Chapter 2: Sisi—The Heart of the Family

After chop belleful, me and my cousin dey run around the compound, our laughter just dey fly for evening breeze.

The smell of ogiri from mama pot still dey for air, as our feet dey scatter sand everywhere. Even goat wey dey under cashew tree look us like say we dey craze. Sunset dey spread gold for sky, make everywhere soft. My cousin, Uchechi, always quick pass me, but today I pursue am, we dey laugh so till our voice dey echo.

"Sisi, come here, wipe your sweat. See as your face dirty like small cat!" My mama smile as she waka come, carry me for hand, dey clean my face.

She use her Ankara wrapper clean my cheek, her eyes dey shine, love just dey pour from am like palm oil. "If dem see you now, dem go say I no dey bath you," she joke, her palm gentle for my skin. I smell the shea butter wey she rub, feel her hand soft for my jaw. My small heart just dey sweet me, I fit stay for her hand till night.

Na that time, our neighbour, Aunty Kemi, waka pass, dey shine teeth. "Sisi na correct pikin, see as she fine, ehn."

Her gele high reach like senior wife for August meeting. She dey carry tray of oranges, her leg dey waka slow make everybody notice am. She bend small, look me eye to eye, dey inspect as if she dey judge local beauty contest. "Sisi go reach Queen, just dey look am," she add, her laugh loud like market woman.

But as she come near, her voice change small. "But Ngozi, you know say woman suppose born boy to get rest of mind. You and Sisi papa suppose try born another one—give Sisi small brother, e go make sense, abi?"

She lower her voice, check left and right, as if secret dey her mouth. Her face serious, like say she dey give wisdom wey dem use for olden days. The air even stand still for that moment.

As Aunty Kemi talk that one, my mama smile reduce. She just tickle me small, reply her sharp but calm, "We dey okay with only Sisi, Aunty. No worry yourself about us." Mama eye flash, but she just hold her smile, no wan make scene for compound.

Her voice get small edge—she no wan fight but she stand her ground. She tickle my belly, I giggle, but I see say her eyes don dull. My mama sabi how to use sweet mouth dodge wahala, but her heart no sweet as before. For my mind, I just happy say I get mama wey no let people put hand for our matter.

As I dey laugh because of my mama tickle, Aunty Kemi just shake head waka go.

She hiss small, pick her wrapper well, bounce go meet another neighbour, begin talk low voice. I watch am waka, see as her back dey round like old calabash. For her mind, she think say she wise pass my mama. I dey sure say she go gist this same talk reach her house.

Grandma come out from house, dey dust her wrapper. "No mind that Kemi woman. Na rubbish she dey talk. Sisi wey dey our family na blessing already."

Grandma face strong, her eyes sharp as cat, but her voice soft for me. She shake her head, clap sand from her wrapper, then bend down pick me, set me for her lap. She look my mama, her eyebrow high, like say she dey vex for Aunty Kemi inside her heart. "People go talk, but na God dey bless," she add.

Mama smile too. "Mama, me and my husband wan go city tomorrow go find house. We don manage save something these past two years. For Sisi school matter, make we move go city quick quick."

She rub my head, her voice get hope inside. She dey dream big for my sake. My papa enter from backyard with garri for hand, he nod as he hear. "We must do am for Sisi sake," he talk, sit down for doorstep. Everybody look me as if na me be the project manager for family.

Grandma rub my head gently. "As una don decide, e good. I sef keep small money—if una need am, just talk."

She stretch hand enter bosom, touch small purse wey she dey hide for wrapper. Her face show pride, but I know say she dey worry too. For her mind, she dey calculate every kobo, but her heart dey open like village sky after rain.

But my papa and mama no go ever collect grandma money. After all, my uncle still dey, and dem wan make everything balance.

Papa smile, wave hand, "Mama, keep your money. We go manage. If wahala come, we go shout." Everybody laugh, even me clap hand. The bond for family strong like correct moi-moi. My uncle voice from backyard, "No let grandma stress. Na my turn next year!" Everybody just dey play, house warm like new yam porridge.

For village, e no too new say dem dey prefer boy pass girl; my grandma sef dey like that before.

Many women for compound dey count male children like medal. If you no get boy, people dey look you as if na you offend God. Grandma wey dey form now, na she first complain when my mama born me.

When I born and she hear say na girl, her body no sweet her at all.

Dem say she no gree cook that evening, just dey mutter for herself, "Wetin we go do with another girl?" But papa no send, he just carry me up, dance round the compound. Grandma face dey squeeze, but she still look me with corner eye.

But I too dey smile. Even as dem wrap me, I go dey grin like puff-puff, my papa, mama and grandma go just dey laugh, dey carry me up and down, no wan drop me.

Na so dem begin soft. Grandma say, "This pikin like sunshine." Even villagers come greet, "Sisi na happy baby o!" My smile dey enter everybody body, my hand dey grab ear, my eye dey shine like morning dew.

