Yefon: The Red Necklace (31 page)

“What do you want?” I asked him, nervously.

“You look beautiful,” he replied, completely unfazed by my urgency. His Lamnso melted like butter in my ears, the way educated people sounded when they spoke Lamnso.

Inside, I was paralyzed with a mixture of gleeful feelings because he had just called me beautiful, but outwardly, I rolled my eyes and started walking away. “You don’t want to be seen with me,” I told him.

“I do,” he replied coolly. The boy always seemed like there was no rush. He seemed like he would be calm, cool, and collected even if a volcano was erupting all around him. I could never be like that.

“What?” I looked at him over my shoulder. What did he want with me? He was making me feel nervous.

“I just want to help you.” His kind eyes pierced through me, like a bullet, and Lord, where they making me all antsy!

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“I helped you once, and I can do it again.”

Those words stopped me dead in my tracks, and I looked into the gentleness of his eyes, studying them. My
sha
η
g
began to burn on my chest as the sense of familiarity returned to me. I looked at him for a few minutes, noticing the lanky body frame and Bororo like features. There was a name on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t believe that it was him. Was this my skinny knight in shiny armor? Had he grown into this handsome hunk?

“Kome?” I asked slowly, completely unsure of myself. “Is it you?”

And all he did was smile. “Meet me at the old tap at nightfall,” he said gently.

“Wh…?”

“Nightfall.”

He was gone as quickly as he had arrived. Nobody had ever made me feel so confused and short of words. How could it be that the same boy could have the same effect on me twice in my life?

I quickly tiptoed away, trying to hide since I didn’t want anyone to know my whereabouts. Soon I was back on the same tributary of kola trees that led to my house, and several thoughts crossed my mind. Was it a trap? What exactly did he know about me, and how did he intend to help? Could I trust him? My red
sha
η
g
never glowed unless something was at extremes, so I knew that Kome was either one hundred percent good or one hundred percent bad. It was definitely a gamble.

Shamwun and Loh were at my mother’s house when I arrived. My mother and aunties were dancing over a pile of new wrappers sent from the palace. Ma’s face lit up as soon as she saw me, and she began dancing towards me. I looked around. A few of my cousins were watching, so I plastered a perfunctory smile on my face.

“Do I lie that you are my seed?” Ma began, weeping as she spoke. “Where is Labam to see his daughter?” she called out, overly lamenting.

I was very surprised. Ma had never been so proud of me since I was born. I stood there in a trance, trying to wrap my head around my life.

“Good morning, your highness.” Loh greeted me politely, curtsying at my feet. “We looked for you everywhere,” she explained.

“We knew you would probably pay your mother’s house a visit,” Shamwun added sarcastically, “and we have orders to take you back.”

Ma bowed down to me theatrically. “Your highness! My own daughter! Ah!” She raised her hands to the sky, again.
“Labam always said you were a special child! I wish he were here to see the greatness of his lineage.”

I smiled politely. This was the first time Ma had ever spoken to me about Pa since his death. Doing so, in the presence of strangers just added an odd feeling to this already strange morning.

“Where is my sister?” I asked, formally cutting her false praises short.

“She went to the market to get some supplies,” Ma replied humbly as if she were talking to a real royal.

“Please can you ask her to go to the parish and inform them of the recent happenings, so they don’t think I am just unreliable,” I asked adding quickly that I would have loved to do it myself, but apparently I no longer have any freedom in my own village. Not that I hadn’t already snuck out of the palace to handle that, but I wanted Loh and Shamwun to believe this was really my first time out.

Shamwun had a suppressed face of repulsion on her face that was only too clear to me. I could already tell that I would get along with Loh a lot better than with her.

“I will, my princess,” Ma responded reverently.

A little irritated by the entire formality of the whole thing, I snapped back, “You don’t have to call me that, Ma!”

I looked around at the compound that I had become so used to. There was one last place I needed to say goodbye to.

“Can I have a minute?” I asked looking at Shamwun.

She nodded her assent and I walked solemnly towards Pa’s grave and kneeled down, touching my
sha
η
g
as I poured my heart out to Pa.

