(Episode 5) Deep Sea of Secrets
Obi: Are you sure Mama, are you sure that you will walk away than bring shame? Are you sure of what you are saying?
Mama Nnamdi: Yes I am sure Obi, I rather die than let this kind of shame be known to the world.
Obi: Oh Mama Please, stop calling kettle black because you are no different from her.
Nnamdi: Obi, mind how you talk to our mother, watch your mouth before I do something drastic to you here.
Obi: Turning to Nnamdi ‘I am sorry that I had an affair with your wife but as the truth is out of its hiding place, I want to have custody of my kids. I don’t want them to be with you anymore Nnamdi.
Nnamdi: What? Are you out of your mind? After committing such a horrible offence, you boldly tell me to my face that you want my children? You must be insane I can see.
Obi: My Elders, please I am ready to do anything as the customs demand to take my children away from my brother. I want my children with me because they are my flesh and blood.
Third Elder: ‘Impossible, Impossible’ he screamed again ‘those three children rightly belongs to Nnamdi except Nnamdi says otherwise because Nnamdi paid her bride price fully and you are in no position to take custody of the children.
Second Elder: I am afraid that is the custom and tradition of our land Obi my son. All you have to do is get married and have your own children with your wife for you cannot claim your brothers children.
First Elder: Obi my son, how do you think that the children will be yours? Even though they came from your lions but as long as you didn’t pay her bride price, they will never be yours. Only and except Nnamdi refuses to accept them as his children.
Mama Nnamdi: Obi, why are you doing this, what kind of devil has come over you? Why do you still want to claim the children?
Obi: Because I was there when my own brother was not been faithful to his wife. I saw how you hated her for not having your children. It is true that what we did is despicable but I still want my children to be mine, now that the truth is out.
Mama Nnamdi: you are a stupid boy Obi, a very stupid boy. If not that I am the one that gave birth to you, I would have cursed the day you were born.
Ifeoma: ‘Errm my elders’ she said interrupting them for they have forgotten that the main reason they are all here is because of her ‘I want my case to continue so that I can move on with my life.
Mama Nnamdi: Which life, are you not the one that is bringing division to my family, are you not the one making brothers to fight against each other?
First Elder: it’s okay Mama Nnamdi and as for you ifeoma, since Nnamdi has decided that you will no longer be his wife, you should still make sure you go to Udi river and have a bath there so that you will be cleansed. There is no point doing all other rituals since you are no longer going to be remain married to the man you offended by sleeping with his brother. As for your children, they belong to Nnamdi but you as their mother can be visiting them from time to time and as for you Obi, what you did is very shameful, we only pray that your brother find it in his heart to forgive you.
Nnamdi: Never, Never will I forgive any man even if he is my blood for sleeping with my wife.
First Elder: Ermm Nnamdi, he is the only blood and the only brother you have, you must find it in your heart to forgive him.
Nnamdi: ‘Never my people, Never. You see this my brother here’ he said pointing to Obi ‘he can kill. If he can sleep with my woman it means he can also kill me. Why should I forgive him, why?
Mama Ifeoma: but you can also cheat on your wife countless times and still expect her to forgive you don’t you?
Mama Nnamdi: Mama Ifeoma please do not justify your daughters action, please don’t.
Mama Ifeoma: I am not justifying anyone’s actions but if he can’t forgive his own blood brother for what he did, how then do you think my daughter has been coping with him when he was busy gallivanting around and sleeping with anything on skirt?
Mama Nnamdi: This is between two brothers and not an outsider.
Mama Ifeoma: ‘Of course it is. Now you know how my daughter felt when you were been unfaithful to her’ he said to Nnamdi.
Mama Nnamdi: Ifeoma! Ifeoma! Ifeoma! My god will punish you for all you have done to my family, you have brought shame and humiliation to us all and it is only my god that will give you back a dose of your own medicine. The gods of our land, I hope you are seeing what an innocent woman like me is passing through all because of a daughter in-law my son got married to, fight my battle for me my Chi, fight my battle for me oooo.
Mama Ifeoma: it is not only my daughter that committed the sin Mama Nnamdi. If you want to lay any curse on anybody, your two sons should be involved because their eyes were wide open when they all committed it. Lay a curse on all of them and if you are not going to do that, nothing will happen to my own daughter.
Mama Nnamdi: but she was the one that started all these.
