THE TWISTED TRUTH

CHAPTER ONE
I woke up in the morning, checking the time it was 8.00am. ‘Gosh! So, I am going to prepare for this god dam school, when will education ever end?’ I shouted to no one but myself. I walked into the dining room to see if Mama has prepared something for me.
Our dining room was not a perfect one, it was a typical poor structure but at least we wanted to answer those that also own a table and chairs for eating. Papa wanted to imitate the village chief, Chief Mbakwe, he was the richest mans and also the reigning man in the village. All his children were also rich and reside in the city; his house was a heavenly structure in an earthly position. It was adorned with the beauty any hand could lay. His dining was made of hot gold, real hot gold thus, no one can compete with him.
I moved closely to the badly made bamboo table, I just hope my eyes weren’t deceiving me; I opened the cover plate Lo and behold! It was empty, who else did this if not Mama, What have I done this time? The little money I earned from yesterday’s dance I gave them all to her.
‘Mama! Mama!’ Mama came out of the adjacent room, one look at her face would scare you from blurting whatever you had in your mind, but at this point I don’t really care because I am already use to that, I didn’t even wait for her to speak first.
‘Mama, you didn’t keep food for me today, why? Mama sneezed and wiped her nose with the ear of her wrapper. ‘Is this the reason why you have decided to wake up the entire village? What’s the time isn’t it past eight? You are supposed to be in your school uniform now. Anyway, Dozie ate your food because he thought just like I had also thought that you weren’t going to school today! Besides the food wasn’t enough, so it’s right for you to sacrifice your meal for your junior brother. Hunger doesn’t kill! She walked back to the room.
This has always been the system; I always have to sacrifice my own meal for my brother even when there is enough money to make a lasting meal. Tears streamed down my eyes because knew that no matter how hard I try to make Mama happy she won’t just treat me like Dozie. I went back to my room dressed up for school and walked out of the house. I left with an empty stomach.





CHAPTER TWO

Trekking to Adumoha Central School is not an easy task, the roads were rough and the hills were like donkey galloping. I trekked down the school, but I know that Dozie had gone to school on a bicycle. At the gate stood the most fearsome and wicked teacher I have ever seen in my life Mr. Okafor! It seems all the okafors are wicked considering the Okafor I also encountered in my village. He refused to pay for the palm fruits I shielded for him. Now, falling into Teacher Okafor’s trap was what I and every other student dreaded the most. I’d rather fall into a lion’s den than to fall into that man’s den because I believe just like what they taught me in catechism that I will be saved like Daniel but not in this case.
‘Come over to this place, you!’ Mr. Okafor shouted at me. I moved closer to his direction, praying in my heart for a fair judgment. He took me to the school farm, right there I saw three other latecomers like me working on the farm but with a difference, they were much earlier than I, I was extremely late for school.
‘You will uproot the yams here and take them to the school barn, after that you will go to the piggery and clean the pigs’ dung. Since you don’t feel like coming to school today, let me help you feel at home, when you are through with that you will go to the headmaster’s housed pick a water pot and fill their drums (5)five time. Am I understood?’ he thundered smiling sheepishly at me, I hate everything about him even his subject, he made me hate Christian religious knowledge. I lost my words I couldn’t plead for mercy, it was revealed that Mr Okafor had misplaced his ‘Doctor do Good’ that was why he doubled his punishments, but to tell you the truth its better for me to be flogged than to do all these punishments.

