UNFINISHED MISSION
“Mum,” Ifeanyi called in a soared mood.
“Yes son.” responded his mother, Madam
Chika.
“I have often times asked you to tell me
who is my father.”
The 57-year-old Madam Chika was
speechless.
“Is he dead?” the 24-year-old Ifeanyi rode
on. “If he is dead, I want to see his grave.”
His
mother remained calm and sober, couldn’t utter a word.
Madam
Chika Ochi who used to be known and addressed as Lolo Chika Okezie begot the
perturbed Mr. Ifeanyi Okezie many years back when she was still in her
matrimonial home. She got divorced with her husband, Chief Azu Okezie when
Ifeanyi was barely one-year-old, owing to her infidelity; she was actually
caught in the act.
Now,
‘Obi’ had eventually become a man and he anxiously longed to be intimated on
his real lineage; hence, the divorcee needed to start confessing, else,
something tragic might transpire therein. Though she knew someday the truth
would be unveiled to her lovely and only child, she was actually awaiting the
right time. Maybe, that was the right time as it was apparent that Ifeanyi
could not leave that sitting room at Ochi’s compound without a tangible answer.
When he was growing up till that very
moment he was seated with his mother in the parlour, he was meant to believe
that his maternal grandfather Elder J.O. Ochi was his biological dad; but the
intriguing part remained that Ifeanyi’s surname had been ‘Okezie’ right from
his primary school era till then. Hence, all along, he strongly knew there was
something fishy.
“Everywhere I go,” Ifeanyi proceeded. “They
call me a bastard.”
Ifeanyi who just returned from an informal
outing he had with his peers was seated directly adjacent to his mum in the
sitting room at his maternal home where he had grown to see as his paternal
home. Only both of them were in the enclosed space.
Madam
Chika who was deeply touched by her son’s last words was therein engulfed in
ghost pimples. “My son,” she called tenderly, looking into his eyes. “You are
not a bastard.” She informed, paused. “And, your father is not dead.”
“Then, who am I?” the poor chap ranted.
“And, where is my father?”
“Calm down, my son,” Madam Chika enjoined.
“I know I have really hurt you for the continued denial of your father.”
Mr.
Ifeanyi gathered himself, became calm having felt relieved.
“I have been keeping this from you,” she
continued. “Waiting till when you grow up.”
Ifeanyi was quiet and attentive, became
more anxious and curious.
“Your father is Chief Azu Okezie,” she eventually disclosed. “From
Umunga village.”
“Umunga village…?” Ifeanyi wondered.
His mother nodded continuously. “He has
vowed never to see my face again.” She hinted.
‘Umunga’ was about thirty minutes drive from
Ifeanyi’s maternal home. Funnily enough, Chief Okezie who got married to
another woman after he divorced Chika had never bothered to check on his first
son, Ifeanyi at his maternal home because he wasn’t willing to catch the sight
of his ex-wife again, though he never relented remitting the required alimony
for Ifeanyi’s upkeep as was mandated by the customary court that assented to
the divorce proposal; he was making the statutory payment via Chika’s bank
account. This was the sole reason Ifeanyi hardly knew him in spite of the fact
that both parties weren’t separated by a huge distance. However, that didn’t imply
he never cared for the chap; there was no second in his life he didn’t think of
his well-being.
“Why?” Ifeanyi inquired. “Were you legally
married to him?”
Madam
Chika nodded. “We were legally married until we got divorced.”
“He
divorced you…?”
She responded via a nod, looked pitiable.
“Why?”
She abruptly burst into tears, head bent,
felt ashamed.
Of
course, she saw the question coming, thus she was prepared for the sob.
“Mum,
why are you crying?” He said, touched by the storyteller’s sudden change of
mood.
“I
cheated on him….” She finally confessed loudly amid the choking sobs.
“What…?” Ifeanyi exclaimed, shocked.
“It was the work of the devil ooh…” She
claimed, kept sobbing bitterly.
Ifeanyi was really mad at her until at a
point he decided to have a rethink, thus he began to console her having left
his seat for hers.
The following week, Ifeanyi was reunited
with his father. The reunion was preceded by every consequential arrangement.
Though his father, Chief Azu Okezie could boast of five children – two males
and three females begotten by his second cum incumbent wife, he was filled with
overwhelming ecstasy to witness the presence of his first son once again in his
humble and ancient abode. He took time to let the children of the incumbent
wife, Lolo Nma Okezie comprehend that Ifeanyi was their biological brother,
hence ought to see him as their blood; but pathetically, their mother, on her
part, instigated them to isolate Ifeanyi who she described as one who had come
to reap where he never sowed.
Afterwards, Ifeanyi was deeply
discriminated by his step-siblings, particularly his immediate younger
half-brother, Mezie who saw him as his greatest rival. The 22-year-old Mezie
who happened to be the first child of Lolo Nma could describe Ifeanyi best as
an enemy within, thus he left no stone unturned toward unleashing his hatred on
him with the help of his derailed mother. All those tricks and antics were
taking place in their father’s absence.
When their father got the report of the
unfair treatment via the victim (Ifeanyi), he made frantic effort to resolve
the crisis, but all his moves were futile.
The continued maltreatment made Ifeanyi to
bring back his mother to his paternal home having sought his father’s consent,
though she was allowed to return on the condition that she would only live at
the boys’ quarters. The abrupt return of Madam Chika caused more havoc among
the overall children of Chief Okezie, thereby making him to contract
hypertension in the long run.
Two years later, Chief Azu Okezie kicked
the bucket at 66, via cardiac arrest; at this time, Ifeanyi and Mezie were 26
and 24 years old respectively.
At
30, Ifeanyi who was a successful trader got married and wanted to erect his own
house, thus sought for plots of land for the proposed project. As the
legitimate first son of Late Chief Okezie, his kinsmen told him that he could
possess his late father’s compound as the custom demanded. The commendable
gesture from the kinsmen triggered Mezie’s venom alongside that of his mother
and siblings; according to him, he was the only rightful and legitimate first
son of Late Chief Okezie, hence no person should ‘pretend’ as such under any
guise.
Thereafter, Ifeanyi who knew his onions
took the case to court. In the process, Mezie foresaw that the plaintiff would
eventually emerge victorious, thus he was urged by his mother to eliminate him
(Ifeanyi).
Three weeks on, Ifeanyi was brutally
murdered in the early morning of the day by assassins when he was headed for
his shop. Behold, his wife, Adaobi was five-month pregnant when the ugly
incident transpired.
The deceased’s mother, Madam Chika also
gave up the ghost on hearing the news, leaving the poor Adaobi behind. Indeed,
only God knew the story Mrs. Adaobi Okezie would live to tell; the unfinished
mission, if not missions, remained vague to her psyche coupled with that of the
unborn child.
What
occurred thereafter ought to be a story for another day. So, keep a date with
us!
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