Chapter 1: Heavy Load

Married for ten years, my wife never get belle.

For person wey come from my kind family, that kain matter be like stone wey dey press chest. For street, people dey hail me 'Seyi! Seyi!', but for inside, na heavy thing I dey carry—secret wey dey squeeze my spirit like shoe wey tight. People fit dey gossip, but na only me and Morayo sabi the pain every month as period show like landlord wey no dey tire. Still, we no stop to pray, try native medicine, rush every specialist for town. Hope no dey die quick for Naija person. Sometimes I go try joke with her: 'No worry, our own pikin go stubborn, na why e dey wait.'

But the university babe wey I dey see outside, she carry belle on the first try.

No lie, the thing scatter my brain. Just one round, belle land. I shock. My mind twist—joy and guilt dey drag like two goats. Even the chemist wey I buy test from, look me somehow when I ask am to double-check. But who I wan blame? Wetin my heart dey find for years, another person just bring am like breeze.

When my wife hear, she no just refuse to sign divorce, she even dey insist say the girl no fit born my pikin.

Omo, my wife Morayo get spirit wey hard like kpangolo. She carry stubbornness for head. Instead make she cry or beg, she stand gidigba. She talk say I dey fall for scam, say Naija girls sabi this kain set up. I dey look her, dey wonder if na the same gentle Morayo wey I marry ten years ago.

I no get choice, so I show her the pregnancy report from chemist.

I print everything—test result, receipt, even the small card wey chemist write positive. As I dey hand am to her, I dey watch her face. She just collect, look am, shake head, drop am for table like say na used pure water sachet.

Still, she no gree, say na scam, say make I send the girl commot sharp sharp.

Her mouth dey sharp o. 'You think say all these small girls no sabi arrange? She see you get money, she wan tie you down.' I try explain, but she just dey para. She talk say if I get sense, I go send the girl far, make I no bring wahala come house.

After we drag divorce matter tire, I just carry the girl come house.

At that point, I tire to dey beg. I call Tanira, tell her, 'Pack your things, come.' My mind don made up—if Morayo no wan sign divorce, make she see reason with her eye.

I want make my wife understand.

I reason say if Morayo see Tanira with belle, e go clear. Sometimes, to move mountain, you gats show the mountain.

Even if she follow me suffer all these years, to person like me—wey don make am, wey everybody dey hail for Aba—na she suppose pack go.

Na my time to shine be this. For city like Aba, na big thing to get money and still dey strong. So I reason am, for my own dignity, na Morayo suppose waka comot. I believe say, after all the suffer wey I and her see, this na the real test. My mind dey tell me, make I stand as man wey get name for community.