Chapter 2: Candle Shadows

For wedding night, red candle dey shine gently.

The flame dey dance for breeze small, dey draw funny shape for wall. The light dey soft, like that time for village when NEPA cut light and only lantern dey show road. Na the kin light wey dey make old people yarn tori.

Timi waka enter, night shadow still dey for him body, but him still fine and gentle like early morning cloud.

Him shoe no make sound for floor; e be like say him leg no dey touch ground. Even for that moment, he resemble those old family photo for parlour, wey dust dey cover since independence—face still, eye deep, but handsome die. I watch am, my heart dey shake, memory dey rush come.

Dem lift bride veil.

Everybody eyes dey bright as dem commot the veil. My spirit self dey hold breath, dey look as the white lace lift, reveal face wey be like mine but the smile no pure. Small hush enter room, like say everybody dey wait make magic happen.

The woman under am soft and fine—beauty wey no get rival—even her smile curve be like my own.

Even my dimple appear where e suppose dey, her eyebrow arch gentle. If person no know, e go swear say na me. My own beauty come dey like borrowed wrapper—fine, but e no really belong to the person wey dey wear am.

Timi just dey look, like say him don lost for trance.

But for him eye, the trance resemble person wey see masquerade for daylight—mixture of surprise and something wey no sweet.

I remember wetin Ozioma talk the night before.

That her whisper still dey ring for my ear, like bell for village square after rain stop. She dey sit for that our backyard bamboo, eyes dey shine green.

She tell me say she don sabi turn to human since, but she wait, she endure, all for today.

Her voice soft like she dey beg me, but her eye no show pity. She yarn say, since dem burn me, she dey learn human way. She dey watch me dey eat, dey play, dey cry, dey love. All the while, she dey practice, dey store everything for spirit heart.

She say she dey jealous my status, the love wey my family dey give me since I small, but the one wey pain her pass be say I get perfect husband.

Ozioma say, ‘See as dem dey treat you—like say you na egg. But the one wey pain me pass, na that your Timi. Even if him dey cold, e get something for him body wey dey pull person. Na only person wey chop jazz go sabi wetin dey draw me to am.’

She see am only once, her heart just fall for am.

Na for one of those dry season evening, Timi enter our compound, dust for him leg, come give me sugarcane. Ozioma see am that day—she hide for bamboo, dey peep. After Timi commot, she just dey mutter, dey talk to herself like mad woman.

She say, thank God say Timi no love me—if not, she for no fit hold herself, she for don grind my bones finish, nothing for remain.

She even laugh small. Say if to say Timi show real love for me, she for don finish me since, but e be like say life get plan. So, she wait till today.

She want make I dey look, make I see how Timi go fall for her, step by step.

Ozioma voice get power wey dey catch person, like jazz. She wan make I dey watch, dey learn, dey see how love fit change, how my own man fit forget me, how my family go turn blind eye.

But how e go possible?

The thing dey fear me. As I dey float like small wind for room, I dey ask God why my life go turn to tori wey people go dey use learn lesson.

Timi get bad mouth for town.

Na true. Market women dey fear am. Young boys dey run when him dey pass. Even for church, the reverend dey greet am with respect, but for back, dem go talk say Timi no get joy.

One time, e drag person for okada from beginning to end of street, blood just dey flow, all because the person insult am small.

I remember that day. Rain dey fall, but Timi no even care. He hold the man shirt, drag am like rag, blood dey drip from the man leg. People just dey look, nobody fit near. From that day, dem start dey call am ‘Timi the Lion.’

Person like that always dey cold, even with me, e no dey show any sign of love.

No matter how I smile or try joke, he go just look me like say I be stranger. Na only sometimes, if I sick, he go buy me small malt, drop am for my table, no go talk anything.

Even when people dey congratulate am say he marry me—the correct daughter from big family—he go just talk anyhow, “Na our parents arrange am, just normal thing.”

E no dey even let people finish their good wish before him cut mouth put, like say wedding no mean anything. I dey always shame for am, but wetin person go do?

So I know since, Timi no love me.

E even no like me.

I accept am for my mind. Na our people dey talk say, ‘If fish no swim, e no mean say water no dey river.’ I just brace up, dey hope say life go better small after marriage.