Chapter 5: Proof and Doubt

Everywhere quiet again. People even pause for corridor, dey listen.

"You say your mama na Anulika?" After some time, the man ask slow slow.

I nod: "Yes."

Im look my face well, like say im dey find another person for my face. Im eye move from my nose to my jaw to my hair. Maybe e dey search for small resemblance.

Next thing, before anybody fit talk, im carry me up, waka go.

Another uncle shout: "Oga Okoli? Oga Okoli?"

Im carry me enter stairs, I hold the neck of this my supposed papa.

Im no sabi carry pikin, so I adjust myself for im hand. Im grip dey awkward, like say im dey carry bag of yam for first time.

"Why you dey wriggle?" im ask.

"Daddy, you no dey carry me well."

So im just quiet, allow me balance.

"Okay."

This man wey dem dey call Okoli Chuka just dey look me, then ask: "How old you be?"

"Daddy, I be four this year."

Im quiet again, then talk: "All four-year-old dey heavy like you?"

I vex small: "Mama no dey complain say I heavy when she carry me, I no even talk say you no sabi carry pikin."

The uncle wey follow us for stairs just quiet, but im eye dey talk. He dey try hide laugh but im mouth dey twitch.

When stairs open, im carry me go office.

As we dey pass, uncles and aunties dey look us. I hear person whisper: "Assistant Musa, who pikin Oga Okoli carry?"

The uncle wey dem call 'Assistant Musa' just shake head. "I no know o. Na today matter be this."

Im put me for sofa, face me.

Im bring paper and pen: "You say your mama na Anulika? Write her name."

The uncle talk: "Oga Okoli, four-year-old fit no sabi write."

Before im finish, I don write 'Anulika' for paper. E bend small, but I no fit write Mama name wrong. I draw the 'A' well, trace am like how Mama dey show me.

Papa look the name long, then look my face again.

"Your mama tell you say I be your papa?"

I shake head.

Im hiss again: "How you take know say I be your papa? Maybe you be another man pikin, if not why she no carry you come find me?"

Barrage show again.

[Stubborn man. You dey happy for inside, abi?]

[See stubbornness, na why you dey single.]

[If you wan know, go do DNA test. Little Ijeoma, pull your papa hair with root.]

[LOL, the man don ready to accept am, no matter what.]

I think am, then begin pull my hair.

One, ah, two, ah...

Papa grab my hand: "Wetin you dey do?"

I don dey tear up, I gather the hair wey I pull, put for im hand.

"Daddy, go do test, you go know if I be your pikin."

I see am for film, dem say if you check hair, you go know who be real papa.

Im shock: "Who teach you this one? Your mama? Where she dey?"

"Mama dey work."

"You know your mama number? Call her make she come carry you." Papa really wan see my mama.

I shake head again, look am: "I talk am, Mama dey work, no disturb her."

"She dey work or she dey fear me?"

"Mama no do anything bad, why she go fear you?"

Im hiss again.

This papa really get bad temper. Im leg dey tap ground like generator.