Chapter 73

A PLACE TO REST

The first crow of an unseen cock pulled Obi to her feet. For days, sleeping had become a heavy chore and the dark circles that accentuated her eyes, from her poor resting habit were proof that nature was at war with her.

She had become a robot, moving her feet mechanically around the house or the compound in search of a place where her mind could be at rest.

Mma had spoken with her deeply about life, the old woman could feel how she had turned into a vague version of who she used to be. The only problem with the old woman's analysis was that she did not even know who she used to be.

Obi walked into the bathroom and had a quick cold shower, pouring water particularly on her face hoping that the soothing effect would also hide her distress. She stepped out of the room and dried her skin. She grabbed the pomade and applied it generously over her skin before slipping into her underwear and finally her clothes. The final touch was the cologne her husband left for her.

Obi had decided to leave sweeping the compound for that day. She wanted to move around the village, to see if her hazy Obiefune filled mind would finally clear.

The compound was still dark when she stepped outside the verandah and she decided, she would wait till the sun comes out before beginning her voyage.

A torchlight flashed around and the light drew Obi's attention. Something was happening at dee Ogbo's house. Was he being robbed? Obi became terrified but a part of her wanted to alert him. The intruder was hesitant to leave that Obi could tell because of where the torchlight was pointed at. Obi advanced a bit, completely terrified and careful enough to be inconspicuous, even though darkness availed her the opportunity.

She gathered enough courage to move within a close range and when she got there, the feminine voice that hovered in the air pulled her aback. Were women now house raiders in the village?

"(Jiri nwayọọ ha nwere ike ịhụ gị), Take it easy they might see you" Another Voice which sounded just like dee Ogbo's declared

Obi halted in her tracks and hid behind the "queen of the night tree", hoping to hear more from the culprits.

"Where did you keep the key? Turn off the light people might see you" The female voice questioned

"It was supposed to be here, amaghị onye wepụrụ ya,( I don't know who removed it). Don't worry they're not awake, not yet. They would have been sweeping if they were"

Obi was certain that it was dee Ọgbọ this time, but she was eager to know who the female was. It was even amusing that he was slipping women in and out of his house.

They must have finally found the key because dee Ogbo led the woman to the gate, while Obi strained her neck to figure out who it was. The torchlight seemed to have read Obi's mind and directed all its light on the woman's face.

Obi was shocked when she saw who it was. It just couldn't be, she quickly stepped away from the tree hoping that the couple didn't catch a glimpse of her as they exited the compound, before she got to her house. Her lips curled into a smile at the hilarious turn of events, she had practically become a spy or a nosey relative.

The soft morning breeze lured her to a momentary sleep before the sun crept out. She was awakened by the vibration of the phone on the cane chair where she lay. Obi yawned before tapping on the phone.

It had been Benjamin's lawyer Mr .John. Obi suspected he was calling her because of her husband's assets especially if he had made plans about their new ownership. Obi's assumptions were asserted when the man mentioned Benjamin's will. She had never thought about what her husband left behind, his wealth had never been of concern to her. It was amusing when Benjamin always stocked her account with cash that she barely used.

"He stated that it will be read five months after his demise. There were specifics about members of the family to be present while this goes on. I have been trying to contact his cousin Mr. Obiefune Ukaegbu but I haven't been lucky. Do you know of his current location? "

"Unfortunately I don't, I'll send his sister's number across to you. Maybe she can help you with it. "

"Thank you so much, I do hope there are no necessities lacking. Mr Igwe's instructions were to make sure you lacked nothing even before his will is read"

Obi smiled at the statement, the only thing she lacked was his presence and nobody could restore him. Her hand unconsciously went to her stomach and she caressed it.

"No.. I am good. Mr. John Do you know how his businesses are faring, I have not really paid attention to those. Did my husband make provisions for management?"

"Yes, yes he did. Your husband was a very articulate man with a foresight that marvels me. It was as if he knew what exactly would happen in the next minute and made meticulous plans. I will forever miss him Mrs. Igwe"

"We all will" Obi ended on a somber note. She moved to the kitchen and decided to prepare a meal before embarking on the adventure of self -discovery and clarity. Obi moved to the "ekwu" and lit the fire wood. Her eyes roamed around the house and she noted how dark the walls had become. It had been because of the constant smoke that bounced off on their surfaces before dispersing through the suitable openings.

Why hadn't she changed anything about their very old house? She had the money and her late husband would have obliged her requests and erected a very beautiful and modern structure for her. However she held onto the old house, subjected herself to what people would call stress by doing things the traditional way. Obi knew very well the answer to her question. She didn't want things to change because of her late mother.

Besides her mother's clothes, every nook and cranny of the house bore her mother's touch. It was where she had lived and Obi believed that changing things would probably mean losing that. Wasn't that why she still used her mother's pomade?

She shook her head and focused on the task before her and when he finished cooking, she was not just sweating profusely, she also smelled of smoke.

