Ohiaudo was located the very left side of the path leading to Emenike’s compound. The men would kill goats and use the blood to appease their chi and would sacrifice a strangled goat each and then throw it into the forest. Ohiaudo was the oldest forest that housed all kinds of trees and was most feared among the others. It was also where all the fetishes of dead priests were thrown and where the women who had passed childbearing age made their own sacrifice to their mother-in-laws. These women were mostly married by the heathens and it was popular to see their husbands teaching them the rules.
Mgbafọr was the oldest of all the wives married into Emenike’s family. She had inherited Ihudiya as the most enduring woman in the house. She was helpful in the training of her younger folks. She had been initiated because of the many titles of her husband. During that period, she forgot to tell her husband that she needed some money to buy herself some things at the market to prepare for the period. That morning, Emenike was seated with his fellow men in the hut made for the men in the market, enjoying the palm wine one man had brought for the gathering.
She had been standing away from the men for some time to see whether her husband would take notice of her. The man saw her but could not say anything. Then she approached them and went closer to Emenike’s ear.
“Please, Nna anyi, I would go to ohiaudo with the women in the next Afọr day. I need little ego ayoro to buy two female fowls for my mother-in-law.”
Emenike sighed thoughtfully for a while over the whole story Mgbafọr was telling him. Mgbafọr took a distance off him to avoid his eyes. Emenike tactfully rose from his feet and moved closer to her.
“Get out of here. Get out, senseless woman. Let me warn you, you are disturbing the elders, didn’t we come from the same house today? At your age, you still behave like a child,” he said.
Women were treated like children. Mgbafọr scampered off and took her insult in the heart. Unknown to Emenike, Uzoaga had a hint of the matter for which they were hitting on. It was money.
“You know, Mgbafọr has become an agbara nwanyi who never fall for men. You should not have shouted at her. If you have no money, but I know you have, I will give her the money,” Uzoaga said.
After a moment of unease, Emenike went closer to where Mgbafọr was seated with her fellow women and inquired the cost from her.
“Six ego ayoro,” she said.
Emenike dipped hand into his inner wear and brought out the money and handed it over to her.
“Nna anyi, thank you,” she greeted and entered the midst of the women.
Mgbafọr was now a staunch heathen that had dusted all the oil in her body. She was no longer a woman. Emenike regarded her for her humility and spirit of co-operation. She was really an old woman with many values and treated her co-wives like her own daughters. Though an old wife, he still lavished his love on her like a young wife. Age had made her to see everyone in the house as her own. If she was doing that because of age, she knew better. She knew her reasons. She did not draw a line between her children, grandchildren, and others.
Emenike’s house on these days was full of festive activities. After breakfast, Emenike went to his chi for sacrifice and also visited the ohiaudo for formal sacrifice of goats and cocks. It did not take long he approached his ulo arusi. He was saying many things as he was approaching this little house, calling out names and praising this small god who to him was not. He hovered the cocks and kola around his head and invoked and said many words. He sat down on the short small wooden stool and talked into many things about his life and the year and the children and dropped his ofo. The blood of the sacrificed animal was sprinkled around the gods and finally thrown into the ohiaudo when he came out. That was what udo ate.
“Udo, let it be this time next year,” he said as he came out from the forest after his sacrifice.
Toward evening, there were many things to watch – dancers and masquerades, men, women and young girls, all in their groups and line-ups. Newly married women were seen coming and well-dressed to show off the ingredients in them.
These young girls were dancing to the admiration of their spectators, but especially their husbands and their kinsmen. The mature ladies dressed in tiny wrappers tied round their beaded waists.
At this gathering, the new women were chosen, some as first wife, others as second, and so it went. The dancing climaxed almost every event lined up.