The most painful thing is I never benefitted from coming to school today. I went back to
Work, I uprooted the yams from the portion he gave to me, it wasn’t difficult because Papa always took me to his farm and he also taught me how to do it. I piled them on a basket and took them to the school barn, I went to and fro three (3) times, when I was through with that, I moved forward to the piggery, God knows that I was going to smell like a pole cat after such work.
‘Ifeoma!’ I turned around to see who it was. Lo and behold! It was my classmate and best friend Njideka. ‘Oh! Njide, what are you doing here? I was too inquisitive at that moment.
Njideka grinned at me as she walked hastily to pace up with me.
‘I came late na, that useless man, God punish him. What’s that his useless name?
‘You mean Mr. Okafor?’ I asked.
‘Oh! Yes! That tight pant gave me punishment just imagine that I should fill the pigs well with water from the stream. What kind of wickedness is that? Njideka shouted.
Of a truth, I have always wondered why Njideka’s punishments were so severe and different. I know Mr. Okafor is a lover of no man but his meanness towards her is something unspeakable.
‘Hmm! How is that possible? We all know that the well is deep and it comes from the ground, besides it cannot be filled to its brim if it doesn’t rain heavily’ I chipped in.
I’m always careful when it come to talking about Mr. Okafor, one may never know when he sneaks in and hears our conversation just the way he did to form three students and they all ended up in the farm that day but not after they had received twenty four lashes each from his sweetheart ‘Doctor do Good’. Knowing that I’m not the only one in this predicament, I also have my friend. We began our work at the piggery. I picked up a broken pitcher and used the edge to pack the faeces of the god forsaken animals; Njideka on the other hand, was just loitering around the piggery. She has already made up her mind not to do her work; her mum will fight for her. Truth be told, the work was undoable.
‘Ehm, Ify!’ do you know that something happened yesterday? Njideka the great talker asked me.
How was I supposed to know, when Mama never gave me a breathing space yesterday. I shook my head as a sign of No, Njideka was a very great parrot and if one isn’t careful one may end up not doing his/her work while listening but sometimes she eases my pains.
‘Mazi Ejiofor threw his first wife out of his house around 8pm last night!’ she blurted out.
‘Haa! Why, what really happened?’
Njideka looked around to see if anyone was listening. Adumoha central school students were fond of eavesdropping.
‘He caught her with another man!’ she said
I dropped my broom, this was really shocking news because I knew Mazi Ejiofor’s wife very well, she is a good woman, she loves children. She is always in the church and she sometimes teaches us catechism. Of recent, she became the leader of the market women association.
‘No! I don’t believe this, it’s indeed a big blow! I can believe if it were someone else but not Nne Agatha’ I shook my head repeatedly as my sign of disbelief. Njideka turned around again to peep and then she continued. ‘Ifeoma, you have to believe me, this is not hearsay, I saw it with my two koro-koro eyes. They said Mazi Ejiofor tracked his wife down to the man’s house and caught her. But the problem is that she is still pleading not guilty. I just wonder why people say not guilty even when they were caught red-handed’.
I became so quiet, trying to relish this story in my own view because I know Nne Agatha and I know the things she can’t do.
‘Njide, how did you get the story?’ I asked.
‘Mazi Ejiofor and his second wife told Mama Eliza, Mama Eliza told your Mama, your Mama told mine and my mother told me!’ she replied.
‘Did they say who the man was?’ I asked again.
Njideka sighed ‘No! They didn’t see him very clear, besides Nne Agatha wasn’t given the chance to defend herself’.
I picked my broom ‘Then, she didn’t do it. She is innocent!’

