Ife nodded wondering how she was going to handle traveling out of the state at a moment’s notice but she said nothing.
The lady also explained that she was visiting some orphanages and wanted Ife to take a critical look at the medical attention the children were being given. By the time she finished outlining the duties she expected, Ife felt much better and smiled at the First lady.
The First Lady laughed. “Feel you can tolerate me now?”
“I didn’t have problems with you, Ma’am”
“Except you didn’t like being ordered to serve one particular individual, right?” the First Lady teased.
Ife didn’t know how to reply and kept quiet. The one sided chat soon ended and Ife returned to the flat that she was allocated. Her helper asked her if she wanted lunch served and she shook her head wanting to observe a quiet time in the room. She asked for some oranges and went into the bedroom.
~~~
Her phone rang. It was a strange number and she gave a tentative greeting. It was Mrs. Omolayo on the other end saying hello and reminding her that she would like to visit her at the hospital. Ife was pleased to talk and enquired after Iwapele. She explained that she had been transferred to a new post but would meet her for lunch the next week at a popular eatery frequented by civil servants not far from the state secretariat.
One week later Ife kept her lunch appointment with Mrs. Omolayo. Ife enquired after Iwapele and was pleased to learn that all was well with her young friend. Her mother explained that her daughter had returned to her medical studies. As they had lunch Ife sensed that there was more on the mind of the fair skinned lady in front of her. She waited knowing the lady would ask questions in her own good time.
She did not wait long but she got a bombshell when Mrs. Omolayo finally spoke. “I have a fair idea of the identity of the people involved in the attempt on my daughter’s life. One of them is a prominent politician.”
“That is a heavy accusation, Madam.”
“It is not an idle accusation—will you hear me out please.”
Ife sat up straight when Mrs. Omolayo spoke again.
“My daughter is actually the daughter of a political heavy weight in the state. We met in England and I did not want to marry him after I discovered that he wanted to go into politics and also that he had group of friends that I did not wish to associate with. I come from a fairly comfortable family and I am the sole heir. I learnt that while my boyfriend had proposed to me he had gotten another girl pregnant. He gave her a bracelet of indigo beads saying he will come for the bracelet when the time was right. Just before he was to return to Nigeria, that girl was found unconscious in her bath and her wrists had been painted an indigo color. I was alarmed. It didn’t mean anything to me but I felt uneasy enough to have a private investigator check what had happened prior to the woman being discovered. I learnt that the woman had her baby removed. There was no trace of the baby and no trace of my boyfriend. I was told that in rituals babies are priced and particularly for political offices—I understand that a baby sacrifice ensured that the recipient of the juju is loved without question. You know everybody reacts with love at the innocence of a new born.”
Ife sighed. “I think you should look for a rational reason, besides that was years ago and your daughter is by no means a baby.”
Ife could tell that Mrs. Omolayo was wondering how much she could tell her. The woman seemed to have changed her mind and asked Ife if she had not noticed anything about the apparent disappearance of crazy people in the streets these days, nor the constant report of accidents. Ife shook her head agreeing that she felt that the sick patients were being taken off the streets. Mrs. Omolayo laughed heartily at Ife’s reply, pointing out that the asylums rather than being full were being emptied.
Ife felt her skin develop goose bumps and asked her what she meant by that observation. Mrs. Omolayo shrugged, smiling at Ife’s naiveté. She invited Ife to check with her friends and she would soon learn that there was always a sudden increase in kidnappings, murders whenever an election year was around. She asked if Ife had not been reading the papers.
“What you will read will be about the high profile members of the society, but persons of lowly income are simply disappearing. My daughter is one of the very few lucky ones. When such accidents happen, the human vultures descend on the scene and cart away human victims. Those that are dead are quickly dismembered and their carcasses either dropped back at the scene of the accident or just dropped anywhere. Some who show signs of life are their prized findings. Iwapele said she came round to pairs of eyes staring unblinkingly at her and a questioning nightmare. They gave her a drug that made her relax but also altered her reasoning. That was why she went along with all the indignities not objecting. That was the cruelest form of depravity man is capable of, and that was visited on my child. Why? Simple answer, a sick man wants to achieve a political height and human beings become cannon fodder for him to achieve his aims. This is a sick country, doctor, and your medicine cannot heal us.” She finished her words with bitterness.
There was silence as Ife looked at her with compassion.
The woman was not quite finished, “I came to see you because I hear you have been given a job with Her Excellency. I know a bit about her. Very nice, and compassionate, but she is like someone you should hesitate to call a friend. I would give you examples of some of us who visited her when her husband Ibukun, became the Governor and what has happened to some of us. When you have time, ask for Dolapo. She is the present Commissioner for Health.”
“I am not interested in the personal lives and gossip, please,” Ife said, coolly rising to her feet.
“I only wanted to alert you, Princess Numen,” and Mrs. Omolayo was gone leaving Ife standing rigid with shock.
