The Poor Father and the Rich Chief
Wole’s house was five yards away from Alade’s, the richest man in Awoye. He made his wealth from buying dried cocoa seeds from the farms at cheaper rates, to be resold at costly price in the big cities like Ibadan and Lagos. Because cocoa seeds were raw materials for the manufacturing of dairies like chocolates, butter and some cosmetic products like body creams, many white men would come from their countries to Nigeria to buy it at high prices.
Alade was well known in Awoye and the surrounding villages because of his wealth. His compound was the largest besides the Baale’s palace. He owned a lorry which he used in conveying his wares to the cities, and also passengers to and fro Ilutuntun. He also had a Morris car with which he cruised around the villages. Alade had three wives and six children: five females, and one male, whose name was Kunle. The villages’ youths prayed and strived hard to become wealthy like Alade in their nearest future. Even the parents would caution their unserious children by using Alade as an example thus:
"If Alade was as insolent as you’re when he was young, would he be so wealthy today?’’
When Wole got to Alade’s house, he found him sitting under a large bamboo-pillared and palm-fronds-roofed shelter in his compound. There were three expensive wooden chairs and a table in the shelter. He was sitting on one of the chairs. There was a floral ceramic tray on the table in front on him. Only he, the Baale and few other chiefs had such luxurious utensils in the village. The utensils were imported from China and were very expensive. The tray contains a robust keg of palm wine and two beautifully decorated breakable cups. It was obvious Alade has been soaking himself in palm wine. Though he’s a man of about 50, his protruded belly and fat body made him looked older. He’s light in complexion and of moderate height. He was wearing a baggy trouser sewn from an expensive hand-woven clothing material called ofi. His upper body was left bare to receive fresh air. He has a very bushy moustache which most of the villagers believed he had kept for the purpose of filtering any available dirt from the palm-wine he gulped down his throat on daily basis.
"Good afternoon Chief,” Wole greeted Alade, bowing down in front of him, as a sign of respect.
"Have a seat, Adewole,’’ Alade ignored the greeting arrogantly, gesturing vaguely to a chair, ‘’what do you think I can do for you?’’
"I’m here to see you on a serious issue, Chief,’’ Wole said, worrying about the nonchalant way Alade has responded to his greetings. He was thinking may be Alade has got drunk, but he was actually not.
"Youngman, but you’re seeing me now with your naked eyes,’’ Alade said impatiently, gulping down a cup-full of palm-wine quickly. "Go on and say whatever you are here for! You’re not a market woman! Too many talks aches my head!’’
Wole was quite, confused by Alade’s rash attitude. Suddenly, he saw Kunle passed by on tip toes, quietly like a cat trailing a mouse, when Alade’s head was turned towards Wole. He was just coming from school. He leaves and comes home later than any school pupil in Awoye. Many thought he has been pampered and spoilt, having been the only son and the last born of the wealthy Chief Alade.
Almost half an hour, Wole was still sitting down before Alade, keeping quite. He didn’t know what to say next. To face arrogant people was a hard nut to crack for him. Alade knew Wole wasn’t the type who would visit anyone in the village, even his kinsmen were tired of complaining about that. If there is no trouble in their holes, the big rats wouldn’t come out in broad day light, Alade thought. He knew Wole must have been in some kind of trouble and needed his help for coming to see him that evening. No doubt, Alade was an arrogant man but he would become more arrogant when his assistance is sought. There was a long silence between the two men now. Alas, Alade decided to break the silence.
"Young man, if there is a stick stuck in your throat that prevents you from saying what you came here for, I bet you, palm-wine can remove it. Drink some palm-wine first. I am not a lover of kola-nuts, I would’ve offered you some to go with it.’’
"I do not drink, Chief, perhaps there is no stick in my throat,’’ Wole replied, feeling terribly hurt but controlled his temper. Exhibiting his anger wouldn’t help matters either. In the kind of situation, Wole knew patience pays a lot.
