Chapter 2

THE COURTSHIP

For Chukwuma, courtship was never a long and complicated journey. He was a young man with a steady job in one of the oil and gas servicing companies, and he carried himself with the quiet confidence of someone who knew what he wanted. He was not the type to spend too much time chasing after a woman with endless promises and repeated visits. Once his heart was settled, he moved with purpose. That was how Chinaza came into his life. The connection between them did not begin in the usual way. She was introduced to Chukwuma by his aunty married close to Chinaza's house. Instead, there was an assurance, a sort of confidence that came from Chukwuma’s aunty, a woman who happened to be close to Chizzy’s family. She spoke with the kind of certainty that made everything seem simple. According to her, the path was clear. There would be no trouble. No complications. No resistance. Chinaza would make a good wife, and the family would welcome the union. What Chukwuma’s aunty did not fully understand was that Chinaza was not just an ordinary girl in her family. She was the Oracle — the one whose words carried weight, the one whose actions were taken as final. Before anyone could question her, she had already become the family’s miss right. Whatever she did was often seen as correct, and whatever she supported was easily approved. To Chukwuma, this was all hidden beneath the surface. He saw a beautiful, confident young lady from a respected family, but he did not yet fully grasp the depth of influence she held at home. Still, Chukwuma was not worried. The assurance from his aunty was enough for him to believe that the courtship would be smooth. So rather than delay or drag matters unnecessarily, he made his intentions known and moved quickly. There were no endless back-and-forths, no long period of uncertainty. Before long, he married Chinaza traditionally, sealing the union in the presence of family and customs. After the traditional marriage, Chukwuma waited for the white wedding with expectation. In his mind, the hardest part was already over. The traditional rites had been done, the family had accepted the union, and the rest seemed like a matter of time. He believed he had taken the right step, and that everything would now unfold peacefully. But marriage has a way of revealing truths that courtship can hide. And in Chinaza’s case, the woman who had once seemed so steady and pleasing to the family might turn out to be something far more difficult to understand. Chukwuma had married quickly, perhaps too quickly, trusting in assurances that had not considered one important reality: the Oracle of the family was not easily moved, and whether she could truly stay in marriage was a question yet to be answered. For now, Chukwuma has made his choice. He had married Chinaza traditionally and was waiting for the white wedding, hopeful that the future would be as smooth as the beginning had seemed.