Chapter 1: Bride Price and Betrayal

My mother, just for the sake of bride price, injected my sister with blood from someone wey get AIDS.

For our side, this kain wickedness no be small matter. Even when wahala dey, people dey fear God reach to no cross this kain line, but my mama heart strong like stone. All for money, she fit do anything, as if money dey sweeter than pikin life.

But my sister blood type no match, so her body begin fight the blood. She cry and wail for house for three days. Before she die, she scratch wall so tay bloody handprints full everywhere. Even with all that, my mother still no gree carry her go chemist or health centre, so my sister kpai for house.

E pain me reach bone. You go hear her voice for night, weak but still dey beg, "Mama abeg, carry me go hospital." But mama just lock her room, pretend say she no dey hear. For this village, pikin dey hope on mama for small mercy, but my sister eye see shege.

When my mother realise say my sister don die, she just vex. She climb on top her corpse, slap her face, spit on her, and curse, “You this useless girl! Even if you die, I must collect my money back!”

As I look my sister body, cold fear just dey run my whole body.

Her hands full of wounds, all torn from scraping the wall. For days, she scratch till her hands dey bleed, dey call our mama over and over.

I remember as her nails peel, blood and flesh dey stick for wall. Our neighbours go just shake head, but nobody wan put mouth for another person matter, especially when dem sabi say na rich man dey involved. Na so fear dey hold everybody for throat.

The richest man pikin for our village, because him papa get money, just dey do anyhow. Last last, he catch AIDS. Nobody gree marry am.

The matter turn to village talk. People dey gossip for compound front, dey talk say "No be everything money fit buy." Even pastor for church use am preach one Sunday.

To make sure their family name no go end, the man family put big bride price on his head. But nobody for our side wan use their daughter do that kain thing—except my mother.

She no even talk to my sister about am. She collect blood from the groom, wait till my sister dey sleep, tie her up, and because she fear say my sister no go catch AIDS, she inject the whole blood inside her. The blood no match, so my sister body just scatter.

My mother spirit dey one kind. She dey fear shame pass death. She think say if her daughter marry rich man—even with AIDS—her own shame go disappear. People for this side dey respect who fit marry up, even if wahala dey inside the package.

All my mother want na for my sister to fall sick, so she go get no choice than to marry that man.

She dey reason am like business. To her, sickness go tie my sister down, make her humble. But she no calculate say life dey different from market.

If she carry my sister go health centre quick, maybe she for survive. But my mother, scared say my sister go report her to police, just lock up.

For here, if wahala big, people dey rush go chief palace, but my mama know say if her own leak, shame go kill am before police fit reach.

Not long after, my mother begin shine face again. She tell me, as if she get one big secret, say she don find way to make money: even though my sister don die, she get three ways to cash out.

Greed dey do her like ogogoro. She dey even form confidence, dey waka with chest up, as if she don crack secret for money making.

First, she go do big wake-keeping and collect condolence money from family and neighbours.

Second, she go arrange spirit marriage—wetin we dey call 'ghost wedding' for this side—so she fit collect bride price from the groom people.

For our culture, this kain ghost marriage na taboo. But my mama no send tradition—na only her pocket she dey reason.

Third, she go do ghost marriage party, collect chop money from people all over again.

She dey proud, dey talk say she be business genius.

She quickly hire people to arrange everything, tell me to clean every bloody handprint from the wall, so people no go fear and refuse to bring condolence money.

As I dey wipe the blood for wall, I just dey remember how my sister suffer before she die. My heart dey pain me.

As I dey scrub, every red stain dey remind me say hope fit dry like yam. I dey pray small prayer inside my mind, beg God to forgive us. "Chineke, protect us," I mutter under my breath, hands shaking. My own hand dey tremble, the rag dey heavy for my palm.

Mother dey call herself business genius, but na this kind mindset spoil our family.

Before all this wahala, our family dey manage well. My papa work hard all his life, save up plenty money.

Papa na true hustler. Na him dey wake before cock crow, dey farm till sun high, come back with sweat and small smile. All him dream na make we better pass am.

But my mother fall for scam, transfer all the money to one fraudster, then dem tell her say the money don freeze.

For our area, everybody dey fear Yahoo boys, but my mama sharp mouth no fit save her. She come dey blame village people say na dem dey do her, no be her own greed.

To get the money back, she lie to family and friends, borrow even more, and still send am to the scammer. We come dey shout, run go chief’s court.

The whole compound gather, dey try calm her, but my mama eye dey red. She dey do like person wey jazz touch, dey send money back to back, no dey hear advice.

When she see police, she lock herself inside, while all of us and the elders dey try break the door, beg her not to send the money.

Na my sister risk herself, break window, jump inside. She wound everywhere, blood full her body, but before my mother fit transfer the money, she grab the phone and run.

I still see am for my mind, her clothes tear, leg and arm full scratch. Na small girl, but she get lion heart that day.

That time, my sister think say she don save the family.

I still remember her, body full of blood from glass, holding me and crying, saying even though the savings don finish, at least we no dey owe. She say she go work hard to help mama recover the loss.

Her voice dey low, but hope still dey her eye. She hold me tight, dey promise better days, even as blood dey drip for her leg.

But life show say na only my sister get hope for nothing.

From that day, my mother just begin hate my sister.

She no believe say she don fall mugu. She dey think say she be business genius wey village dey waste. She blame my sister for spoiling her only chance to recover the money.

Especially after my papa, vexed by the loss, die from heartbreak.

For village, that kain money fit kill old man wey hustle am all his life.

For night, I go hear mama dey curse, say "Na this girl kill my husband, spoil my name." The whole compound dey quiet, but her words dey ring for wall.

So my mother hate my sister even more, say na she kill her papa.