Against All Odds

Chapter Eighty Two: Fate

"The right traditions only bring joy to the faces of people "were Obi's thoughts as she watched the elderly women singing and dancing in circles in the compound.

They held each other's waists and stomped their feet on the ground as they sang their traditional songs. It was a thing of joy that all the ladies who were of age to marry, had gotten grooms to be. Obi had seen with her own eyes that their grooms to be were real as most villagers still spread the rumors of such being untrue.

Obi's eyes fell on Chukwuemeka her son who ran into the circle with his brother. The women shooed the boys but they were hesitant to leave and so Obi got to them and pulled them away.

She went into mma's hut with the boys and prepared Achara tea. She had heard that mma was unwell and decided it was best if they kept the old woman company.

The boys were subjected to drinking Achara tea and were about to throw a fit before she begged mma to handle them with stories the way she handled Chukwudi.

Obi hoped it would ground her boys but a part of her felt the boys could probably handle the words from the old woman's mouth especially if her children didn't struggle with paying attention. Old age did not affect mma's narrative prowess.

It gave justice to the proverb "Agadi nwanyị a dịghị aka nkà n'egwu ọma agba" An old woman never ages doing what she knows best

Tobe and Chukwudi had been busy with preparations bringing guards of palm wine to be used for the wedding, dry meat anụ ọkpọ, kolanut ọjị and afufa garden egg. Most of the items were for the elders and aged men who would be attending the wedding. Prior to that Chukwudi had gone with Obi's father for the customary introduction at Chioma's place. This time he was only helping out his cousins

The compound was buzzy, old women, young women and men, youths wandering up and down helping out in whatever way they deemed fit.

This was one collective way of supporting each other in the community. No one did bear a burden of celebratory preparations on their own.

Dee Ọgbọ had also been busy, news was that he bought cows to be slaughtered just for the sake of the marriages holding in the compound. It was his way of Thanking God for bringing good fortune to their home after the series of unfortunate deaths they had faced.

Tobe scoured the compound in search of his sister and when he finally saw her, he pulled her aside before relaying a good news to her.

"Tobe chere, chere o, they made you gịnị? You've become what?" Obi asked still puzzled

"Sister no! They didn't make me anything. You need small exposure kwanu" Tobe replied laughing, earning him a slap on the head.

"I got a mail from school, let me show you the mail."

Obi read through the message and screamed. She was so excited that she ran into mma's hut to explain things to the old woman which she did not understand.

"Mma Tobe is the best graduating student! My brother is the best graduating student!"

Obi's sons screamed out of excitement with little knowledge of what their mother was also saying meant.

Obi called Ifenna and Oluebube and showed them what Tobe gave her and they were also thrilled. But deep down they knew the implication of Tobe's progress, it meant he had raised the bar a bit higher for them. And they already started imagining the hounding that would ensue if they didn't perform exceptionally like their brother.

"We are killing a goat for this boy, I am so proud of you nwanne m" Obi's eyes grew misty as she reached out and held her brother's face.