Mama Ifeoma: if you really want to go by who started all these, then you should be pointing an accusing finger on your son. Or because he is a man that is why all he did is right abi?
Mama Nnamdi: Ignoring Mama Ifeoma she looked at Ifeoma and said ‘it will never be well with you Ifeoma. For all you have done and all you have brought to my sons and myself, it will never be well with you.
Obi: Mama Enough please, what she did is wrong and we are all to blame for it not her alone.
Mama Nnamdi: you are still talking abi? Obi shame on you that after all this woman has put our family through; you still want to be on her side.
Obi: Mama this is not the matter of taking any body’s side, we all did this and we all should be reprimanded not only Ifeoma.
Nnamdi: And why shouldn’t she be the only one been reprimanded when she committed such a crime to me and my family?
Obi: Because you were the one that started it in the first place. If you had listened to your wife, I am sure she wouldn’t have looked elsewhere.
Mama Nnamdi: Shame on you Obi, shame on you. You decided to make yourself available when she came to you abi? Is that how it is?
First Elder: My people please enough of laying accusing fingers on one another, let us look for a way forward and move on.
Mama Nnamdi: How can we possibly think of moving on when Obi himself is still not agreeing that what they did is wrong?
Obi: I have said we are sorry and we are going to clean ourselves as custom demands but what I am against is you blaming only Ifeoma, it is not right.
Mama Nnamdi: You are still defending her abi, you are still defending her.
Obi: she is still the mother of my children.
Nnamdi: Which children? My children you call your children?
Obi: They are my children biologically. I may not have a right towards them now but when they are of age, they will come looking for me.
Nnamdi: May Thunder fire you there Obi, May thunder fire you.
Mama Nnamdi: Obi you are a disgrace to me.
Obi: Mama, I have been a disgrace to you for a long time. That is why you never liked me or my father.
Nnamdi: Our father you mean Obi, our father.
Obi: No, I don’t mean our father, I mean my father.
Nnamdi: ‘Our father Obi’ he shouted ‘he is not only your father’.
Obi: I said and I repeat, My father.
Nnamdi: ‘What do you mean’ he asked with eyes wide opened.
Obi: Why do you think you are the apple of our mother’s eyes? Why do you think she can go through hell for you?
Question: What message is Obi trying to share here
Mama Nnamdi: Yes I am sure Obi, I rather die than let this kind of shame be known to the world.
Obi: Oh Mama Please, stop calling kettle black because you are no different from her.
Nnamdi: Obi, mind how you talk to our mother, watch your mouth before I do something drastic to you here.
Obi: Turning to Nnamdi ‘I am sorry that I had an affair with your wife but as the truth is out of its hiding place, I want to have custody of my kids. I don’t want them to be with you anymore Nnamdi.
Nnamdi: What? Are you out of your mind? After committing such a horrible offence, you boldly tell me to my face that you want my children? You must be insane I can see.
Obi: My Elders, please I am ready to do anything as the customs demand to take my children away from my brother. I want my children with me because they are my flesh and blood.
Third Elder: ‘Impossible, Impossible’ he screamed again ‘those three children rightly belongs to Nnamdi except Nnamdi says otherwise because Nnamdi paid her bride price fully and you are in no position to take custody of the children.
Second Elder: I am afraid that is the custom and tradition of our land Obi my son. All you have to do is get married and have your own children with your wife for you cannot claim your brothers children.
First Elder: Obi my son, how do you think that the children will be yours? Even though they came from your lions but as long as you didn’t pay her bride price, they will never be yours. Only and except Nnamdi refuses to accept them as his children.
Mama Nnamdi: Obi, why are you doing this, what kind of devil has come over you? Why do you still want to claim the children?
Obi: Because I was there when my own brother was not been faithful to his wife. I saw how you hated her for not having your children. It is true that what we did is despicable but I still want my children to be mine, now that the truth is out.
Mama Nnamdi: you are a stupid boy Obi, a very stupid boy. If not that I am the one that gave birth to you, I would have cursed the day you were born.
Ifeoma: ‘Errm my elders’ she said interrupting them for they have forgotten that the main reason they are all here is because of her ‘I want my case to continue so that I can move on with my life.
Mama Nnamdi: Which life, are you not the one that is bringing division to my family, are you not the one making brothers to fight against each other?
