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The Transitional Title

Jessa was born in Jagua. When the oldest man in the village died, he looked forward to ascending the position. He received shocking news from the coronation council, that Jagua was not his real origin. Hence, they could not crown him as the Okpako-eldest man in the village. His ancestors had been wanderers. Jagua was hospitable and they had settled in the community.

Jessa’s first-born, Jaja, was very angry. He vowed to sue the community to court. He wanted to prove them wrong that his clan from the fourth generation were not outsiders.

Jaja argued that when an individual had stayed in a particular geographic territory for decades, they naturally become citizens of the state. Migrants were accepted and respected as communal citizens. They had equal advantages despite there was no legal documentation of their citizenship in the past. Jessa talked his son out of going to court.

However, Jaja was adamant and filed a case. He told his father that the public denouncement of their clan was deplorable, “Tomorrow, I will ask questions around the village.” Jaja said. “I shall trace our root.”

The next day, Jessa went for an evening stroll. Jaja was waiting in the living room when he returned. Jaja stood up and guided Jessa to a seat. He placed his father’s walking stick against the wall.

“Where have you been?” Jaja asked. “You look exhausted. I will get a cup of water for you.”

Jessa drank the water slowly and finished it. Jaja took the cup and put it on the table. “Thank you, my son. What did you find out? You stayed out too long.” Jessa said and brought out his snuffbox. He put some of the powder in his nostrils. He sneezed and tweaked his nose.

“Father, I have traced our lineage to Ebito. It is four villages away from Jagua. That was where your great-grand father migrated. The people welcomed me warmly. Father, they recognized the birthmark on my cheek. They said your great-grand father had the same mark.” Jessa nodded excitedly, “I will go and build a house, a new home for us,” said Jaja.

Jessa was not happy about this news. He did not want to leave Jagua. This land has been his heritage, “why build a new house so soon?” Jessa worriedly asked. He took the cup and put it between his thighs.

Jaja saw his father was unhappy. “Father, why are you sad? You should be happy we have discovered our real identity. By leaving Jagua, I know we will lose many things-some properties and precious memories. I would love we stay back, but the community have ridiculed our family honour. Do not worry father. It is never too late to start afresh. The worst harm should have been we were not able to trace our hometown. The good thing is that our kinstill reserved some portion of land for us in Ebito. I will leave for Ebito tonight. We have much work to do. I called my siblings on my way back from Ebito. They have sent money for the building materials.” Jaja knelt in front of his father and touched his feet. Jessa patted his shoulder. Jaja took the cup to the kitchen and went to his room. Jessa looked grave.

* * * * * *

In the morning, Jessa took a stroll around the village in brooding silence. He went to the riverside, where he had spent most of his time; swimming as a toddler, and fishing as an adult. The river was good to him. It was in its beautiful white sand he had found a large piece of diamond.

Jessa did not covet it for himself, the whole village benefited after he sold the diamond. He sent his children and other children of the community to school in the city. His children were doing well in their careers. Four of his children lived in Europe, only Jaja, based in Jang, a town after Jagua.

Jakpo, Jessa’s bosom friend walked up to him, “I saw Jaja this morning. He told me everything. Jessa, why do you want to leave? The people of Jagua have not asked you to leave. Are you very sad you cannot be the Okpako? Jagua cannot confer the title on you. You are not a real citizen of Jagua, which is why you cannot be the eldest member of the community. This title is like kingship. Jagua cannot give this title to an outsider.”

“No Jakpo, you are mistaken. This title is honorary to a man that has seen many years on earth and in a territory. This title is not a legacy within a royal household. It is a transitional title for the everyday man. Any worthy individual can earn it. Do you know how many decades I have been in Jagua? I was born here. I am eighty-eight year old. It is a privilege, when the gods bless a man’s black hair to become gray. You cannot melt diamonds into gold. I have earned this honour. The coronation council thinks they have snatched my joy, but they are wrong. It does not matter whether the community bestows the title on me or not, by nature I have earned this right.” There was silence for a while.

Jakpo cleared his throat and chewed his brushing stick;he spat some particles and chewed the stick again. “I am next in line. The people of Jagua will crown me Okpako.”

“Yes, congratulation, my good friend and may the blessings of your ancestors dwell with you. We never dragged fishes in the river. There were enough fishes for every fisherman or fisherwoman to catch. We will not fight over a title. I wish you all the best my friend.”

“Jessa, you should not go, you are a great part of this kingdom. Your ancestors live here.”

“My ancestors also dwell in Ebito. I will use my last days on earth to offer libation to my ancestors. I have not known them, let me go and worship them in Ebito. Jakpo, I must go. Let me go back to my root. I pray I have a pleasant homecoming. I am positive my own people will not weigh me with scornful scale. Who knows, my friend? The gods have given me a chance to reconcile with my root. My children’s offspring will not be a lost generation. They will not face denial from family. I just wonder who revealed this knowledge after many decades. I never knew I was not from Jagua. Who knows my history more than me?” Jakpo looked away, “Jakpo, do you have any idea of who revealed I was not originally from Jagua?”

Jakpo laughed nervously, “No my friend, I have no idea who that person is,” he said quickly. “I hope you change your mind about leaving. Jessa, your decision is wavy like this river. I know you want to stay in Jagua.”

