The aroma of the okro soup that she was cooking hit her nostrils and her stomach growled in hunger.

The garri had already been prepared and the soup was the only thing holding her back from serving the food to her parents and guest.

Michael Obi, her guest, always supplied her with firewood and in return, she served him food. He also looked after the house whenever she was not at home. Being the only child born to her parents in their old age, he was the closest thing she had to a sibling.

The sun complemented Adaeze's dark skin as she watched over her pot of soup in the backyard. It wasn't always that she stayed outside watching the food cook before returning into the house, but she'd learnt from an incident the previous year never to leave her food unattended for too long.

She had been cooking porridge but the heat from the sun's rays compelled her to return to the house before finishing her cooking. She returned outside to find that her pot of food had been stolen. Who even steals a hot pot of food? The thieves were caught but that was after they had enjoyed her meal. Since then, her father placed a bench beneath the largest tree in their backyard to offer her shade whenever she needed a break from the heat, without her having to abandon her food.

Her father was a poor herbalist whose occupation was gradually declining as the introduction of western medicine into the village had turned the youths away from his herbal medicine. Only the elderly came to him for herbal medicine and that was on rare occasions.

Adaeze needed work, there was no doubt about that, but it was hard to find employment in the village. 

Adaeze lifted the lid off the pot and scooped some of the soup with her ladle. After tasting her soup, she lifted the pot off the stove using two kitchen towels and poured water onto the firewood to extinguish the fire.

She then carried the pot into the house and began to serve the food. She plated the plates with a generous amount of food and then went to the veranda to serve her parents and Michael.

Her parents seemed to be in a deep conversation with Michael but Adaeze did not bother herself to find out what they were talking about as it did not seem to concern her.

She re-entered the house and filled a jug with boiled water and placed three glass cups on a tray and took it to them.

A washing hand basin was already filled with water for them to wash their hands.

"Thank you, dear," her father said.

Adaeze sat on a plastic chair and watched as they said a prayer and ate their food.

"Did you hear that the prince is back in Gbègbè Village?" Adaeze's father started a conversation.

"Yes oo," Michael said after swallowing a ball of garri. "In fact, I saw him in his car on the way here. You should have seen how the girls ran after the car oo. H'm, that Munachi girl even tried to jump onto the car."

The four of them burst into laughter.

Munachiso was known by everyone in the village. She was twenty years of age - two years older than Adaeze - and she had been planning her marriage to the prince since she was ten. She had tried several times to get into contact with him, luckily, the prince lived a sheltered life behind the palace gates.

Munachi had once attempted to climb over the palace fence and she had succeeded. That was seven years ago. She had landed in the garden where the king and prince had been conversing at the time. Ignoring His Majesty, she lunged herself at the prince who successfully managed to dodge her attack - that she'd termed as 'her expression of love' - and immediately called for security to escort her out of the palace. 

Seven years later, Munachi still narrates that the prince hugged her and escorted her out of the palace after promising her marriage for the sacrifice she made by jumping over the fence, but witnesses of her being thrown out of the palace and the guards who just couldn't keep their mouths shut told a different story.

"The prince must have grown into a handsome man by now," Adaeze's mother, Golibe, commented.

"He has," Michael affirmed after swallowing a ball of garri. "He is a handsome, fair man and I don't think Munachi has a chance. There was a woman with him in his car but I don't think she comes from this village."

Prince Jidenna had left the village for the city six years ago to complete his education. If he was as handsome as Michael described him to be, then not only Munachi, but many girls in the village would pursue him. 

"Are you going to eat or are you just going to sit down there and watch us eat?" Golibe asked her daughter.

"I'll eat later, Mama," Adaeze said, her voice was as soft and sweet as honey, so she had been told. She did not know exactly what they meant but she was grateful for the compliment nonetheless. "I first have to meet the girls and Amaechi and then fetch water at the stream."

"Okay, dear," Golibe said. "Just make sure you eat something."

Adaeze nodded with a smile.

Golibe was of little in the house. She was terminally ill and was in her bed most of the time. She was weak and could not stand for a long period of time. With the way things were going, Adaeze would have to find a job to support her parents and herself if they wanted to survive.

