Oyi ga'aje (son of the soil)

Morning in modern Otukpo

The wind brushed gently against zinc roofs. Morning dew clung to the leaves of tall asthetic trees. Birds stirred lazily, chirping over distant mosque calls, and the grueling sound of the pastor speaking in tongues through the megaphone,the sun hadn’t yet poured fully over Otukpo when Agaba sighed, dropping his spoon noisily.

His mouth still full of steaming pap.

Across the table, his mother, Ihotu, stood, her hands on her waist, apron still tied around her waist, eyeing him like a soldier eyeing an unfinished drill.

“One more cup full, young man. You are not leaving my house on an empty stomach”.

“But, mum, I’m full and also late for school”, Agaba cried.

“And you’ll still be late with strength”, she replied.“Bring that plate, here!”She said, as she slapped another spoonful of akara onto his plate before returning to the kitchen, muttering about how “children of nowadays want to faint at assembly”.

His sister, Ene, leaned on the wall, smirking.“lil bro, better eat up! Don’t go and faint because of one Nneka” she laughed after the sentence.

“who said anything about Nneka?”, Agaba asked, as he bites into an akara ball

“Nobody”, she said, stretching like a lioness, her slim model-like statue appeared as her pyjamas slide up with her hands, “but your guilty face said it all”.

Over at the next house immediately sitting left of Agaba’s home, another drama was unfolding, Nnenna Chinwe sat up in bed, dazed, blinking at the bright red numbers on her clock, her hair rough and scattered, and her bed looking messy like a beast just spent a night in the room.

7:32 a.m.

“what?”She exclaimed as she gain full conciousness..She leapt from her mattress like a bullet.

“I’m late!”She dashed toward the bathroom barefoot, one hand yanking off her nightwear, the other reaching for toothpaste.

Her twin sister Nneka, still wrapped in her bedsheet, chuckled from the other bed.“Relax. They won’t start the assembly this early, Assembly is by 8”

“i don’t want to be mr. Ogwu’s scapegoat”, she yelled from the bathroom.

Ten minutes later, she was dressed - her hair in a rough bun, she braid the front into two pointy braids that increased her appearance, she grabbed the lipstick and her bag and sprint downstairs.

“Mum, dad, Good morning and bye…”She said as she make her way for the door.

Her dad was reading the newspaper at the sitting room.

“Won’t you eat breakfast first?”, her mum asked.

“give it to Nneka, I’m late”.

Back to Agaba as he used the opportunity of his mom going to wake his Dad to escape,“finally!”

“Mum! Agaba is running away”, his sister yelled.

“tell that young man to wait for me”, his mum screamed from the parents room.

Door slams…“His gone!”, Ene said at the top of her voice.

“I’m going to spank his ass when he’s back”, Ihotu replied.