Chapter 3: Chaos and Suspicion

Kunle wan hit am, but grandpa squeeze enter the crowd, dey smile, dey beg. "Kunle, today na your wedding—no allow blood touch ground, e no good."

Grandpa use him body block Kunle, dey pat him shoulder. Him voice dey shake, but e full of plea. For Naija, if blood drop for wedding, dem go say na bad omen.

Kunle hiss. "Uncle Musa, na because we be family I dey do my party here. Why you go allow any yeye person enter? You wan bring wahala."

Kunle voice dey rise, him face dey red. Him eye dey dance, full of anger and small drunkenness. Some elders dey nod, dey whisper say Kunle get right to vex.

Grandpa force laugh. "This young man mean well. If spirit bride dey, all of us for don dey danger."

He try use peace talk sew the air, but tension still dey for room. Some women dey click tongue, others dey frown say na disgrace.

Kunle just twist him mouth. "Na lie! No be dry season—how spirit bride wan take show? Na scammer he be. Make una carry am commot."

People dey laugh at the dry season talk, but nobody fit deny say fear dey inside all of us. Grandpa rub him hand together, like person wey dey pray silently.

Grandpa nod, dey beg. "Okay, okay, I go see am go."

He try push the man go door, but the man no gree. He just dey look the bride steady.

The way the man fix eye for bride, e be like say him dey look for sign, something wey we no see. Children dey look from back of chair, curiosity full their face.

Kunle push am strong. "Look again, I go comot your eyes, you hear!"

He raise hand like say e wan slap. Crowd shout, "No fight! Na wedding day o!"

The man bone face. "Na compass bring me here. Spirit bride dey inside. As e never dark, I fit destroy am. If night reach, everybody for hundred miles go die."

For Naija, compass dey mean juju compass or old shrine things. Some old men look at each other, cross their heart, some dey mumble, "Chineke, save us o."

Kunle spit. "No dey fear people! Even if spirit bride dey, e no fit be my wife. People full everywhere as she dey come from house till she enter here. How she go be spirit?"

He tap chest, try use confidence chase away fear, but him voice dey shake. Nobody wan believe their own fit be source of wahala.

The man talk sharp, "I don check everybody here. All of them dey alive—na only the bride hide face under red veil. I never see her face. If my mind correct, na she be spirit bride. She quiet now because of prayer paper. When night come, e no go work again. Then, nobody go survive."

A pin fit drop, you go hear am. Old women begin murmur prayers, men dey shift leg. The way he talk prayer paper, e choke everybody.

Elders for village always talk say: if spirit bride show, she go suck blood, hundred miles no go get living person again.

This story don dey for our side since colonial time. My grandma say na why people dey lock children inside at night. Old superstition, but today, e feel real.

As the man talk finish, Kunle stamp leg, shout, "You dey craze! Na nonsense you dey talk—I go finish you today!"

The stamp loud, echo for shop. Some young men dey ready hold Kunle, if e try fight.

He rush, but grandpa hold am. "Kunle, calm down! Na happy day—no fight abeg!"

Grandpa voice get that authority only elders sabi use. He hold Kunle arm tight, squeeze am small, as if e dey transfer sense by force.

Kunle knock table, point the man. "Na this idiot dey cause wahala! Him heart no pure."

The table shake, spoons scatter. Some people adjust their seats, dey try calm the air.

Grandpa turn face the man. "Young man, for our village, nobody fit lift veil except inside bridal room. To see bride face now, e no pure."

For our custom, lifting veil before time dey bring curse. Even children sabi this one. My aunt hiss, "E no get respect for elders."

The man frown. "But if we wait till night, e go bad."

The man look desperate, voice low, but heavy. Some people dey pity am, others dey look am like mad man.

Kunle hiss, "Bad for wetin? Na trouble you come find. Talk true—na you Kemi dey date for city?"

As Kunle talk, everybody eye wide. For village, matter of city boyfriend na taboo. People dey look Kemi side, her body dey stiff under veil.

Kemi na our village girl wey go school for city. Dem talk say she get boyfriend for there. But Kunle insist say na him go marry her, her family no fit talk. Last last, dem marry Kemi give Kunle.

Her story na gist for market woman mouth for weeks. Some say na love, others say na force. But family matter be family matter, nobody fit talk too much.

The man face come dark. "No be me. Abeg, no talk rubbish."

He fold arms, look ground, as if pain dey him chest. Some of the old women dey whisper, "Maybe na true love he get for Kemi."

Kunle twist mouth, eye full of jealousy. "Kemi na my wife now. Some people for village try drag her with me, but all of them no last. You wey be outsider, better commot now."

Kunle voice get pride, but you fit hear fear inside. Nobody like make dem drag their woman, especially on wedding day.

As he talk, Baba Auwalu, the village head, just eye am. "You dey mad! Small drink you don dey talk rubbish. Try am again, I go beat you die."

Baba Auwalu voice na thunder. As he talk, all noise quiet. For village, when Baba talk, even masquerade dey pause.

People dey gossip say: when my small uncle dey alive, he and Kemi close well—dem even plan to enter same university. Both of them pass, but one day before uncle go school, dem find am dead for back bush. Dem stab am seventy times, even cut off him private part.

That story still dey pain family. Some say na jealousy kill am, others say na ritual. Nobody know true story. But since then, people dey fear for Kemi matter.