"Dumebi," I hear Dad call out from his usual spot, "Dumebi," he calls again, I quickly rush out of the kitchen to the door of the study. He calls out to me again. I knock and I enter.
He turns to me as I enter. His table and chair is sideways, adjacent the door, across the room. He's surrounded by a shelf of books all round the three corners of the room from top to bottom. The cool air emitting from the air conditioner is giving, the lighting complimenting the aura of the room.
As I breath it all in, he says calmly, "Have a seat Dumebi," He points to the chair in front of him.
"Oo Nna m," His eyes follow my every move, steadily fixated on me. He drops his pen and rests his back on the chair. I sit down calmly though I'm kinda nervous. The room has only two wide windows of which the sunlight penetrate through. He spins his swivel chair round and by the time it rotates fully, he's back with a smile.
"Dumebi how old are you?" My eyes widen at the question, I begin searching my brain for whether I had done anything wrong or not, "Dumebi bụtụe," He continues, his smile easing my tension, "Calm down Chimdumebi, you did nothing wrong, onwero ihe ime dị njọ, I'm only asking you a very vital question, how old are you?"
"I'm twenty eight Nna m," He stares at me long and hard. I couldn't make out what he was thinking but I sure was beginning to feel very uncomfortable.
"Dumebi you're headed for your national duty on Tuesday next week right? Ụbọchị Eke na ịzụ nke na abịa abịa..."
"Ee Nna m."
"Good, which province is that?"
"Owerri province Nna," He spins his swivel chair round again. His fingers placed gently on one another by the tips calmly rested on the arm of the chair. Suddenly he stands up but sits right back down again almost as if hiding something... He spins the chair a few more times before standing again. I turn my own chair towards his movements. He heads towards the door and stops just at close range of it. With his hands at his back, he's backing me, I hear him sob a bit.
"Nna, are you crying?" I make to stand up towards him.
Silence. More sobs. I decide to sit right back down. I turn to the shelf behind me and then returns again towards him.
"Nna..."
"It's been a long way," He begins, "You went to university, college, you went to Uni on the West coast, the Westside, Oduduwa Republic, you went there, did three years and still came back to us, you didn't seem to find a new Life there, I mean... I know I did when I went, Chinaza did, her sister Ngozi, she did too, of course we all came back, Oduduwa is a lovely place, Oduduwa, Oluwa, Oodua, the Man, the myth, the legend, his land and his descendants, Ndị Ụmụ Oduduwa, they are very lovely people, forget the nonsense they tell you on social media, that they're dirty, smelly, backwards... All nonsense! I say they're the most culture oriented, traditionally brought up, spiritually manifested group of people you'll ever meet, c'mon! You know these things, we know these things Chimdumebi! I've been to the West side, you've been there too, to the land of Ede, the college right there. Yoruba people are the greatest fucking people you'll ever meet in the Niger river area, the closest people in tradition to them are the Ụmụ Anị, the Igala people, and then us, Ndị Gboo the ancient ones, the Igbo people, you know you can't say great without saying Igbo... I love us, Ndị Igbo. So don't believe all you see on social media oo? They're good people, vast percentage of them," I nod in response. I'm still trying to understand where he's headed to with this conversation.
"So we the adults, we went, found a new Life and chose to come back because there's no place like home, there really isn't," He extends his hands and exclaims, "Owụwa! The East! Home," He turns back to me dropping his hands, his eyes are red, he moves a few steps and stares at the ceiling trying to take back the tears, the ceiling is covered with pictures of Anị, Ọma, Kpando, Anyanwụ, Ikuku, Idemmịlị and the rest of the other lady Igbo deities. He looks back down to me, "This is a one year shii for you, you did three in Uni and came back," He looks away to the side, this time his hands in his pockets, I see he's clenching them, why's this hurting him more than me? "But this next one year own feels a little different, the national duty, it feels different, like everything's going to change..."
"Dad," I call out, approaching him, he looks to me again, "Mom and you have always been my family, y'all are family, I mean like I'm going out into the world, I'll probably marry a nice Guy, have kids and they'll take his name and other patriarchy shii I'm not gonna take because we don't do that shii no more but y'all will always remain my first love, y'all feel like my destiny and we can't fight destiny..."
"Just quoted OBO the goat!..." He shouts as he recalls the Boy, "Omo Baba Olowo, Davido..."
"Whatever. So Dad, I get that you're going to miss me but it's all going to be alright, like grow up old man, I'm freaking about to enter thirty. Man. Look, I love y'all but I gotta go," I brace him in a tight hug, he reciprocates, he's rubbing my back and I tap him three times, I let go and give him a hand shake.
"Adaora!" I hear Mom call out from the distance.
"It's time to grow up old Man..." He looks at me and chuckles. I smile as he shoves me aside and heads for his okpokoro'che na oche (desk and chair).
"Na see finish dey cause all these things with you, See finish, Ịfujuanya," he taps on his desk twice with his fingers and finally concludes, "Adaora Dumebi Chisom... Thank you for being here, I appreciate you, we all do, now go, go and join your Mother, you have your duties to complete, for her and yes, as you set on to go serve our country, our nation, our Mother, our pride, the land of the rising Sun that breathes Life, Anị Anyanwụ na eti Ndụ, Biafra, Owụwa, ọgadịrị gị na mma Nwa m Nwaanyi, ọọ? It shall be well with you my Daughter. Goodluck! May your Chị be always by your side and may the Sun continue to be your guiding light..."
"Iseeeeeee... Dad, we're still in Monday. I leave on Tuesday next week, relax... No fear, ịtụna egwu, matter go long."
"Matter go long indeed," He sits on his chair behind the desk and with his two fingers, he nods at me then waves me off. I leave shutting the door behind me.
I proceed to go answer Mom who must've just woken up from sleep.