidi has nothing, let him have this land to go to school.'"

Silence. Even tractor driver turned off engine to hear, blade up.

Chidi started crying, small boy, 15 years, barefooted, tears on dirty face, inside soil that is his.

"My... my papa na Chief Williams brother? So I get family? So I no be orphan? I get surname Uche? So I no be houseboy?"

I hugged Chidi, thin shoulder, shaking.

"Chidi, you have family. You are my brother. My blood. You are Chidi Uche, son of Amaka. You own land."

Chief Okafor shouted, voice loud, trying to scatter.

"LIES! LIES! This is fake paper! Barrister, you want to steal my 12,000,000 deal! This land, Chief Williams sold it to me verbally before stroke! He said I can sell it for filling station! He said I can take 2,000,000 deposit!"

Barrister laughed small.

"Verbally? Chief, you are Chief in Amaka, you know land law. Verbal no be sale. You need Deed, you need Power of Attorney, you need family consent. You have nothing. You took original papers by force last month when Mama was alone. That is not sale, that is taking."

Buyer with gold chain angry now, shouting.

"Chief! You told me papers complete! You collected my 2,000,000 deposit! Return my 2,000,000 now now! I no dey buy court case land! I will call my lawyer!"

Chief panicked, phone shaking, calling someone.

"Oga, calm down, no be so, we can settle..."

"Return my 2,000,000!"

Tractor driver reversed tractor, want to leave, "Chief, you never pay me 50,000 for fuel, pay me make I comot, I no want wahala!"

Everything scattered. Chief 12,000,000 deal collapsing in front of me, in front of Amaka people gathering.

I looked at Chidi, small boy who cleaned my father mouth for 2 months for free, ate garri without soup, wound on foot, no 15,000 for 2 months.

This boy owned 12,000,000 land and did not know. Slept on floor, no shoe.

I turned to Barrister.

"Sir, what do we do now? How do we stop them from selling tomorrow again?"

Barrister brought out second paper, white paper, stamped.

"This is Caveat. I filed it this morning at 5am at High Court Owerri. This land in Amaka cannot be sold, cannot be cleared, cannot be built on, until court decides family ownership. If Chief touches one palm tree again, Area Command will invite him. I already called Area Commander Owerri, not village boys."

Chief face changed to fear, white agbada sweat.

"Area Command Owerri? You called Owerri? You filed Caveat 5am?"

"Yes. And I also have voice note from this boy, Chidi. He recorded you last week saying you will sell blue gate for 80,000. That is taking family property. That is serious."

Chidi brought out small phone, Tecno small phone, cracked screen.

"I... I recorded am, aunty. When Chief said he go sell gate for 80,000 to iron condemn... I recorded am because I was afraid he go sell Papa wheelchair next."

My small Chidi! Smart boy! 15 years but smart!

Chief looked at Chidi like he wanted to beat him, but Barrister stepped between, tall.

"Touch this boy again, and you will be invited today. This boy is now under my protection. He is heir to Chief Williams Uche 3 plots. He is Chidi Uche."

Buyer shouted again, "My 2,000,000! Chief, my 2,000,000! Return!"

Chief brought out phone, shaking, calling my mother.

"Mama Nkechi... I mean, Lolo... please tell Adaeze to beg Barrister... I go return papers... I go return gate..."

He was calling my mother now, after 2 years intimidation.

Mama came running from far, from our compound to school land, 25 minutes trek, old woman, no keke, wrapper, sweating.

"Adaeze! Chidi! What is happening? People said tractor came to clear land! I trekked!"

She saw Barrister. She knelt, old woman.

"Barrister Uche! You don come! Thank you! My husband told me about you!"

Barrister helped her up.

"Lolo Nkechi, your husband was good man, most cheerful man in Amaka, he helped 14 children university. Today, God is helping his own family."

By 8am, many Amaka villagers gathered at school land, because tractor noise. 30 people.

"Adaeze don fight Chief Okafor!"

"Small Chidi get 12,000,000 land!"

"Chief Okafor 12,000,000 deal don scatter!"

Chief was sweating inside white agbada, his 5 boys with cutlass had dropped cutlass and moved back, because Prado jeep had second man inside — Area Command officer from Owerri in uniform, calm.

Officer came down.

"Chief Okafor, you are invited to Owerri Area Command for questioning about land issue and gate 80,000. Follow me now for settlement."

Chief begged.

"Officer, no... no be so... we can settle in Amaka..."

"Follow me, or I will write report in front of your village people."

Buyer with gold chain left, reversed car, shouted "Chief, you will hear from my lawyer for my 2,000,000 deposit!"

Tractor left too, driver still asking 50,000 fuel.

Only me, Mama, Chidi, Barrister, and my father 3 plots remained. Land with dew, cassava, palm trees that Chief wanted to destroy for filling station, 12,000,000.

I knelt and touched soil again. This time tears fell, on dew.

"Papa, we saved it. Your land is safe. 12,000,000 safe."

Chidi knelt beside me, barefooted inside soil that was his, that his father brother willed.

"Aunty, so I get land? So I can bring my mama from Umueze? So she no go suffer again selling akara? So I can go school in Owerri?"

I hugged him.

"Yes, Chidi. You get land, 3 plots, 12,000,000. You get family, me and Mama and Papa. You will go to school in Owerri, Government College. You will not be houseboy again. You are Chidi Uche, heir."

Mama cried, "Williams, if you can hear me in wheelchair, our daughter has fought! Our son Chidi is found! 12,000,000 saved!"

Barrister Uche closed brown file.

"Adaeze, there is one more thing. Your father left letter for you. In my office in Owerri. He wrote it 6 months before stroke, before sickness. He said if anything happens to him, I should give you letter. Come to Owerri tomorrow, 10am. Come with Chidi. There is something in that letter that will change everything again, about 6,000,000."

Letter? What letter? My father left letter 6 months before stroke?

What was inside? 6,000,000?

And why did Barrister look worried when he said "change everything again"?

Was land not only secret? Was there money too?

Tomorrow 10am, Owerri, Barrister office.

I must go. With Chidi, my brother.

But Emeka, my husband in Abuja, just sent message, phone beep.

Message that made blood cold again.

He sent: "Adaeze, I am coming to Amaka Village tomorrow with my family. To bring you back to Abuja, or to divorce you there in front of your village people. Prepare. I have locked your 200,000 hair shop."

Divorce? In front of my village people? Tomorrow? Same day I must go to Owerri for Papa secret letter about 6,000,000?

What will I do? Marriage or father secret?

And Chief Okafor is now with Area Command, but his boys still in Amaka Village.

Will they revenge tonight for 12,000,000 deal collapse?

We saved land today, 12,000,000.

But tonight, will we be safe in compound with no blue gate? Gate removed 80,000?

Night coming in Amaka.