《Chapter 3 - Adaptation 》

Just few days of working at the canteen, Obiageli had known the regular customers of the canteen. Among them were the factory workers. Obiageli never knew there was a factory few metres away from the canteen and its workers made the canteen their temporary abode.

They spent their two hours break at the canteen each day and Chinaza was a very good friend of theirs. She stayed at the same table with them chatting and discussing loudly. Adaobi who was to resume by four in the afternoon resumed as early as two in order to spend time with her boyfriend before he left for the factory.  

The factory workers who ate at the canteen were just six in number. Three were elderly while the remaining three were quite her age. 

Chinaza had introduced her to them a week  of her resumption. One whom  Obiageli knew as Pa Nonso had asked for her name and had introduced himself to her. Some other workers introduced themselves too. However, the last of the workers who was the youngest had been engrossed in his food and had not looked at her despite the fact she sat at the table with Chinaza.

Chinaza  had informed them that she was new in Enugu and they had told her some beautiful things about Enugu and what she was in for. They had wanted to know why she had left her state for another. Obiageli deemed it unwise to tell them the main reason. They were just people she met recently and so she couldn't reveal such important thing to them.

She had only told Chinaza the main reason she had come and as usual, had been strongly opposed for her decision. Chinaza had informed her that it would be very difficult to find her sweetheart. In fact, Chinaza had scared her by saying she might never find him. However,  Obiageli's resolve was much stronger and she knew that destiny could not be defeated.

 She had answered their question by telling them she wanted to change her environment instead.  The youngest worker had looked up then and had made eye contact with her. He had smiled a little and looked away.  Though he had a beautiful smile, Obiageli  barely noticed. Her mind was filled with Jideze and she fantasied  that he would walk into the canteen that instance.

Obiageli paid attention to all they discussed while she sat.  She listened to Chinaza argue with Pa Nonso, Mr Nwokocha and Oga Philip about something she couldn't understand. It was actually about something written on the daily newspaper. She never knew Chinaza was one to read the papers and could argue this fiercely.

Her voice was the loudest as she bumped her fist on the plastic table repeatedly. Due to Chinaza's intense engagement in the argument, Obiageli went to serve the two ladies that walked into the canteen.  More people had trooped in that instance and so Obiageli couldn't join the table anymore. 

The factory workers left before she could finish her service of food; this, she wasn't bothered about. She had made up her mind not to go back to the table; after all, she didn't quite flow with the men like Chinaza did. She stayed back at the kitchen instead each time the men came from that day on.

One afternoon, as she sat in the kitchen after serving the customers their orders,  she told herself she'd pack their plates later; she was hungry - they left their plates behind after eating, so all she did was walk around the tables, picking up plates.   She scooped a heap of rice on her plate and she made way to scoop some stew. 

 Workers at the canteen were entitled to two plates of food each day. This was one reason Obiageli  enjoyed working at the canteen. There was no need to worry about food anymore. It was like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulder. 

Obiageli had barely cleared her plate when Chinaza  walked in with a slight frown on her face.

"Come, Oby!" She held her hand and tried dragging her out of the kitchen.

"What. . .Why?" Obiageli stuttered as she tried to steady her pace with  that of Chinaza who  was  walking quite fast.

Chinaza dragged her to the table of the factory workers and sat down immediately, urging her to sit too.

"Today's paper brought an interesting news today.  Read it for Obiageli  to hear." Chinaza said to Oga Philip as she folded  her arms. 

Oga Philip cleared his throat and began reading. "Wife screams and cry each time husband tries to deflower her." He read the heading. 

Obiageli tittered and Chinaza glared at her.

"You've not even heard the whole matter and you're  laughing, gbo?" She raised an eyebrow. 

"Why wouldn't she? It's  funny." Mr Nwokocha chuckled.

"Tell her the full story." Chinaza eyed him.

"What's there to say again?  The husband's brother  was asked to assist his brother since he was more experienced in dealing with virgins." Mr Nwokocha shrugged.

