BROWN 6

When she arrives at her house in Ijebu-Ife, she sees her parents still in the same compound, older, poorer, more tired. Her father is still expecting his ‘big’ employment. They have waited for her to return home from her ‘holidays’ for years. They accuse her jokingly, with pride in their voice as the neighbours gather round to welcome their ‘old Lagos friend’, of enjoying herself so much she decided to live there and forget them, not even sending any money at all to support them. Aunty Caro who took her for the holiday and told them that neither Madam nor Lade wanted Lade to leave, drives a Jeep now; she bought it after she returned from Lagos, so Lade must have been living ‘the life’. She must be a big girl now. She must have brought many wonderful things home.

Through the fawning and the celebration, she smiles emptily. While her mother screams with joy at the expensive jewellery her Lagos daughter has given her to put all those evil spirits and demons of poverty to shame, while Baba wears his wrist watches on his two hands with pride, while her ‘friends’ spray themselves with American dollars and her parents scramble to pick them back, she smiles emptily. Because she has started to feel. Mama Bomboy’s high laughter sounds a lot like Baby’s own. The ‘fruit’ tree reminds her of Baby’s love for the boyish sport of climbing trees. Dele is picking his nose the way Baby used to when she wanted to irritate Madam. Even her clothes smell of Baby.

She weeps deep, long and hard on that her last night.

The next day, the compound alarm which was raised in joyful, thankful praises is cut short by Sister Yemi’s panicked shout. The police have arrived in their Black Maria with Madam, Mummy Omolara and Aunty Caro. Aunty Caro marches righteously before the police, her heavy breasts bouncing against her chest in moral justification. The weeping Mummy Omolara bears Madam’s sagging, sobbing, dishevelled weight, comforting her and promising her that her daughter’s murderer would not go unpunished because they had come for the work of the Lord and the God that they serve never sleeps. He will punish the wicked in burning flames.