CHAPTER THREE
I was in the kitchen arranging the yams Papa had brought back from his farm, He also came back with a bush rabbit caught by his trap. Mama was preparing it for dinner.
Ever since morning Mama has refused to talk to me because I told Papa that Mama starved me two days ago. Now, Papa is always vigilant checking if I was fed or not. Sometimes he tells me to bring my food to his ‘Obi’. These few days I’ve been feeling like a queen because my friends told me that I was looking healthy and fresh unlike before even our dance leader Okemma who was always snubbing me made such a remark and it made me pleased.
‘Ifeoma!’ Mama brought me back to my senses.
‘Yes! Mama!’ I answered.
‘Ehm, in my room you will find under the bed a basin of clothes. I forgot that I will need the clothes tomorrow because I will be going to my Umere Nne (Mother’s place). Help me and wash the clothes, you can go and wash them in the stream’.
I stared at Mama; in fact I was short of words. I can’t say anything because Papa had just left for the palace for an important meeting.
‘But, Mama! It’s already past six and no one will be at the stream. Mama! Please I will wash them tomorrow early morning and before you leave it will be very much ready’ I pleaded.
Mama closed the pot that was set on the fire, she stood up and tied her wrapper firmly then she looked pointedly at me.
‘Ifeomachukwu, when I tell you to do one simple chore you won’t do it but you are very good at reporting your mother to your father. You are qualified in causing chaos in the family. I won’t show you my red colour not until when I come back and get you here then, between two things one must eventually happen’. She left the kitchen.
Sometimes I always wondered if Mama is my mother,I have been tempted once or twice to ask papa that but I felt it was an insult to her personality but her altitude towards me was unbecoming of a true mother.
I left the kitchen and went into her room, I took the clothes and went off to the stream I just pray that the gods of our land will save and protect me because it was already getting late and its likely that I wont see anybody at the stream. I started my favourite song as I was walking to the stream so that I wont feel the distance.
Just as I had imagined, there was not a single soul in the river. I continued my song while I fetch water to wash the clothes.
I was still singing and washing, I wasn’t feeling the fear and loneliness in me anymore until I heard a voice from behind.
‘You have a very nice voice, my daughter!’. I turned and saw Nne Agatha coming with her basin of clothes.
‘Haa! Nne, I didn’t know you were here’ I said.
‘Not at all, I’m just arriving but I heard your sweet melody from afar. Your voice will even make a deaf person to hear’. She said as she was keeping her basin on the floor.
Nne Agatha was a woman without fear, but I’ve never seen her at the stream by this time.
‘Nne, you really flattered me, anyway why are you here by this time?’ I asked.
She sighed as she bent down to wash her clothes.
‘I guess you have heard about the gossip roaming in the village? I’ve chosen to always come out at night because of the embarrassment in the day time, children will be running after me, adults will be wagging their tongues at me’ she began to sob, I was just staring at her, I felt this was the only time she had someone to talk to and that was why I gave her the chance to cry herself out.
Nne Agatha looked at me and wiped her tears.
‘My daughter, you are growing fast into a young beautiful lady. Things may be hard but never fail to hold on to the truth. I am always around to listen to you, you can find me in my mother’s house’.
By then I had begun to squeeze the clothes into cleaner water, I then remembered something.
‘Nne, but you didn’t do what you were accused of, right?
‘N’ebekwanu! No, heaven will bear me witness, my child I am innocent. I don’t know what came over my husband and he packed my things and threw me out of the house at that moment I was just returning from the church’. She said
This time I went closer to her and wiped her tears with my hands. I have always been right; I knew that she didn’t do it. She was just too innocent for such a crime.
‘I believe you; I told my friends that you are innocent’. I said
She stared at me in surprise.
‘Why do you feel so?’ She asked
I shrugged “I just believe that you didn’t do it and I told them outright that I knew the things you could do. Things like fighting for a space in the market’. I grinned at her.
Nne Agatha began to laugh by then I’m through with my washing but I love being with her she made me relaxed, she is like the mother I’ve always dreamed mine to be like not like arrogant mama at home.
‘Thank you Ify, you are the only one who sees this in a different view. But why do you sing such a song?’ She asked.
I then took my time to tell her all I have been passing through in the hands of Mama. I held nothing back till that moment, string of tears streamed down my eyes.
‘She doesn’t behave like my mother, she sees me as an evil thing’. I blurted out.
Nne Agatha held me and patted my head
‘it’s alright, you still have to run home before you get into more serious trouble. It’s very dark now but let me tell you the gospel truth. Any mother that doesn’t treat her own child like her child has a question to answer there must be something you don’t know or they are not telling you. Just continue to obey her, one day things will be alright”. She advised
I obeyed Nne Agatha and ran back home, spread the wet clothes. When I got into the house they were all asleep and then I checked into the kitchen, the pots were all licked. It all dawned to me that Mama did this on purpose maybe a penalty for reporting her to papa.
I went to bed on an empty stomach.

