I was in our house in the village when my uncle sent for me. I was busy washing my clothes, so I told the messenger that I would see my uncle soonest. I set out for my uncle’s house later. As I entered the house, the aroma of the onugbu (bitter leaf) soup that my uncle’s wife was cooking could not allow me to concentrate and even greet my uncle. All thanks to God, my uncle told me that I had to relax and eat food before he would tell me the reason for the invitation. I quickly agreed with him.

After a little while, my uncles wife set a mountain of fufu and a hot plate of the freshly prepared onugbu soup. The meat and fish inside the soup was not even allowing me to get to the soup. As I was devouring the food, I was pouring encomiums on my uncle’s wife. I declared her the best cook in the whole world. My heart judged me because my statement meant that I was saying that she cooks more than my mother. I knew that it was a lie. But I don’t know how else to really appreciate her for that sumptuous meal. When I finished my meal and relaxed a bit, my uncle told me why he called for me.

“Ikenna, I have something very important to discuss with you. It is concerning our family land. I and your father bought a land many years ago. It is in the neighboring village. The man who sold the land to us, later sold it to another person.”

“Ha!, why will he do that?”

“My son, human beings are unpredictable. Do you know that the person that did this claimed to be my bosom friend? If not for the love and trust that your father had for me, he would have concluded that I connived with the man to defraud him.’’

“Nnayi please don’t be offended. Did you say that this person is your friend?”

“That was what I thought until he showed his true colour. He lost both parents while he was a teenager. Afterwards he started living with his uncle’s family. They dealt with him and turned him to a shadow of his old self. He was withdrawn from school and he started taking care of his uncle’s farm. That notwithstanding, they don’t feed him. I was on my way to the stream one day when I met him I could hardly recognize him. That was when he told me of his ordeal in the hand of his uncle. I wept. When I got home told my parents about him and begged that he should come and live with us. Surprisingly, my parents agreed. He lived with us until he become a youth. Both of us were bicycle repairers. It was my parents that paid the bill.”

“This same person had the mind to defraud you?”

“That is life. Anyway, let me go back to the issue of the land. The battle started when your father was alive. In fact that the second man he sold the land to locked us up in police custody. I and my younger brother, who is your father, spent two weeks but a day in police cell before we were released. The only good thing that Ikeji did was that he said the truth. He confessed that he sold the land first to us before selling to the other man.”

“That is medicine after death. The man is wicked and I think that it runs in their blood.”

“You are right my son. That is why the elders will always make enquiry concerning any family their sons will marry from, and even those that want to marry their daughters. Bad blood runs in some lineage. No matter what you do it cannot be washed away.”

At that juncture, my uncle’s wife who had been sitting quietly joined in the discussion.

“Nnayi please don’t be offended. Are you trying to say that the blood of Jesus cannot wash away sin . It does not matter what is believed to happening in any lineage, anyone that is in Christ is a new creature. Old things have passed away. All things are new. The only difference is when the person is deceiving himself or herself. Then such one has not really surrendered.” My Uncle’s wife said.

“Woman! Keep quite. This is the teaching that has turned the world upside down. Any way I don’t even have your time. Let me wait for any day that someone will come to ask for my only daughter’s hand in marriage, and you will tell me not to make enquiry. In fact, if it means even going to the house of native doctor to make enquiry, I will go.

“Nnayi did you say native doctor?” I asked, somewhat alarmed.

“Yes my son. I have never stepped my foot to the house of a native doctor since I was born. But if that will enable me to ensure that my daughter is in a safe hand, I will do it. My sons’ marriage is important too I will also make enquiry but my daughter is of utmost important. She is a lone palm fruit in fire. She must not lost. I have spoken.”

I suddenly woke up. That was when I discovered that it was a dream. But I was disturbed. Why is this issue of native doctor coming up again? Is my uncle’s hands truly clean?

Watch out for the next episode