Chapter 1: Midnight Calls and Bride Price Tension

Mosquitoes dey hum for my ear, rain dey slap zinc for window, and generator hum dey faint for distance. Ogi smell dey come from neighbour kitchen as I dey try sleep. Just as I dey drift, my father-in-law, Baba Musa, dey call my phone anyhow. I never even wake finish when wahala land.

As I pick the call, my heart dey do gbim gbim. My hand dey shake as I hold phone, sweat dey my palm even though breeze dey blow from window. For Naija, if dem call you for midnight, no be better news. Baba Musa voice sef dey tremble small, like person wey wan cry but dey try hold am back.

I turn to Morayo, my wife, talk say, "Mummy don get accident. We no get money for house. Abeg, make we use your bride price as advance."

The words choke me as I dey talk am. As man, you gats do wetin you fit when matter hard like this. Bride price still dey inside envelope for wardrobe, untouched, because we never use am do celebration finish. Rain dey fall steady outside, I fit hear the tap-tap for zinc, fan dey spin slow for ceiling.

As Morayo hear am, she jump from bed, wrapper almost fall, eye red. "God forbid! If na your own mama get wahala, why you wan use my bride price? No be your people you suppose run to?" Her voice loud, vex full her face, she cross leg, pull wrapper tighter.

E pain me reach bone, like pepper enter my eye. Even her accent sharp, like person wey dey do debate for school.

I dey wonder if na the same woman I marry, or na spirit don enter her. How she go reason like that?

I say, "Person life dey on the line, you still dey talk about bride price?"

I drop voice, try beg her with eye, but Morayo no send. Even as I dey talk, I dey remember wetin pastor talk for wedding: 'Two go become one.' Na here one dey?

She hiss, bone face. "Then write IOU for me. Any kobo wey you use, you must pay me back."

The way she hiss, e loud pass generator wey no get silencer. She just bone, no even look my side. I feel am for chest.

I just weak.

The weakness hold my body. I siddon for edge of bed, hand dey shake, leg dey bounce. Na so e be? Money pass person life?

Na my family first give the bride price, now to use am save her own mama, I go still pay her back?

I remember the rice wey my people carry come, the yam, crates of malt, all the dance, all the promise. Now na calculation.

But Morayo no gree. She no even send say time dey go. She run enter study, carry paper and pen, talk say, "Write am. Just write say you borrow my money today for treatment, promise say you go return am."

She tear one old exercise book, hand dey shake as she dey write, biro no even gree work well. She dey shout, the sound echo for small parlour. Even neighbours for corridor fit hear as e be. She dey show gra gra, but me, I just dey beg inside me.

I dey confuse, still dey talk, "Na our mama o. We be family. Abeg, no dey do like this..."

Sweat dey my palm, as if NEPA just off fan. I dey wait make she calm down, but she no send. For Yoruba land, family dey important; this one pass me.

Morayo cut in, body dey shake. "Na you dey cause wahala! The bride price na my security. Your family give me am for my future. Now problem come, na my own security money you wan use? If you really care, go borrow money elsewhere. No use my bride price anyhow."

Her hand dey tremble as she dey talk, she grip pen so hard, knuckle white. The way she dey defend bride price, e shock me. Na so some people dey see tradition?

I no understand her at all. I talk again, "Na your mama o. How you go dey do like say you no get heart?"

My voice low, I dey plead, my chest dey pain me. Rain still dey fall, thunder rumble for distance.

Her face change, tears just dey drop.

The tears surprise me, her face strong before, now water dey roll down cheek. She wipe am quick, no wan make I see say she dey cry.

She cry, "So now you wan use emotional blackmail? From beginning you dey find way to make me feel guilty—putting my bride price and person life for scale, wan make I choose. You get plenty people wey fit borrow you money, or just write IOU for me."

Voice dey shake, I fit feel the pain for her tone. She dey try talk say I dey use her emotion catch am for corner, as if na play we dey play.

Anger dey rush me. "Why I go write IOU?"

My own patience don finish. I stand, voice go up, hand dey shake. For Lagos, dem dey say if you calm too much, people go ride you. Me sef no fit calm again.

Morayo fire back, "Then make your papa write am! Him be grown man—why my own bride price go save him wife?"

She drop pen for table, eye red. Na true she talk? For Yoruba house, na family dey solve family wahala together. This one pass me.

I try hold myself. "Okay, write the IOU first. When we reach hospital, I go make Daddy Musa sign am."

I try reason am, give solution. My head dey hot, but at least I dey try balance everybody. I for no gree, but time dey go.

Na that time she gree. She carefully write IOU. Na that time, Baba Musa call again.

Her hand still dey shake as she dey write, but she wan finish sharp sharp. I dey tap foot, dey look time for wall clock. Baba Musa call dey enter back to back, my phone dey vibrate for table like say e dey para.

I know say him dey rush us.

E no be say e wan shout, but matter don reach urgent point. For Naija, hospital no dey wait for anybody, especially for government side.

I pick up. Baba Musa voice dey shake. "Where the money? Transfer like fifty thousand naira now now!"

I hear ambulance horn faintly for background, my body chill. Baba Musa voice low, e dey beg, but e no wan show.

I tell Morayo, "Time no dey. Abeg transfer the money first. I remember say you get some savings."

My own voice dey low, I dey beg like pikin. I dey try soft-pedal, before matter scatter finish.

Morayo vex, "No way! Sign the IOU first before I transfer. If una no pay me back nko?"

She cross arm, eye sharp like new blade. She no dey joke. Even as time dey go, she stand ground. Na so some people dey reason money.

Baba Musa hear am for phone, shock catch am.

E never hear Morayo talk like this before. Na so e pause, I fit imagine say e dey look phone like say e wan throw am.

