Daa Achikwu went home feeling weak and exhausted with his bleeding gums and nose. She could barely lift her arms. Her nursing daughter, Adaure, quickly fetched her a bucket of water to take a bath. With little strength in her, she tried bathing herself but the pain was so overwhelming that she had to call her daughter. ''Nnee, the pain is too much. Help me stand. I can't continue now. Let me try to regain some strength and continue much later'' she hissed, beseeching. Her daughter was shocked. She ran to the kitchen and took warm water from the fire and poured everything inside the bathing clay bucket and started massaging and bathing her mother, Daa Achikwu, and she started getting some relief.
A few minutes later, Adaure went and called her father-in-law, who was on his nearby farm. Chigbu hastily left his farming tools on the farm to meet his son's mother-in-law, trying to lie down in excruciating body pain. He went inside his hut, brought his herbal medicine, and gave her Daa Achikwu to take.
When it seemed he was not getting the expected result as fast as he wanted, he went back inside his house, brought another clay pot and gave Adaure to rub the content all over her body. ''Ndo, ogo m, o ga adi gi mma- sorry, in-law, you will get better'' he said, to Achikwu before he went back to his farm to bring home his farming tools.
Egemole, Adaure's husband, returned late in the night and his wife told him what transpired between her mother, Daa Achikwu, and the Ndi Ikpa youth in the morning. He was outraged and went inside Adaure's hut to see his mother-in-law, who was fast asleep but was woken by the presence of Egemole.
''Ogo m, are you back?'' she asked with great difficulty shown in her voice. Her son-in-law was stunned. She tried to sit up on the bed but was finding it so painful. Ogo m, please, don't worry yourself. I hope you have taken medication for this?'' he asked. ''Yes, your father gave me medicine, and I am getting relief. Nno- welcome'' she responded. ''Odi mma. Ndo- it's okay, sorry. Go back to sleep. We will talk in the morning'' Egemole said, assisting his mother-in-law to lie down again in bed before leaving the room.
After eating his nri abali- dinner, he went to Adaure's kitchen and took some burning charcoal inside a shallow clay pot and kept it inside the room where his mother-in-law was sleeping as he was talking to himself in anger. His in-law opened her eyes again. ''No. You should not fight anybody for this. We have handed them over to umuagbara- the spirits. Let them live as the gods want them to live. Hold your peace. I will get better. Oh, yes, this fire you made for me will really help this night. I was feeling cold before you set it up for me. Don't worry my son. Please, don't worry, my in-laws'' Daa Achikwu pleaded. Egemole was silent. ''Did you hear me, my son?'' Daa Achikwu asked curiously.
''I have heard you, ma. Please, if the pain becomes so unbearable for you, tell your daughter to call me'' Egemole said. ''I have heard you, my son. I will be fine, don't bother yourself'' she replied before Egemole left to take his bath.
At around 12:AM in the night, Egemole was woken by Adaure, who came knocking on his door. ''The pain is too much on mama'' she said. He came down from his bed, went inside the room and saw his in-law groaning in pain. ''O, so, Adaure still woke you up, my son? I have already told her to allow you to sleep, until morning. You just returned from work, just a few hours ago. You need to rest, my son. I will be fine. This is not going to be my last night. Go back to sleep'' Daa Achikwu pleaded, as her son-in-law looked pitifully at her.
Egemole went back inside his room and took his ederi- palm kernel cake candle and a machete. He went inside mbubo- compound garden and cut some banana leaves and set up a fire close to the front of Adaure's hut where his mother-in-law was also sleeping. ''Ada, go in and call Akuigwe for me. I need her attention, so you can attend to your child if she wakes up'' he said, to Adaure.
He spread two leaves on the fire, made them hot, brought them inside and made Daa Achikwu lie on them while he softly rolled her body all over them. Each time they became less hot, he would go out and exchange them with new ones Akuigwe had made warmed. He continued doing that until his mother-in-law got much better. She was able to go back to bed unaided.
He went outside to remove the bonfire when his father came out. He never wanted anything to rob his father of night rest, especially when his mother-in-law had gotten better. ''Is she having pain?'' Chigbu, his father, asked. ''Yes, she was having pain, so I made her roll on the akwukwo abirika- banana leaves'' Egemole replied. ''Imere nke oma- you have done well. How is she feeling now?'' Chigbu asked. ''Oh, much better. She went back to bed on her own, without help'' Egemole replied. ''Good, by morning she will be much better'' Chigbu hissed, hopefully.
While trying to help Egemole clear the remnants of the bonfire, Chigbu heard one of his granddaughters, Akuigwe, snoring close to the window. ''Eish, you would have called me to help you instead of this ediura- sleepy civet, who could joyously fall inside a lake of fire to grab some sleep unperturbed'' he yelled, laughingly. Akuigwe heard his voice, opened her eyes, stood up and tried helping her uncle, Egemole, as her legs wobbled. ''Ediura, if you still recognize where you are, go back to bed'' Chigbu, her grandfather, said.
