Foraine Amukoyo Gift - The Invalid Citizen And Other Stories

Jakpo laughed nervously, “No my friend, I have no idea who that person is,” he said quickly. “I hope you change your mind about leaving. Jessa, your decision is wavy like this river. I know you want to stay in Jagua.”

“My heart will always be with this river, this water has lived in my vein, let me test the water of my origination. If it were up to me, I will grow older and die in Jagua. My children want us to leave Jagua for good. I have to obey my children’s requests. A man is not afraid to walk naked in his own house. Only a guest has to be cautious around the house. I have a line of guests in Jagua. Let me take them back home. My children will feel like total strangers when I am gone. What is the essence of lingering in Jagua when the people showed us our place is not here? The heritage I pride in is not my children’s identity. Let me take them home so that they can wear their badge with pride.”

Jakpo looked beyond the river with a feeling of nostalgia, “You remember how we chased a rabbit into its hole,” he said.

“We sealed the hole. We went to fetch firewood in the forest with which to prepare the bush meat and we could not find our way back.” Jessa said.

“We considered ourselves bush meats when that wolf charged at us,” Jakpo said and laughed.

“We were lucky the hunter killed it before it mauled us,” Jessa said and snorted.

The two old men laughed. They recalled memories of running around the community as little children. Their smiles faded as reality set in.

“The days are grey and harsh.” Jakpo said. “I will miss you old friend. When you are gone, I will be so alone. These youngsters do not have time for old grumpy men. Who will keep me company?”

“Who will come to visit and take care of me if I stay? I will lose Jaja and my other children if I do not go to Ebito. They have made up their minds. They want to leave Jagua forever.” Jessa carefully bent down and picked a pebble. He clasped it and felt the coldness of the stone.

Jakpo nodded, “You have a great son in that young man, Jaja. I wish one of mine came back home. Decades of memories will drown after your departure. Farewell my friend, see you on the other side.”

“I will miss you. I cannot tell you how much, you cannot see how well, my eyes are too dry to cry,” Jessa hiccupped. He wished Jakpo well and left him by the river.

“I wish you will change your mind and stay my friend. I did not know the situation would become this ugly. I just wanted what was rightfully mine,” Jakpo wearily said after Jessa’s vanishing figure.

Jessa walked back home. Some children came around to play with him and he shared money among them.

Before daylight, Jessa and Jaja were ready to leave for Ebito. Jessa looked at the direction of the stream with longing. He imagined himself and Jakpo walking down with their fishing tools.

“It is not easy to detach from these memories,” Jessa looked sad.

“Come father, you have said enough goodbyes. We should leave before the sun set, the road is not friendly on rush hour.”

“Yes, some roads do not recognize old wheels that have always travelled on it. It does not have preferential treatment. Let us leave. We are no longer welcome here.”

Two weeks later, the village elders had a meeting and concluded to use Jessa’s house as their new meeting venue. Jessa had bequeathed the house to them. On the day of Okpako Coronation, bulldozers arrived.

The vehicle operator’s voice boomed from a loudspeaker, “Everybody in this building should come out. In the next thirty minutes, this house would go down. At the count of twenty-nine, we would move in.” He started counting, “One, two, three, four…” On the nineteenth count, the building was empty. The bulldozer destroyed the house on Jaja’s instruction.

The people watched with sad faces as some men moved in with sledgehammers to break down blocks. No structure or block remained erect. A trailer packed the mashed cement and drove away.

“This is an unfortunate event. How can we hold the coronation ceremony in this ruin? We have to look for another venue or fix a new date for the coronation,” a young man said.

“But, where is Jakpo?” The Community Chief frantically asked.

“He has not showed up for the ceremony. Has he heard the news? This unfortunate incident will devastate him. His ceremony has come to ruin, it can no longer hold today,” an elder said.

“Jakpo must have heard the news. He knows everything. Was he not the one that discovered Jessa was not a real citizen of Jagua? He knows everything. After this meeting, we will proceed to his house. We will pay him a visit,” the Community Chief said.

They did not meet Jakpo in his house. They knew Jakpo was fond of the river and thought he might be there. On their way out of his compound, they met the little boy that takes care of him. The boy told them Jakpo had not been home since sunrise.

“That is a strange behaviour. Let us check if he is at the stream,” the Community Chief said.

They came to the river and saw him. Jakpo’s body was floating to the riverbank. They rushed into the water and dragged the body out. He was dead. They saw his pair of shoe, reading glasses and a book under his favourite tree. Jeesa and Jakpo had carved some trees and made rooted benches by the river. His pile of belongings laid on it. The little boy fell down and cried.

“I guess he committed suicide. Oh, the dark realm has cast evil eyes on Jagua. Today is a very dark day in our history. Who will wake us up from this Omen?” A woman lamented.

“Look at this, Chief,” the little boy cleaned his tears with his arm and handed a note to the Community Chief.

“Where did you find this note?” The Community Chief astonishingly asked.

“Chief, what does the letter say?” The woman asked.

The Community Chief read the letter aloud, ‘I cannot live with myself after betraying my best friend, Jessa. I am sorry my dearest friend. My great-grand father had told me about your history. I told the coronation council because of my self-indulgence to be the Okpako. It was a sin to be envious of your status. Please, forgive me. No one should weep for me. I have already wept for myself. Jakpo .’

Because he committed suicide, the community did not hold a burial ceremony for Jakpo. Jakpo’s children carried him to the evil forest. They dumped his body for the beast of the wild to bury in their stomachs.

The village town hall filled with tensed people. Everybody seemed to be at each other’s throats with imaginary weapons. A muscular young man rushed at Ovie. Ovie poised to catch his balled fist and succeeded in twisting it until an elder separated their duel. The irate youth groaned and sat on the floor with drooping arm.

Ovie grinned, “Look at the weaklings that want to contest my decision. I will throttle anyone that dares me.”

An old man came forward. He stared hard at Ovie and shook his head. He looked downward for a moment, stamped his walking stick, and looked up to him again, “Ovie, you should know the least one of our vibrant youths has only acted in a flash to repel your foolish decision. I warn you, more will come at you. An Army will defend your father’s right.”

“Let me see you all try. I will bury my father in Apele. He will be in residence at his mansion and nobody can stop me.” In affirmation to the zealous statement, Ovie hit his chest, his chest was vibrating as if he had chest tremor.

“We shall see. We will prepare for our relative’s burial rites. Watch how the lamp will find its way out of the wilderness to his shepherd fold.” The old man said. He took a white chalk from his breast pocket and drew a circle. He looked to the roof and incanted inaudible words. His male servant brought a sick looking white cock. The old man untied the chicken’s legs and incanted psalms around the body. The cock danced within the circle and fled outside.