One
When Chisom and her small family finally reached Ngwoala, the sun was already setting, and they were losing daylight fast. The sky was pale orange, void of any sign of life; no birds were seen flying, and there were no planes at all. Just clouds that drifted lazily about.
But on land, it was a different matter altogether. There were all signs of life. People were going about their businesses; some were already on their way home from work while those on night duty were preparing to hit the road and take over. Hens and their chicks could be seen walking about in their search for food; nowhere was safe from them. As long as there was an opening, they were sure to enter it.
In the weak light of dusk, no one really noticed the small sedan that was cruising through the streets of the village, taking care to drive slowly because of the bumps and potholes in the horribly bad road. No one really cared; the people of Ngwoala saw cars like that regularly.
Inside the car, there were five people. Two men, a woman, and two children. The woman was the mother of the children, and her husband was the man in the passenger seat; the driver was a total stranger to all of them. He was only a cab driver.
Chisomaga Igwe, the mother of the children, was not feeling happy at all. As she looked out the window, all she could see was the rural picture she had always imagined villages to be.
Chisom, as she was fondly called, had grown up in the big city of Lagos. She had even gone to the University of Lagos for her higher institution, and after her marriage, she had lived there with her husband and kids. Until the asshole had ruined everything.
Still reeling from the shock of it all, she was yet to fully forgive his betrayal, and every other thing that had happened since his infidelity had only served to make matters worse.
As they drove on slowly, listening to songs on the stereo, none of them said a word. Not even the children who were already tired from the long journey. The trip from Lagos had taken the entire day, and all everyone wanted to do now was rest. It was at the motor park that they had ordered the Uber.
ChukwuKelechi Igwe, the husband and asshole, turned in his seat to look at his family. He could see the children were already asleep. Kamsi, the last born, had her head on her mother’s lap while Junior was relaxed into the seat, snoring and moving whichever way the car’s motion tossed him. When his eyes met Chisom’s, she looked away. It was with great effort that she stopped herself from hissing.
They drove past high-rise buildings, beautiful duplexes, and boring random flats. They just looked like four walls put together with bad glue to hold them in place. They did not look like they would survive even a strong breeze.
Is this what my life has turned into? Chisom could not help but wonder. But she had no choice; due to Kelechi’s mistake, they had fallen from grace and had to return to the grassroots.
His village. The land of Ngwoala.
Back in Lagos, they had it all. Kelechi had been one of the top executives in a multimillion-naira company in Lagos; they had been assigned a house, a car, and even a maid, but they had opted to turn it down. Life had been really good to them until he began to have an affair. With no other person but his boss.
Angela.
Chisom would never forget the name of the woman that had almost ruined her family. The affair with Angela had gone on for months; Kelechi had felt like he was on top of the world and nothing could go wrong. Until his boss and lover began to make demands.
First, it was forced vacations, more chances for them to be together. Then she tried to make him divorce his wife; that was when he had woken up from his dreamland. And realized he had to end it. He had thought she was just like him and would not want the affair to go public. He was very wrong.
The very day he broke things off with her, she fired him there and then. And all the privileges that had come with the job were forcefully taken from them. The house and cars became a memory, and just like that, they were thrown out into the street.
But he had money, so he got another apartment and then tried to get a new job. It turned out that Angela had blacklisted him in the industry. She had promised to destroy him, and she had made good on her word. There was literally no firm or company that would hire him.
They had hung on while his funds dwindled until he realized Lagos was no longer for them. That was when he decided to move his family to the village. At least there they would not have to pay rent.
Chisom snapped herself back into the present as the car finally turned into an open compound that was bordered by trees. There was no fence, just trees that grew side by side until they formed a perimeter. As they drove deeper, they realized that the compound was really vast and there were a lot of buildings there. Kelechi directed the driver towards the farthest building in the compound.
“This is the Igwe Compound,” Kelechi said to all of them. “This has always been our home, and from now on it will continue to be.”
Chisom looked through the window; it was the first time she had come here. When she had gotten married to him, her people were the ones to come here, not her.
The car came to a halt before a bungalow; it was whitewashed and had a look of abandonment. Probably because for the past six years, since Kelechi’s father had passed, no one had been taking care of it. But all that was about to change.
The doors to the sedan opened, and they stepped out just as the driver killed the engine. Chisom took in a deep breath; the air smelled fresh and clean. Not like the one she was used to in Lagos. She stood before the house with her arms around her two children while Kelechi and the driver took their luggage from the boot of the car.
Chisom was a chocolate-skinned woman, and she had an hourglass figure. She had been athletic during her youth, and that still showed. She had a bosom that stood high and firm of its own accord, and seeing as she loved clothes that showed off her curves, it was always obvious to everyone. She was beautiful, that was without a doubt. She had brown eyes that seemed to pierce through whoever she was gazing at, and her lips were not just soft; they also looked soft. Making whoever was staring at them just want to kiss them. She always made heads turn; she had known that from a young age, and she had also chosen Kelechi, ignoring dozens of other suitors. He had been the only one she had loved. Then and now.