He ask, "Na my daughter dey talk so? Pay back? Wetin she dey talk?"

Baba Musa voice dey crack. E for no believe say e pikin fit talk like that, especially for her own mama matter.

I talk true, "Daddy, no vex. She dey write IOU. She dey fear say una no go pay am back."

I try explain, voice soft, make e no vex. I dey hope say e go understand say na pressure dey cause all this wahala.

Baba Musa no believe. "Time dey go, you still dey write IOU?"

E dey rush, e voice dey rise. I fit picture am dey sweat for hospital corridor, cap almost fall.

I say, "Yes o, you must sign am before she go transfer the money."

I dey insist, make Morayo no feel say I dey side her people. My own body dey hot.

Just like that, Baba Musa voice change, e start dey shake, e high.

He shout, "This pikin no get conscience!"

E shout reach, Morayo hear am.

The anger for phone fit wake dead man. Even me sef shock, I look Morayo, her hand stiff. Na so e be when matter don pass level.

She stop writing, rush come collect phone from me, shout, "Who you dey call animal? Old man wey no fit pay him wife hospital bill, na me you dey abuse? I no dey borrow anything!"

Her voice loud, e crack. She dey sweat. She throw phone for ground, no even send if e break. Her eye red, like person wey chop pepper.

Neighbours for corridor fit hear the gbam as phone land for tile. Phone bounce for tile, land for corner. I jump, heart cut. E pain me, but I know say this one pass phone wahala.

I rush pick am, screen don break, e no gree on.

My finger dey shake as I pick am, try on am, but the screen just black. No network, no call, wahala don double.

Morayo dey shake, vex dey worry am. "That old man get mind abuse me, him voice dey sound like woman wey lose voice."

She dey pace up and down parlour, hand dey wave. She squeeze face like pesin wey drink alomo without mixer.

Her own phone ring that time.

Ringtone loud, play latest afrobeat song. She hiss, eye narrow, check screen.

The caller na Dad—same as I save her papa number.

She pick am, hiss, "Still wan call abuse me, abi?"

She cut the call, look me for face, cold. "Na him abuse me first. I no dey borrow anything. Go meet your people borrow money. My bride price no concern you."

Her face hard like Ogun shrine. The anger for her body dey vibrate reach the curtain.

I break down. "How you go just dey look? Person pikin dey hospital, you no go help—na crime o!"

Voice shake, I no fit hold back. My leg dey weak. Rain outside don stop, but my inside cold.

She hiss, "No use law threaten me. We just do wedding party, we never register marriage. Law no concern me. If you disturb me, I go break up, and I no go return bride price."

She just look me, voice cold like early morning harmattan. Na threat wey dey cut pass blade.

I shock. "You dey craze? I don talk am tire, na your mama dey hospital!"

I raise hand, almost slap wall. Na so anger dey blind person for Naija, but I try hold myself. I no fit believe wetin I dey hear.

She shock small, then hiss, "So you dey curse my mama now, just to make me pay? If na my mama or papa dey hospital, you think say my papa go call me animal?"

She eye me, voice low, but the pain dey there. Tears dey gather for her eye again.

I no fit hear her again. As I know the ATM card pin, I grab the card rush go door.

I no get plan again. I just dey act on impulse. My chest dey rise, head dey spin. Na so man dey move when wahala don full head.

But Morayo panic. She grab the card, dey drag am with me. I no gree let go, she just bend down, bite my arm well well.

Her teeth sink inside my arm, I feel am reach bone, blood dey drip for floor. The pain too much, I leave am.

My leg dey shake, I fall for wall. The pain pass slap. I just dey look my arm, blood dey come out. Na family wahala don reach biting?

She bite so tey blood comot. I dey hold my arm, she just hug the card, hide for one corner, her face full of hate.

She squat for corner, card for chest, face hard like Ogun shrine. Her breathing heavy, as if she run marathon.

She see say I dey vex, she grit her teeth talk, "So now you wan collect bride price by force. Na your own mama, na why you dey craze like this. If na my mama, you go fight like this?"

Her eye dey fire, hand dey shake. This one pass normal quarrel, e dey pain her deep.

I say, "If you no believe, call your papa and mama ask them."

Voice soft, I dey try still find peace. I know say if her parents talk, e go change matter.

She hiss, "You think say I be mumu? If I call them, them go support you, come dey guilt-trip me. You no go tell them anything."

She dey reason sharp, no gree for anybody. For her mind, na battle line don draw.

As she dey talk, she just carry scissors, point am at the ATM card.

Scissors long, shine for bulb light. She raise hand, no blink. My heart dey beat fast. For Lagos, if woman raise scissors for night, e fit mean wahala.

I shout, "No do am!"

I jump small, hand up. This na last hope. Once she cut that card, wahala don complete.

Morayo glare at me. I talk, "That card na the one wey we open for bride price, I never link am to phone banking. If you cut am, we no fit use the money tonight."

My hand dey up, I dey beg. Voice dey tremble, sweat dey my forehead. Na so life dey turn person beggar for Naija.

She talk coldly, "Maybe I suppose cut am. When that old man call me animal, e suppose know say I no dey gree make anybody ride me."

Her words cold, her face hard. She squeeze scissors, grip no dey shake.

I weak. "Na your papa be that."

I dey whisper, try put sense for her head. For Yoruba house, papa na papa, no matter the quarrel.

She just craze, shout, "Na lie! No be my papa. Na useless old man. E no fit pay him wife bill, na my bride price e dey find. You sef dey join am."

She stamp foot, voice shake, but e loud. She dey sweat, hair scatter. Her voice dey crack from shout.

She no even look face, just cut the ATM card into two.

The sound of scissors on plastic loud for room. I just freeze, hope don finish. My own wahala don complete.

I just sit for sofa, hope don finish.