THE NIGHT WIFE CHAPTERS 111-120
CHAPTER 116
BY SOLOMON ADINYA
“Uncle I cannot remember having a any child , I had two sons and a daughter , Agada and Igoche died . Comfort took Alice with her .” Ogwuche said with a sincere look on his face
. Agada nodded, he understood what fetish powers could do , he was an African man and had been around the world too long not to comprehend spiritual mysticism.
“I want to take you to my pastor my pastor , you remember pastor Agada ? he’ll pray for you .” Mr Agada asked ,but Ogwuche was reluctant to go anywhere with him , but he couldn’t say anything .
Whenever he remembered the tragedies that had happened to him despite the churches and prayer houses his mother had taken him to , his situation never got any better .
THE NIGHT WIFE CHAPTERS 111-120
“Everything will be over you’ll be well again my son , you’ll be well.” Agada said putting his arm on his nephew’s shoulder.
The cold was freezing cold all night , Ogwuche sat outside staring at his father’s corpse , not minding the loud music , the singing and crying from his sisters especially when his father’s body was brought home from the mortuary .
Ogwuche sat alone , staring at his corpse . “So this is how life truly is ? Papa strong man , powerful man , most feared man in Agadagba ,see you’re lying in bed , you cannot stand up to fight for land , all your lands all the lands you seized with power you’ll be buried in that small hole , six
feets . This life is nothing .” Ogwuche said .
The grave diggers had dug the grave already,the interior of the grave was reinforced with concrete , it was tiled from the floor of the grave up . Ogwuche sat quietly watching the men work all night .
The next morning the music from the large loudspeakers travelled kilometres, Ogbole and his friends sat on a different canopy sipping kiakia and beer , playing loud Nigerian Afro beat songs , the church people sat waiting for the senior priest , to come and bless Simon’s body before burial .
THE NIGHT WIFE CHAPTERS 111-120
At about twelve P.M , Reverend father Matthias and the younger priest came to the compound ,with the catechist.
“Sorry brethren I had to go for another occasion at Otukpo before coming here now .”The priest pleaded ,he got his holy water and sprinkled it on Simon’s casket , then sprayed it all over the graveside.
“In the book of Leviticus, the bible makes us to understand, that there’s time for everything, time to be born , time to die , today is our brother’s day of burial.”He began his sermon .
“Brother Ogar Simon has gone to be with the Lord , he is a son of God , he found God at the twilight of his life . You are here many of you , I know you still involve yourself in witchcraft, wizardry, you still involve yourself in Juju you put poison in people about in the village .
God is telling me to warn you , if you don’t turn away from your evil way , death will visit you when you least expect.” He said , the people cried amen in unison.
THE NIGHT WIFE CHAPTERS 111-120
“Let us rise up and pray for our brother’s body as he takes his final journey out of this world.” The people rose up on their feet .
“Dear God we commit our brother Simon Ogar unto your hand , I pray God may you forgive his trespasses and admit his body into heaven ,all this we ask through Christ our Lord .” The whole people say amen .
“We cover this grave with the blood of Jesus Lord . we want to come against anyone who would come to tamper with this grave , strike them with your thunder in Jesus name !” The mourners yelled amen .
“From the Dust were we formed , and to the dust shall we all return , can the body be lowered into the grave now ?” Ogwuche and his brothers and cousins lifted Simon’s casket ,they lay it on two new wrappers that had been tore and placed like a rope , they grabbed the ropes from both side of the casket ,and lowered the body into the ground.
The Reverend father gave Ogwuche a shovel , he poured the first sand , then his mother poured the sand , Ene had emaciated so much in three weeks her daughter and son held her as she wept , they covered up the grave with read sand .
THE NIGHT WIFE CHAPTERS 111-120
Ogwuche was going into his room when a strong black force knocked him down , Agada and Ene ran to him , a strong weight left his head , a black bat flew out of his head into the sky ,Ene ran to her son , he was staring at everyone they looked so strange to him .
Ogwuche began to wonder where he was , his mother was looking older , he could see that she had been crying , his uncle’s beards had gone silver white , He saw his younger brother he had grown so tall , taller than Ogwuche , he kept staring at everyone .
