Against All Odds

Chapter Forty Seven :Reunion

Obi stared at the roads she once used to trek from the car and noticed how different things had become. The grassy bush path was replaced with a wide and well constructed road with glistening coal tar, which created a mirage due to sunlight . Some parts of the bushes remained untouched and Obi caught a glimpse of a black snake slithering to the other end of the road, having heard the sound of the approaching vehicle.

There were elderly women who rode on bicycles with their merchandise attached at the back of the vehicle. They were mostly leaves and fruits that were being transported to the market.

Obi watched with fascination as they pedaled the two wheeled vehicle along the road chatting as they zoomed past them. The right side of the road had met development with various stores, kiosks and other structures erected.

A big smile crept upon her face with her eyes glued on the window, development had reached her little village. Things had changed so much that it was difficult to make out certain places she knew so much.
The car arrived at their compound which had been fenced and close off with a gate. The driver sounded the horn and Obi could hear the excited voices of children"umu-ezi" as they ran to open the gates. "Certain things hadn't changed after all" Obi thought to herself.

After she received a call about her uncle's return, she prepared herself to go see him. The fact that he was related to her mother made her even more anxious to meet him. It took Obi a week to prepare and she also got through to Tobe so that they could go together. The man had specifically requested to see all of his late sister's children. Obi had so many questions in mind that she wanted to ask him, especially about why he had chosen to neglect his only sister for so many years.

Benjamin would have gone with them but business matters made him forfeit the journey. He had spoken to her and apologized for his actions but Obi insisted that she wanted more and he begged her for the chance to tell her at his own time, when he was ready to share the secret. After Obi had asserted that he was not unfaithful, bankrupt or even a part of a secret cult, Obi obliged his request.

Their marriage had been built on respect and trust and she was willing to trust Benjamin blindly, he was a good man. Obi had thought that her uncle Jonathan would have visited her at her home but he insisted that he wanted to see where his sister lay. Obi assumed it was for closure and agreed to meet him at the village.
Obi had not been in the village for so many years and there was no need to. Her friends were not there and her father often brought mma to Enugu while they lived there to see her grandchildren and also her great grand children, though the boys were little then.

Moving past the gate and being ushered into the same place she had grown up made Obi feel nostalgic and emotional. The coconut tree was still at the center of the compound tall as ever, but the mango tree had been cut down. There were flowers planted in a circular direction around the compound. They were mostly ixora and the popular yellow bush. At the end of the compound where dee Ogbo's house was situated was a tree known for it's scent called the queen of the night.

The car halted in front of their verandah and everyone one of the occupants stepped down. Tobe had grown so tall that Obi had to look up in order to speak to him, his voice had become so deep and facial hair had sprouted up on both sides of his face.
Obi often felt a certain level of accomplishment every time she looked at her siblings. Ifenna and Oluebube were at their usual bickering that they termed gisting.
Obi instructed her brother to bring down the twins and take them into the house while she surveyed the environment. Their house had been painted white which Obi found peaceful because her mother loved white color.

Obi saw her mother's grave from afar, her father had covered it with tiles and Obi saw the leaves that rested upon it.
She quickly instructed ifenna to get her a broom which she headed to the grave with while the others unloaded the materials in their car.
Obi swept the grave ridding it of sand and dead dry leaves and after she completed her task, she turned to see her siblings behind her staring at their mother's resting place.
The four siblings communicated with their eyes, each pouring out their emotions with unspoken words and stares. The boys ran to meet Obi and she knew it was time to head into the house.