Aku had to stop her trade and focus more on herself because she doesn't want anything to happen to her unborn child. Since she became pregnant, Obini has become himself again. He could stand tall amid the men and speak of matters affecting families in Umueke.
Okoli, the first son of Obini from the second wife, married into the family by Aku was quite a good boy, he seldom cried even in the hands of other women who were not his biological mother as a child. Aku was fond of him. He was the one, upon his arrival, the shame of the family was wiped off.
This attitude of Okoli, accorded his mother enough time to do her chores and to carry out other petty businesses around. She started to assist in delivering goods to Aku's customers. It now looked like she had started to cooperate with her mistress and would do anything just to gain her confidence.
On one such trip, she met a young handsome, and rich man from a far land. Abueke fell for his sweet words and agreed to follow him to the bigger city. Though, she had put up a fight against Odum's sugar-coated words. She gave in when she saw how beautifully he carries himself like one who was not from this planet at all. Odum had agreed with Abueke that on their next business trip, they would elope.
One would wonder why Abueke wouldn't even think of her son with Obinna. She had feared that her future with Aku and Obinna is that of a slave girl who had just been married to bear children.
Their plan fell through. The next market day, Abueke adorn herself with a local makeover and wore her best wrapper and blouse. She hurriedly left the house so that she wouldn't miss Odum. She left Okoli back at home with Aku who had already gotten used to the little boy, with the hope of never returning to Umueke again.
When she arrived at the market, so many people had come to buy Aku's wares. In a very short time, she sold out all that she came with. That gave her ample opportunity to start looking for where she could get Odum. They agreed to meet at the foot of the large mango tree behind the market.
Aku reached under the tree but could not find any traces of Odum. She waited and waited until her hope faded. She had no option but to return to Umueke.
As she was going, she met some other women who were going back home to Umueke too. They were busy discussing how a strange man had been deceiving women from their matrimonial homes and selling them at the seaport in the major city as slaves.
The last market day was not favorable to him. Odum was arrested around the borders of Igboland where she was transporting women to the seaport.
Goosebumps covered Abueke. She was silent when she heard that the man was arrested. "This could be the reason Odum did not come to pick her up at the market today", she thought.
So, Odum had bad intentions for her. She was grateful that her Chi was not asleep. Else, she would be coasting her way to eternal servitude.
When she arrived home, she went to greet Aku and carried Okoli with a tight hug, promising never to leave him. She wept in her heart as she sang a lullaby to Okoli who was just brandishing his toothless I'm at her.
That night, Abueke made a great feast for the family and served their meals on one plate because he wanted everyone to eat together. She was still singing the praises of her Chi that did not allow her to fall into the snare of blind love and slavery.
Aku noticed that Abueke hadn't been herself since she returned from the market but what exactly happened she could not place.
In the early hours of the next morning, Aku got in to labour and gave birth to a set of twins. It was the easiest childbirth that had been carried out by the local midwife, Ogbom.
Anyone who heard of the birth of twins, ran down to Obini's compound to see what they looked like. Twins birth was rate in those days. Before Obini returned from the farm, his friends had already started drinking palm wine with roasted bush meat.
Part Three is on the Way.
