Ọbibia na Nkwado (Arrival and Preparation)

"Nne anyị, Nne anyị, Mmaa," Anyanwu runs towards her startling her.

"Ọgini, ọgini, Ọdị kwa gị mma?" Nnodu asks jumping to her knees. She spits out the bitter kola she's chewing.

"Adoro anyị, bụtụe." She holds her Mmaa nnukwu guiding her to sit right back down. "All is well."

"Ibari (Third Daughter), o doro gị anya? Are you sure?" She asks extending her legs as she sits.

"Mmaa anyị, o doro m anya ọfuma ọfuma, I'm very very sure."

"Ngwa, kedụ ihe ịbịaru ịchọ?" She asks. Picking up another block of kola from the afele (plate).

"Ah ah, Adoro, you promised to tell us a story this moonlight, you have not told us any for the past two full moons."

Nnodu exclaims mid laughter. "Nnodu nwa Ifeyinwa na Egbuji." She laughs a bit more and turns to her granddaughter. "Nwa m," she calls out to the Girl. She signals her to come towards her which she does, she climbs on Mmaa's laps and cuddles comfortably between her busts. "Anyanwuuuuu, Ibari ezinauno anyi."

"Adoro na onwenya," She looks up and back at her Child.

"Ngwa, Ibari, go and call the rest of the children that you can find, quickly, the night is fast upon us." Anyanwu alights her Grandma's body and rushes off.

Nnodu stands up and ties her ọgọdọ carefully around her waist and sits back down. "Ọdịka mga kwa ha maka akụkọ otu ụwa sị we ebido. I have not told them that in a long while." She smiles and shakes her legs excitedly looking up to the Moon. "Ọma, Nne anyị nnukwu na enye ndu, ekene m gi." She looks directly at the Moon and gives a bow. She looks down, "Ani, Nne ụwa na onwenya, maka gị, anyị ga adighide." She says digging her feet into the Earth.

Soon Children begin coming towards her, they sight her and run faster, jumping, hugging and almost pushing her to the ground. She doesn't mind, Our people do say, 'Nwa bu onyinye si na aka eluigwe na ala' Meaning 'A child is the gift from the Universe.'

"Ngwa hapụ Mmaa ọịsọ!" She exclaims. "Unu achọ igburu m Mmaa anyị?" Njoku comes out from the house carrying a steaming bowl of yam. Mmaa stands up and receives it from her.

"Njoku hapụ nu ụmụazị na ha na emekwanụ ihe ha ji we bụrụ ụmụaka." She leads Mmaa to sit down but Mmaa resists.

"Adoro, imakwa nọ ngịnwa na hapụ ụmụaka a ka ha na enyele..."

Mmaa sits down clearing her throat and urges her to sit too querying, "Ịlụ nwa (Second child), Ịlụ m (My Second Daughter) bụtụe, nọdụkene anị, sit down because this story I'm about to tell you dika ji a (is like this yam), the longer you wait to tell the tale, the less tasty it becomes, the longer you wait to eat the dish, the less sweet it is, nni na adirọ ọkụ adirọ asọ usọ, ima nkea."

"Gbam!" The guests "gbam" in agreement.

"Mmaa anyị, I know, ama m nkeanwu." She looks up, frowns a bit and continues, "Ngwa nu begin."

Nnodu looks around and sees most children of the community already seated, legs folded by the side, Girls talking or playing, Boys moving to the beat of their testosterone. She sees a few more kids running towards her clenching their younger siblings tightly behind them.

Knowledge from Grandma is a must have.

"Mmaa anyị, ndewo."

"Mmaa anyị, ikpere dị anyị na ani (Our Mother, our knees are on the ground)." They chorus.

Mmaa anyị, ndewo o."

She extends her hands for a hug which most of them come for. She kisses the younglings, and they go take their seat on the bare earth like everyone else.

"Now that y'all are gathered forth, I'm going to tell you a tale of old, a tale about how we came to be and how the world of ndi Mmadu came to be, otu anyị si we bịa. This is a story as old as time herself... Chelukwanụ o, chelu, chelu, chelunụ o, where's Udo nwa Ndididimkpa?"

"Mmaa, Udo is feeling down," A Boy arises and says.

"Are you not his Nwanne?" Mmaa asks.

"Ee Mmaa, ọ mmụ ka amụrụ nwe mụa ya, onwe ndi itọ na esote anyị." He sits down.

"Ngwa nu, nya, you're the Olu (Second Son)?"

"Ee Mmaa."

"Ngwa nu, ọga adịrị ya na mma, has he gone to see Agbara Nwaanyị Nne Agwu?" Nnodu asks.

"Ee Mmaa, ebeanwu ka ọnọ..."

