I Live For You

CHAPTER TWO

The year was 1982

Nkeoma sat in front of her father's compound, nothing much was going on now as it was almost noon. Most young girls her age have finished with their chores for the morning and either were resting or taking time out to visit with friends and those of them going to school were more relaxed as they were on holidays.

She normally would wake up as early as 5am in the morning together with her two elder brothers to go and fetch water to fill all the water pots in the compound. Her younger sister was still the baby of the house and did not contribute much yet, everyone loved her and pampered her including Nkeoma though at times she wished she were the baby.

This morning on the way to the stream she had called out her best friend Oluchi when she got to her house, these two were inseparable.

They had travelled this path together since childhood and Nkeoma sometimes imagined that she could walk it with her eyes closed. They were even the names of those expected to see on the way at the same spot every day and the usual greetings that followed.

Sometimes they were joined by other girls and it was fun if no one was picking a fight.

When they were much younger, there were very conscious of stories of the “head cutter” as they called him.

He was supposed to be this fiery looking man carrying a machete and looking for children to cut off their head for ritual.

There was this particular day they had left for the stream very early in the morning and saw a man carrying a knife, they had run for dear life abandoning their water cans. Yet no one has been reported missing or found headless in the village, so as they grew older it became more a fable used to scare little children.

"Have you heard that the headmaster’s son returned back yesterday " asked Oluchi. “No” she has not heard and was not interested in such stories.

"Everyone says he has come back to get a wife before travelling to the USA to study more "

Nkeoma wondered how Oluchi gets to hear all these stories and she never did.

"Good for him" chirped in Nkeoma.

The look on her face was that of someone getting bored. This is just typical, once a young man enters town the only thing the girls think about is marriage, Nkeoma thought to herself.

"Nne is that all you have to say"

What else should I say eh, hia"

"Everyone in the village is talking about him o, I won't mind if he picks me"

" What are you even talking about, is life all about getting married.  There must be more, why do you want to marry someone you don’t know just because he is a graduate and looking for a wife"

"Nky don't worry I know why you are saying this, it's because of Emeruwa abi. You want to keep dreaming of him. It's all these books you keep reading"

"When I marry it has to be for love". Nkeoma said.

" But you are already 17, Eme won't be ready to Marry you in the next 10 years you know"

At this Nkeoma became quiet and then she voiced out.

“Whoever told you I want to marry Emeruwa”, “I want to go to school first”.

Oluchi looked at Nkeoma, she was obviously spoiling for a fight and Oluchi was not ready for one today. She also knew her friend too well to understand that this was a sensitive issue and quickly changed the topic.

“Are you looking forward to school reopening, it will be a tough year for us”. Oluchi offered.

“Yes, we have to be ready. I have already told my parents, I will only go to the stream once school starts. I don’t want anything that will affect my result”

The girls chattered on. Sometimes they walked faster as if on cue and sometimes they strolled at the same pace. Someone will hum a local song and the other will join in, it has always been like this from childhood, it made it fun.

By the time they went the third-time day was breaking. The last trip was always the most exciting as they break out into a race once they neared the stream to dive into the water, it was difficult to find anyone who grew up here that couldn’t swim. They enjoyed swimming and it was always done at the last round and they use the opportunity to also take a bath for the day.

The water was so warm and soothing as they jumped in, soon it will start getting cold once the sun rises fully, they were very few people in the stream at this hour and this made the moment more precious.

Something happened today....

After they had bathed and filled their containers, Nkeoma impulsively jumped in again, she was not yet done, she wanted to swim some more.

“Enyi come let’s go” Oluchi shouted after her. This fish she thought hilariously torn between jumping in herself and continuing the fun. Sometimes they could swim for so long that their eyes get bloodshot exposing them of playing too much at the stream. Oluchi didn’t want that to happen to her today, her mother had warned her to come back early.

While Nkeoma swam further towards the boundary separating the females and the males; this boundary was more of a mental one than physical as everyone knew where to stop for the sake of privacy. As she swam underwater and raised up her head to get some air, she came face to face with someone.

 A MAN.

She felt him stare down at her without letting his eyes off, Nkeomawas momentarily thrown off balance, she felt exposed and then fumed at his rudeness; first he did not respect the boundary and now this.

Nkeoma swam away to the extreme end of the female side of the river and got out. Her friend wanted to know why she gave up so soon but couldn't get anything out of Nkeoma.

They finished up, filled their water bottles, and firmly hedging it on their heads they went home.

As Nkeoma sat in front of her father's house, she found out again that she was deeply thinking about that strange man and it seemed she knew him from somewhere, but from where she could not tell.