“Mummy, is this our new house?” Kamsi asked her; the sleep that had been plaguing her in the car was gone. She was clutching her favorite teddy bear close to her chest as she looked at the building.
“Yes baby,” Chisom replied, trying to keep the sadness out of her voice. “This is our new home, and we all be happy here together.”
Junior was looking at the house skeptically; he did not believe his mother at all. “This house is not fine, joor. I want us to go back to our former house.”
He was only eight years old, and he already had a big mouth. She could only hope she could manage to tame it before it got worse.
“No, Junior. This is where we will be from now on; we are not going back to Lagos. At least not yet.”
“What about my friends? I told them I will come back.”
“You will go back when you are big enough; until now, you are stuck here in this godforsa―” she stopped herself just in time. Took in a deep breath and continued, “We are stuck in this beautiful place. You will like this place, I promise.”
Junior shrugged, “I want to go inside.” He said and ran off.
“Me too,” Kamsi said, as always, doing everything her brother did.
“Just hold on, let me open the doors.” Chisom ran after them, pulling out the bunch of keys from her handbag. She caught up with them and unlocked the door. “Everywhere would be dusty, so be careful not to stain your clothes o.” But they had already run inside.
She let out an exasperated breath and was about to step in as well when Kelechi pulled her from behind.
“Hey, Som.” That was his pet name for her, and his voice was low. “How are you? You are not looking too good.”
“I’m fine.” She replied flatly, then tried to go in again, but he stopped her.
“I’m trying my best here, Som. I’m doing everything I can to make up for my mistake. I do not like the way you are looking, babe.”
“I’m sure you liked the way Angela looked; that’s why you slithered into her bed like a fucking snake.”
“Seriously?” He dropped his hands from her in exasperation. “This again? It’s been so long, babe; we have to let it go. I’ve told you, Angela belongs in our past; we do not have to keep bringing her up.”
“You think it’s that easy? She is the reason we are in this stupid village of yours in the first place! She is the reason I had to pull my kids from the urban life they are used to and plant them in this rural fuckup. Sorry, you are both the reasons. So forgive me if I’m not happy at the moment and it’s inconvenient for you; it sure doesn’t hurt as much as being cheated on.”
She shoved past him and stormed inside, feeling her blood boil. She thought she had forgiven him and gone past it, but seeing all this and their new status in life had brought all the pain and bitterness back. This life would always be a reminder of how his infidelity had turned their lives upside down.
Just as she assumed, the living room was covered in dust. There were thick cobwebs layered over the ceilings, and across the walls, the floor that was tiled had a thick layer of dust over it. The dirt was everywhere, on the curtains, the couches, the dining table and chairs, anything at all that had a surface.
She took off her jacket and gave it to Junior to hold for her, then she hurriedly cleaned two of the dining chairs so Junior and Kamsi could sit.
“Junior, watch your sister while I make this place habitable.”
“But I want to eat.” He protested.
“Me too.” Kamsi agreed.
“When I’m done, I’ll prepare something for you.” Part of the things they had brought from Lagos was food.
Just then, Kelechi came into the house carrying the boxes, which he left at the door of the living room. He looked at her, and she looked away.
“Let me help; I just need to pump some water into the tank so we can have what we would use to wash.” He suggested, “Meanwhile, I can help with taking out the cobwebs.”
“No. Pump the water first; that is more important.”
“Okay, then I will come to join you?”
“No.” She said again, “This is not the only place that needs to be cleaned; you can take one of the rooms.”
“Okay,” he nodded with a glum look. “I guess so. I’ll go and check if I can start up the generator.”
She nodded and returned to what she was doing.
“Daddy, I want to follow you,” Junior screamed and jumped from the chair, running to meet his father.
“Me too!” And Kamsi did the same, hurling her teddy bear along.
Alone in the living room, Chisom let out a sigh and slowly massaged her temple. She had no idea why she was acting so coldly to Kelechi. The affair was over a year ago, and she had promised him she was over it. What then was making her angry about it all over again?
She knew what she was doing was hurting him, and the fact that she was the one causing it was hurting her as well. She had to stop it and embrace this new life. Yes, she had loved her previous life, but she loved her husband even more. Even after all he had lost. She had to find a way to accept everything because that might be the only way she could save her marriage.
Angela had tried and failed. Any other issues might be solely her doing.
With a sigh of frustration, she made her way to the kitchen. It was too dark due to how dusk had fallen already. So she pulled out her smartphone and activated the flashlight; with it, she found a cleaning brush with a long handle. She took it and returned to the living room.
While waiting for the water to pump, she began to clear out the cobwebs, swiping left and right, clearing out the eyesore.
Behind her, sliding across the open window frame, a thin viper slithered eerily into view. It studied the woman for a few seconds, then turned and continued on its journey.
Chisom had no idea.