And I sabi talk, sabi beg. Na so everybody for house begin like me.

If I want akara, I go call everybody name one by one, beg with small mouth. I fit mimic how grandma dey shout, all the aunties go laugh sotay dem go dash me biscuit. Even the stubborn fowl for backyard no dey fear me again.

But wetin really make my position strong for family na another thing.

Even my uncle begin tell people, "This Sisi na our guardian angel." Nobody fit use eye look me less again. My matter reach church prayer point.

When I reach one year, my papa and mama travel, na grandma dey look after me.

E no easy for her, but she talk say she fit. I still dey crawl, dey chew everything I see. Grandma no get rest, but she no complain. She dey cook, dey look my head every five minutes.

After she give me food, grandma go backyard go do work, leave me dey play for bed.

She think say I go sleep quick—na so I begin play with wrapper, dey drag pillow. Sun dey shine through window, house quiet, only bird voice dey sing for compound. Grandma dey weed garden, no know say wahala dey near.

Small time, I just start dey cry anyhow.

I cry with all my chest, roll for bed, voice loud pass generator for next street. My cry wake the old dog wey never bark for days.

Grandma rush enter, carry me, try all style to calm me, but I no stop—my cry even loud pass before.

She bounce me for back, sing lullaby, even offer me breast milk wey don dry. My cry dey shake window. Her heart begin beat, she dey fear say maybe evil spirit dey worry me. She call my name, "Sisi, abeg! Wetin dey bite you?" but nothing change.

Me wey dey always laugh, to dey cry like that no be normal.

Even neighbour come knock, "Mama Sisi, wetin happen to pikin?" Grandma wave dem go, her face don sweat.

Grandma no waste time, she carry me run go chemist for junction.

She no even wear shoe, just tie scarf, carry me waka like say na fire dey burn. She beg okada, "Bros, abeg! My pikin dey die!" Okada man rush us go chemist, people dey watch as we fly pass. Grandma dey pray, "God abeg, no let this pikin go!"

Nurse check, say nothing dey, make she carry me go house dey look me well.

Nurse press my stomach, check my eye, say, "No fever, no cough. Maybe na sleep dey hungry am." Grandma no sure, but she thank nurse, put me back for back, begin waka home, fear still dey her heart.

As grandma dey carry me come back, she just see thick black smoke dey rise from our compound direction.

Her heart jump, she drop me for ground, begin shout. "Chineke! Wetin dey happen?" She drag me, run so te her wrapper loose for one side. The whole street dey shout, "Chai! Fire don catch!" She drag me run, voice loud.

"Fire! Fire!" she shout, begin run.

Her voice sharp, cut through all the noise. Some men join am, women dey carry water dey rush our side. Grandma dey cry, "My house! My house!" but she no even look back to check her own property.

When she reach house, she see say fire don catch many houses, our own join.

Smoke thick like ogbono soup, fire dey lick window, plastic chair dey melt. Everybody dey pour water, some dey use sand. Goat and chicken dey run anyhow. Grandma hold me tight, eye red.

Fire strong well, all the neighbours come help quench am.

Men dey shout, "Bring water! Bring sand!" Small boys dey run with bucket. Even old mama wey never waka fast before, today she dey run. Compound dey scatter, but community join hand.

My papa and mama rush back, na when dem see me and grandma dey okay, dem calm down.

Mama hug me, cry for my head. Papa kneel for ground, dey thank God. All of us hold together, sweat and smoke full our body. That day, nobody talk about boy or girl again.

Fire burn till evening before e quench.

The sun almost set, but fire never gree tire. Finally, rain begin fall small small, like God dey try cool everywhere. Help quench last part. Everybody just collapse for ground, tired.

Later, we hear say people for nearby houses wound well well—some even no fit waka again.

We dey thank God for small mercy. Neighbour children get burn for leg, one old man lose roof. Stories begin fly, some say na evil spirit, others blame careless hand.

But our own, nothing too spoil, nobody wound.

Just small place for back catch, but main house still stand. Our pot of soup survive, chicken dey count head. Everybody look us with surprise, like we get special grace.

My papa and mama quiet for long after dem hear.

Even papa, wey dey always joke, just sit for bench, dey look sky. Mama pray low voice, grandma count her rosary. Silence strong pass generator noise.

Grandma hold me tight, fear still dey her eye.

Her hand dey shake, but she no let me go. She rub my back, kiss my head. My body dey warm, but her own heart dey beat kpokpo kpokpo.

"Na Sisi save us o, Sisi na correct pikin—God blessing for grandma."

She repeat am for everybody to hear, her voice dey crack. The way she hold me that day, na so I know say love get power. The story travel reach church, dem call me "God's hand for Okoye family." From that day, nobody fit use mouth reduce me again.