“Uncle what am I doing here ?” Ogwuche asked. “What am I doing in the village ? where is Dooshima? My God I left Dooshima?” Ogwuche asked getting up from the ground .
He continued turning round , people moved from the burial ground , to see the new drama that was taking place .
“Ogwuche are you okay ?” Ochigbo asked .Two men who were relatives of Ehi who had died tragically laughed at the woe that has befallen Simon and his son .
THE NIGHT WIFE CHAPTERS 111-120
“I thought Simon wouldn’t die , we didn’t only succeeded in removing the nuisance, we ate at his burial rubbish man , Now his son has gone made .” the tall man said , he and his cousin laughed .
“Mama I need to go to Gboko! what am I doing here ? Jesus ! mama what happened to me ? Did I go mad! What am I doing here ?” Ogwuche asked .Ogwuche ran into the house .
Ene didn’t know if she was to thank God for her son or cry for her late husband ,she rushed into the room after him , Agada and his sons followed suit . “Mama I need to go to Gboko Dooshima! Jesus Dooshima, mama what happened to me ?” He said scattering his clothes from his Ghana must go bag. “What happened to me mama ? where is my father ? I need an explanation.” Ogwuche cried .
“Ogwuche sit down let’s explain something to you.” Ogwuche refused to sit , threw his clothes unto the ground until he found some money , he grabbed it. “Ogwuche your father died , we are having his burial , can you put yourself together and stop acting weird ?” Ene begged her son .
“Mama I left Dooshima with our baby ? Aaaarh am so messed up , uncle is she married ? how many years have I been here ?” Ogwuche asked his mother and uncle .
THE NIGHT WIFE CHAPTERS 111-120
“For seven years plus .” Agada said .
“Uncle and you left me here to rot ? why uncle ?” Ogwuche burst into tears . “All I remember we came to introduce Dooshima what happened?” Ogwuche sat on his bed crying . “What happened to me , somebody tell me , how did o leave Dooshima? How did I leave my baby?” They tried to stop him from crying .
“It’s a long story , Ogwuche you were married .” Ene said , Ogwuche shook his head in disbelief.
“Stop kidding me mama , married to who? me married to who ? somebody should explain to me what happened to me .” Ogwuche asked , for years he had struggled to understand what was happening to him , he was just a man lost in a maze .
“Ogwuche you were married , you had two sons and a daughter,something happened to you , your father had placed …” Ene tried to explain , she just couldn’t summon the courage to tell her son what his own father had done to him .
“I wasn’t married to anyone , I don’t know who she was , I had no kids with her .” Ogwuche blurted .
THE NIGHT WIFE CHAPTERS 111-120
“Ogwuche your father put a spell on you to prevent your marriage to Dooshima. You were married I cannot lie to you .” Agada said with sincerity all over his!.
Ogwuche couldn’t say another word , he heaved as he cried, his cousin brothers consoled him , Ogbene walked in to see her brother crying .
“Uncle you left me here! uncle why ? how could you ? would I leave Dooshima to marry some village girl in my right senses ?” Ogwuche cried bitterly mucus membranes flowed freely from his nose into his mouth .
“All this years I’ve been struggling to understand what was wrong with me , I knew a peace of me was missing . It’s good that my father is death , I would have never forgiven him.”
“Ogwuche I never abandoned you , I was in prison , I think God punished us all for letting Dooshima down , for three years I was in prison , when I was out you already had two children , and you know how my brother was ?he attacked me with a machete when I made an attempt to take you away.”
THE NIGHT WIFE CHAPTERS 111-120
Agada said , Ogwuche kept searching through his clothes he found a pair of jeans and a with polo shirt ,with his sneaker , he change his clothing and stormed out of the room , he ignored all the calls by his mother and uncle .
“Let him go .” Agada said to Ene .
“But he may harm himself .” Ene said remembering the last attempt . Ogwuche heard her .
“Mama just pray that Dooshima isn’t married , or you would prepare another grave . i won’t fight anymore , I’ll accept the call of death hanging over my neck .” He said before he climbed an Okada he had stopped .
“God forbid, Ogwuche I cannot bury you, please go and come back to me I am waiting…” The Motorcyclist rode off, the wind stole the words from her mouth .
To be continued..
THE NIGHT WIFE CHAPTERS 111-120
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