"Mmaa, ibidokwana! Lekwa m ebe o." A Woman exclaims running in from outside.

"Ma mmua sokwa o." A Man comes running after her.

"Mama, lekwa anyị o," Two grown Men come running towards her too. All clad with their wrappers and bare chests and busts.

Nnodu is joyous yet surprised. "Ma ndi Ọkenye esokwa? Adults too?"

"Mmaa, biko hapụ okwu." The Woman says, sitting like the children are. The Men follow suit. Her ọgọdọ (wrapper) is like Grandma's, locked tightly on her waist, her chests bare as it was in pre colonial Africa and Igbo land, their present time zone. They all fold the hems of their wrapper in between their crotches. "Ebe ika nọ ndu, anyị ncha niile nọ na ọbọdọ a bu umuaka na ebe inọ."

"Gbam!" The Men equally chest bare and seated like her agree with her.

"Chai! Chei! Ụmụ m ooo, Ngwa nu, ka anyị na emekwa. Let us continue, is there anyone else?"

"The person will join us as the story commences nu." Anyanwu says already visibly irritated that the night was fast approaching.

"Eziokwu." Njoku agrees. Everyone around murmurs in agreement. Above, the clouds make way revealing the light of the moon. A Girl snuggles into her friend's cuddle. All eyes lay on Nnodu, few are still running forth.

"Nya (so), as I was saying, at the time when the universe was a void, endless pit and without form, two forces floated around in an endless circle seemingly avoiding each other. All of a sudden, they collided and there was a sort of a huge explosion..."

"Mmaa, ji gị ajubagọ ọyị o..."

"Njoku!"

"Njoku nu!

"Ụmụazị a ara ana apụdu unu?" One of the Elders arises in query.

"Ndi Maazị anyị, our Elders, do not be angry you all, but you do know that food that is not hot is not delicious? Our people know that."

"Njoku," A Man says from the hut, "We all know you're correct but almost the entire community is here, this is not the place to remind Mmaa of such. She is leading something very critical and vital for community survival. Ima na anyị bi na uju da na agụ agụ, we're living in an endless abundance, let the food run cold, our fire will never run dry, our farms will never wither, our waters will never quench, Anyanwụ is forever, Njoku ji is for Life, Ọma na edu Idemmịlị, Ikuku ga adighide, Mmaa anyị, biko continue your tales, do not keep the people waiting..." He says emerging from inside.

"Ekwensudi ozugo, bụtụe lu ya, ọ nwatakịrị ka ọbu..." Nnodu replies to her Son.

Ekwensudi goes to have his seat ignoring Mmaa, he's annoyed at what he perceives to be her spoiling the children. He just asks the nearest kid to move over.

"Njoku ngwa bụrụ afele anwu je debe, ọsọ ọsọ."

"Anibujuwa ibịakwa!"

"Mmaa biko zue ike," The Mother, Ani calls to her husband's Mother.

"Ani..."

"Mmaa..."

"Mmaa biko ibidokwana o biko!" Ekwensudi the Father calls out.

"You both say I'm spoiling the children,, but you're very aware that ndi be anyị si na anyị kwesịrị ịzụ ụmụ anyị ka anyị we nwe ike imebi ụmụ ụmụ anyị. We're supposed to train our babies so that we can be able to spoil our Grandbabies." She looks at the guests and continues, "If we spoil our babies, we then have to train our Grandbabies unfortunately in our old age, anyị mebie ụmụ anyị, anyị ga ejizi oge agadi anyị we zuba ụmụ ụmụ anyị, it's an endless cycle. So we must do the right thing. I have trained Ekwensudi and Orakwe your Mother has trained you, now it's my turn to spoil my grandchildren. Anibujuwa, it's called reaping the fruits of my labor, Orakwe is no more, nya biko, hapụkwa m aka."

Anibujuwa stands there hands akimbo and looks up and lets out a sigh. Ekwensudi urges her to come have a seat beside him.

"Bịa ndi be Anibujuwa..."

"Nya eh!"

"Biko nu, please start the story we have other things to do o." The Woman, who's actually the Women Leader, the Omu rallies.

"Amazi kwa m!" A Man shouts in support.

"Omu ọbọdọ anyị, iwena iwe. Iwe enwe naghị." Anibujuwa apologizes.

"Anibujuwa, Nne nnukwu ndi be gị, nsogbu adirọ mana hapụ Mmaa nọ eziokwu ka ọna ekwu. (Anibujuwa, Matriarch of her Home, there's no problem but leave Mmaa be for it is simply the truth she's saying.)"

"Bido nụ oooooo" The Men exclaim.

"Ah ah!" The crowds support.

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