The Moving Star

A story by Edith Okesinachi Dan Jumbo

University of Nigeria, Nsukka, was a dream come true for Ihuoma, who had always heard so much about the university. She stood one more time, to take a good look at the organized roads in the campus, with well-trimmed flowers on both sides. She watched, as students walked pass her. Some were carrying their small bags in stylish fashion, while some just carried piles of books close to their chest. The way those students dress was something else, some of the girls were almost half naked. She wanted to ask one of them the way to the Admin Block, but thought otherwise. 

It was Ihuoma’s first day in school, and she did not exactly know how to behave. She wanted to jump out of her skin for joy, that she was given an admission to study Business Management at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, but then she didn’t want to announce to the world that it was her first day in the school. “I wouldn’t want to be called a village girl” she thought, as she remembered how she had been despised and called a village girl many times by her cousins.

Uncle Boma was a middle aged man, who had what one would call an angelic heart. He was the immediate elder brother to Ihuoma’s father, who had been sick of stroke for the past two years. Uncle Boma had always believed in Ihuoma’s academic ability, because she had always managed to top her class. “you are a very bright girl” he would always tell her, but Uncle Boma’s children thought differently of her. Okeke, his first son made sure that he convinced others that Ihuoma was a dull village girl, who could never compete with them.

When it was very clear that Ihuoma’s father could not afford to send his daughter to a higher institution to further her study, Uncle Buma, came into the picture and became the God sent to Ihuoma’s life. She moved to Lagos with her uncle and was introduced to another life of comfort mixed with pain. 

For some reasons, she just believed that her uncle’s children were jealous of her. Their father seemed to be getting more drawn to her than to his own children, even aunty Rose, their mother, showed it at some point, but she wasn’t a bad woman. She knew her children had a lot of issues with domestic training. People believed that she spoilt her children with too much pampering. They hardly do anything at home, and yet they seemed to have everything.

It wasn’t a surprise when Aunty Rose practically left the house for Ihuoma to run. She was always busy, and came back late. They had a house help who became Ihuoma’s friend because they were always working together trying to run the house. Things were a bit fair for Ihuoma until Okeke the “okpara” of the house decided to make it clear to her who the real owners of the house were.

She smiled as she continued her train of thoughts. Her uncle had informed her and Okeke that he wanted both of them to write the Jamb examination, he also wanted them to enroll in an evening class somewhere close to the house in preparation for the examination. Ihuoma could not believe her ears; her dream of actually going to a university could come to pass. She remembered the look on Okeke’s face when he learnt that his father wanted both of them to write the Jamb examination. 

“daddy, but I am older than Ihuoma, why can’t she wait till next year like Ada, to write hers'” Okeke had said then. 

“Ihuoma is already out of secondary school and very qualified to write the Jamb examination, Ada is still in SS3, and I want her to be through before she writes the examination.” His had father replied. 

Okeke had given Ihuoma that cold look that she had come to understand so well, but why he didn’t want her to write the examination at the same time he would be writing, was what she didn’t understand. Maybe it was a kind of fear, she really couldn’t point it out. Ihuoma realized that she was right when Okeke didn’t pass the Jamb examination. His fear of failing caught up with him, and that was not the first time. She had a mixed feeling for him of pity and bitterness. He really was her cousin, and she wouldn’t wish him ill luck, even if he deserved it.

“Won’t you look at where you are going" a voice from behind brought her back to the present. “Oh, sorry” she replied a boy who almost wanted to push her out of his way. She carefully moved away to avoid touching him. “Life is really a big place” she thought. “Firstly, I was a village girl, then a Lagos girl, today, I am a university girl, and tomorrow, the first female president of Nigeria maybe, God  bless uncle Boma”, she prayed for the hundredth time for her uncle, as she walked towards the Admin Block.