First Elder: it’s okay Mama Nnamdi and as for you ifeoma, since Nnamdi has decided that you will no longer be his wife, you should still make sure you go to Udi river and have a bath there so that you will be cleansed. There is no point doing all other rituals since you are no longer going to be remain married to the man you offended by sleeping with his brother. As for your children, they belong to Nnamdi but you as their mother can be visiting them from time to time and as for you Obi, what you did is very shameful, we only pray that your brother find it in his heart to forgive you.
Nnamdi: Never, Never will I forgive any man even if he is my blood for sleeping with my wife.
First Elder: Ermm Nnamdi, he is the only blood and the only brother you have, you must find it in your heart to forgive him.
Nnamdi: ‘Never my people, Never. You see this my brother here’ he said pointing to Obi ‘he can kill. If he can sleep with my woman it means he can also kill me. Why should I forgive him, why?
Mama Ifeoma: but you can also cheat on your wife countless times and still expect her to forgive you don’t you?
Mama Nnamdi: Mama Ifeoma please do not justify your daughters action, please don’t.
Mama Ifeoma: I am not justifying anyone’s actions but if he can’t forgive his own blood brother for what he did, how then do you think my daughter has been coping with him when he was busy gallivanting around and sleeping with anything on skirt?
Mama Nnamdi: This is between two brothers and not an outsider.
Mama Ifeoma: ‘Of course it is. Now you know how my daughter felt when you were been unfaithful to her’ he said to Nnamdi.
Mama Nnamdi: Ifeoma! Ifeoma! Ifeoma! My god will punish you for all you have done to my family, you have brought shame and humiliation to us all and it is only my god that will give you back a dose of your own medicine. The gods of our land, I hope you are seeing what an innocent woman like me is passing through all because of a daughter in-law my son got married to, fight my battle for me my Chi, fight my battle for me oooo.
Mama Ifeoma: it is not only my daughter that committed the sin Mama Nnamdi. If you want to lay any curse on anybody, your two sons should be involved because their eyes were wide open when they all committed it. Lay a curse on all of them and if you are not going to do that, nothing will happen to my own daughter.
Mama Nnamdi: but she was the one that started all these.
Mama Ifeoma: if you really want to go by who started all these, then you should be pointing an accusing finger on your son. Or because he is a man that is why all he did is right abi?
Mama Nnamdi: Ignoring Mama Ifeoma she looked at Ifeoma and said ‘it will never be well with you Ifeoma. For all you have done and all you have brought to my sons and myself, it will never be well with you.
Obi: Mama Enough please, what she did is wrong and we are all to blame for it not her alone.
Mama Nnamdi: you are still talking abi? Obi shame on you that after all this woman has put our family through; you still want to be on her side.
Obi: Mama this is not the matter of taking any body’s side, we all did this and we all should be reprimanded not only Ifeoma.
Nnamdi: And why shouldn’t she be the only one been reprimanded when she committed such a crime to me and my family?
Obi: Because you were the one that started it in the first place. If you had listened to your wife, I am sure she wouldn’t have looked elsewhere.
Mama Nnamdi: Shame on you Obi, shame on you. You decided to make yourself available when she came to you abi? Is that how it is?
First Elder: My people please enough of laying accusing fingers on one another, let us look for a way forward and move on.
Mama Nnamdi: How can we possibly think of moving on when Obi himself is still not agreeing that what they did is wrong?
Obi: I have said we are sorry and we are going to clean ourselves as custom demands but what I am against is you blaming only Ifeoma, it is not right.
Mama Nnamdi: You are still defending her abi, you are still defending her.
Obi: she is still the mother of my children.
Nnamdi: Which children? My children you call your children?
Obi: They are my children biologically. I may not have a right towards them now but when they are of age, they will come looking for me.
Nnamdi: May Thunder fire you there Obi, May thunder fire you.
Mama Nnamdi: Obi you are a disgrace to me.
Obi: Mama, I have been a disgrace to you for a long time. That is why you never liked me or my father.
Nnamdi: Our father you mean Obi, our father.
Obi: No, I don’t mean our father, I mean my father.
Nnamdi: ‘Our father Obi’ he shouted ‘he is not only your father’.
Obi: I said and I repeat, My father.
Nnamdi: ‘What do you mean’ he asked with eyes wide opened.
Obi: Why do you think you are the apple of our mother’s eyes? Why do you think she can go through hell for you?
Question: What message is Obi trying to share here
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