Omezuo was returning home at last; he has graduated from a prestigious University in Nigeria with a first class in Civil Engineering. One of his lecturers whom he was close to have informed him of a scholarship available in the United States of America for bright students like him in a leading research University there and he had applied. Just before their graduation he got the great news that he has been accepted on full scholarship meant for African students from low income homes.

His scholarship covered both tuition and feeding and with other allowances to take care of himself and a family if there was one, he was ecstatic and could not wait to get home and inform his parents. His Father was the headmaster in the primary school in his community, a very intelligent man who found favor with the missionaries while serving them and they later trained him in school.

Omezuo was the third child of his family and an only son, his sisters have since been married. As the bus got closer home Omezuo’s mind drifted off to what was possibly waiting for him. Now that he will soon be travelling out of the country he knew there was no way he will wriggle himself out of what was coming; his parents needed him to get married and start having children so that as they say ‘his father’s compound will not close up’. This was going to be a tough decision because Omezuo had no one in mind but he knew there was no way he would let his parents down. He also had faith that he will find a good wife.

The bus dropped him off at the village market square, the little children who knew him ran to hug him immediately he alighted, soon a few adults also joined. As he walked towards home – a small crowd had gathered around Omezuo ushering him home. He was their great son who was attending a University and their most revered headmaster’s son. Omezuo opened one of his bags and started sharing biscuits and bread to everyone that have come to great him. He hugged his parents and gave his mother the two loaves of bread he had purchased at Onitsha on his way home. Soon words spread around that Omezuo was home and many more people trooped in to his Fathers compound to come and welcome him.

“Nwamnno”, Omezuo’s mum hugged him again after everyone had left

It was now only him and his parents left in the sitting room.

“Mma, Mpa, I can see you are all doing fine”. “Mpa how are your students doing”

They chattered on, this was a happy family.

After sometime Omezuo’s father cleared his throat to speak

 “Omezuo my son, I am very proud of you. God, bless you for making our family proud”

“Thank you Mpa m, it would not have been possible without your support”. He knew the serious talk was about to start.

“Agu ona amukwanu emwe (does the Lion birth a Monkey” chirped in Omezuo’s mum. At that they all burst out laughing.

His Father continued. “ Nwam, you said you are travelling to America to further your studies”

“Yes Mpa”

“God will surely be with you my son”. “You know you have to make a decision and get married before you make this journey, it will be good for you both to travel together” said his father.

“Yes, my son, it is a strange land and you will need your wife by your side when you get there” chirped in his mother. “There is still a lot of time, before you travel next year, you will be happily married”.

At this Omezuo nodded his head in acquiescence, of course he has rehearsed this conversation with his parents in his mind several times. The time is now; the challenge is there was no candidate. Omezuo believed in God, his belief was also tied to his personality such that it was part of what kept him focused. He has never been the ambitious type, yet was blessed with so much intelligence that people marveled. He never pursued things with so much desire, yet beautiful things always happened to him. At this moment Omezuo believed God had a wife for him and he wouldn’t struggle much to find her.

Omezuo gazed at the rising sun through the window in his room, oh what a sight to behold. He remembered how when he was growing up, he would have been on his second trip to the stream by this time. Suddenly Omezuo felt a great urge to rediscover his childhood and got up from bed, grabbed a jerry can and took the path to the stream. How peaceful it was in the village.

As he approached the stream he found himself running to jump in to the water, hurriedly pulling off his trousers. He had worn shorts for swimming, it felt so good to be free and young again. Omezuo swam with all the vigor of youth, swimming underwater and moving fast just the way he used to with his friends when they were much younger.

He was so immersed and enjoying himself so much, he forgot about the boundary between the Male and the female. Then he raised his face up to get some air and gasped at the sight before him. He was face to face with the most beautiful girl he has ever set his eyes on and Omezuo gazed at this beauty as if he was in a dream. Could he have seen a Mermaid, at that Omezuo laughed out loud and the young girl stared at him and did he imagine there was some anger in the way she was looking at him.

As she furiously swam to the other side, Omezuo was transfixed at how such a simple act as watching a young girl swim could affect him so much. Her limbs were full and strong as he watched her raise them up as she moved, her strokes were graceful, to him her beauty was complete. He has seen so much that he could literally draw her while closing his eyes, at that thought Omezuo laughed out again.

 He wished she had not run away from him, he wanted to ask her name and her parents name. He wanted to know if she was going to school and how she was doing with her studies, he wanted to stare into those eyes a little longer. This was getting interesting, why was he working himself up just because of a village girl swimming in the river when he had the most beautiful girls in school vying for his attention.

As he filled his jerry can with water and went back home, try as much as he could to forget the girl in the stream, Omezuo had to give in to the thought that he may have just found his wife.