HANNAH'S TALE (EPISODE 2)

"Asake mi owan.
Were were bi eji ale.
Meek and lovely as the roe that seeks her morning bread.

What ails your heart this morning Aya mi?
From which direction comes the poisoned darts which have been shot at your heart.

Emi Ige ni o.
Eyan bi Ajayi ogidi olu omo oni konga aji pon
Eyan ti o fe e nisu loka.
Pelu ori mi ni mo fi ru gbogbo emu si odo awon eyan re.

Pelu owo mi yi ni mo fi fa ogede mefa ati garawa epo merin si odo baba re
Pelu owo mi gangan si ni mo fi nu gbogbo ekun iyawo ti o sun.

(I am Ige. The one who got married to you fully. With my head I carried palmwine to your people. With my hands, I dragged the heads of plantain and palm oil to your father. With my hands I wiped away the tears on your face on the day during pre-wedding rites)

Tell me what you desire and it shall be done.
Is it the left thigh of the agbonrin (antelope) that you long to taste,
Tell me and my gun shall immediately cry in the jungle.

Is it the cool water of the Osun river that you seek to drink,
Tell me and I will rush down to the groove where iya Osun stays to collect it for you.

Is it the Ade isembaye of Oyo (ancient crown) that you desire to wear as gele,
Tell me and I will go and lie down, hands upheld high, begging Iku baba yeye (alaafin) to please grant the wishes of my beloved.

Do you desire to fly to the skies, gliding gleefully as the air slaps your face and makes your heart tingle,
Tell me and I will rush down to the house of Abija ogun,
Perhaps the aging man would give me an 'ado' (charm) that transforms a human being into a giant bird.

So fun mi ni nkan ti o fe aya mi, your Ige is eager to fulfill the bidding of his damsel"

These words were uttered by Ige immediately he came out from the bathroom.
For the cry, which Asake uttered, greatly distressed him and broke his flow of thoughts while bathing.

He had been thinking of running for ipo consellor (councillor position) in the local Government he was.
And he was thinking of the best way to broach the matter to the women leader of the market who was also a member of his church.

While he mentally rehearsed every word he would say to her, Asake's cry had interrupted.

Asake looked at her husband and sighed.

How could she put forward the matter that troubled her for Ajani to understand.
How could he fully understand the pang of pain that gripped her everytime she saw children in church.
How could she explain that Iya Risi's taunts were nothing compared to the silent looks which were directed at her in the church were she previously served as a children teacher.

Those looks that were like guns that propped bullets of pain into her heart.
Those looks that clearly stated the fear of the mother's;
A fear that Asake may just steal one of the children and escape with the little one to another country.

She could not think of the best way to present her fears to Ige,
And so she chose to voice out the desire which had tugged at her heart all morning.

"Ige mi. Oko mi ti n gbe mi ni ja. O wu mi kin ri irin ajo lo si ori Oke Orimolade ni ilu Ogbomosho."
(My Ige. The one who readily fights for me, I desire to go on a trip to the Orimolade mountain in Ogbomosho)

Ige looked perturbed upon hearing the request.

Not because he did not know the mountain,
For his family embarked on a yearly pilgrimage to refresh themselves for every new year.

Not because he had not experienced the power of the God who created Mose Orimolade,
For Ige himself had prayed so much one day and had felt a minor tremor beneath his knees.
A tremor that signified that the earth had opened up to swallow his enemies just like it had done to the critics of Moses.

He was perturbed because any trip undertaken with Asake at that time would disrupt every plans he had set in motion for becoming a council.

He had planned on going on a publicity rally with his party into the interior villages of his area;
Organized the relief materials to be distributed to the villagers whose homes had been uprooted by a raging storm the previous week;
Finished adding last minute touches to the speech he was going to present at every village hall, while also perfecting every gesture he would make towards the odo ilu (youths) and elderly ones.