Ife sat back in the chair slowly as she felt the present fade and she was looking into the face of Leila. She was back in the desert, only this time Lije was not in camp. He had gone to fight the border men near the northern side of the camp. Jasmine who used to go on such trips with him had been denied this trip because Lije had taken another woman with him. Jasmine was enraged and that was when Princess Numen was sent to explain to Jasmine that Leila the woman who went with Lije was a hunter imbued with the abilities to track hidden things.
When Leila came back from the hunt, she had been injured by an eagle. Her forearm had been gouged by the bird. In her pain, Leila had called out Jasmine. But Lije had insisted that the two women were to step away from his own camp and return as ordinary women to the east camp. There was a lot of tears but Lije was adamant and asked his soldiers to help the women relocate. It was a bitter fight and Princess Numen had done everything she could to stop the rift. She had asked the warring women to go on a trip with her. It was her way to make the women realize that it is was only in a joint effort could they keep the camp light.
Both women had a reason to feel neglected as they each told a story of love, promises and abandonment. Princess Numen had her work cut out trying to teach them that it was only in the expression of love outwards can there really be peace. Leila stayed in the outward camp for a few more weeks. When the issue was resolved, and the women asked to return to camp with Lije, Leila had gone on her own hunting trip. Thereafter, Lije and Jasmine were allowed to return to Earth to resolve their differences. Leila had her own chance too. Princess Numen sent good wishes to Leila and was surprised when she received a laughing response into her thoughts. Leila was always the happy spirit, the individualistic one. She remembered one comment she had made once when she came to the Blue Island on a visit. She had been asked if she was Lije’s woman, and Leila had snapped back saying she belonged only to herself.
Chapter Eleven
The palace was a beehive of activity. Men and women went about clearing and cleaning the premises, close to the entrance of the palace. Some school children were seen practicing music and banners were being put up by the younger men. A visitor to the palace would notice the buntings at the entrances.
Kabiyesi was in the reception room holding talks with some of his chiefs. There was an air of purpose about the whole place. A car drove in and some men got out of the car led by Prince Adejare. The prince led them to the presence of the Kabiyesi.
Kabiyesi gave him a broad smile.
“Kabiyesi, in obedience to your order, I have brought some interesting visitors,” Adejare said, as he gave Babatunde the one fist salute.
Babatunde welcomed the visitors to the town. Ladies came out and served them palm wine in clean scrubbed calabash bowls. This seemed to have impressed the visitors, particularly the foreign looking Caucasian amongst them. He had been introduced as Mr. Tom Watkins. He had deep brown hair and eyes that matched.
Babatunde smiled at his interest and as pounded yam was served with vegetables he was gratified to note that Mr. Watkins was keen to explore the timber resource possibilities of the town. He explained that he wanted to set up a wood-processing factory and would be interested in exporting wood parquet floorboards. He was surprised when Babatunde insisted that for every tree that was cut, three had to be planted to replace it. The talk went further to explore a probable site and Kabiyesi expressed the desire to know how many employable youth were available.
Such was the level of discussion with different types of investors who were being invited into the town. They started off a palm oil plantation and Kabiyesi requested to know if anything could be done about harnessing the palm wine potentials of the town. He asked Mr. Watkins if he liked the palm wine he was given and expressed a desire to have it bottled. The chiefs who were part of the meeting enjoyed the opportunity to be part of the conversation. Babamogba sat quietly in a corner, not contributing much but his body language indicated he was impressed and awed.
Later when the visitors had left, the chiefs congratulated Kabiyesi and told him that they wished him more strength.
“You know, Kabiyesi, if we had had this type of guide for a long time, we would not be where we are now,” Babamogba said quietly
The other chiefs nodded in assent but Kabiyesi told them that in the weaving of their respective prayers, the town was now ready to join the world.
“We must come to the understanding that we can be whatever we want as long as we obey the laws of Olodumare. He bids us understand that we don’t harvest yam in a field we had planted with corn. Remember our fathers also said that all ailments have a cure but not that of vengeance, for Olodumare decides when the fruit will ripen. Let us make a joint decision to move this town to a higher level and you will be surprised to know that even the witches will agree with us.” Babatunde observed the chiefs as he spoke and they all nodded. He waited for a few minutes more and then announced that someone with a different aspiration for the town was throwing mud at the efforts of the people, as he now narrated the issue of the indigo colors and the increase in ritual murders.
Babatunde’s tone had changed by now as he growled that he had no intention to allow anyone to create fear and negative emotions within the populace. He said he was not accusing anyone but was serving notice that his mild exterior should not be mistaken for cowardice. There was silence as he growled more, and warned that each chief was being made responsible for his area. He stated very clearly that he was not going to stand for ritual killing within his domain.
Babamogba stood up and bowed before Babatunde and implored him to temper his anger with some understanding, as he stated that some of the sons of the town had become interested in politics with the consequent rise in sacrifices as most of them had been making supplications to the gods. He assured the Kabiyesi that human sacrifice was forbidden by the first king and thus no medicine man of the town would dare to attempt such a thing.
