The tragic cries following the death of Ulobe and his family woke the people of Evbiamen. Ulobe’s only child, Osaro, and his wife had both been murdered.
The sky was clear as the morning sun rose. Bits of intestine and blood had been splattered all over his hut because of the extreme brutality of the attack. Nobody understood why Ulobe drank himself into a stupor the night before he passed away and was unable to go hunting. He was a skilled hunter and a formidable wrestler.
“Why did he kill himself and his family?” Everyone kept asking.
He adored his family and put in a lot of effort to support them. He taught his son compassion and resilience. Ulobe always took his son, Osaro along when he went hunting, telling him tales about the village as they travelled.
Osaro frequently relishes the tales. On one occasion, Ulobe spoke to him about the Owan River. According to the hand-down oral tradition, she was an Ora woman who married in the village of Otuo and amassed considerable wealth because of her grit and determination before passing away childless. She died following a protracted illness and her body was not brought back to the hamlet of her father as custom demanded. As the body decayed, it transformed into a spring that travelled through the proper lowlands, was washed spiritually, and returned to her father’s hamlet in Uhonmora.
Owan was worshipped by the residents of Uhonmora village, and no one was allowed to consume any kind of fish from her river. The villagers made sacrifices to her whenever they were faced with a challenge. They looked up to her as their mother and relied on her for safety.
Ulobe’s wife, Esosa, cherished their marriage. She would make delicious meals for her husband once he got back from his hunt, and they would talk about what happened while he was gone. Ulobe also had unrivalled affection for his wife. He encountered her during one of his wrestling matches.
Esosa’s shoulders were covered in black hair. Her body was incredibly beautiful; amorously shaped and well-proportioned.
After ten years of marrying Ulobe, Esosa had not conceived. Just like his mother, Ulobe impatiently awaited the birth of his son. His mother reminded Esosa of her childlessness with her frequent visits. No matter what Esosa did to win her over, she constantly grumbled.
“You sold the river goddess your womb. My son cannot be married to another male. Let your family return our bride price. I’ll give him another woman who can become pregnant for him.”
“But, mama, what did I do to earn all these slurs?” She asked.
“Are you questioning me?” I believe you ought to inquire from your mother who gave birth to a male and called him a female.” She retorted furiously.
“Mama, don’t belittle my mother, please. It’s been an issue or the other since you moved into this place.” Esosa complained bitterly.
She fixed her gaze on her mother-in-law’s.
“Beat me! I am aware of your lack of regard for seniors. You can beat your parents in this manner. My sole regret is that my child wed a male.” She spat on the floor.
Esosa worried about her childlessness every day. “Could her husband possibly be impotent?” He feels upset every time she tells him to have a medical examination. One afternoon, as she was leaving the market, she overheard two women chatting about her.
“I don’t know why that young, attractive Ulobe is still living with his barren wife. Does he intend to pass away childless? One of the rumour mongers stated.
“Does Ulobe want to tell us that he can’t locate a lovely lady in this village who will bear him children? Take a good look at me; am I not fertile enough to carry him an entire village?
“You’re hilarious. You desire to give him a village. When your kids take over the entire village, where do you want people like us to live?” The other lady responded.
“Fifteen children were born to my mother. She could have given birth to a village had my father lived.” She boasted.
“I believe she possessed him. How is it that a man can go years without taking a second wife?” The lady added.
“She is a witch! In fact, I would expel her if I were her mother-in-law.” One of them said as Esosa approached nearer.
“Let’s move quickly. She is on her way.”
Esosa would sob by herself until she was unable to. She had become a laughingstock. Things became worse after her husband went hunting for several days. While her husband was away, she kept a covert relationship with Agbuza, the spouse of one of her friends. She didn’t want to keep an affair with him, instead, she wanted to test her fertility because her husband wouldn’t cooperate. She then wooed him. Agbuza assumed her husband’s position covertly while he was absent.
Esosa broke off her connection with him after she found out she was pregnant after they had become intimate. Ulobe was cheerful. He smiled wider than he had done in the last decade. He came alive. That was Ulobe, the strong-willed and lively man. The happiness of Ulobe following the birth of Osaro was indescribable. Like wildfire, the news quickly travelled across the community.
Osaro always carried Ulobe’s waistbands whenever he participated in a wrestling match. It was believed that the waistbands would increase his strength. He received them from his father. He frequently warned him against ever playing a villain.
A few years later, Agbuza threatened to tell her husband the truth about Osaro if she didn’t stay with him. She offered him money and gifts, but he refused. Ulobe observed that his wife was no longer joyful. She started to withdraw. She refused to answer his questions despite numerous attempts to make her do so. She attempted to speak but, tears prevented her from doing so. She summoned courage and proclaimed it with a heavy heart; “Osaro isn’t your child,” she said.
At that moment, Ulobe felt like strangulating her. His eyes grew stern and slit-like. He was perplexed, frequently got drunk, and kept Osaro at a distance. The defenceless child was also powerless and emotionally broken. Because of their closeness, he believed no other father could show him the same kind of affection.
For weeks, Ulobe stayed awake all night due to his gnawing anguish. His face was covered with agony, as he sat alone in his palm wine house. He was in a terrible state of sorrow. Esosa had an extramarital affair to keep their union intact. She was aware that the truth is blinding, much like light, and that man is always a victim of it. She would only be in the middle of her consciousness if she confirmed what appeared to be the truth while contradicting it.
Ulobe didn’t speak to anyone on the night of the murder. With his arms behind him and a dead conscience, he paced repeatedly. He waited for his wife and Osaro to fall asleep that fateful night before he fired the shots. Then, he shot himself.
Read – Irony of Life – A Short Story by Rahmatu Parker, Nigeria
