Her Father's Wife

Chapter 23

Soon the murmuring and whispering turned to gossiping then to wagging tongues. It's this thing happening in Nwokeforo's house my sister. Do you think it's normal? Mgbechi began, What? who? Elewechi asked eagerly? I mean about Onaedo. She doesn't seem to have any feminine feelings at all. Is she not a woman? What are you insinuating? Elewechi asked in displeasure, she was beginning to feel slighted. After all, she was also a spinster living in her father's house. No husband, no child. Sorry, my husband, Mgbechi hastened to apologize to Elewechi. I didn't mean it the way you took it. Mgbechi quickly amended. I only meant that, she seemed to have forgotten the reason she was kept at home. Oh that, Elewechi answered. Well I think it's about time she was reminded Elewechi stated as she made to flounce off. Before she can go on her noble course of reminding Ona of her duties, Nwagbor waded into the matter. She was on her way to cut fodder for her goats but that can wait. She can never bring herself to pass off a place where malicious gossips could be found. Are you people dimwits? Which feminine feelings are you talking about when the poor child is frigid? Or is it from me you want to hear that fada wears trousers? She cannot stand a Man's touch! Is what I am telling you. What does she know? she thinks the only thing that place is for is to make water out of it. As for her mother, puff, the only thing that empty head know is to tie all the Hollandaise in the market. She is even afraid of her own child. See Mgbechi, if that girl ever carries a pregnancy in this village come and pull off hair from my palms she concluded displaying her two palms. After that she picked up her head less cutlass and made for Mgbechi's back yard where she was heading to, in order to cut fodder for her goat. It was all a useless venture to start with she added as she departed. Nwaneri was sitting on the cloth chair on his obi. His two hands behind his head in deep thought. He was thinking of the same issue. He has been hearing all the gossips. He was weighed down by the whole talk. But, how will he approach the matter? How do you approach a young girl and advise her to go and meet a man? He felt he was not doing his duty by his late friend but how exactly can he handle this ripe plantain without being accused of breaking it? Alright, he decided. Oyirim will have to go he decided. He will send his wife Oyiridiye. Oyirim will have to go and bring it up to... Here he hit a brick wall again. Obidiye will be the last person to bring up such discussion with Ona, not after the last major disagreement with her. May be he can persuade Oyirim to talk directly to Onaedo. But come oo. How had it come about that nobody can stand before that slip of a girl Ona and talk these day? Everybody seemed to be in awe of her, even men like himself. Ah! Nwokeforo! he wished his friend can come back even if it were to be for a second to take care of things. Ona was not deaf. She had heard what everybody was saying. The truth is that she does not fancy most of the young men in Ngodo. For one, most of them were empty heads. Secondly, she has more wealth, money, than most of them. She would have considered the more matured ones but they are wiser, they don't want to be used to populate another man's compound. She had already given the whole thing a thought and just like her meticulous self, she had planned on how to achieve it to the last. Without telling anybody, not even her mother Obidiye, she started putting away money for when she will be in confinement. Once more its the time to show the people of Ngodo. Once more, she will answer all their questions both spoken and unspoken.