"I say that's injustice. Why should an outsider be asked to - "

"He's not an outsider. He's  a brother to her husband. Besides the husband agrees to this." Pa Nonso chirped in.

"Oby, what do you have to say about this issue?" Chinaza turned to her.

"Well," Obiageli shrugged, "since her husband agrees to it then - "

"What are you saying?" Chinaza scowled at her. "You talk like the wife is a thing which has no say at all about her life."

"A woman is to submit to her husband when she gets married." Obiageli shrugged again. 

"Fact!" Pa Nonso clapped.

"That's  absolutely nonsense. We're  talking about her body. She has a right to her body too, doesn't she?" Chinaza was literally fuming as she tightened her knuckles.

"Her body is now her husband's - " Pa Nonso was cut off by Oga Philip.

"Come and see o. That is not the only issue o. The new bride had done the same with the brother and so was summoned by the elders to explain her actions." 

"What did she say?" Somto, one of the young workers who had been listening to the older men, asked. Everyone kept quiet as they listened to Oga Philip. 

"Well, she has no hole." Oga Philip announced and almost everyone  fell into fits of giggles except Chinaza whose nose was flaring.  

"What's  so funny? Is it her fault that she doesn't have a hole?" She asked, talking to everyone but had her eyes glued  at Obiageli's  face. Obiageli  looked down for she felt uncomfortable with Chinaza's intense stare.

The men had not replied her instead they continued to laugh about the issue. Chinaza, totally infuriated,  stood up and walked away.  The men looked at her retreating figure and shrugged it off. Obiageli  felt bad as she sat alone with the men. Adaobi and her boyfriend were no where to be seen. It meant they had gone out together so she was the only woman at the table.

"Why didn't  you back Chinaza up?" A deep voice called out to her and she looked up immediately to see the youngest worker staring at her with a smirk on his face. She was taken aback; he had never spoken to her before so it was strange to see him doing so. 

She shifted on her seat as she shrugged. "I only said my own." She looked at him. 

"So you feel her husband is right?" 

"It doesn't matter what I feel. I don't even know them." Obiageli  turned to stare at the other workers who were engrossed in another issue from the paper. 

She looked at him when she heard him chuckle. She wondered what she had said to make him laugh.   

"Ifeanyi." He offered his hands.

"Obi - " She shook his hand.

"Obiageli." He cut her off. 

Obiageli's  eyes widened.  She was surprised he knew her name. He had looked less concerned when she had been introducing herself. It was a pleasant surprise that he knew her name.

"I wanted to ask you if you knew anyone here in Enugu." He wiped his mouth with the clean water in the bowl. 

"No." Obiageli replied, shaking her head and his eyes widened.

"So how are you coping? It's  strange that you would leave your comfort zone to settle in a strange town." He leaned back into his chair and studied her.

"Well, I did.  It's  more like an adventure." She tapped the table a little.

"Shocking!"

 "What about you?  You live with your family here at Enugu right?"

"No." He smirked. "They are all in Anambra state. I'm  the only one here."

Obiageli's  jaw dropped and he laughed.  She rolled her eyes at him, slightly annoyed.

"You did exactly what I did. Why did you make it look so absurd?" She asked him.

"I didn't do what you did o.  My own is different." He smiled at her.

"How  different?"

"I am here on a five year contract. The company I worked for sent me." 

"Company in Anambra?"

"Lagos." He shrugged and Obiageli's  mouth dropped open. It had always been her dream to go to Lagos. She had heard many stories about it from people she knew who had visited the mega city. She cast a look at Ifeanyi to check if he was joking but he deadpanned and there was no way she could tell.

"Is it true?" She asked him.

"Mmm." He nodded and Obiageli squealed. 

"Tell me about Lagos." She said to his amusement. 

"What do you want to know about it?"

"Everything about it. Is it true there are many tall buildings there?"

"Yes, it is true. I'll tell you all you need to know about Lagos later. My break hour is over." He told her.