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CHAPTER FOUR
For several weeks I continued to obey Mama, this made me to drop behind some of my activities so that I can obey her to the core. I stopped going out to see my friends, I quit catechism classes and I also quit attending the dance group. Just like the old saying.
‘Anything you do, once you are not accepted. You are only pleasing yourself’. That was the case of Mama and I. Papa was rarely around, as a carpenter he always had lots of work to do and after that he has his farm to attend to. I was always with Mama. Today she hit me with a cooking spoon for no apparent reason. I withdrew to my room, I have been in here for a long time ever since then, and I don’t want to make the mistakes of doing anything again that will annoy her. The necklace I bought and gave to her three nights ago, mama cut it and threw the beads on me, she told me that I won’t succeed in buying her into my demonic kingdom.
Dozie walked into my room, we rarely talk so I’m curious to know the reason behind his sudden visitation.
‘Ifeoma, Njideka is outside waiting for you. Mama said you should go out and meet her’ he left.
I wore a shirt and tied my wrapper firmly; within me I was very happy at least there will be joy even for a short moment.
I saw Njideka hovering around our compound eyes fixed on our orange tree that was situated at the middle of our compound. She was looking great and beautiful.
‘Njide m! I shouted and smiled as I walk towards her. I embraced her tightly that she had to push me away.
‘Haa! Ify, do you want to choke me to death?’ she asked
I was still smiling at her, ever since we closed for the term, Njideka travelled to stay with her uncle in the city; I knew she had enough stories for me. In a way I was glad that we were outside the house for fear of Mama and Dozie eavesdropping on us.
‘I’m very happy to see you once again my dear friend, imagine three weeks without you! Ouch! It’s too much for me to bear nu’ I said.
Njideka and I sat on a bench under the orange tree.
She began ‘Ify m, if I have the power I will say you should leave this place and come to the city where there is good road, electricity and enough jolliment.’
I grinned at her indeed her holiday must really have been awesome. The only one I have in the city is Ofo. Ofo is mama’s only brother, he rarely comes home and if he does he hardly stays. Mama always complain that he prefers Mama Ekene’s joint than his home. It would only take a miracle for me to go to the city.
‘Well, the dog says the reason why he licks his own scrotum is because no one will do it for him. I will always be here until a miracle from above comes’
Njideka stared at me in utter dismay; I could see her calling me ‘stupid’ in her mind. Indeed I’m stupid.
‘I brought many goodies for you but I didn’t come with them, I don’t so much like your mother’s altitude towards me. I just don’t understand her, she grins very well at my mother but when it comes to me she frowns like I’m of no good to you. I’m just waiting for the day she will say ill things to me. I will just forget that she is your mother and that she breast fed you, I will finish her with this my mouth. Then she will know that I’m not you.’
I could feel how angry Njideka is towards my Mama. She has the right to be but I wasn’t expecting these words from Njide yet. I wanted city stories.
‘I have heard you Nwetuo obi! Eh, give me city gist biko. What is killing Mama is ignorance, just leave her!’ I defended Mama just as I always do. Njideka sighed over and over again. I had to pat her back for fear that Mama might sense what we were discussing about. So I asked her to gist me about. So I told her to gist me about her journey and her stay in the city.
‘In the city, I wake up whenever I felt like. There is nothing like stream o, they have pump and it works like magic. Just press and water from nowhere will start coming out. I don’t even why I returned, I made lot of friends in the city; Bola, Michael, Nonso…. They are so many, you see that stupid teacher Okafor is no match to city teachers. My friends speak English like eh, BEKEE!’ she gestured with her hands.
I also noticed that Njide painted her nails and her lips, it was glowing and it made her more beautiful. Her hair was straightened and her clothes smelt nice. I felt a ting of jealousy in me.
‘Hmm! If you decide not to come back, does that mean you have abandoned me? I’m not of any use to you eh! Njide, you want to forget your enyi nwanyi, your twin from a different mother’ I faked a frown.
She laughed ‘Do you know that I was always thinking of you while in the city, I wished that one day you will come with me to the city. Just that my aunty may get annoyed because the accommodation is small. Maybe, when I get married you will come with me’
‘Married ke! See Njide oo’
I clapped my hands, we only had one class left before we finish our secondary school all through our previous classes I had always being Njideka’s savior both in tests and exams. I was much more intelligent than her despite Mama’s lack of breathe towards me.
Njideka looked around and back to me again
‘Yes, what do you intend doing after your secondary school here eh? You are a very beautiful girl. Do you want to keep your fine body for all these dirty men in this village? Nne, go to the city where it will be appreciated. Let me inform you, after form five I am leaving here. I have no business in this bush area; I will go to the city. Eh, Ikenna promised to marry me!’
I gasped at her; I don’t even know who Ikenna was.
‘Haa! Njideka you will not kill me. Who is Ikenna ke?
Njideka can be so strange at times but I am privileged to know her secrets, many don’t.
‘Ikenna son of Mazi Alphonsus, he is from the neighboring village but I met him in the city. He is a very big businessman. Ikenna has two provision shops and three sales boys, most of the things I brought for us were gotten from him. He confessed that after form five, he will come and do the normal things here in our village’ she said smilingly.
Although I was happy for her I was also concerned. I’m so afraid because Njideka has a weak point when it comes to men, I just pray she wouldn’t end up crying as this is the sixth proposed marriage I have heard from her. I have always been her shoulder to cry on, I just pray that this man isn’t another deceiver.
‘Njide my good friend, you know that you are the sister I never had. Please be careful, once bitten twice shy. I won’t lend you my shoulder to cry on again o’ I drew my ears as I warned her.
Njideka hit me playfully. ‘Eziokwu, I have learn from my past o. this one is not a joke o. God take the strength away from the devil’ she grinned.
We continued our city gist until Dozie came to call me. So, I bade her farewell and went into the house to face Mama’s never smiling face.

