No, Not Again
About Her Birth
All her life up till now, Jọmí has wanted to be like the wife of the wealthiest person in the town of Ibigbogbo, Mrs. Ọ̀rọ̀balẹ̀.
Jọmí is the only daughter of Pa. Iremide. Pa Ire’ as he is fondly called by people married late, he got married at the age of 52 years while his wife was 27 years. Pa Ire was no longer giving marriage a thought when he eventually got married, according to him, he thought, he is one of those people whom God has designed to be an eunuch in the world but may be it was because he did not want to accept this that is why God has decided to show him that he has been designed to be eunuch and thus he found it hard getting a lady to be his spouse.
Some of the people who were present during his wedding could also attest to this, no one who was present during his wedding ever said they saw him getting married in this world again, all said they never thought he would get married while some were actually saying he is an eunuch until when people started hearing that he wanted to get married.
Some on hearing this went behind him to confront the lady, Nok, and her parents that they should reconsider their mind on the Nok marrying Pa. Ire. When the parents of Nok asked from them that what have they seen to say such, their reply has been he was an eunuch for assuming he was not an eunuch he would have found someone to be married to among his contemporaries or even someone closer to him in age.
Nok’s parent will thank them for the information adding that, their daughter is not a kid, if Ire fails to open her cloth the night of their wedding she will find her route back to their house and they will return to Ire everything he had paid as her dowry.
The people will leave in disappointment saying that they have warned them ahead.
Majority of the people’s belief had been that Nok would leave him when she discovered that he cannot have sex with her.
There is no how that such would not be said, because among Ire’s peers he was the only one who remained as he was, a virgin male, he does not have any girlf, neither any woman friend. When people were running after ladies, he would be with her mother helping her in the kitchen to prepare food for the entire family. His mother loved him dearly such that at the time when people taught Ire should bring lady home and he couldn’t bring lady home, the people started saying his mother has worked on him, his mother has used charm on him and he could not think straight again.
Because of this repeated utterance, ire’s mother stopped him from assisting her at kitchen saying he should go out and look for a woman to be married to.
One day his mother called him to ask whether it was true or nay what people were saying about him. Ire asked his mother to know what it was that people were saying about him and she replied him that people said you cannot perform, people said you are an eunuch.
He looked at his mother and instead of him to be annoyed just said, how could you believe such? Don’t worry mummy he said, when it is time in the presence of God he would provide for me a good woman and if God did not provide a woman for me so be it, I am ready to die like this, after all those who are not married are living in the world.
His mother did not allow him to land before replying him that, no, my son, I want you to marry and there is no God who has said you will not be married in the world. I have begotten you and I also want you to have your own children, she said.
Well, I wanted to, but I cannot because you people wanted me to be married to marry someone whom I do not love, I cannot do that, I want a happy home, I want a heaven on earth for myself, if I cannot get a woman of my choice here, I pray I will get from another continent or country, he replied his mother.
When his mother discovered how resolute he was on the issue of marriage, she left him and would not bother him again. All those pressurizing her to pressurize Ire, her son, when they came to her, she would not answer them, telling them that they should mind their own businesses.
When ire’s mother has been replying people like this, they also left troubling her, they left troubling Iremide too and arrive at conclusion that, Iremide cannot perform, he is an eunuch they will say.
This was their summation when they heard that Nok and Ire wanted to become one, and they couldn’t do anything other than telling the parents of Nok to reconsider their stance, reconsider sending their daughter Nok to Ire’s home because they wouldn’t want them neither the lady to regret.
This was the situation of things with Iremide until he got married to Nok when he was 52 years old and Nok was 27 years old. The wedding was not that elaborate, but it was not totally a silent wedding too.
After his wedding, Nok would send her virginity cloth containing blood to her parents the following day to show her parents that she has lost her virginity to Ire, her husband.
Her parents called her to a corner and asked and re-asked if it was not someone else who did the act, because the talks here and there they had been hearing before the wedding had sunk into their mind such that they were also thinking it was true that Ire is an eunuch.
Nok told her parents that, he was the one who performed his thing himself, no assistance, whatsoever.
Nok’s parents were full of happiness on hearing this and they now have mouth over their enemies yea the enemies of Iremide to tell them that what they thought about him was not so.
After the dust of this has been settled, people were thinking that Nok would be pregnant in no distant time, but this was not so, as the lady did not get pregnant for another 3 years.
Before Nok took in, people have started raising another rumor about him that, do you see what it means to be married late? That it was because he married late that was why he could not impregnate his wife.