"Then speak your mind at once!’’ Alade said aloud, "Soon, I’ll be going to the village square to play Ayo-Olopon game with my fellow Chiefs. They might even be waiting for me as I speak.’’
"Alright, Chief…Eh…What happened is that my crops are bad this year,’’ Wole said in a calm, patronizing tone with little stutter. "The little money I’ve got, I’ve used it to buy new seedlings. I…I urgently need your help, Chief.’’
"Please hit the nail on the head, young man.’’ Alade looked more upset, his face creased. ‘’I don’t understand you! The corpse does not hide itself from who will bury it. What kind of help do you need? Come out more clearly!’’
"I want to borrow some money from you, sir. I would return it at the end of the season in the next harvest season…’’
"You’re now talking like a man!’’ Alade nodded agreeably and thought for a short while before adding, "it is alright, it is alright. But may I know what you need the loan for?’’
"Yes sir, ’’ Wole replied submissively, "I think you’re aware that my daughter is in the same class six with your son, Lakunle. They’re writing their final exam this year. It’s the exam fee which is twenty five naira, that I beseech you to lend me. I would pay if I harvest my next season crops. And if you don’t mind, I shall labour in your cocoa farm to cover for the loan…’’
"Sorry, I can’t be of help at all,’’ Alade interrupted Wole with a sudden frown.
"You just met the wrong person for such loan.’’
"Ah! Ah! Chief, I beg of you,’’ with wide gasps of surprise, Wole pleaded, "the future of my only child is at stake here.’’
"Open your ears and listen to me clearly,’’ he widened his eyes disgustedly, "If it’s because of your daughter’s school fees you’re here, I can’t be of help at all.’’
"Ah! Why, Chief?’’ Wole asked in shock, "what could my little girl have done to offend you so much?’’
"She didn’t offend me at all, you did, Adewole. Our people say when the root is in pain, the tree also feel it.’’ Alade said, pointing his index finger towards Wole’s eyes disrespectfully. "How could you be sending your daughter to school when I didn’t send any of my five female daughters? Are you saying I’m unwise to send my son alone to school despite my wealth?’’
"I’d never had such thought, Chief,’’ Wole defended himself. He was surprised at the accusation.
"Look here, young man,’’ Alade squeezed his face in scary way. "If you’ve come to seek for loan to marry a new wife in place of your dead one, or to buy plenty of seedlings to raise a large cocoa farm, I shall be glad to give it to you. Even if you’ve come for loan to buy a virgin land to supplement for the semi-dead one which you inherited from you late parents, which makes your have low harvests every season, I would gladly grant you. But a loan for an ordinary girl child education, that seems a frivolous wastage to me. I can never be party to such waste of resources.’’
"But Chief, I heard from those who’d visited big cities that women do great thing with education like men do. All children are the gifts of the creator, both male and females alike. No child is unimportant.’’
"That’s your own headache, Adewole.’’ Alade raised his voice in more anger. "I don’t belief in sending a woman child to school. Why? Her husband will be the one who will take the glory in future. More so, she would end up bearing her husband’s name, raising children to his lineage, and abandon me at old age. You ought to have a rethink, Adewole. Won’t your wretched compound be left desolate after your death if you don’t remarry and bear male children? Can your lone woman child raise children to your lineage? No! All her children will be in her husband’s house and your wont have a child to hold your hands in your old age.’’
"But Chief, I won’t agree with you on this at all. My daughter would bring for me the glory any male child could bring for their parents if she is educated. I’ve heard about ladies who have done great things with education for their parents even more than their male counterparts in the big cities. So, I’m prepared to sacrifice anything for my only daughter’s education.’’
"That’s to you, Adewole! As for me, I’ll have none of that! I have five of them as you’re aware of. Five grown up maidens! I simply gave them out for marriage as soon as they reached puberty stage. I don’t have money to waste on mere women children!’’
