Chapter 2: Death Dey Find Me

Funny enough, after my mama talk that thing, the fear just leave my mind small.

Na so true. When person mama swear for your head, say better go follow you, even devil go dey fear. I carry her words for chest, try use am sleep that night.

Just as she talk, na coincidence. If pattern really dey, e mean say my great-great-grandpapa go die at eighty, the one before am at ninety—how that one go possible?

For our village, nobody dey count age reach eighty that time. If person reach seventy, dem go start call am spirit. All those tori no dey add up.

I just free the matter. When PTA meeting reach, I no even get mind ask the maths teacher about the homework. Make e no be like say I dey craze.

I just waka pass teacher for corridor, pretend say I no remember. For my mind, I dey pray make no other pikin bring that kain question come house again.

But the peace no last. Half month later, na my solar calendar birthday.

I no too dey send am before, but this year, e dey my mind. I carry the date for head, dey mark calendar as day dey pass.

That morning as I dey go work, one motor just face me.

Danfo dey shout, okada dey weave, horn dey blast—nobody send pedestrian for here. My mind blank, my leg freeze, only God know as I take jump comot for road. The driver face like person wey no get soul, e no even slow down.

For that life-and-death moment, I twist my body sharp-sharp, the car just miss me by small.

Na small thing remain. I fit see the red of the brake light for my eye. Na only my guardian angel fit explain how my bone no break that day.

Only one thing dey my head: if I slow small, just small, I for don die.

I dey shake like leaf wey harmattan dey blow. The thing shock me reach bone.

The car no stop o. Then, another car nearly jam me again.

This one even worse. The driver dey press phone, no look road. I dey thank God say I still get my village sense for leg.

I just roll enter gutter, manage escape. Na zebra crossing I dey o—how cars go dey nearly jam me back to back?

My clothe dirty, my shoe soak, but na my life I dey thank God for. I sit for gutter dey wonder if na my village people dey pursue me.

And the pedestrian light dey green! All the drivers dey mad today? One after another, dey run red light, dey face me.

For my mind, e be like say I dey dream. I look left, look right, everywhere dey normal, but cars dey behave like say dem dey see ghost for road.

This one sef no stop, just zoom go. As anger wan start, na fear just full my body again.

My mouth open, but no word fit come out. E be like say all the wahala for my family line dey pursue me for one day.

So na coincidence be this? Thirty years I never get accident, but today, for my birthday, two cars nearly kill me?

The thing dey clear for my face as I dey look mirror for public toilet. I dey ask myself if na sign from God or devil.

No, today bad luck too much—who know wetin fit still happen? I just bone work, go house.

I send text give my oga say I sick. For my mind, I dey beg God, abeg make nothing happen as I dey waka go house. I no wan explain my story for police station.

As I reach house, I talk say unless earthquake happen, I no dey step out today. Make I see which car wan climb upstairs come meet me.

I wear two wrapper, close all door, off phone, even off bell. For my mind, I dey think say today be like ogbanje spirit dey waka round.

So I lock myself inside house. My wife travel go her people side, she no even notice anything.

The silence for the house loud pass generator wey dem off. I just dey look clock, dey count minute, dey wait make day finish.

Evening reach, she carry our son come back. As usual, she set the boy, go kitchen go cook. Me, I just dey, dey wait food.

The boy dey play with toy car for parlour, dey sing one small song wey him teacher teach am. My wife pot dey bubble for kitchen, the aroma dey try make me forget my fear.

Dem dey talk to me, but I no get mind answer. As I dey chop, na so my belle start to pain me scatter.

I dey bend like person wey get running stomach. Cold sweat dey my face, my hand dey shake.

I dey hear my wife and son dey shout my name, but my mouth no fit answer—not because I no wan answer, but because I no fit.

Their voices dey far, like say I dey under water. I try stand, but my leg no gree. Everywhere dark, my eye dey roll.

I fall for ground, na so darkness carry me.

For my mind, na village ancestors dey drag me go. I dey pray say make God remember me. I dey beg make I see light again.

I wan die? But I never ready to die.

I dey see my life dey waka pass my eye, like film for village centre. My wife and pikin dey cry my name, the sound dey far.

As I open eye, na hospital I see myself. I no die—na food poisoning land me there.

White bedsheet, hospital smell, nurse dey move up and down. For my mind, I dey thank God say I still dey alive.

As I dey weak for bed, I remember the day my papa die—same fear grip me, same hospital smell.

Food poisoning? Which kain wahala be this? All these years wey my wife dey cook for me, nothing ever do me. Na today e wan start.

I dey think say person fit dey pursue me from village, or na just the wahala wey dey follow our name.

I look outside, day don break—na next day be this. That my wahala birthday don pass.

For my mind, I dey laugh small. E be like say I fit cheat death this year. Na small thing remain.

Truth be say, I no dey celebrate solar birthday, na only the one wey dey follow our tradition I dey do. If no be say fear catch me this year, I for no even remember the date.

My traditional birthday dey follow our calendar, na that one dem dey use do family rituals, pour libation, call ancestors. My papa dey tell me say na that one really matter for our blood.

Soon, I see my wife and pikin. Dem dey talk for table, but as dem chop less than me, their own sickness no too bad.

My pikin just dey look me with big eye, the kind eye wey dey ask question. My wife voice low, e dey shake.

Because I no dey talk, just dey chop, na me suffer pass.

Na my big mouth wahala. I dey like food too much. If I dey talk, I dey chop. If I dey chop, I dey forget myself. Na so food enter my body pass their own.

But my wife just cook normal food—how we take get poisoned?

We never get wahala for food before. My wife sabi kitchen, even get award for women meeting last year. How the thing take enter?

Doctor talk say na the vegetable get wahala—too much chemical for body.

He show us the green leaf wey dem collect from pot. E smell strong, like aboki spray.

My chest just heavy, I no know wetin to do. How all these kind rare thing go happen to me, for my special day?

As I dey think, my heart dey bounce for chest. Tears no wan commot, but my eye red.

My wife come meet me. Normally, she dey strong, but now she just dey look sorry: "Babe, no vex. Na me make you and our pikin sick. I no do am on purpose. I no go buy food from that market again. No vex abeg."

She kneel down by my bed, squeeze my hand like person wey dey beg for her life. Her voice crack, her eye red. She dey blame herself, the pain clear for her face.

As I see her like that, anger no even fit near me. She sef sick join.

I remember how she dey shiver that night, how my pikin dey hold her leg, dey cry small. My mind soft, I fit feel the pain for her heart.

Even if she wan harm me, she no go harm our pikin too, and na both of us sick.

I look her face, see say she dey cry. I just squeeze her hand back, wipe her tear with my thumb. My heart calm.

I just sigh, pat her hand. "No worry, no be your fault. No cry."

I use my weak voice talk am, try smile. Small hope dey my voice, as if I wan tell her say this one go pass.

As I calm my wife, my mind still dey run: na only my solar birthday almost kill me. When my real traditional birthday reach, I go survive am?

My body cold, even sweat no dey come out again. I dey reason how I go take avoid wahala that day. I dey remember baba for market wey dey talk say if person see death, e fit run pass am if e get sense.

Now, believe or not, I gats take am serious. All these kind rare, strange bad luck too much. My family really dey under curse? I gats find one baba check am.

For Naija, if science fail you, na spiritual you go enter. My mind made up—no time to waste.