“I am leaving for the palace. It turns out I am the new wife for the prince. I have never met him before, but people say he is handsome.” I looked up at a bird that was perching on its nest. “I don’t know, Pa. I want other things. Help me.” I whispered.

I almost bumped into Shamwun when I stood up. The woman refused to give me space, even at my father’s grave!

“Are you ready?” she asked, in a voice as professional as that of a dentist. I followed her to a carriage that was waiting outside with two footmen.

As fascinating as it all was, I couldn’t focus. My mind was on the night. I wondered whether to go see Kome. Why did he want to help me, and how exactly could he do it?

I was served a meal of delicious rabbit and corn for supper, and I enjoyed it. I excused myself to retire early because of a headache. Loh promised to wash my hair and body the next day, and I smiled, warding her off until she was away from me.

A little before nightfall, I stuffed my bed with pillows and tiptoed out of my room. Shutting the door quietly, I snuck out of my chambers. Loh was talking with another girl outside, and I immediately took the opposite direction. A few steps into the shadow and I was out of the palace and on the streets. I walked quickly through the boulevard, covering my head. As I passed a corner, a strong pair of hands pulled me in. Panting, I lit my candle with an angry frown. It was Kome.

“You scared me!”

Looking into my eyes, he comforted me. “I’m sorry.”

All the fear peeled away from me with his gentle stroke on my face. I was trembling. His effect on me was so strong, and I had never experienced the feelings he raised in me.

“Follow me,” he said.

I didn’t know where we were going, but I followed him. Moments later, we were in front of the old ugly school library. Kome took a key out of his pocket and began unlocking the door.

“How did you get the keys?” I asked nervously, looking around.

“I have my ways.” he replied, smiling back at me, completely unperturbed by the amount of trouble we could be in. What I later found out was that he had access to the school equipment and keys because he had been chosen from among the boys in his teacher’s training class to be a teacher’s assistant.

There was a mat on the floor with an open book on it when we walked in, and a lantern shone brightly beside it. Next to it, lay a single hibiscus flower. I felt ill at ease.

“Wh..what are we doing here?”

He responded simply. “I am going to teach you how to spell your name. It’s a beautiful name, don’t you think?”

The words rolled so easily off his tongue, and my tongue constricted even though I wasn’t the one speaking. I stood in awe as he motioned for me to sit and he sat gently behind me. I felt a
tingle everywhere as his breath mingled with mine. Why was I feeling this way? He smelled so clean and manly and why was he sitting so close to me?

He spelt Y E F O N on the paper. Heat flushed into my cheeks. Then holding my hand, he guided me as we wrote over what he had written.

“Yeh,” he said softly. “Repeat after me.”

“Yeh,” I replied shakily.

“Eh,” he said, pointing at the letter E, and I repeated after him.

“Ffffff,” Kome said.

“Ffffff” I repeated.

“Ohhhh!” he said, looking at me in the eyes.

Nervously, I responded, still as a church mouse,

“Nnnnn,” he said gently.

“Nnnnn,” I repeated.

“Yehhh-fun,” he said slowly, opening his mouth wide vertically and then horizontally. His lips were full and I wanted to kiss them as they moved.

“Hm?” I answered. I forgot that he was spelling my name and not simply calling my name. I laughed when I realized what I had done. He smiled too then motioned for me to speak.

I repeated curtly, “Yehhh-fun.”

Guiding my hand again, he helped me spell it again, and asked me to write it on my own. I did, barely repeating what I had seen him do. My hands shook so much I thought they would break.

“Is that how it is spelt?” I asked nervously.

He nodded. “Yes, only the letter E is the other way,” he replied. Kome inverted my letter E which I had written in the opposite direction.

I tried again till I eventually spelled it correctly. It must have taken me twenty whole minutes to do it right. Kome was firm but patient, and when I had finally spelled my name, I simply looked at it for a while.

“It is beautiful,” I observed, running my fingers over it.

“So are you,” he replied, and said nothing more.

