Immediately, Ada stepped out of the car, she could perceive the scent of the warm dusty earth of her village, the distant fried plantains from Mama Nnenna's store, and the hint of burning firewood from a nearby villager's hut. She stood for a while and looked around, noticing that the village had remained the same. The crimson earth still clung stubbornly to the feet of the children who ran barefoot pass her as she kept staring at the children fading into the distance and the surrounding village.The rusted zinc roofs of various houses belonging to the villagers shimmered gracefully under the intense afternoon sun. and the air was filled with the chirping of unseen insect and birds. Suddenly it started raining; another set of children ran barefoot through the rain, splashing water with every step. Their laughter was contagious as they embrace the refreshing downpour, free from any worries, enjoying the carefree happiness of childhood, where the simplest moment actually bring the greatest happiness. Suddenly, the rain reduced to a drizzle Instead.
Ada hesitated, her grip tightening on the car door handle. Ten good years had passed since her last visit to the village. It had been ten years since her mother left for the village and never returned to the city. It had been ten long years since she laid her father to rest; a full decade had gone by since she last stood here and left this place behind.
However, nostalgia had a way of pulling people back.
"Ada!"
She swiftly turned at the distinct voice and saw Mama Nnenna, the village's ever-smiling food vendor, wiping her wet hands on her tidied apron as she walked majestically to where she was standing.
"Chai! See our Lagos girl oo! Looking all polished and grown up; you don't even look like someone who grew up eating my fried plantain and puff-puff!" Mama Nnenna chuckled while hugging her tightly.
Ada grinned slightly, amazed by how natural and pleasant it felt to be home again. "Mama Nnenna, you are still looking very vibrant and beautiful; you have not changed at all."
"Ah! my dear, but you have actually changed, you grew big and forgot about our small village."
Ada wanted to say something in return but guilt had already beclouded her mind, and her thoughts were blank. Had she really forgotten, or had she been too afraid to remember?
As Ada approaches the house gradually, she could recall memories as it whispers to her from every corner. The mango tree that protected her from danger and numerous chores. The narrow stream where she and her childhood friend, Chinedu, used to bathe, wash, and play paper races. Ada had always had a phobia of large bodies of water. Even though the narrow stream was small, she still felt that same fear filling her as she made her way to the house. She could recall Chinedu encouraging her to swim. The small wooden stall where her mother used to sell corn came to mind; she could recall how her mother use to call out passersby with a voice full of warmth.
As soon as she arrived at their doorpost, she gradually stretched her hands forward, reaching for the door. She gently pushed it open and suddenly the scent of old wooden furniture and aging memories greeted her. She could see her mother in her usual spot; She was already frail and old. She couldn't even turn to see who it was that had opened her door.
"Mama!" Ada called softly.
Her mother looked up, her eyes abit cloudy but still sharp. "Adanna." Is that really you?"
For a moment, neither of them moved. Then her mother signed, with tears in her eyes,
and gestured for Ada to come closer to her.
"You eventually decided to return home. Did you finally remember the road home? Heaven knows how delightful I am to see you, my dear," her mother said reassuringly.
Ada knelt before her mother and placed her head on her lap; her eyes were also filled with tears. "I never forgot, Mama.I just didn't know how to come back."
Her mother rocked her as if she were a baby, running her rough fingers, worn from hard years of work, through her hair and robbing her back gently, and continuously, with tears in both of their eyes. Ada had missed her mum; she had missed her village, and most especially, she had missed this precious moment with her mum.
That evening, Ada make a concrete decision to finally take in the ghost of her past by fully embracing her nostalgia. She walked through the village, extending greetings as she walked pass each house. She giggled at the children playing "hide and seek" and "ten-ten." She beamed at the sound of a radio playing an old highlife song, and she gleamed at the comforting crackle of a firewood in the evening air. The entire village was purely green...Just green.
As she walked, Ada arrived at the center of the village, where the old well was located. It was the center of activities—a place where women fetched water, a place where children played to their satisfaction, a place where strong men came to show off their manly strength and fitness.
It was also thesame spot where she had last seen Chinedu.
Ada recalled that very day vividly. Dark clouds filled the sky, hinting at imminent rain. They had argued over something very silly, something she could not even remember right now. All she could picture was the fury in his tone and the exasperation in his gaze.
"You think you're too good for this place?"
Chinedu once asked her. "So you want to go to the city and forget all about us, right?" she recalled Chinedu's words as she stood there, staring in guilt and regret.
She had scoffed at Chinedu. "Maybe...Maybe I do."
And she had.
Ada had learned in a phone call from her mother that Chinedu had died in a road accident two years later. She had always tried to forget about that argument they had before her departure; maybe if she'd stayed, Chinedu would still be alive today. Just maybe, she thought to herself. Just like that, Chinedu became a part of her past, a nostalgic ghost in the corners of her memory.
Still standing there, she whispered, I am so sorry, Chinedu."
Suddenly, a swift breeze came around her, rustling the leaves of a nearby tree. It almost felt like a comforting response.
The next day, Ada sat outside her house watching her mother pick stones from the harvested beans.
"Mama, why did you stay?"she asked curiously.
Her mother continued what she was doing and said. "Because this is home."
"But living in the city would have been better and much easier, Mama. I earned well; I could have taken care of you."
Immediately, her mother glanced at her and said, " do you think life is all about ease?" She shook her head in disagreement, and continued, "Life is about meaning. My roots are here. My memories. My love," she said convincingly.
Ada was left dumbfounded. She had spent so many years chasing something—success, money, a life better and farther from home. But what is the point of all these achievements If she had to lose so much along the way?
Ada's mother stood up from the beans she was actually picking and walked slowly towards her daughter, Ada. She sat close to her and took her hands, covering them with hers. She encouraged her "You are my daughter, no matter where you go. But you must really ask yourself—where do you truly belong?"
That night, Ada could not sleep; she just lay awake throughout the night, staring at the ceiling and deliberating on the life she had built in the city and the one calling her back.
Her mind drifted to Chinedu, she thought about how he had wanted her to stay. She also thought of her poor, lonely mother, living alone all these years; she was definitely craving her companionship too.
The next morning, Ada made her decision.
She found her mother outside cutting vegetables and onions, trying to prepare for breakfast. Ada joined her mother in preparing the meal. During the preparation, She said in a firm and steady voice. " Mama, I want to stay."
Her mother stopped promptly. She stared at Ada with an understanding gaze and asked her, "Adanna, are you sure about this?"
She nodded confidently, and said, "I left once, thinking I needed to get away. But I think...I think I was actually meant to find my way back here. Home."
Her mother smirked and reached for her daughter's face, cupping it in her hands. "Welcome home, my darling."
And just like that, the past and present merged into something whole and beautiful.
Embracing the warmth of nostalgia, Ada chose to stay in her village to restructure, build and enjoy earth's true nature.
She was where her heart truly belonged.