“Every son in this town is born freed from the bondage of human sacrifice. We cannot now deliberately bind ourselves all over again. Akoda’s pillar was brought here by the Lion and his Lady, how can we be different from our roots?” Babatunde demanded.
He raised his horsetail and made a full circle with it bringing it to rest when striking an imaginary middle point. “We will stand together and not become wolf-men.”
The chiefs murmured assent and promised to caution any over enthusiastic medicine practitioner in their midst.
As the meeting ended Babatunde signaled that Babamogba was to wait behind. When the reception was empty of all other chiefs, Babatunde informed Babamogba that there was a new development in their quiet enquiries about the indigo people and said they might have to search closer to home.
Babamogba was dismayed and it showed in his expression.
Babatunde understood why the old man was dismayed. Babatunde requested that a meeting of the inner Ifa circle should be conveyed so as to find strategies to ensnare the culprit and a decision will be taken thereafter.
Two evenings later Babatunde had a visitor in the palace. It was an emissary of the Governor requesting his presence at the State House. Babatunde read the letter, mystified. Since his coronation, he had very little to do with the government. He had paid the mandatory visit expected of him after the Governor attended his coronation. He wondered if the invitation had anything to do with the indigo issue but he kept to his own counsel. The next morning he asked his private secretary to take his reply to the State House that he would visit in two days. If his private secretary was surprised, he didn’t let on but he brought the letter for his signature and dropped a copy in a file.
The young architect he had put in charge of the civic center he was planning for his town came round and Babatunde got very busy with him looking at the plans. He was immersed in that activity until Yomi arrived and he had lunch with him. The Princess was not in the palace so he opted for lunch teasing Yomi that he was a poor substitute for the lunch partner he would have preferred.
Over an amiable lunch, Babatunde asked his lawyer friend if he had any news to share with him. Yomi laughed.“ The only news is my impending marriage with Josephine in her village in Enugu state. We will do the formal registry wedding here. Olori gave permission for a small reception and she said she will host for us.”
Babatunde smiled as he acknowledged that he was aware of the arrangement. He joked that he did not want to get Yomi into further debt, else he would have come to Enugu to see if he can add an Igbo lady to the palace.
They both laughed.
“Kabiyesi, did you really forfeit your right to have another wife at the palace?” Yomi asked curiously.
Babatunde was serious when he replied, “The African male is polygamous by nature and inclination, but that state of affair is not for all of us. As a Kabiyesi, I have such a license, but I prefer to take a lesson from the teachings of Ifa, and the history of the town. Polygamy might be good for some, my father seems to have practiced that successfully, but for my own temperament I can’t see myself doing justice to it. I am obviously too into Princess.”
Yomi nodded, a faraway look coming into his eyes. “I understand you Kabiyesi, and I had assumed I was like that with Wura.”
“Wura was an experience you needed to have so Kunle could come; that was the only opening at that time when his incarnation was matured and it was according to the threads Ifa saw and made possible,” Babatunde explained to his friend.
The maids cleared the table and brought in fresh palm wine. Yomi gave the palm wine an anxious look noting that he would need to drive back to the city and by the freshness of the palm wine he could tell it was going to make him sleepy. Babatunde laughed and said he could have fresh water from the grove. Babatunde said it casually, noting that he was looking at the possibility of bottling the spring water that came from the hills facing the sacred hill.
Yomi said he was becoming not just a lawyer to the Kabiyesi, but his business consultant as well.
“At this rate, Kabiyesi, the Governor is going to be jealous of your town and send for you to give him your blueprint.”
Kabiyesi laughed and said that that was maybe why the Governor had requested to see him. Yomi was surprised and Babatunde expl
ained that he had just sent back a letter agreeing to visit the Governor two days hence. He added that he might call at Yomi’s chambers when he leaves the State House to update Yomi.
They agreed and Yomi took his leave.
Later that evening, Prince Adejare came to pay Babatunde a visit. It was to update him about the investor he had brought to the palace earlier and to confirm that papers were being drawn up on the statement of interest for the setting up of a wood processing factory. Prince Adejare showed Babatunde the proposed plans that he wanted Babatunde to see. “You could change what doesn’t fit your picture. You did say there was to be regular quarters even for low paid staff, right? Tom didn’t get it but he was impressed. He was very surprised when you said members of the town were to be given an opportunity to buy shares in the factory. That has never been done before.”
“Yes I know, they have never had a leader who wants to share the headache around.”
Adejare laughed. “This is sharing wealth, not headaches.”
“If you contributed to preparing a pot of soup, you will want to make sure the cook does not burn it on the fire,” Babatunde said.
Adejare said, “The way you are going about things here, we are going to be one big cooperative town like an Israeli kibbutz.”
“That would not be a bad idea, but actually I am just ensuring we all share in the joint resources we all have rather than somebody making us paupers. Each person can still make money for himself according to the level of interest and hard work he invests in his abilities.”
Adejare applauded Babatunde, and said, “Kabiyesi was making the town attractive to sons in diaspora to come home and see the potentials of being millionaires in their own hometown.”
Numen! Page 10