Chapter 6

Mrs Evelyn mocked her husband about his audacious plan. Though she feigned to reject the concept, she knew deep down that nothing would have thrilled her more than being crowned "my queen."

"Oh, my dear! Did it not occur to you that even while I was pregnant with Linda and her sisters, I never stopped going to Nkwo-Itanga market?

Should it be any different this time?"

"Did I hear you refer to my male child as 'this one?'" he snarled.

"I mean, your male child, my revered husband!" Please forgive my blunder and don't hold my frequent mistakes against me; I've always known that my porous mouth would be my undoing one of these days. "Please don't let your rage boil over," she pleaded, feigning to fall to her knees.

"Stand up, my lovely wife. This is not your everyday child. Didn't you tell me the senior priest himself informed you it would be a boy - a special child? Stress is not something that special masculine children like."

"Now my kinsmen will no longer insult me," he said, turning away from her. My dignity as my late father's eldest son will now be restored." Nailer He paused for a moment, looking with satisfaction and fulfillment at Mrs Evelyn's swelling stomach. "Dike, my brother and his advisers will never be given the chance to share my property." His expression brightened. "My people will no longer refer to me as 'half-a-man' from now on." I now have the status of a full man." He looked at his wife. "You can call me a man, my darling. A complete man! Ha-ha-ha." When he heard that, he busted out laughing.

"How are you, my husband?"

Mrs Evelyn, who had initially been calmly listening, became alarmed. She found it odd that her husband, who took life far too seriously, would laugh to himself without provocation. She had observed him and then burst out laughing.

"My heartbeat, my good wife." Yes, I am OK. I haven't completely lost my mind. I tell you that I am merely giddy with joy."

"Charles!"

Mr Williams addressed himself to no one in particular. He instantly stood up, stepped to the door of his hut, and took a brief peek outside. His countenance sank as he remembered his covetous sibling, my brother Charles. He clenched his teeth in annoyance.

"I used to be a laughingstock among my kin; a laughingstock among my own blood." The locals then felt that I was cursed and that, despite my rising wealth, I would die without an heir."

Mrs Evelyn listened to him with empathy, but she was also concerned about the yam she had left boiling on the stove to respond to him. She was split between wanting to attend to it and keeping her husband entertained.

He resumed his monologue before she could make a decision. "I'd been ridiculed, despised, and humiliated." They tricked me into thinking you were to blame for my misfortune, even telling me you were a witch." He came to a halt and gazed at his wife, tears streaming down his unshaved chin. "I now know that everything they said about you was a lie." I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused you, my queen. Please forgive me," he said as he rose to hug his wife.

Mrs Evelyn was taken aback by this unexpected turn of events. Her spouse was readily apologizing to her without prompting from her.

He must have been through a lot over the seven years or so he had been waiting for her to fall pregnant again.

"The love of my life, please forgive me," Mr Williams sobbed like a baby.

"My husband, I understand," she said. "Any man in our society is considered childless if he does not have a male child." You have not done anything that no other man has ever done. It's difficult for us women to feel as appreciated when we have female children as we do when we have male children. Do not be overly concerned. Maybe one day, something will happen, and our society will wake up to the predicament of moms who, through no fault of their own, were not bestowed with this wonderful treasure known as the "male child."

Evelyn was concerned that she had said too much and anxiously studied her husband's face. Mr Williams was nodding, much to her astonishment, even after she had remained silent. That told her that her remarks were not fully understood by Gabriel. Whatever the case, she believed that her God had just saved her from a difficult situation by her husband's failure to grasp the full meaning of her remarks. "My dear husband," she said, nudging him in the ribs. "'Yes, my dear," replied Williams. In his imagination, he was back with her.

"We've waited patiently until now, and our God will make us reap the harvest." Remember the old proverb: "Only the patient fisherman would eat fish caught with the hook." "We will soon reap the benefits of our patience; a very large fish," she murmured, touching her enormous stomach.