He had also planned on staying at some of the villages for a duration of three days each, waking up to the task of helping them to till their farms and also engaging in other community development programs.
Not like other 'oloshelu' (politicians) who were content with shooting two hour cameos with the villagers and then retreating into their fancy jeeps to zoom off.

"Aya mi. Nitoripe ohun gbogbo ti o n ta e na ni o n ta mi, Emi a se nkan ti o fe"
(My dear, because everything that peppers you also ails me, I will grant your wish)

Upon hearing these words coming from Ige, Asake leaped from her sitting posture to hug him.
Tears streaming down her cheeks as she immediately began to think of clothes to carry on the trip.

While the couple were all lovely dovely with hands clasped around each other's waists and forehead clinking forehead like wine glasses at a cocktail, Iya Risi came in.

While the hearts of the lovers were kindled once more by the fire of sacrifice, the olori jagunda made her entrance.

Battle ready with iro tied and knotted around her waist.
Battle ready with a dam of curse words ready to break loose upon the lovers.
Battle ready with fingers itching to sink deep into any skin, hands ready to pull at the hair of her rival and ready to clasp the belt of her lover.

"Pekele Pekele, Arugbo je gbese, Tani o san? So Ige, you have turned yourself into olori agbe (head of farmers) who can just uproot anything and plant them somewhere else. So you think that you can just tell me to leave my shop and follow you just because this haggard, childless thing (pointing to Asake who immediately breaks down in a fresh pool of tears) has a whim that wants to be fulfilled? So you will just stop Taye Kehin, from attending school for a few days just because your iya ile (senior wife) does not have any child to send to school. Oti o. Mi o ni gba (No, I won't accept)
So said Iya Risi as she stood akimbo, fuming like a creditor who saw her debtor drop 1000 naira into the offering basket, and has now come to collect her money.

Truly, Iya Risi had her own shop which had been set up by Ige and was constantly financed by the man,
For she had a very irresponsible habit of spending every profit she had on whimsical desires.

Just like the time she had bought two bicycles for Taye and Kehinde after their father had refused to buy for them due to the financial commitments he had at the office.

Just like the ever constant Amala and eran ogunfe (Amala and goat meat) she buys for the twins everytime they arrive from school at one o clock.

Just like she buys the ever pricey aso ebi's which are being brought to her shop by excited iya iyawos (bride mothers) who know that Iya Risi was a socialite even though she sold only provisions.

Even though she knew that she would not go to the shop that week because of the weddings she would attend, she had decided that she would frustrate Asake's proposed trip.

"Iya Taye, dakun. Please remember that Asake also consents to most of your desires too.
Ige pleaded.
Knowing it was a futile venture yet still trying his luck.

"Nigbana nko? Se ohun wa je Esu odara ti o tapo si aso funfun mi ni, Abi o je omode ti o ju okuta si inu garri ti mo fe je. Rara mi ni rara o"
(So what? Is she the devil that would throw palm oil on the white cloth I am putting on or the child that would throw sand into the garri I am eating? My no remains a no)
Iya Risi replied, momentarily bit her index finger and then snapped her fingers at Asake.

"O da na. Stay at home then so that I will go with Asake to the mountain"
Ige said, frustrated with begging his second wife.

As he turned his back to leave, Iya Risi extended her hands and dragged him back by the back pocket.
Flames of fire flickering in her eyes like the dragon who was en-route to destroying a city that had destroyed her egg.

"Nibo ohun nlo iwo Arakunrin yi? Who will throw fire to warm my cold hearth when you are gone and who will share my bed when the biting hammattan visits? Surely you did not think of that before did you? Did you!!"

To douse the raging fire and placate the angry goddess, Asake spoke up.

Informing her husband that she would go alone in order to please her junior.
Informing Iya Risi to please take good care of her chickens for the duration of her stay at the ori oke.
Reminding Ige that he was running late for the political meeting which he was to attend that day.
And then settling back to continuing her chore of picking the beans.

To be continued in later posts
#Bashorun

Okontas.com