She stepped inside and immediately felt the oppressive silence of the hut. It was as though the lifelessness outside had followed her in. The air was heavy with the unmistakable presence of death, and the strong stench of rotten flesh made her stomach churn. She held her breath, fighting the urge to vomit.
The center fire had gone out, leaving the hut cloaked in darkness. Only a faint trace of daylight found its way through the doorway.
Then she saw him.
A swollen figure lay on the bamboo bed, his skin stretched so tightly that it glistened in the little light that reached him. Large reddish sores covered various parts of his body, and some oily substance had been rubbed over his swollen skin. A wrapper covered him from the waist to his chest.
Nnenne stared at him in disbelief.
This must be punishment from the gods.
The man looked nothing like the Nwosu she knew. Her Nwosu was strong, handsome, and full of life. This man looked as though death had already claimed half of him.
Who is this? And why did Ogadimma ask me to come and see him?
Then he smiled.
It was the same smile.
That familiar, beautiful smile that had made her heart race from the first day they met.
His eyes still carried the same warmth and love.
There was no longer any doubt.
It was Nwosu.
Nnenne broke down.
"Nwosu!"
She crawled toward the bed, tears pouring uncontrollably down her cheeks.
"Nwosu! Who did this to you? What happened? Talk to me, Nna! Tell me who did this to you!"
"Mma, it is alright," he whispered weakly. "Please stop crying."
She shook her head violently.
"It is not alright! Who did this to you?"
"Stop crying, and I will tell you."
Nnenne quickly wiped the tears from her face and sat beside him.
Nwosu struggled to breathe before speaking.
"I woke up sometime during the night and found myself like this. I was in terrible pain. When the dibia came, he said it was punishment from the gods."
Nnenne stared at him.
"For what?"
He swallowed painfully.
"For having a relationship with you."
Nnenne slowly lowered herself to the floor.
Her strength disappeared.
Her entire world seemed to crumble before her eyes.
Deep down, she had always known that she and Nwosu were fighting against something much greater than themselves. They were challenging traditions that had existed long before either of them was born. But she had never imagined that their love would end like this.
"So what are we going to do?" she asked, almost speaking to herself.
"Nothing, Mma."
Nwosu's voice was barely audible.
"The dibia said nothing can be done. We angered the gods, and this is their punishment. He wouldn't even touch me because he said doing so might bring the same curse upon him."
Nnenne stared at him in disbelief.
"So there is nothing anyone can do to save you?"
Her voice broke.
"What kind of life is this? How can we sit here and watch you die?"
"There is something you can do."
"What?"
"Forget about me."
Nnenne looked at him as though he had struck her.
"Forget about you?"
"Move on with your life."
She screamed and began crying again.
"Who is going to marry me, Nna? What is life without you? And why should only you suffer for something we both did?"
"I don't know why the gods chose this path," he said quietly. "Perhaps they have their reasons. But I would never wish for our positions to be reversed. How would I feel watching you suffer like this?"
He reached for her hand.
"Mma, you must promise me that you will get married. You must have the children we always talked about."
Nnenne shook her head.
She couldn't make such a promise.
"Mma, please."
She continued shaking her head.
"Nnenne, promise me."
He began coughing violently.
She immediately rose to help him.
"Nna!"
He reached for her hand and squeezed it weakly.
"Mma, you must promise me."
She looked into his eyes.
There was desperation in them.
"Alright, Nna."
Her voice trembled.
"I promise."
She broke down again.
"I promise, Nwoke oma. I promise."
"Don't cry, my love."
He managed a faint smile.
"This is not the end. They have not won. We shall meet again. I promise to return to you."
"Stay alive and you won't have to return."
A booming voice suddenly came from outside.
"So you people have allowed that foolish girl who brought this calamity upon my household to enter my house?"
Nwosu's father.
The voice seemed to grow louder as he approached.
Nwosu immediately pulled Nnenne closer.
"Remember," he whispered, "it is me and you against the world."
Ogadimma suddenly appeared at the entrance.
"Mma, you have to leave now. My father is coming."
She grabbed Nnenne's hand.
"Come before he catches you here!"
"I can't leave him!"
Nnenne struggled against her grip.
"I can't leave him here to die!"
"Mma, go!"
Nwosu's weak voice stopped her.
"Go and live your life. This is not the end. I promise."
Nnenne looked back at him.
"Forever?"
Ogadimma was already pulling her toward the door.
"Yes," Nwosu answered faintly. "Forever. Till the very end."
Those words would remain with Nnenne for the rest of her life.
They were the same words Amuwa had whispered into his grandmother's ears many years later.
When they were far enough from the compound, Ogadimma stopped and pulled Nnenne into a tight embrace.
Neither woman spoke.
Then Ogadimma released her and said goodbye.
Nnenne wiped her tears.
She had made a decision.
She would never cry again.
There was nothing left for her at home. She couldn't return to her father's compound. The people would consider her cursed, and anyone who associated with her risked attracting the anger of the gods.
So she continued with the plan she and Nwosu had made.
She left.
She travelled to another town and began a new life.
Years later, she discovered that she was pregnant with Nwosu's child.
When the child was born, she named him Ikenna. She consulted the gods to determine whether the boy was the reincarnation of her beloved Nwosu.
He wasn't.
Nnenne never married.
She was terrified that whatever curse had followed her relationship with Nwosu might be passed on to another family. Instead, she devoted herself entirely to raising Ikenna.
She nurtured him, educated him, and watched him grow into a man.
Eventually, he married.
Whenever his wife gave birth, Nnenne was always there.
She wanted to know who had returned.
She never abandoned the hope that somewhere, somehow, Nwosu would find his way back to her.
Then came the strange night when she told the story to Amuwa.
That night, Grandmother Nnenne and Amuwa slept in the same hut.
Neither of them saw the sunrise.
To this day, nobody knows what happened to them.
Some believed they had finally gone to meet each other in the land of the dead, where no Diala or Osu existed and no god could separate them again.
Perhaps they had finally fulfilled the promise they made long ago.
Forever.
*
Ego sat quietly, her hands folded beneath her breasts.
She had listened without interruption, but the story had left her deeply unsettled.
"I think I have heard enough for one night," she finally said. "Please, I want to retire to my bed. I have a very busy tomorrow."
Oluchukwu nodded.
"Alright, Nda Ego. Ka chi foo."
"Ka chi foo," Ego replied softly.
She rose from her seat and disappeared into her hut, carrying with her more questions than answers.