"The birth of this boy will forever silence our enemies," she concluded.

Mr Williams wrapped a warm embrace around his wife. He held her like that for a long time before they sat down to have their breakfast. It was a rare time of tranquillity for the pair. They'd been through a lot because of the absence of a son and, more specifically, Mrs Evelyn's inability to conceive after several years.

Mrs Evelyn took a suspicious whiff of the air and scowled slightly. Something was on fire. She remembered the dish she had been preparing and dialed Linda's number.

"Yes, mom," Linda said, sprinting to her father's room, the direction from where she heard her name.

"Will you look after the yam I'm cooking in the kitchen?" Please hurry! "It's on fire," Mrs Evelyn warned her daughter. She would have loved to handle it alone, but she knew her husband would not let her.

"Make sure you change the pot and scour out the burnt food at the bottom of the other pot before leaving it on the rack to dry, okay?" "Yes, mom," Linda responded.

Mr Williams was itching to express his thoughts. "Ask them to take the fish to market," he said.

"That will be too big a task for them, my love," she reminded him. "The girls are still too young for this kind of business," she reminded him. "Linda is only twelve, Jane is ten, and Helen is only seven." "Then let them go and call my sister, Hannah," he said.

Mrs Evelyn shuddered. The reaction to Williams' mention of Hannah's name could not have been caused by the sting of a wild African bee. Evelyn would never want such individual to assist her in her current situation. She paused, trying to find out how to effectively explain her thoughts on the sensitive matter. She didn't want her husband to suspect that she didn't get along with his sister. Evelyn had developed a strong dislike for her sister-in-law since their last confrontation.. Evelyn had done a remarkable job of concealing this fact over the years. Williams, like most men, had failed to recognize his wife's developing dislike for his sister. She had done a terrific job up to this point. But how does she intend to deal with the fact that she is in danger of being discovered? She would not want to make a hasty decision. Her hubby must be unaware. This would set off a fire that she might not be able to put out.

"Can I make a suggestion, my husband?" she requested softly and respectfully. It was her ruse to divert his attention.

"And what would that suggestion be?" he inquired.

"Can the girls call Johnson's mother, my friend?" Remember she's also a fishmonger? Do you remember how their business hasn't recovered since her husband's house was destroyed by that mysterious fire? She hasn't gone back to selling fish, has she? I'd much rather she manage the fish sale than leave it in the hands of your tiny females."

She laughed, making fun of their daughters' entrepreneurial spirit. She peeked out the window to make sure the females weren't around. She ended her proposal, satisfied that her little tattle was solely for her naughty ears and her husband's.

"Johnson's mother will sell them with great care and passion, as if they were her own." Besides, allowing her to keep half of the profit would have greatly aided her. "This is a less obvious way of helping her after their misfortune," she concluded.

"That is a very excellent suggestion. "I'm all for it, dear," Williams stated. His wife's thoughtfulness exhibited her kind and caring character once more. It was for this reason, among others, that he leaned over backwards to ensure that he paid her bride price, whatever the cost. He felt even more regret for allowing people to deceive him into being nasty to such a jewel of a wife as Evelyn.

"Linda!"

"Mother!" Linda appeared almost instantly at her father's hut, as if she had been waiting for the call. "Go immediately call Johnson's mother for me," she told her. "Johnson's mother will assist you in selling my fish today." She understands how I sell them."

"Yes, Linda, your mother needs to rest," Mr. Williams said.

Evelyn sighed quietly, relieved at her close escape. She was well aware that she was on the verge of disaster.

"Yes, dad," Linda replied. Smiling happily, she ran as fast as her twelve-year-old legs could carry her in the direction of Mrs Evelyn's house. Johnson's mother resided not far from the mission house built by followers of the white man's religion through collective effort.

Linda's younger sisters, ecstatic at the prospect of leaving the confines of Williams' house, chased her down, giggling and talking the entire time. They were relieved to be able to go outside, a rare and treasured privilege.