A Lot All At Once

     I don't know what happened. This rush of anger just came over me when I heard that one of my wives had cut down the banana tree, just to use the leaves for cooking. I beat her heavily during the week of peace, and I had to sacrifice a she-goat, a hen, a length of cloth and a hundred cowries to the shrine of Ani for this wrongdoing. I can't let anyone else know that I feel guilty or regret doing this, because that is not who I am. After the week of peace, the New Yam feast came, and Ikemefuna seemed very excited. I noticed he isn't very good at farming, though. I must teach him to be better. Recently, I got to go and see a wrestling match between Umuofia and a neighboring village. I remember the days when I used to be the star of the ring, but now I am old and must watch from the sidelines. Yesterday, the locusts decended on our village, a sight only the eldest of the clan had seen before in their lives. They were like an enormous black cloud covering the sky, and we were hoping they would stick around awhile, because they are very good to eat. Suddenly, the elders appeared at my house to inform me that the clan had decided to kill Ikemefuna. I didn't know what else to do, and I didn't want to be thought of as weak, so I told him he would be sent home today. As we were walking, the men quickly killed him before he knew what was happening, and he cried out to me but I could not help him. Leave that for the weak.