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CHAPTER FIVE

We were in the class learning one fateful morning. Mazi Anyanwu was a no-nonsense man; one dare not come late to his class nor make an atom of noise. He was very strict to the core.
He teaches Literature in English and at that moment he was teaching us Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Njideka loved the book so much; I guess it’s because of her day dreaming. As for me, I wonder if that kind of love ever exists between Papa and Mama. They were like cat and dog, last thing Mama would do is to die for Papa or die with Papa out of love.
Njideka whispered to me that one day she would read the book to Ikenna. At that moment, Mazi Anyanwu was summoned by the principal. So, we had the opportunity to chat properly.
‘Njide, how could you say such? You can’t even read Shakespearean language neither can you understand their various meaning’ I said.
Njideka chuckled
‘Do you think I will read the book to him like this? You will summarize it for me and I will read to him, besides he can’t even read. I can read and write. It’s a bonus advantage’
I stared at her and asked again
‘At what class did he end his education?’
‘Standard five (5)’
I began to laugh and then I suspected that I had begun to annoy her.
‘I’m sorry dear; you are much pretty for an elementary five business tycoon. Anyway it’s your choice but you will pay for the summarizing, as you can see the book is quite vast’ I told her.
Njideka sighed
‘Have I ever told you that money is an issue, hapu! He sent money to me through Papa Ekene yesterday. I will pay you with an added bonus sef, just do your job. Moreover, you haven’t told me what you intend to do with your life after form five?’
I opened my locker and brought out two chewing gums, I gave one to her. I always keep chewing gums in my locker because it somehow eases my empty stomach.
‘Well, after form five; I will just be here, papa says he has no money to send me to University College. So, I will stay here and learn handwork. Maybe Aunty Titi will teach me how to sew or Nne Agatha will direct me on how to make different delicacies for people to buy and eat. I will be here until I find the man that wish to marry me’
Sincerely, I do not wish to end my secondary education for I see no future after it. So long as I will be at home with Mama. I have always dreamt of being a teacher like our principal or the big lady that comes from the city to check our books. We call her Minister want to be like her but I know it’s not possible, even the ssce that I will partake in is just for writing sake. I just don’t know what to do with it.
Njideka was staring at me pitifully. ‘You won’t remain here. Mba! What does Titi know how to sew; only to patch patch torn clothes. Try and convince your father so that you will go to University, if I save enough money I can also lend you to support you. Ikenna wants us to start a family as soon as we get married, nothing like University for me. Moreover, I don’t know book nu. Your brain is like oxford dictionary. Ekwuzina! Don’t let another ear hear this disastrous news’ she shouted.
I signaled her to reduce her tone for the rest of the class was beginning to glance at us. I was about to say something when I saw Mazi Okafor coming into the classroom, it was his period.
Njideka sighed as she saw him walking majestically. Although I do not like Mazi Okafor, the gravity of hatred that transpires between Njideka and him was too much.
‘Good afternoon sir!’ we all shouted as we stood up.
‘Good afternoon’ Mazi Okafor grunted.
As usual he was putting on a very tight undersized trouser. He was such a great miser. Teacher Okafor never cared about his looks or appearance, we call his hair ‘Bush’ because we assumed that we all could hide our hands in his hair and it won’t be found.
Teacher Okafor wrote ‘KING AHAB AND NABOTH’S VINYARD’ on the chalkboard. I am quite familiar with the story since Father Augustine had once read it during the mass.
He began to teach us on how King Ahab had wanted Naboth to sell his vineyard to him; he also told us how his wife Jezebel promised to get the vineyard at all cost for her sad husband. Then, he said finally that she was the true definition of women in terms of wickedness.
We all grew angry and began to shout at him.
‘If I hear any more noise, you will all spend the rest of the day lying under the sun’ he warned.
The class became very calm and he asked if there was any question.
Njideka rose up her hands, everybody was surprise

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