Hibernation Years

He came with his parents that rainy evening to the village to see Mazi Obi. They wanted their son out of that village to big city to learn his way in the world like others of his age group. Mazi didn’t know them but they knew him. “good evening sir” Kenneth their son greeted him. After the pleasantries and offering of soft drinks as kolas, a requirement by culture seems not to be evolving into modern shit as other elements of culture have done.

   “So chief, you said you came from the neighboring village under this rain?- what brought you to my house this late?”

“I am the same age mate as your father. We grew up together, went to farm, and learned to cut those long trees together the ones white men sent to their country when they were here. But as you can see, my sons are all wasting in this village and have even started to follow all those Ashawo girls passing as ladies in this village. When I heard you are Mazi Okoo’s son, I was overjoyed. Even though your father is no longer around, and am sure you don’t know of my relationship with him, I want you to do me a favor and take this boy back to the city and train him on your business line for me”

“ Ha! Chief, I have never seen your face around here, even in some black and white pictures my father took with some people but some of the things you mentioned resonated with his history, and at that, some old grannies knew you I overheard them greeting you. I believe your story but the problem is that I don’t need an apprentice, the ones I have are many in my estimation and I have promised myself not to bite more than I can chew in business. It is dangerous to the sound running of business and progress. Chief, I am sorry, I can’t help you. But you know what? I will for your sake, ask around of my friends to know if any need an apprentice then I will let you know”

The man was eyeing him and seemed to be looking through him and focused beyond him. He only came around when his wife cleared her throat noisily to bring him back to reality.  

“ Yea! You see I just can't go back with this boy, that is the reason I asked him to come along with the few clothes he has. I know that had your father still around, I will not even come to you but to him. Do you see how close we were then?- I am surprised to hear that you have not seen this face before. I was the one running around in the burial clip when your dad died, but you were young. I have watched those clips thrice. You mean you don’t see me in it. Many people that day anyway, that must have been the reason. I don’t know anything about the ways of the city and how to make money in it but I can tell a rich man from those pretending to be one. Mazi Obi, you are a rich man. The food this my boy will eat for six months or a year would not cripple you. Therefore, I appeal to you to take him with you back to the city and bring him back to me in six months if you don’t see any of your friends that need a boy in that supermarket line of yours. I refused to go back with him. I know that you will be leaving early tomorrow morning, I might not make it if I were to come back with him in the morning. Please, I ask you to bring him back to me in six months”

   Mazi Obi was smirking while eyeing Mazi Okoo. The man can certainly talk. These old men you can’t talk them out of your way. The man wants him to break his norms. ‘Never for any reason outside necessity for the business agree to what you don’t need.

“Mazi, but I told you I don’t need any house boy or shop apprentice, what I have now is even excess. I told you also that I will ask around to see if there is anywhere I will fix him”

“for sure, you said all those things and you equally said you would ask your friends which to me is a welcomed news. Big men go around with their fellow big men. Head or tail, my boy is the one gaining for certain he is assured of quality mentoring and settlement after service. You have heard of the new trend going on these days with the apprentices and their masters. After years of suffering for the boss, he will start a new negative story that doesn’t exist and send the boy home empty-handed. I have not heard of such a story in your camp, more reason I want him with you”

“Chief, you have not heard that part of my story well. Whoever talked to you censored certain things before relaying them. This past month, I sent two back where they came from, and since they left, the branch they had been managing that was in a coma has been resuscitated and more two boys are on my watch list now. If they don’t sit up very fast, I will kick them out like those before them. You people in the rural areas only see when the apprentice returns to the village. I know of three Masters who were performing well then their boys conspired and liquidated and two returned to the village empty walking the land they do not know of. To think that their boys were in the city doing well is to mince words. It is too annoying. So even if your boy is going anywhere with me, he has to sign a contract at the police station for me and fingerprint it”

“ Do I have to sign too? I can attest to his good behavior, only he has started eyeing girls which is not all that okay with me. I believe that as a man, you will eventually swim in girls, so why rush?- besides those village girls, he has no other known problem”

“ Girls are the number one problem of the apprentices. So, you boy by those shortcomings is not qualified to serve anyone. But let me take it that you are passing this message to me in confidence. But you still need to take your boy home and talk to him seriously on that issue. It’s even good news you noticed it, you better start talking to him about that”

Mazi Obi was eyeing him and that far-away look he had seen before was there again. Seems that he has eyes that penetrate things on their way to somewhere. Is there any lesson he is missing from that penetration? The man seems to be honest and he has nowhere to fix that boy and what he is trapped to do against his better judgment yet, he can not disappoint the boy he has been eyeing since they started this talk and seems to be a respectful one. But that is their way. They will come meekly and after a year, turn into tigers challenging not only the head boy in the branch they are in but even their masters.

One who did not finish primary three in the village was paying school fees for a boy in secondary school and sponsoring his elder sister in the university with the hope of marriage afterward. All the money coming from Mazi Obi’s shop. 

In the name of his late dad and whatever friendship he might have had with this old man sitting in front of him with his wife who seems to be communicating with her eyes only, he decides to take the boy with him to the city tomorrow morning.

“ Emm, Mazi, I hope you know that the written and unwritten duration of the apprenticeship is seven years and not less. So, even if I find who your boy will stay with, just know it is seven years before he will be settled. You understand?”

“ Ha!, every Biafran man knows that and the boy himself knows that too. That won't be a problem. During our time it was seven too”

“Always good to refresh memories to avoid unnecessary quarrels in the future”

Thirty minutes later, the man and his wife were halfway back to their village without their son.