I have never been so embarrassed in my life. I have never been so humiliated. It was a day I dutifully looked up to, but for reasons best known to him, it turned out a grueling encounter for me. I had hardly settled down on the brown sofa in the large sitting room when Chief Duru, Nancy’s father stormed out of his room.
“Again Nnamdi? You are the fool giving my family sleepless nights?” And now you have the audacity to walk into my sitting room and sit on my chair?” it was a barrage of questions, oozing out of a vexed and mindless mind.
“Chief, it is not like that.” I tried to explain, hoping it will make a difference, “You see, Nancy and I are so much in love. I will not be happy if I did not marry her. I came to beg you to change your mind about us.”
“So she has told you I said you cannot marry her? And you have the guts to walk in here and think you can convince with your filthy mouth? If you did not get out this minute, you will see the other side of Chief Duru!”
He raised his fist to deal a blow but I dodged it and when I noticed the situation was getting of hand, I hurried out of the room. You never could underestimate the temperament of a man like Chief Duru.
He was one of the local politicians who by dint of treachery and mischief had lined his pocket with funds squandered at the local government level. That had made him very rich and most times he would flaunt his wealth in a rather arrogant manner. This was not the first time he would humiliate me over my relationship with Nancy, his second daughter.
I remember one Sunday evening, we were attending the naming ceremony of Nancy’s cousin in a neighbouring town, we sat at our table eating when Chief Duru arrived with his wife and because he was the last person I was expecting there, he caught Nancy and I eating from the same plate.
“Tufiakwa….abomination!!!” he had screamed to the consternation of everyone around.
“What do you think you are doing to my daughter? Who gave you the impetus? Can’t you find your level? Okay, you want to prove to me that you are a smart man, abi?”
“Take it easy chief,” I managed to say but that did not impress him. He went ahead to vent his anger by making foul comment about my parents and how they were poor trying to use him to escape their misery.
“Please, tell them they should try elsewhere” he said and turned to Nancy.
“I just pity your life! Your mate are looking for rich people, you are falling in love with paupers”.
“It had left my mouth wild open in awe. Of course, Chief Duru did not go to school but one would have taught that his money, stolen money should be enough to give him a sense of decency. If I was from a poor home, did it mean I could not lift myself out of the poverty line? He was sounding as if he had always had a rich background but people from Umuezi, our home town in the South-East zone knew that Chief Duru was also a wretched home, before he started making money from local politics.
The stories I had heard about his father was equally pitiable. But he was feeling cool as if he was God that determined who would make it and who would not.
By my own standards, I did not feel I was doing badly. Not at all; yes, I have very poor parents but that was just a matter of time. As an undergraduate, studying Economics, I still have the hope that tomorrow would be better. I would not be short-sighted like Chief Duru who believed that no other person could make it unless he was involved in politics. If I had no purpose in life, Nancy his daughter would not have even listened to me when we first met in the university two years ago.
It was during the Umuezi Students’ Union congress for that year. It had been organised to receive the new students from the town studying at the University of Nigeria. Nothing suggested I would meet a beautiful woman whom I would love to marry that day but when our paths crossed, I just realised I could not resist her. She was sitting right in front of me and when the president of the union urged new entrants to rise on their feet and introduce themselves, I saw her rise up.
“I am Nancy Duru. I am studying Pharmacy. I am a full-blooded daughter of Umuezi and I have come out here today to identify with the union, thank you”, she said, eliciting a resounding applause from the over 50 members of the union present. I had clapped so hard, perhaps out of admiration because all the while I had been observing her closely. Aside her beautiful frame and pretty face, another thing that attracted me to her was her humility. This came to the fore when it was time for refreshment. She dutifully served everyone present with this glint of obedience in her eyes. I just could not help being moved. When we were leaving the venue of the event, I quickly ran up to her to chat with her.
“Nancy, you have a beautiful name”, I started “but I believe you will also have an Igbo name.
What is it?”
“Urenmadiya …. ” She had said it as if she was not sure of herself before she looked at me and -“we both started laughing. The name means ‘joy of the husband’ in Igbo and it was a summary of what was going on in my mind which was why I just could not help laughing.
“Well, I am Nnamdi. Which part of Umuezi are you from?” I asked her. Umuezi was made up of 10 villages united under one traditional ruler whom we fondly called Eze Ezi.
“I am from Nneato village. What about you?” she asked.
“Alaoma village”, I replied. “Nneato is Chief Duru’s village”.
“Yes, he is my father”, she revealed.
“Really? “It was then I understood the Duru in her name which she had mentioned earlier during her introduction. “I doubt if you come to Umuezi often. I would have known you”.
“I don’t. Most times, I am with my aunt in Lagos”, she said. “I did not grow up at home”.
When we parted ways that day; we agreed to hook up again sometime later but because of the feeling I had towards her, and of course the fear that someone would tell her about a relationship before me, I decided to go and visit her the next day!
…To Be continued