As this dust keeps rising, Nok’s parents and Ire’s parents could not but send them away from them, saying they have been put to shame on Ire and that they are sure they will be put to shame on him impregnating his wife too. After all, Nok’s father said to his friend Mr. Entery, one of those people raising the dust that it was because Iremide married late that was why he couldn’t impregnate his wife, that you whom your son married at the age of 20 up until now his wife is yet to take in and I even heard that he has concubines none of them has taken in for him, telling him to mind his own business and stop talking about his daughter and the husband of his daughter as from thenceforth.
People hear of this incident and everyone stopped poking their mouth into the affairs of Iremide and Nok.
Nok and her husband Iremide were happily living in the town of Ibigbogbo, though they were yet to take in, but they were living like brother and sister, like siblings no fight, no argument and everything was going on well for them.
When they were marking their third year anniversary as husband and wife that was when Nok told her husband that she was not sure of what was happening to her. Iremide thought Nok was sick, but Nok said the symptoms seen were not that of sickness but she cannot just fathom what it was that was happening to her.
Hospital was not common then, he had to consult some elders about this some prepared local charms for him to be given her, but when he got to a woman, the woman asked him to ask her wife about her menstrual period.
He got home asked Nok, his wife, about his menstrual period and she replied that she has not seen it that month, that they should wait a while because at times the menstrual flow do come late. They waited till another month but nothing, that was when they knew that God has answered their prayers, Nok has finally taken in.
They kept this good news to themselves until the uterus of Nok started pushing out her abdomen. By the time her abdomen was protruding, the pregnancy was getting close to 8 months. During the time people started noticing it, the following month Nok put to bed and she delivered a baby girl as her first child. This baby girl was christened Jọmí, on the eigthth day according to the custom of the land.
Everyone was happy for what happened to Iremide and Nok. Congratulations on what the Lord has done for them keept pouring in from nooks and cranies of the town. Those who traveled when they heard the good news returned home and those who were planning to travel when they heard of the incident shifted their traveling ahead to rejoice with the family of Ire for what God has done for him.
Some of those people who were saying he cannot perform, some of those who were saying he cannot impregnate his wife were yet to have children when God put smile on the face of Iremide and Nok in the land of Ibigbogbo.
Iremide’s other children after this are males. His total number of children was five with Jọmí being the only female among them all.
About The Town
Ibigbogbo is one of the ancient towns in the south west of Kásáàtilà country.
History has it that the town of Ibigbogbo is comprises of about 20 tribes from different locations within and outside Kásáàtilà country. These tribes were grouped into 5 and each tribe has a right to the kingship of the country. The position of the king in the town of Ibigbogbo is a rotational one. The rotation is alphabetically based, though when this was instituted they had little knowledge about “letters”, writing but when they started knowing how to read and write, they studied that the kingship position is alphabetical in nature and they could not say anything other than saying that though their fore-parents did not know how to read and write but the sound of what they were uttering made them arrive at the rotation without knowing that it will be in sync with the alphabetical order.
The different tribes of people that came together to form the town were primarily hunters, warriors and they were powerful people from different places and continents of the world. When those people got to the town, they organized themselves such that they had no issues among themselves.
It was said that after the people settled down in Ibigbogbo island, they formed a formidable warrior to be protecting the town against enemies. It was not very long before other islands and towns started noticing their make up, their prowess because they could not overcome them. Since they could not be overcome, other towns started running to them for support, protection and anchor. Ibigbogbo’s role in ensuring that the South West of Kásáàtilà was not captured neither overcome by the enemies could not be brushed aside. They, as able warriors played a prominent role in ensuring that the South West of Kasaàtila’s stability was not upturned by the enemies those days.
The Belief of People
The town, Ibigbogbo, then had so many warriors, infact the town then was known as the warriors' town because everyone in the town, young, adult and aged were warriors. It was the belief of all and sundry then that no ordinary person in the then world dare woke up a day and said she or he wanted to go and settle down in Ibigbogbo. This was because of the powers they wield, it was enormous. Out of their ancestral pan-egyric words is the saying that, "an Ibigbogbo indigene who knows other things but does not know herbs is a bastard.
No fewer one in the then world and to some extent now believe that Ibigbogbo’s children are usually being taught herbs and other incantations even from the wombs of their mothers. It does not matter whether the pregnancy is a male or a female or even multiple pregnancy, people believed that they are being taught incantations and other charms while they are in their mother’s wombs. “You cannot look at an indigene of Ibigbogbo as an ordinary person”, people will say.
All of them from Paediatric stage start to wield these powers, they are never ashamed of demonstrating such act and power, in fact they look at those who could not demonstrate such power as weakling in the town of Ibigbogbo.