She had to give herself another thorough bath before she gave herself the approbation of stepping out of the house. Obi quickly dropped by Mma's hut and greeted her before she moved out of the compound.

She decided that she would let fate steer her feet to places in the village. She wandered around, going to places she had spent with her husband but yet longing to go to a place she hadn't been to for years.

Obi steered through the bushy path pushing aside twigs and trampling on small plants. She moved past a familiar tree that had grown along the path to the farm. The round yet small fleshy red fruits looked enticing and she reached out to pluck some. Obi saw other cherry plants growing along the path, the unripe ones were green and the partially ripe ones were somewhat orange in color. The fully ripe ones ranged from deep red to purple. Obi feasted on the fruits lustfully and had her pocket filled with so many cherries as she proceeded to the place that called out to her soul.

When she arrived at the spot she was disappointed with the state the land was in. There were refuse scattered around the decaying trunk, grasses sprouting from all corners.

Obi remembered the first day she had a good conversation with Obiefune after he fell from the tree where their names were etched.

She moved around the farm and decided that the universe had delivered a clear message to her. She did wonder why students no longer weeded that part of the school compound but resolved to make her stay worthwhile.

She hesitantly moved to the tree that bore her name and Obiefune's, the mosses and algae had hidden the words but with the aid of a stone and her hands she was able to make it visible again. Obi ran her hands on the written words and smiled to herself. "Eco system"

She stooped low and began to pull out weeds from the ground. She managed to cover reasonable ground before her body signalled that she leaves.

As Obi walked away her eyes fell to a shoe mark that was lying on the soil. She found it soothing that people still trod on the land, maybe it was a hunter.

After she arrived at her house, Chioma called her over the phone to update her with the state of affairs in her house. She couldn't hold her laughter as Chioma narrated what happened at her children's school.

"The poor girl fell on her butt and cried, your son was lucky that they were not on a cemented ground, if not it would have been serious. His teacher made this complaint and I felt so bad for the girl"

"He was trying to mimic Benjamin. He used to carry me on his shoulder and we might have made our children believe that they could make girls fall in love with them by doing so"

"Ihula nu!( That’s it then) See what you people caused. My nephew has not even lifted himself ka ọfọ kwa (Let alone)another person. You're very lucky they didn't cause big trouble for you. How are you doing?" Chioma enquired curious to know Obi's welfare

"I am good, I have been doing a lot of thinking and I feel like I have made slight progress. I get so lonely but I guess I do need more time to myself. Tobe ha kwanu? The girls? I hope they're not stressing you" .Obi loved that Chioma didn’t seem to heavily accented even after the years she spent overseas.

"No! Those ones are just busy extorting money from Chukwudi. Though I get the feeling that they also feel the loss. I guess we all do. Chukwuemeka asked about him today and I had to tell him the story of the tortoise broke his shell. At Least what I can remember from it. "

"Can I speak with them, are they close? "Obi requested and Chioma quickly sought for her nephews. Obi spoke to not just her sons but her siblings too before she continued with her friend.

"Ehe Chioma you won't believe what happened today?"

Chioma's curiosity was aroused and she practically squealed into the phone hoping that maybe Obiukwu had finally discovered where her brother was. "What happened?"

"You won't believe who I saw trying to leave our compound this morning. Just make a guess"

Chioma hesitated for a while hoping to conceal the fact that she knew more than she was letting on.

"Obiefune?"

"No! Not him. I've been trying to reach him over the phone but I haven't been lucky" Obi sighed into phone as her excitement fell

"I won't blame him, Obi you really hurt him with your words. Honestly this time I think he's just trying to avoid you"

"I know, I was just sad and I lashed out on him. You should know that I didn't mean what I said"

"Anyways, who did you see?"

"Miss Akachukwu!"

Chioma was surprised "Miss Akachukwu? Is she not married? Wow, what did she come to do?"

Obi laughed as she recalled the incident. "I think she and dee Ogbo are lovers!"

"Chineke! Are you serious?"

Obi couldn't contain her laughter and Chioma soon joined.

"Those two are perfect for each other! The witch and the miser"

The two friends spoke at length before Chioma opted to prepare dinner for the children. Obi could tell she was enjoying spending time with the children and part of Obi wished Obiefune stayed behind to also do the same with the boys.

Obi cleaned herself and sought for her dinner. Exhaustion drove her to sleep and she was surprised when she rested peacefully.

The next day, she went to the site with a hoe and a cutlass. But even before she began to weed, she noticed that the refuse had been moved away from the spot it had been. The shoe marks were more pronounced, scattered on sensitive positions, even in front of the tree. Obi assumed that a villager who probably had an affiliation with the school also had the same agenda she had.

The strange thing she discovered was that she began to sleep well ever since she stepped her feet into that farm. It was as if the surrounding bore an aura of peace that followed her home. She often thought about Obiefune but it didn't drive sleep from her eyes.