"But Chief…’’
"Now take your leave or else I shall call my servants to throw you out,’’ Alade threatened with air of finality, standing up from his seat. He added with a hiss, "instead of investing on more productive ventures, you’re training a girl child in school, building your castle on the air. When the castle collapses we shall remind you how foolish you have been.’’
"I’m sorry for any wrong things I’ve said, Chief.’’ Wole said as tears began to form in his bulging eyes. "Are you leaving me on the seat? Please don’t! You’re my last hope! Even if it is half of the money I’ll manage it. Please don’t let me go empty-handed.’’
Alade left Wole In the shelter angrily, his protruded belly wobbled left and right as he did so. Wole knew for the first time the importance of having a good and matured friend. If he’d gotten a good friend, a friend in need precisely, he would’ve gone to him for help. He felt so disappointed, bowing down his head wearily. He also remembered his kinsmen, should he go to them? No! He’d cut the ties of kinship between him and them since he was 18. He’d gone to them to seek for a decent land for farming after his grandparents’ death but they turned him down.
"Your poor father didn’t leave anything as an inheritance for you, not even a fertile land for farming,’’ the head of his clan had said in a despising tone. "The land in wish your grand-father, my elder brother was farming on before his death, is the only one we can leave for you now.’’
"But old one, that land is as good as being dead already.’’ Wole said in pity, knowing the man was lying. He’d taken Wole’s father’s land who was his nephew for himself after his death, since Wole was too young to know anything about inheritance then.
"Well, I can’t leave my own children’s inheritance for you,’’ He said. And added finally, "you can labour in and out of this village to buy or rent for yourself a fertile land. You’re still young and strong; stop opening your mouth so that free meal can fall into it. Stop looking for free and fertile land to farm on. Go and labour hard and get yourself a decent land!’’
"Asking for what belongs to my late father is to ask for free meal, old one?’’ Wole asked in very sad and painful tone.
The old man replied him with a loud, anger-packed hiss.
Wole continued sorrowfully, "everybody are making use of their lands now in this village. I don’t think there is anyone who has a spare land to sell. Perhaps, to get money to buy another land isn’t an easy task…’’
Before he completed his speech, the old man has left him in anger. After many unaccepted pleads for a fertile piece of farmland land, Wole left his ancestral home, promising never to return again forever or have any tangible thing to do with them anymore. The incident had severed the ties of kinship between him and them totally.
"I should better take my leave now…’’ Wole said to himself, springing up. He sensed that Alade might carry out his threat and unleash his male servants on him. Wole start to walk away in a snail-like manner, looking downcast.
When he got home that evening, disappointment was boldly writing all his face. But he made efforts not to wear his feelings on his sleeve.
"I’m tired as a result of the trekking from Lakunle father’s house,’’ Wole said to Rolake to make her calm down. He didn’t want her to share of the sorrow.
Wole knew revealing to her what happened might make her lost appetite. The dinner had been prepared deliciously by Rolake but Wole didn’t have much appetite. He just ate a little to make Rolake eat too. If he had refused to eat, Rolake would have done the same. But despite all his effort to hide his feelings from the poor girl, she still discovered that his father was unhappy. How? Nobody could hide anger for too long. It’s like fire, you can hide it inside your house, it will burn it or it’s smoke will come out. Rolake saw it on his father’s face. It wasn’t cheerful at all.
Owls hooting, crickets chirping; the night was bright because of the moon in the sky, but it was darkness of sadness that enveloped Wole’s mind. It was habitual for Wole to tell Rolake moonlight tales any night the moon shines. But he was too sorrowful to do so that night. He knew the little clever girl would ask why he didn’t tell her a tale that night, and he wouldn’t want to lie to her anymore. One shouldn’t continue telling lies upon lies in a single night, he thought. Perhaps, deceiving the poor girl who was his only companion wouldn’t make much sense.
So, he decided to reveal what had transpired between him and Alade. Rolake’s heart sank so much that unshed tears glistened her eyes. As usual, she made effort to console her father, even though she too ought to be consoled. Consequently, Wole didn’t sleep a wink till day break, likewise Rolake.