A well-established competition has been in operation in the town of Ibigbogbo to test the acts of bravery and how good the children, indigenes of Ibigbogbo are from their early stage in life. This type of competition starts as early as possible, immediately a child can say “uba” (translation papa or father in their language) or “uye” (translation mama or mother in their language) that is when such a child would be introduced to such a competition. This age according to recent finding show that such competition starts when a child gets to the age of two in the land of Ibigbogbo. Some exceptional cases are those who have delay in talking, those with tie-tongue, but outside this, as from this stage, each child would be dipped into such competition from the competition the child would move to another cadre and on and on like that.
This kind of competition has become something like a monthly ritual in the land, because different child gets to such stage at different age.
They keep doing this because of an adage in their land that says, "an idol festival that lacks children would pack up, it would not last long". They have strong belief in their power and they do not want anything to erase it, not even advancement in technology, neither religion nor anything.
This they continued to do such that by the time their children get to age 10 they are already on fire with diferent charms, herbs amongst others. At this stage, the least number of persons a singular child can face in fight/battle is 100.
This therefore shows that, irrespective of the work the child eventually chooses to do in the future, the child has been deeply rooted in the charms amongst other things.
Peace Lovers
Interestingly however, despite the fact that they have such powers at their disposal, they hardly make troubles with the villages, islands or towns nearby. They used to say it is empty barrel that makes a hell of noise, thus they don’t cause trouble, they are peace loving people and they are verily hardworking people. Among the islands and towns within their locality, hardly can you find a town that would surpass them in industry and hard-work.
The people of Ibigbogbo used to say that when they have been feeding themselves and the neighbouring towns and islands for 30 years, it is then they will start taking stock of what they have stored. They have large storage of foods that can last them for up to 40 or more years.
It was during the reign of one of their kings called Ọgbọnlaiye that they started storage system in the town of Ibigbogbo. When they started this storage system, when some parts of the stored foods started getting spoilt, they started looking into means of preserving it and then they started discovering so many preservative methods for those goods, that was how they started evolving and developing their storage facilities in the town.
The people of the town are not only known for war alone, but somehow God gave them insights to how to be preserving their farm produce too, which makes them not to be relying on any country for food, except those they will export to the neighboring towns and countries.
Their exportation also brings income unto them, and they are thus rich. A low class indigene and worker in the town could stand shoulder to shoulder with some millionaires in some towns and islands close by them.
It is good to know that every villages and towns around know Ibigbogbo's worth, they know their prowess, their power and how industrious they are. No town or island close and verily far dares trouble them. Harmonously were they living with themselves.
Ibigbogbo as Wall of Defence
The enemies of Kásáàtilà country gathered against her in battle centuries back. When those enemies arouse like a flood to invade the South West of Kasaatila in the 10th century, there were agitations and unrest among other towns and islands, but the people of Ibigbogbo were at rest. The leaderships from the towns that made up Kásáàtilà invited warriors from towns and islands to the center of Kásáàtilà to map out strategies of how to go about the battle. Warriors from those towns started coming together. Soon they all arrived at the stipulated venue and the meeting of the warriors started on how to negotiate the tortulous bend, the impending danger that face them which wanted to make them slaves in their land of inheritance and possession.
After these meetings, chief warriors from each village and town enlist armies from their villages and towns those whom they knew are able to go to the war. When all the warriors are counted as expected, Ibigbogbo warriors were 70 % of the total number of warriors that would face their common enemies in battle.
The battle was a fierce one according to the historians and history, before that time and after that time it has been said that no battle was as fierce as that in the history of South West of Kásáàtilà. They fought the battle for weeks on end, but after all said and done, they won the war.
Ever since then, no serious war of near magnitude has risen up against the South West of Kasatila nation let alone individual villages and towns within South West of Kasaatila. Other so called troubles have been classed as threats by the warriors of Ibigbogbo, internal threats that should be resolved internally.
The Effect of Victory
This performed role made other towns and villages wanting to have association with Ibigbogbo town. The growing relationship leads to inter-village and inter-town marriages within South-West of Kásáàtilà nation and now it has been observed that it has been spreading beyond the south-western region of Kásáàtilà. Ibigbogbo too started benefiting from this mutualism.
Since the world has never been static place and because of their industrous nature which makes them have so many cash crops on their farmland, the South Western leaders cannot but have something to do with this town.
As tides of things keep changing, it was noticed that a man rose within the town and soon enough became the known richest person amongst all.