“My heart will always be with this river, this water has lived in my vein, let me test the water of my origination. If it were up to me, I will grow older and die in Jagua. My children want us to leave Jagua for good. I have to obey my children’s requests. A man is not afraid to walk naked in his own house. Only a guest has to be cautious around the house. I have a line of guests in Jagua. Let me take them back home. My children will feel like total strangers when I am gone. What is the essence of lingering in Jagua when the people showed us our place is not here? The heritage I pride in is not my children’s identity. Let me take them home so that they can wear their badge with pride.”

Jakpo looked beyond the river with a feeling of nostalgia, “You remember how we chased a rabbit into its hole,” he said.

“We sealed the hole. We went to fetch firewood in the forest with which to prepare the bush meat and we could not find our way back.” Jessa said.

“We considered ourselves bush meats when that wolf charged at us,” Jakpo said and laughed.

“We were lucky the hunter killed it before it mauled us,” Jessa said and snorted.

The two old men laughed. They recalled memories of running around the community as little children. Their smiles faded as reality set in.

“The days are grey and harsh.” Jakpo said. “I will miss you old friend. When you are gone, I will be so alone. These youngsters do not have time for old grumpy men. Who will keep me company?”

“Who will come to visit and take care of me if I stay? I will lose Jaja and my other children if I do not go to Ebito. They have made up their minds. They want to leave Jagua forever.” Jessa carefully bent down and picked a pebble. He clasped it and felt the coldness of the stone.

Jakpo nodded, “You have a great son in that young man, Jaja. I wish one of mine came back home. Decades of memories will drown after your departure. Farewell my friend, see you on the other side.”

“I will miss you. I cannot tell you how much, you cannot see how well, my eyes are too dry to cry,” Jessa hiccupped. He wished Jakpo well and left him by the river.

“I wish you will change your mind and stay my friend. I did not know the situation would become this ugly. I just wanted what was rightfully mine,” Jakpo wearily said after Jessa’s vanishing figure.

Jessa walked back home. Some children came around to play with him and he shared money among them.

* * * * * *

Before daylight, Jessa and Jaja were ready to leave for Ebito. Jessa looked at the direction of the stream with longing. He imagined himself and Jakpo walking down with their fishing tools.

“It is not easy to detach from these memories,” Jessa looked sad.

“Come father, you have said enough goodbyes. We should leave before the sun set, the road is not friendly on rush hour.”

“Yes, some roads do not recognize old wheels that have always travelled on it. It does not have preferential treatment. Let us leave. We are no longer welcome here.”

Two weeks later, the village elders had a meeting and concluded to use Jessa’s house as their new meeting venue. Jessa had bequeathed the house to them. On the day of Okpako Coronation, bulldozers arrived.

The vehicle operator’s voice boomed from a loudspeaker, “Everybody in this building should come out. In the next thirty minutes, this house would go down. At the count of twenty-nine, we would move in.” He started counting, “One, two, three, four…” On the nineteenth count, the building was empty. The bulldozer destroyed the house on Jaja’s instruction.

The people watched with sad faces as some men moved in with sledgehammers to break down blocks. No structure or block remained erect. A trailer packed the mashed cement and drove away.

“This is an unfortunate event. How can we hold the coronation ceremony in this ruin? We have to look for another venue or fix a new date for the coronation,” a young man said.

“But, where is Jakpo?” The Community Chief frantically asked.

“He has not showed up for the ceremony. Has he heard the news? This unfortunate incident will devastate him. His ceremony has come to ruin, it can no longer hold today,” an elder said.

“Jakpo must have heard the news. He knows everything. Was he not the one that discovered Jessa was not a real citizen of Jagua? He knows everything. After this meeting, we will proceed to his house. We will pay him a visit,” the Community Chief said.

They did not meet Jakpo in his house. They knew Jakpo was fond of the river and thought he might be there. On their way out of his compound, they met the little boy that takes care of him. The boy told them Jakpo had not been home since sunrise.

“That is a strange behaviour. Let us check if he is at the stream,” the Community Chief said.

They came to the river and saw him. Jakpo’s body was floating to the riverbank. They rushed into the water and dragged the body out. He was dead. They saw his pair of shoe, reading glasses and a book under his favourite tree. Jeesa and Jakpo had carved some trees and made rooted benches by the river. His pile of belongings laid on it. The little boy fell down and cried.

“I guess he committed suicide. Oh, the dark realm has cast evil eyes on Jagua. Today is a very dark day in our history. Who will wake us up from this Omen?” A woman lamented.

“Look at this, Chief,” the little boy cleaned his tears with his arm and handed a note to the Community Chief.

“Where did you find this note?” The Community Chief astonishingly asked.

“Chief, what does the letter say?” The woman asked.

The Community Chief read the letter aloud, ‘I cannot live with myself after betraying my best friend, Jessa. I am sorry my dearest friend. My great-grand father had told me about your history. I told the coronation council because of my self-indulgence to be the Okpako. It was a sin to be envious of your status. Please, forgive me. No one should weep for me. I have already wept for myself. Jakpo.’

Because he committed suicide, the community did not hold a burial ceremony for Jakpo. Jakpo’s children carried him to the evil forest. They dumped his body for the beast of the wild to bury in their stomachs.