He walked faster bent double on his walking stick than a person with agile feet. His head was shiny smooth like a coated tennis ball save five tufts of grey, feathery hair that stuck out at the back of his head. Chinonso always said it looked like a rat tail and I couldn’t agree more.
With a gait that was bent double with age, he still stood at 5 feet 11 inches. Made me wonder how tall he must have been at full height.
When he smiled, it was like looking at an old house with broken windows; only 4 out of 32 teeth adorned his oral cavity and they were all yellow with age. Little wonder all his meals were mostly purées, pap, soft boiled yam, rice and fish.
He had a shrill voice like an asthmatic patient recovering from asthma attack. His hands shuddered so violently one would think he was going into an epileptic fit.
Papa always said that it was a miracle he didn’t need eyeglasses or come down with old people sicknesses like diabetes or hypertension. He called it good genes. I found it appropriate because Papa Nnukwu read from the Igbo Bible every morning at devotion without stuttering or squinting at the words.
“We rarely fall sick in our house” was my Dad’s prepared response for anyone who cared to inquire why Papa Nnukwu at 90 wasn’t ill in any way, shape or form.
The family doctor, Dr. Hassan had joked that his blood had to be some sort of elixir and that it had to be preserved and properly utilized for the continuation of the human race. A suave talker indeed!
Papa Nnukwu called me “Nne’m”. Mama explained that it was because I was the first granddaughter believed to be a reincarnation of his own Mother. It made no sense to me but I answered it anyway.
He always spoke to Chinonso and me in Igbo. His own way of ensuring that our Igbo roots were never forgotten. He however, always had the “I ke agwula ’m” ready for whenever I brought up the topic of teaching him English language. What a fraud!
One day, I got frustrated and blurted out “Papa Nnukwu, gini bu nsogbu gi?” after he once again used the “Nne’m, I ke agwula’m bikonu” as a ploy to avoid my English lessons. He bursted into laughter and with tears in his eyes said “O nu gi di n’ko” meaning “Your mouth’s as sharp as razor”.
There were a lot of gray clouds the day Papa Nnukwu died. It however did not rain. A strange phenomenon as it was mid February. Mama said it was a sign that he was accepted into heaven.
Papa sat still with his head in his hands for about an hour before calling for an ambulance to transport Papa Nnukwu’s body to the morgue. He thereafter purchased the most expensive casket from Trees funeral home. “Befitting of a good man”, he said.
The funeral rites and celebrations lasted an entire week. I always thought that they were too extravagant and simply a good excuse for the attendees to stock up their pantry. I mentioned this to Mama and she said that I was too opinionated. Chinonso however winked at me and said that he totally agreed with me. My boy. That one.
When the men in possession of the local guns fired rapidly into the air as the funeral rites ended to inform the spirit of the departed that his burial had been properly carried out, Papa burst into tears and muttered “so long” under his breath over and over again.
On our way home from the village with an almost empty Hilux, a sharp contrast to the overflowing bounty we arrived with, Chinonso and I brought out our purses to count our earnings.
“Earnings”, because as grandchildren of the deceased and children of the celebrant, we were entitled to some privileges. Privileges that included people giving us wads and wads of currency to “celebrate” with.
Chinonso had a little over one hundred and eighty thousand naira while I had two hundred thousand naira, foreign currency included.
“This is my favorite part so far”, he said as he rested his head on my shoulder.
“Me too”, I yawned into his neck smiling contentedly as I thought of the Dr. Marten’s shoes and Fenty gloss bomb I was going to get myself for my birthday.
GLOSSARY
“Papa Nnukwu”- Igbo for “grand father”.
“Nne’m”- Igbo for “my mother”.
“I ke agwula’m”- Igbo for “I am tired”.
“Bikonu”- Igbo for “please”.
“Gini bu nsogbu gi”?- Igbo for “What is wrong with you?”