''Before your mother got married, this time was still afternoon when she would be picking palm fruits for her grandmother for Nkwo-Ama market day, which comes up tomorrow. Go and sleep edi- civet'' he continued as Akuigwe ran inside the hut, and became one with her bed. ''My son, go and sleep, hope you took your bath?'' he asked Egemole. ''Yes, nna anyi- our father, I did'', Egemole replied.
''Your niece, Akuigwe, and sleep are inseparable. See how she was struggling like a fish in a mperekete-fish trap. That reminds me of your sister, her mother, Ikwuano, and her funny days with my mother, Bebebe. O, onwu- oh, death'' Chigbu sighed with mixed feelings.
''Gaa dina ala tupu I were ehe gi dayuoro m ederi m'' Egemolo said laughingly. The words mean, 'go and sleep lest you sleepily use your birthing part to put off my candlelight'. Those were the words of his late grandmother which he remembered with nostalgic laughter which she used to tell his sister, mother of Akuigwe, whenever she became sleepy as they picked palm fruits when the old woman was alive.
They all laughed and got seated on the bench in front of their house. ''We all remembered this yesterday when she came and saw me picking palm fruits'' Chigbu said with sorrowful reminisce. They laughed again. ''Ehee, nke di ka ibe ya were buru- yes, what looks like others is, what do you suggest we do about these children that beat your mother-in-law? Or do we leave it to die out like that?'' Chigbu asked.
''I decided to mobilize our youth to catch one of them, to use him to teach the rest a big lesson. If he survives, let him tell the story and if he dies, let his ancestors teach him culture'' Egemole said. ''Good. But however, it is better we honor dignity. I suggest we go to their Akajiofor- leader to make a complaint first, ka mmadu abuo ghara ida iwu- so that two people don't fail the law'' Chigbu replied.
''Is it not their Akajiofor I was told that sent and supervised in full of himself, the beating of these women?'' Egemole angrily asked. ''Aru-abomination. This is unheard of. For what? For merely fetching from the water our Gods brought about to alleviate the suffering of our people who used to trek down to Iyi Agada to fetch ordinary cooking water? Chigbu asked in a rage of disappointment. ''Amaghim oo- I don't just know'' Egemole replied.
''Don't worry, I know their Akajiofor. His name is Ihentuga. I will visit him myself this morning'' Chigbu insisted. ''Maka gini ozo, papa- for what again, father'' Egemole asked his father, expressing disappointment. ''Okenye anaghi ano n' ulo ewu amuo na ogbu- elder does stay at home while doe gives birth with rope tied on it'' he said. ''Will stop the Gods beating them?'' Egemole asked. ''What do you mean, Egemole?'' Chigbu asked. ''Umunwanyi, ghara ha ike na anwu ozugbo- women shoved buttocks on their faces immediately'' Egemole said. ''Ehee- really? Eziokwu- true? Chai, nhe nkea ewuteka ha- o, it really hurt them. Hei, okwu agwugonu- eish, it is finished'' Chigbu screamed. ''So that is why I am only thinking about how to beat just one up'' Egemole said, suggestively.
''So, son, no, beat nobody. Their beating has been dangerously assigned to the Gods and the ancestors to do. Wait to hear the cries, the screaming, the panting, and the sour wounds from ndi mmuo- the spirit, coming their way, oge na adighi anya- soonest. They wanted to kill my mother-in-law, my visitor in my own palm. They didn't look at her age. They pushed them down and broke their vessels'' Chigbu said, as he was stomping his feet on the ground. ''At least, one person should be used to teaching them culture'' Egemole sighed, incoherently. Chigbu looked at his agitated son, and lowered his head, thinking about what to tell him to make him calm down and let go.
He reluctantly looked at his son, trying to say something, but it appeared that he was overwhelmed. ''My son, lose no sweat. This case is settled. Go back to sleep. Let's take care of her. She will get much better in the morning. I will even go to Igirigi's house tomorrow morning. I heard they mercilessly beat his wife when she tried to challenge them'' Chigbu said. Egemole was very surprised to hear it. ''These people are heartless'' Egemole voice rose in outrage.
''I saw her on my way out to work yesterday. I even asked her why she followed Uzowai farm to fetch water at Iyi Agada. She said she just needed the water for wall cobbing and not for drinking. I never had such a premonition that Jiuwa was going to meet those uncultured men in a bad state today. It makes me mad when I remember that we gave them that very land free of charge as brothers'' Egemole said, his eyes beaming with rage.
''Well, we did it as brothers. We even did it without consulting Ntu village. If we had done that, maybe some would have advised against us doing that. Most people see them as a heartless set of human beings from gboo- ancient times. But, we don't have to regret it now. After all, that stream that sprouted will not be taken to another place. It is theirs just as it is ours. And there's nothing anyone can do about it'' Chigbu said, beckoned his son, and they stood up and went back to sleep.