Untimely mistakes

Abiribia development union Onitsha branch of 50s and 60s were like circuit caravan of arabs you see in televisions and read about nowadays. 90 percent of them lived from hands to month. They were regarded then as people that are not serious in life. 

Enjoyment only. They move about in group doing magic circuit with bottles and wild animals. Other passions includes: drinking, womanizing , and obtaining. Police is constantly on their heels for one reason or another. most of times, for domestic violence. 

Onyeka was second son of his fathers four children. As all his mates were finding their ways to commercial cities of biafran land after the age of twenty, He stayed back in the village doing hired works for others. To feed himself properly, he could not do. When his elder brother decided to tried again to bring him into his logging business, He refused once more citing dream he had when he was twelve as reason. According to him, in the dream, he saw tree fell on him and crippled him from waist down. Why not find someone who will take me into retail or wholesale businesss. He asked jime. "At your age?". Jimo asked. "of course, why not?" He qureeid. "No one will take you as apprentice at your age, only as a learner for a year, after that, you set yourself up". Jimo told him . his elder brother promised to asked around. Jimo came back in a month time to tell him that luck was on his side, that he should get ready in two days time to join one mazi ofor from abia state to learn the act of costmestic trade and its tricks. They went to Onitsha in two days time and onyeka joined mazi offor in his costmetic business. Six months into learning business, onyeka atimes join abiriba people in their circuits show. As they siphoned his money, he joined them entirely. Mazi offor has to call his brother to tell him that onyeka has left.

That was in1966. Not long after that, the civil war started. everyone went back to their villages. Onyeka returned to the village and continued his former work of hiring himself out to anyone that needed his services. Three years later, war ended. He wanted to return to mazi offors house but the man told him that he is not stable himself business wise. War disorganized everything and everyone he told him. In 1972 his elder brother called his two sisters for family meeting on the way forward for onyeka.

   Thay reached decision that time is not on his side, that he should marry first. No young girl wants to marry him, after nine mouths, her younger sister recommended one woman that has given birth twice in her fathers house. When they sought for the woman hands in marriage, she consented and dowary was paid, and onyeka became a married man, Became responsible, started talking in the gathering of his age mates. Nine months later, his wife gave birth to a baby girl. Add the two girls his wife entered the marriage with, they became family of five. The wife was teaching kindergarten school owned by Catholic Church that controls about five villages in their town. Mazi onyka as he preferred to be addressed now was around twenty years older than the wife, when the second issue arrived two years later, people has started questioning themselves about the paternity of the kids. None looked like mazi onyeka.   

Men friends that visit the woman at her matrimonial house even with Mazi Onyeka being around and "I dont care" attitude of the woman to rumours floating around made people not to asked for; whether marriage, Apprentice from the daughters and sons. No one married from that family in that state.

   Mazi Onyeka has resigned himself to faith. he cannot feed himself now, age has caught up with him, the woman acting as his wife has given birth to five issues in his house whether they are truly his or not does not matter to him. According to him, he came, he saw and he conquered. What is the noise all about, who gave anyone right to question anything in his family? He asked himself.

   As emelie the first son began to get mature, he was the one that started questioning certain movements and things in their family. Asking openly, the place of one well known rain maker in their family. Why is this man always here at wrong hours? he questioned his mother one day. He got no reply from that question, only annoying looks. It was when the comparing because opening more that the two lovers rescheduled their time table.

   Emelie grew up under their influence of the mother his education stopped in year three secondary school due to lack of money. No one came asking for any boy from that family as an apprentice. So emelie became a conductor to one lorry driver, he stayed in that capacity for five years before becoming a driver himself. Just like other lorry drivers, their best companion has always been harlots, hot drinks and ganja. Not minding that many of their colleaques has scumbed to aids and other related diseases. that statistic still dont prevent those alive from toeing the same route. That was the thorns emelie was entangled . woman first he married one woman that was six years his senior, bore one weoman that was six years his senor, bore one girl before the woman died suddenly. His in-laws took the baby. He married another bore five kinds, quarreling with the woman almost every day due to poverty. No money to provide food for the families Many of the woman he is attracted to cannot held down any decent work most, their education ends in primary school. Aside from mama put (Road side food vendor) and harlortry there is no other means of source of income. If their husband dont provide, starvation will set in .

   Because most of these lorry drivers ply their trade mainly at night, they usally stay in the houses of all these halots,most intentionally got pregnant and forced the lorry drivers into marrying them. That was how emelie came to be living in ikom with his family. The owner of the lorry he was driving has money agreement with him and took back his lorry and emelie because jobless, feeding from his reserve. As money finished loves finishes with it as far as these harlots are concern. The wife started playing around with other drivers, and emelie feeling slighted, resorted to beating and the woman got up one day , pack all her properties, took the five kids he bore without saying anything to emelie and left. That was four year ago.

   He married another one, got two issues from her, was quarreling almost each day. Fighting and insulting each other. One day , his wife invited his friend for her birthday. Cooked food, buy drinks and was dancing when emelie entered and reacted by switching off the music and asked the ladies to leave his house now! They did and wife flew into rage and started in sulting emelie. He slapped the wife hard across the face and drew blood. Idiots, no money for food and you are parting away the little we have you are partying it off, Animal. 

you will regret this. The wife said before rushing out of the house.

    Three days later, as he was relaxing in the living room, his wife cripped up to him from behind with pestle, and using all the strength in her, landed it at the back of his head and emelie slumped and died. She call her male and female conspirators and they help her take the body to the mortuary. Send message to appropriate quarters that her husband died of corona virus, No one want to come near . both officers and villagers were distancing themselves For two mouths, it was believed to be true till the burial day. he was laying in state in their house with limited mourners due to federal directives.

     Rev Father was hurrying things up for the body to be buried immediately, when emelies daughter from the dead wife enterd. She went to the coffin to see his father,noticed other abnormalties that made her to start lifting the head and saw that the skull was smarched other people. The priest suspended the requine mass and joined in the investigation.

    Police was invited and the baby taken to the moque, the wife was taken to the station for interrogation.