The Desire
Famous people cannot be hidden for long. When their fame keeps growing and rising with time people will start noticing him and that was what happened to Mr. Ọ̀rọ̀balẹ. Mr. Ọ̀rọ̀balẹ’s business has been noticed to be growing like a grass planted by the rivers of water that won’t know drought season. Soon enough his fame grew beyond the town of Ibigbogbo to the South West of Kásáàtilà nation and to other parts of the world.
Since his fame has been rising, people of the town could not but notice this and Jọmi, a naive lady, was not an exemption to this.
Mr. Ọ̀rọ̀balẹ and his wife being indigenes of the town have arisen the interest of Jọmi, a naïve lady, the only daughter of Pa. Ire. Lady Jọmi has particularly been following the wife of this richest man, and all she wanted to be is being like her, being an important woman in the society and the world at large. Her prayers everyday then was being like her Mrs. Ọ̀rọ̀balẹ.
A Volte-Face
Mrs. Ọ̀rọbalẹ is an exceptional woman of beauty and she is very hardworking. She cannot but be hardworking because everyone within the town is hardworking. She is the kind of woman who helps everyone who goes to her for assistance, she never turns anyone down. She may ask you to check back if what you come for requires her to discuss with her husband, but if what you came for does not need discussion with her husband before approval, you are good to go, for she will answer you on the spot.
She said her belief is she does not believe in asking someone to go and come back when she has the thing on her. That would not reduce me, that would not make people know that I am cheap she enthused.
Her hubby, Mr. Ọ̀rọ̀balẹ, has given her relative freedom to be operating without checking her for he believes they have been at it together all these years. Because she has been meeting with the needs of the people in the society, her fame too started rising like her husband’s and some people even find it more convenient to approach her than to approach Mr. Ọ̀rọ̀balẹ for assistance.
All these Jọmi has been hearing and she has been looking forward to a day that her life would be transformed to be like hers' "when I am married, I will be like Ọ̀rọbalẹ", she will echo to herself. This thought and heart desire of hers was only revealed to those who were close to her.
One day, Pa. Iremide, Jọmi’s father sent her to go and get something for him from one of his friend’s office. When Jọmi got to the office, the man was not there and she was told by the secretary of the man to go to the man’s house. The man’s house was very far, he was living at one of the new sites in the town of Ibigbogbo.
New religion has crept into the town, and people do not want to have belief in the ancient teachings and beliefs of the town again. This new faith being embraced by the people of the town has made some people to distance themselves from the center of the town where some of the ancient practices are regularly going.
Pa. Iremide is yet to move out of where he is living although he also has it in mind leaving the place because he has also embraced the faith, but the money he has been expecting to complete the new building he is putting up at that site he is yet to receive the money, and he does not want to borrow money to complete the project, thus they are still living where they are very close to the center of the town.
But as for his friend, Mr. Gladg, he has completed his own apartment and has moved there about 6 months ago. Pa. Ire and Nok his wife were there when the house was being dedicated. Jọmi did not accompany his parents to the place during the house dedication but she knew the area because she has another friend living around the area.
When the secretary of Mr. Gladg told her that he has gone home, that she may go and meet him at home of come back the following day. Knowing the importance of what she came for, and since she came with her mother’s car, she decided to drive to the house of Mr. Gladg to collect the thing.
While driving to the place, she got to a corner, it was after the corner that she would take a turning to the left to Mr, Gladg’s street, she discovered that she saw two people in the car, she ordinarily hardly looks at something like that, but because it has been designed that she would see what the woman was doing she saw the woman in the car kissing another man. She used her hand to brush her eyes to see if she is neither dreaming nor mistaken, but she discovered that none of those happen and she was seeing correctly. She couldn’t believe her eyes. She drove to Mr. Gladg’s place. The man has been waiting for him having been phoned by his secretary that Jọmi is on his way.
The man wishes to entertain Jọmi but she excused herself from her dad’s friend’s place under the pretense that she still has other places to touch.
Mr. Gladg saw Jọmi to the car and told her to greet her father for him that he will see him tomorrow.
“Okay sir, yes sir”, Jọmi was answering him quickly as she opened the door and drove off praying that she will yet meet Mrs. Ọ̀rọ̀balẹ and her concubine there.
Lo and behold what she has in mind came to pass, she met them there still flirting with themselves. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
As she mournfully drove on, she concluded within herself that she does not want to be like her again, "I do not want to practice infidelity for anything, I want to be whom and what my star will make of me in life", she said to herself as she returned home.
She disclosed what she saw to those close to her, telling them that never again do I want to be like Mrs. Ọ̀rọbalẹ...
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