Chapter 5: Money Wahala

Because of that seventy thousand, the seven people papa and mama begin fight.

For evening, you go hear voices for street. Some men dey shout, women dey quarrel, children dey run up and down dey peep. Village begin hot.

One of Sani Dafe friends papa stubborn well.

That man, dem dey call am Baba Godwin, na old soldier. E no dey gree for anybody, chest wide, always wear that faded army cap.

E talk say: “Na your pikin Sani push my own join, e no be leader. Why we go share the money equal?”

For him mind, e no fit suffer for Sani wahala, make e carry him own cross.

But truth be say, the man no get money. Ten thousand na big money that time.

E just dey find way to recover, because house rent dey, and school fees never complete.

When the wahala just happen, fear catch everybody, dem pay whatever dem talk.

Village elders dey use style beg, say, "Abeg, make una settle before police wahala go land all of us for cell."

But now, dem look the matter, e no too serious again.

E be like say time dey wash away the fear, now pocket dey pain everybody.

So the man gather the other five parents talk.

For corner of street, dem dey whisper, plan, dey point finger like say dem dey do secret cult meeting.

Everybody quick agree—say paying ten thousand no make sense.

Nobody wan be mumu, dem dey calculate, "Why I go spend my business money for another person pikin wahala?"

Dem just follow Sani Dafe, help am that time, but why dem go pay?

For their mind, na Sani Dafe matter, no be their own. "Abeg, no put my name for another person fight."

Na why dem dey talk: bad land, bad people.

Old women dey cross leg for veranda, shake head, "Ehn, this village don spoil. Our forefathers no go like this kind wahala."

Person no fit understand how dem dey reason.

Na so e dey for Naija. When money enter matter, everybody dey form lawyer.

The more dem think am, the more e pain dem. Dem go Sani house, begin talk their mind.

If you hear as dem dey knock gate, e be like say dem dey plan riot. Sani papa come out, eye red.

When Sani papa hear, e shout: “Wetin? You dey ask me for money? You give me money before?”

Him voice loud, neighbors begin gather. You know say for village, once shout start, everybody dey show face.

“No be your pikin cause all this? You suppose pay everything, even give our pikin small change for the wahala.”

Na so dem dey argue, voice dey rise, people begin gather. Even small pikin dey peep for window.

“Na true, we no dey ask for much, but at least return our money.”

One woman add, "Na my market money I use pay. At least, make dem reason us now."

“Yes o, your family get money, but our own, na all we get we pay..."

Everybody dey talk, all of dem just want their ten thousand back.

Sani papa vex: “Thunder fire una! For my life, nobody don ever come my house dey ask me for money! Na who beat, go pay! Who send una? If you fit beat, fit accept am! Who force una? Una be small pikin? No know good and bad?”

As e talk, e dey wave hand, face dey shake. If no be say elders dey around, fight for burst.

“When the thing start, all of una dey fear, no talk. If no be me, you think say na just ten thousand una go pay? Now e don finish, una get mouth? Dey ask me for money? I suppose collect money from una for all my stress! The money wey you pay, go collect am from who get am!”

E still throw spit for ground, hiss loud. Everybody waka, vex dey for body.

No ask me how I sabi all this. For that village, everybody know, because after Sani papa drive them, the six families carry the matter go street, scatter everything.

Even elders dey shout, "See as dem dey drag for dead person head. Na so curse dey enter family."