Chapter 6: Fireworks and Death

……

Sign don show since I be five.

When I be five, for one hot afternoon, my papa sit for veranda dey teach me how to solve nine linked rings.

For Igbo tradition, old people dey like give pikin puzzle, say e dey help brain. Na so my papa bring the iron ring, tie rope, begin show me.

Na old puzzle, better pass fireworks because e dey last.

He say, "Ifunanya, this thing pass ordinary play. If you fit arrange am, you go sabi how to arrange your life."

He dey show me step by step, dey explain. But I no get interest, just dey look am, I no understand anything.

My eye dey heavy, I dey sweat, my mind dey fly. I dey wish say I fit run go play with neighbours.

The heat too much, the noise from cricket dey worry me. I just want sleep, but my papa dey talk.

His voice dey steady, but my mind no dey the lesson. The sun dey hot, my body dey scratch me.

He say the nine rings dey jam together, but no be straight. The rings pass rod, and all of them dey one hollow handle, so e complex well.

The thing be like life: if you no careful, your hand go pain you, you go lose hope. My papa go talk, "Patience, Ifunanya. No rush."

You no dey start from the first ring, but from the last one, dey go back, dey remove am one by one.

He go smile, say, "Small small, Ifu. One after another, na so you fit free yourself from wahala."

He talk say life be like the nine rings: things go just jam you anyhow, wahala go plenty. Na only patience fit help you unlock all of them, then you go see the truth wey dey inside.

That day, e be like say spirit dey talk through my papa. His eye sharp, like person wey dey see beyond ordinary.

My papa sabi book, always dey tell me about mountain, river, sun, moon, stars. I dey enjoy am—except this time, he talk one kind thing.

He talk say, "Life get secret. When the time reach, you go understand." His hand pause for air.

I no understand, but I see as he raise head, face serious like say something dey worry am.

The breeze just die, everywhere quiet. Na only sound na him voice.

He move mouth, but no talk.

He wan talk, but nothing come out. E be like say his mind dey far.

I just wake up, fear catch me, I begin cry.

As he touch my head, my skin cold. I shout, "Mama!" My mama run come, hold me.

I no know wetin he talk; I just fear the way he look, as if he no be person again.

The way he freeze, you go think say he see spirit. My mama say na malaria, but me I sabi say e pass ordinary.

That moment, my papa look like statue.

For years after, I dey dream of that day. His face blank, his hand for air, ring dey shine for sun.

This na the first strange thing I remember.

Since that day, any time I see ring, my body go cold small. My mama no fit understand. Me sef no fit explain.

Maybe when you small, your brain never complete, you no dey know dream from real life. Maybe na dream, but I believe some dreams mean something.

My grandma talk say pikin dey see things wey adult no fit see. I begin believe say na sign.

Whether because the thing strange, or something else, since five years old till now, I never forget.

No matter how I try forget, the thing dey my mind like tattoo.

Papa later return to normal, I too forget am.

For weeks, nothing happen. We return to our normal poor life.

Now as I remember, I know say na sign.

If you sabi, you sabi. If you no sabi, you go learn by force.

……

Still when I be five, I see the best fireworks for my life.

That night, some loud explosion wake the whole town. Then, half sky bright—

E be like magic. The whole sky just change. I never see that kind colour before for my life. Even my mama stand up from sick bed, carry me go window.

Crown fireworks, flower style, golden rain, crackling ones, waterfall type... even confetti wey rain red and green paper from sky.

Na so everybody rush outside. Some people dey pray, others dey shout. Dogs dey bark everywhere. My heart dey beat like talking drum.

Plenty fireworks just dey burst for sky, dey overlap, dey shine.

Some go high, some go low. E dey scatter for everywhere, the noise deafening. My neighbour dey shout, "Chineke! See as sky fine!"

Colours everywhere, like shooting star, with loud noise and crack. The air dey smell of roasted corn and suya, pikin dey run with chin-chin for hand.

For that small village, e be like say God send angel with torchlight.

As the light dey flash, grey smoke spread, cover sky. Confetti just dey fly, breeze blow some reach my window, make 'pa' sound.

