Her Father's Wife

Chapter 20

Ona unfolded her business as soon as she came back from Ochanja Market. She prepared and sold moimoi, a local delicacy made from beans flour. Her immediate younger sister, Nkechi was her able assistant. She will take the beans to the mill in another village to get it grinded after Ona has marched it to remove the cover. Ona will then prepare the plantain leaves by holding them over a mild flame to get them soft. These they will use to wrap the moimoi before putting them in a giant pot for cooking. At first, the villagers were buying the moimoi out of pity, but it didn't take them long to discover, that  special taste of Ona's moimoi which was un beatable. Before long, her moimoi became the thing to get for your child from the market. The saying was let me go to Eke Ngodo and eat Ona's moimoi. The business did not at all interfere with her farm work. She formed her group of maiden farmers and they took turn working for each mother. During farming season, Nkechi takes over the business. Her group were so tenacious, they work harder than their male counterparts. It was a known fact throughout Ngodo and it's environ that when they entered a farm, if the job did not finish, they will not go. They were such that, they carry hurricane lamp to work. When it's dark, they will light their lamp and continue working. There were many that wondered if they were human beings. For the fact that these maidens were born and breed at Ngodo, the men will have sworn, that they were men pretending to be women. It was a common thing for their mothers to go and plead with them to come out of the farm at night. With time it became a saying .  Are they using lamp to look for you are you Ona Nwokeforo? Obidiya was happy to see that her chi did not abandon her. Her chi has answered all those people waiting for her to come and beg them for food. They should come and see what God can do. She was not lacking. Yams were still surplus in her barn, as for wrapper, Ona makes her a gift of wrapper from time to time. It was just as if Nwokeforo her husband were still alife. After a year, the Nwokeforos removed their mourning clothes. Obidiya can now go about as she used to. She started carrying her stool to go and stay with Ona in whichever farm she will be working. Just like she did for her husband, she roasted yams for the girls  for their lunch. During their women's meeting, she will put on one of  her new wrappers that Ona bought for her, to the envie of other women in the community. Mothers use Ona Nwokeforo to talk to their children. They held her up as the epitome of what a good child should be. However, there were those who saw Ona's industry and hard work as a burden. They felt that in trying to carry the burden of her house, she had forgotten what it was to be a woman. This group were not wrong in their assumption. Indeed, Ona was more a man now than a woman. She was autocratic in the house. Her sisters and even her mother tiptoed around whenever she was present. Her words were law and nobody dared challenge her not even Obidiye her mother. Obidiya lived in mortal fear of her daughter. Ona had always had a mind of her own, now she is hot tempered with it. She flares up at the least provocation and will refuse to eat or talk to anybody in the house. It was always work, work with her. And woe betide you if you are not as hard working as she was. She gave herself and the others no rest. At times, she will carry an axe and disappeared into the forest. Whenever this happens, It will take her four sisters all day to bring back all the firewoods she will cut. The elders watch all these with great sadness. This is what happens when you try to make a man out of a woman. Everything has it's place. They shook their head as they discussed this with sorrow. They maintained that Ona's over zealousness sprang from need. She needed a man in her life to cool her down. They claimed that she was frustrated because all her mates were getting married. Well only time will tell. Meanwhile, it's as if Ona is forgetting the primary role she was to play in her Father's house.