Chapter 6: Pirates, Rumours, and Last Stand

You dey live for two-story house for Osogbo. Your day na to read, drink tea, lean for balcony dey watch stream and boat, dey look sunset. You dey hear agbo seller bell, dey watch okada pass, dey feel evening breeze wey carry scent of ogi and fried fish.

Every evening, you go sit for upstairs, dey look orange sun dey disappear. You go dey imagine say your life dey restart, no more fear, no more command.

For this southern place, people dey open-minded. Some dey look you—fine widow wey nobody know, get money—try introduce you to widower or man wey no get job.

Market women go hail you, dey try fix you with their brother, cousin, neighbour. You go just laugh, shake head, sip your tea, dey mind your lane.

But you dey turn dem down—no be because of young oga, but because men for this time no reach, and women dey suffer too much.

You dey see say most men for here dey idle, dey drink, dey wait for woman to hustle. You no get patience for that kind wahala.

You get shop, get land, no dey worry for food or cloth. Na mumu go marry come dey let one yeye man dey control am every day.

Your head dey sharp, you dey do business. You dey enjoy your small space, dey watch the world pass.

Your four maids dey work shift, three days work, one day rest. Dem never enjoy life reach like this before, all of them begin fresh, body dey round.

Sometimes, you dey buy them small gift. Your house dey soft, everybody dey happy. The maids dey dance for compound when rain dey fall.

But soon, you notice say one no just dey fat—she don carry belle.

You dey eye her stomach. You sabi the sign—no be food dey cause that one.

Her and the male servant matter leak. She kneel for you, dey fear, but you just smile, ask her if na marriage she want or make things remain as e be.

She dey shiver, but your smile dey calm her. You dey show say you no be madam wey dey wicked.

The maid young, dey look the servant wey just dey look ground. She no get choice, just dey beg you make you release her contract make she marry.

You reason her matter. You dey remember your own time. You gree quick quick, no stress.

You dey live alone, house no need plenty people. With twenty thousand rent every month, you fit hire five hundred naira maid and servant.

You dey calculate, dey balance your account. You dey see say you fit manage without wahala.

You just look the servant, no think am much.

You wave hand, say, 'Go enjoy your life.' Na freedom for all of una. As she dey pack, you remember your own first day of freedom, heart dey heavy and light at the same time.

Another maid try advise her, talk wetin you dey think: here, na just to wash, cook, clean, work three days, rest one, get food, get bed, five hundred naira every month. Outside, na to suffer, raise pikin—no make sense.

Na so she dey talk, dey try open her eye, but love don block her ear. The girl dey smile, dey shake head.

But the kneeling maid no hear—love dey make person craze.

You just dey look am, dey remember how you sef craze that time.

To free them no be big kindness; you just wan see how her life go turn.

You dey pray say make her own better, make she no cry for your door tomorrow.

Apart from that, the rest dey loyal—this kain work no dey everywhere.

Sometimes, you go buy them small gala, dey gist for night, dey teach them small book. House dey warm.

One rainy day, you meet one scholar wey life don humble. You let am stay for your woodshed till e fit get himself.

E no too talk, but you fit see sense for e eye. You dey pity am, dey share food, dey listen to him story.

Scholar fine, get sense.

E dey talk well, dey read book. Your mind dey sweet as you dey learn new thing from am.

For night, with rechargeable lamp, you and am dey enjoy for woodshed, and e sweet you pass that your young oga wahala.

You dey laugh, dey talk story. Sometimes, you go forget say you be woman wey suffer before.

After some months, scholar go Abuja for exam. You still hold your side, dash am two thousand for transport.

E thank you, promise to remember you if life better. Your heart dey sweet, your hope dey rise small.

You think say if you dey do this kind thing steady, you go live long.

You dey reason say, 'If to say na like this life be, happiness go dey easy.'

After that, any time you see correct horse boy or strong labourer, you go just look well.

You dey look, dey smile. No be love, na just small enjoyment.

You understand young oga wahala that year for women matter—because now, you sef dey enjoy small, just as e dream.

You dey remember your youth, dey smile. Life don turn round.

You dey bound by the time, stuck as woman, no family, no fit dey show yourself anyhow, just as e sef dey control for house.

You dey careful, dey guard yourself. You dey play your role well.

With money and choice, if you fit make people please you, you no go ever put all your mind for one person.

You dey tell your maids, 'No be all fish person dey fry for one pot.'

Whether housemaid fit become main wife enjoy love—once your eye clear, e just be like joke.

You dey laugh when people dey talk say servant go marry oga. For your mind, na only for story book.

You just pass twenty, body dey okay, no bad habit, and every month you dey gather money, soon go buy another shop.

You dey proud small, dey walk with chest up. Village women dey hail you, dey ask for business advice.

You think say life go just dey go like that, until wahala reach south.

You dey pray every night, dey thank God. But for this world, no joy dey last forever.

Dem talk say foreign pirates land for Badagry, carry sharp cutlass, dey burn, kill, thief as dem dey go north.

Mama Titi for market talk say she see dem for riverbank, dem dey shout, dey beat drum. Even imam for mosque dey warn people make dem hide. Rumour fly everywhere—market, church, mosque. Everybody dey fear, dey whisper.

Dem wicked, government no fit stop dem.

Even police for your side dey hide. Na so you hear say checkpoint empty, only roadblock remain.

By the time you hear, dem don pass your side, dey go north.

You thank God say your house still dey safe, but your mind no rest.

The next town, because e near water, suffer well.

Na so people dey run enter bush, dey hide. River dey red, even fish no dey come out.

Peaceful place wey never see fight for years turn to ghost town overnight.

For market, na only old women and small pikin dey waka. No more song, no more laughter.

Blood full everywhere, dead body scatter, any house wey fit burn, burn finish.

Na so people dey cry, dey carry dead. Even the wind dey smell like wahala.

Neighbours pack their things, run go inside land find family.

Road full, lorry full, even bicycle no rest. Na survival everybody dey think.

But you no get anybody, nowhere to run go.

You dey stand for balcony, dey look empty street. Na only your shadow dey follow you.

Your fine two-story house na just small wall and wooden door—good for gentle people, but useless for people wey carry weapon.

You dey think, 'If wahala reach here, na only prayer fit save me.'

The maids dey fear, dey pray say make thief no return.

Na so dem dey gather every night, dey beg God, dey sing old song. Your house dey cold.

The only male servant talk say make una go back main family.

E say, 'Oga house get wall, get guard, we go safe.' E dey reason survival.

That family don dey do government work for years; their house strong, high wall, big gate, plenty guard.

For your mind, you dey remember how the compound dey. Big men, plenty food, every corner dey safe.

Most important, for big man side, pirates no fit try nonsense.

Na so e be. For this country, na only people wey get power dey rest.

But you don finally use your head escape maid life—how you go go back?

You dey ask yourself, 'Which kain shame be this?' After all the suffer, you wan return to square one?

Which face you wan use go?

You dey think, dey cry, dey pray. Maids dey look you, dey wait for your word. Rain dey fall for roof, thunder dey knock. Night dey deep. As your three maids and servant dey look you with hope, you...you dey swallow fear, dey ask yourself if na courage or luck go save una this night. Rain dey beat roof, but your heart dey louder.