My hand wan grab the paper, but my mama hold me. She dey shake, she dey sweat. Her eye red.

I wake, waka go window, dey look the thing like say I dey dream.

For my mind, I dey wonder who get money do this kind fireworks for dry season.

I look am long, then I begin understand.

As I see the fireworks, I start to cry.

My mama hold me tight, but the tears no gree stop. Something dey wrong, but I no sabi.

Because that night, my papa waka comot, and never come back.

Her cry loud pass any fireworks. I never forget.

……

Na one night for November 1996, three months before Christmas—nobody dey fire fireworks that time.

For Igbo land, na only festival or big burial you go see fireworks. That night, no celebration, na just wahala.

So, na accident.

The explosion happen for the fireworks factory warehouse wey dey by the pond. The warehouse no dey inside factory, but for one corner near bush.

That place na one old storage, far from main compound. They use am dump all the bad, dangerous fireworks.

Apart from the factory manager, na only my papa get the key to that warehouse.

My mama dey always talk say if you trust person with key, you trust am with your life.

The accident happen around 11 p.m. People dey sleep, na the explosion wake dem, everybody see fireworks for no reason.

I still remember the way my window shake, the way dog for next compound howl. My mama dress in a rush, tie wrapper anyhow, carry me waka go out.

Everybody dress sharp, begin rush pond side to see wetin happen—even my mama and me.

No bike, no keke, na so everybody dey run. My mama limp, I dey hold her. My mind dey shake, but my leg dey move.

My mama, with her bad leg, just dey cry as we dey waka go there.

Her tears dey fall like rain. She dey mumble prayer, call my papa name.

When we reach, we see warehouse dey burn, heat full everywhere. The smoke from fireworks still dey sky, everywhere smell of gunpowder, dey pain for nose.

My nose block, my eyes dey water. The fire big, people dey shout, "Bring water! Bring sand!" Some men dey try use palm frond chase the flame.

Villagers no gree my mama go near. She just fall for ground, begin cry.

Women gather her, hold her. I stand for back, dey look as everything dey scatter.

Dem quick cordon the place, quench the fire.

Some elders dey pray, others dey argue. The warehouse roof don disappear, everything black.

Police find burnt body for the place, no fit recognize, but dem soon guess who e be from the people wey gather.

The way people dey look my mama, I know say e don finish. Dem no need tell us.

Dem find my mama, try calm her, then begin ask question.

You know Naija police, question dey sharp. They write everything for small jotter, dey talk fast fast.

One young officer, Musa, ask: When your husband, Nnamdi, waka go out?

Officer Musa no dey smile. He dey look my mama like say he dey look inside her soul.

Mama say he comot around ten, say defective goods get wahala, he wan go check.

She say, "E talk say e wan check one small thing. I no suspect anything."

Police ask, Why he go that late?

Dem dey press her, people dey watch.

Mama say she no know.

"I just dey house. If man say e wan check work, wetin I fit do?"

Police press, He waka for midnight, you no ask am?

The question sharp. Some villagers dey shake head. My mama just dey cry, voice low.

Mama say, Anything he talk, na so I dey do. I no dey doubt am.

She repeat am, "Anything he say, I dey follow."

Officer just keep quiet small.

The man no talk for some seconds. Then e write something for paper, sigh.

Mama story match. Everybody know my papa dey manage the warehouse, and person see am waka go there alone.

Somebody shout from back, "Na only Nnamdi fit open that warehouse!"

Apart from my papa, na only manager get key. But manager dey play draughts that time, and his key still dey his waist.

Chief Okafor swear say e never leave house that night. Some elders confirm.

Answer clear.

As e be, people dey point finger already. Gossip dey fly like mosquito.

Officer Musa look my mama, like say he wan ask more.

He look her for eye, then look away. The pain for her face no get part two.

Mama just cry, say, Abeg, make una just tell me say no be him die...

Her voice crack, she grab my hand tight. I just dey look ground, leg dey tremble.

This Officer Musa na my mama classmate for secondary school. He look her, sigh deep.

He say, You really don change.

He shake head, write something. Some people say he for do more, but office be office.