CHAPTER 1
A group of boys were playing football on the
open field of the village
primary school. It was an inter-clan football
competition and the two
clans battling it out was the Okoro family and
the Royal family. The
premises of the school was jampacked and
everyone seemed to be having
fun because they all wanted the Royal family
to be at the loosing end so
as to reduce their pride. Everyone knew if the
Royal family ended up
winning the match, it is an added feather to
their already filled wing.
The children from the Igwe(The traditional
ruler) household are konwn
for pride and as a result, they confer
themselves with unecessary
powers.
Somewhere away from the crowds, a young
girl of about sixteen, dark in
complexion, tall and slender stood beside a
young boy who held her
hand.
"Okon, who are those playing?" She asked the
little boy who held
her hand.
"The Okoro and the Igwe." The little boy, Okon
replied.
"Who is leading?" She probed further.
"The Okoros are leading with two goals." Okon
replied.
The girl smiled.
"Thank God. I want the Okoro to win." She
said happily.
"Aunty Charity, don't forget that mama wants
us to return before
it gets dark." Okon reminded.
"I know. We'll soon be going. I am enjoying
this match." She said a
little bit loud.
A group of boys walked towards Okon and
her sister. The boy
numbering up to three are all the
grandchildren of Igwe(the traditional
ruler)
"See who is enjoying the game. The blind girl."
One of the boys,
Chidi said.
"Leave my sister and I alone, biko." Okon
protested pleadingly.
"Are you mad? How dare you talk to us like
that? Have you forgotten
that you are our subjects and we can treat
you the way we like." Chidi
asked at the same time slapping Okon.
"Okon, did they beat you?" Charity asked her
little brother.
"Yes Aunty, they slapped me." Okon replied.
"Sorry you hear? Don't say anything again."
Charity said.
Okon nodded in the affirmative.
This time, the crowds watching the football
match had gathered around
three of Igwe's grandchildren who have not
been playing.
"Blind girl, what are you doing here?"
Ikechukwu asked.
"I came to watch football." Charity replied.
"With your nose or what?" Ike asked.
This time, there are no two ways about it, the
tears that had
treathened to spill trickled down her cheeks.
"Okon, lets go home." She said to her brother.
Suddenly, from behind one of the three boys
dragged her and pushed her
on the stony floor. She yelped in pain.
"Leave the poor girl alone." Andrew the son
of a rich merchent in
the village said from afar as he walked
towards Charity who was sobbing
on the floor.
The unheathly rivalry between the royal
children and Andrew, a non
royal child but the richest child in the village.
"Andrew, what are you looking for here?"
Chidi asked.
"Leave the poor girl alone. Let her go."
Andrew said, this time
closing in on them.
He bent down and assisted Okon in lifting his
sister up.
"Sorry." He said as he helped her dust her
skirt.
"You can take your sister home." He said to
Okon as he faced the
Royal children who by now has trippled.
"The next time you try this with anybody in
this village, you'll
have yourselves to blame." Andrew said and
walked away.
Even though, Andrew has spent the majority
of his life in the
village, but his two years stay in the city of
Lagos has tremendously
improved his character and way of life. The
royal children who lived in
big cities such as Lagos, Onitsha, Abuja and
Port-Harcourt only visits
the village during holidays or festive periods.
Okon walked his siter home and three houses
to their huts, Charity
stopped her brother.
"Okon." Charity said.
"Yes?" He replied.
"Promise me, you won't tell mama about
everything that took place on
the playing field." She said pleading.
"Okay." Okon replied.
"Promise." She asked.
Okon hesitated for a few seconds before he
reluctantly replied.
"I cross my heart." He said.
--to be continued-- Charity said.
