My brother Uche

My name is Iheoma. I am the third girl of my mother and her last born. My mother is the third wife of my father, Papa Uche. Brother Uche is the only male child in our family and my mother's first born, which was why my mother had the status of the favourite wife in the house. Altogether, my father had twelve children in the house and three wives. To be clear, we were fourteen females and two males in the house, meaning overplenty of drama every day in Ukunu!

Unusual it was but my brother was not spoilt like other only sons. It seemed like God had given him a special nature that our parents could not influence, a brain like computer and a tall physique that farmwork had buffed well. If our mother favoured him with a juicy and thick piece of meat, Brother Uche would manage to cut small for me without our mother seeing him. My mother said that the day she gave birth to me, the labour pangs caught her unexpectedly while at the farm. Uche was the only one there to help her because I came too quickly before he could run to get help. Immediately I was born, Mama said brother looked like as if someone had cast a spell on him. When they got home, he would not leave my side and watched over me like a mother hen! He carried me around like his personal property, fed me and changed my nappies. Mama said she even thought my first words sounded like Uche. But that is Mama. She can add salt and pepper to any story to make it sweet. But the bond remained over the years so that when brother Uche got a job at a bank in the city, he asked Papa if I could come and stay with him. Papa did not know how he said yes. No jupiter could overrule the plea of the favourite son and the wailing of the last born combined

Two years after I was still in Lagos with my brother. I had just started my OND in Business Admin at Yabatech. Shortly after my arrival from the village, Uche enrolled me in lessons to ensure I got better results than I did for my WAEC. Uche made sure that I did not idle away. Infact, I had to start called him small Papa. He did not joke with my education at all, not even small. When my WAEC result came back and it was not too good, it was Uche that beat me. Even Papa had to deliver me from him. It was as if he wanted to beat of foolishness out of my small body. He had been serving at his NYSC posting when in SS3 so he was not around to ensure I faced my books and prepared well.

This afternoon, I was sitting on the bench outside our flat. The heat inside could roast yam. The one outside could fry egg but there was small breeze. I was alone at home and boredom was looking for a way to kill me. Brother Uche travelled this morning to Sweden for a 5 day course. NEPA was manifesting craze again and there was fuel scarcity, so I had to manage the small fuel left in the generator. Maybe, I could check the Mobil fuel station at Market Junction or the one close to Falele bus stop but that would mean walking under the sun. Bike was too pricey and Adamou would collect tip but... 

"My fine size, good afternoon o. How body?" My neighbour's greeting cut off my inner musing. Celestine was locking his front door. He must be on his way out. "I am fine o. How your side?” I replied. "I dey kampe. Why are you sitting outside?", he asked. Which kind primary school question is that, I thought to myself or did I look like an oyinbo man wanting to darken my skin under the sun. "I just want small breeze, my brother". I deliberately injected 'my brother' sometimes when I cannot avoid talking with him. If he was a wise man, he would have known long time ago that I did not favour him as a potential boyfriend at all. When I started taking lessons, he tried to make subtle passes at me but me ke, I pretended I did not understand anything and started calling him brother. Did it dissuade him? No, of course not.

What even spoilt Celestine’s matter finish was that brother Uche did not like him from at all. Uche did not even know he was trying to ask me out otherwise, I trust small Papa, he would have carried cutlass to chop off his head. When I asked why he did not like him, he muttered under his breath and warned me sternly that he must never catch me with him and if I wanted to have a good future I would stay away from him. That one no be problem, abi wetin concern agbero with overload?

Celestine picked up his jerrycan and dropped it in the boot of his vehicle. “Brother, are you going to buy fuel?”, I asked before considering the implication. He nodded in answer. “My friend just called to say the queue at Mobil is not long. Do you also want to buy? We can quickly go there and buy”, he added while standing with the driver’s door open. If the queue was short, then we would not stay there too long, I thought. Plus my brother was not around anyway. “Please let me go with you. I will just get my jerrycan and wallet”, I answered. I quickly went inside and took N2,000 out of the money my brother left for me. In my mind, I could hear my brother’s voice warning me not to try it. But no other tenant was outside to see anything to report to my brother, I countered. What my brother did not know would not kill him na… I quickly dashed to the dining table and picked up the Gideon’s bible lying there. If Celestine talked too much in the car, I will form bible reading sister.

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Finally, we turned into our street. It was almost 8pm. We had spent more than four hours at the station just to get fuel in the car and jerrycans. When we got there, the car queue was short but jerrycan queue was ten times longer. Later, I noticed the 2 attendants at the pumps seemed to be selling into 10 jerrycans, then 1 car. But the jerrycan queue kept growing. Instead of Celestine to behave sharply and arrange himself to buy fuel in the jerrycans, he was trying to wax some type of ‘baby o fine’ lyrics. Maybe they worked on other girls sha o but they were like noise to me. When I could not take it anymore, I got out of the car and asked him to open the boot. “For what?”, he asked. I pointed at the jerrycan queue. “That queue is moving faster, brother Celestine. If we buy in jerrycans, we will not stay long.” Na so brother Celestine come see light o.

He pressed the horn at the gate but it seemed Adamu, the gateman was not there. So I got down to open the gate for him. As he drove in, the car lights caught the sight of someone at the door of our flat. He turned, trying to shield his eyes from the glare. My heart stopped beating in that moment. His eyes adjusted to the security light outside. “Good evening, brother”, I stammered. “Where are you coming from?”, my brother Uche asked. “Church” he added when he saw the bible in my hand. “Didn’t you travel again?” I asked evading saying the truth. I just wanted him to enter the house before he added two and two to get five. “Let me help you carry your bag inside.” He was saying something about Arik rescheduling because of scarcity of fuel as he struggled to open the door but I was barely listening. I didn’t want him to know I had spent the last four hours with Celestine. My heart could not stop beating fast. “Good evening Uche. Welcome back. How work?”, Celestine interrupted for the second time today. “Good evening” my brother turned and replied. “Here is your jerrycan, Iheoma.” as he dropped my load in front of us. In a split second, Uche’s face changed like from flesh to stone. Celestine’s jovial “Goodnight my people” met no answer as my brother’s eyes pinned me down and he asked for the second time, “Where are you coming from?” I did not know when I uttered “Master Jesus save me!”