I didn’t expect him to say that, and I was very clumsy about my answer. I absolutely did not know what to do with myself.

“I need to be heading back to the palace now,” I fumbled looking everywhere but his face.

“Of course. We wouldn’t want you to get into any kind of trouble, would we?”

I nodded quickly. I had so many questions, but no answers.

“Thank you very much for this,” I rambled, and he only smiled.

As we approached the door, he said, “Oh! The common entrance is in June, so if you want to write it, come find me. You know where.”

I was at a loss for words. How did he know about that, and who exactly was he? He turned to leave.

“Wait!” I called out. He turned around, tactfully, as if he were James Bond.

“How come you know so much about me, and I know nothing about you?” I asked. “That seems unfair, and this could be a trap! How do I know that I can trust you! You are a man, and I heard what your teacher said.”

Kome looked at me for a few minutes, and with a slow lazy grin on his face, he replied, “The problem with you is that you ask too many questions for your own good. I’ll see you around.”

He vanished. Not literally, but he had a fast way of disappearing into thin air, leaving you feeling somewhat stranded, with a thousand questions on your mind.

I tried to digest the whole thing as I walked back to the palace. Like the headless horseman, I galloped from tree to tree, lurking in the shadows until I arrived at the
Nto’ Nso
.

Tiptoeing gently, I bumped into Shamwun. If I was asked to go back in time and erase one memory, it would be this one. As afraid as we both were, which happens if you bump into someone, all she did was give me a long, stern look then she walked back into her room. I didn’t know what to think of it. Why was she so weird anyways?

Finally on my bed, I thought about Kome. He did say he wanted to help me pass the Common Entrance exam. My mind was burning. How did he know that I wanted that? But the even more burning thing in my chest was the mere thought that I was close to my dream. He could actually help me. He did say I knew
where to find him, but I didn’t remember him saying where. He was too mysterious.
Mschew!
Oh well, I knew I would find him.

Touching my
sha
η
g
, I smiled to myself. As I lay on the bed, something poked me in the back. I felt under the cotton sheets, a major luxury item in those days. It wasn’t a bug like I was used to finding. This time around, it was a gold
sha
η
g
in a small cane box.

Flattered, I wondered if the prince brought it here himself or if he had one of his maids bring it. I drifted into a nice long sleep, holding the gold
sha
η
g
in my hands.

-21-

A HELPING/HURTING HAND

Shamwun woke me up with the news that they had gotten word of the prince’s return from one of his habitual business trips with the King, and orders had been made for her to begin preparations towards our knock-door, which was to be held that Saturday.

A
knock-door
is an engagement party that happens a few months before a Nso woman’s wedding. Technically, the suitor has to ask every single one of his would-be bride’s relatives for her hand in marriage. The relatives, I am told, cannot flat-out refuse to allow her to marry the boy, but they can refuse to grant approval if the bride price is not enough.

What usually happens is that the bride’s family will deliberate for a week or so on what the suitable bride price is. The bride price depends on the woman’s worth. Things like beauty, personal worth, age, and family status come into play. I am not sure what was agreed upon in my case, since I was just hearing from Shamwun that arrangements had been made, which meant my mother had already been involved in agreeing to a bride price. She didn’t even have the courtesy to be the one to deliver the news.

“But I have never even met him,” I cried. “How can we be having the engagement when we have never met?”

“You will meet with him after the event. I will arrange that you go horseback riding to acquaint yourself with each other,” Shamwun said cordially.

“After the event? I don’t even know how to ride a
nyambara
,” I crackled, hating this nightmare.

“The prince’s favorite activity,” she replied, matter-of-factly.

Frustrated, and over-the-top angry, I kicked myself out of the cotton sheets and yelled at the top of my voice, forgetting the heaviness of my breath at that time of the morning.

“Am I not to have a say at my own engagement?”

Shamwun displayed surprise for the first time since I had met her. I am not sure if my words or my breath surprised her, or both.

“I will spend the day in my mother’s house. I need time to think,” I concluded firmly with resolve in my eyes.