Adaeze excused herself and left the house to find her friends. They always met in the late afternoons to talk about their going-ons, and Adaeze knew that they would have a lot to talk about because of the prince's arrival.

Adaeze always met her friends at the market that was a fifteen minutes walk away from her home. There were many shops at the market, but she and her friends spent most of their time at one particular shop.

Mama Munachi's shop was the best shop in the village. Not because it was anything different from the others but because she was so welcoming and lively. She was always a pleasure to be with, unlike her daughter. 

Mama Munachi was the first person that Adaeze met upon arrival. She was a short widow of about forty-five years of age. Her husband had passed away a decade ago after being bitten by snake whilst hunting. She had short black hair, eyes that always had a shine in them, and her skin resembled that of ripe pumpkin. She smelled of spices and grease but that was expected because she was the most caterer in the village.

"Good afternoon, Mama," Adaeze greeted with a little bow of her knees.

"Good afternoon, dear," Mama Munachi replied. "Your friends are already inside waiting for you."

"Thank you, Mama," Adaeze said and rushed into the shop.

The shop was very small and had no extra rooms, that was why Mama Munachi sold her goods from outside the store. The inside was mainly for storage of her goods when she closed her shop in the evening.

Adaeze's friends were so engrossed in a conversation that they had not acknowledged her presence.

She sat down on an empty chair and waited for them to finish their conversation.

"I am waiting for Munachiso to finally break something," her male friend, Amaechi said. "This time she just bruised her knee but next time it will be something worse."

Amaechi was a dark skinned young man with a loud voice. He and Michael were the chief gossips in the village.

"Ah-ah, na, don't jinx her. Don't you know that she is our future queen?" Akaolisa, another friend of Adaeze's, asked with a serious face.

It didn't take long for all of them to burst into laughter.

"Munachi as my queen?" Chiamaka asked whilst laughing. "Over my dead body."

"You never know, it could happen," Adaeze said and all heads turned to her.

"When did you arrive?" Amaechi asked.

"Oh, so it's now that you see me?" Adaeze asked. "Are you done mocking Muna?"

"We're not mocking her," Chiamaka said. "We're just stating the obvious truth. She has no chance with Prince Jidenna."

"Mtchew," the loud sigh came from the person who was standing at the door and their heads whipped in her direction.

Munachiso stood at the door with her hands on her hips. Her hair was covered with a scarf and she was wearing a black skirt that reached just above her knees, allowing the four friends to see the bandage that had been placed over her injured knee.

"Good afternoon, Munachi," Akaolisa said.

"Don't 'good afternoon' me!" Munachi yelled. "Do you know who you're insulting? I am your future queen and I'll make the four of you suffer after I get married to the prince!"

"And what if it doesn't happen?" Amaechi asked. "Do you have a back up plan? Do you really think that you have a chance even after the prince came back with another woman?"

"Shut up!" Munachi said as she did not know what else to say. "Mtchew, stupid people. Just wait and see."

Munachi stomped out of the restaurant and Amaechi yelled, "Don't count your chicks before they hatch. Mtchew. Legs like that of a chicken."

"Don't insult my daughter!" Mama Munachi yelled from outside. "I agree that she is a lot to handle but don't insult her body. Afterall, she resembles me."

"Sorry, Ma," Amaechi apologised.

 The group, then went back to talking about the prince and eventually talking about their days and their families. Adaeze was so engrossed in the conversation that she lost track of time and only realised after Adaolisa mentioned that she had to return home in time to prepare supper..

The sun had already set by the time Adaeze arrived at her home. Michael was standing on the veranda with his arms crossed. He was tapping his feet impatiently and asked, "Where have you been?"

"Sorry," Adaeze apologised sheepishly. "I lost track of the time."

"Papa has been waiting for your arrival and Mama is sleeping," Michael said. "I'll take my leave now."

"Thank you for looking after them," Adaeze said as Michael walked out of the compound, but he did not acknowledge her gratitude.

Adaeze walked into the house and met her father who was seated on the couch in the living room. He looked worried and his eyebrows were creased, forming wrinkles on his forehead.

"Papa, good evening," Adaeze greeted.

"Ah, Ada, you're back?" he asked. "Welcome."

"Papa, what's wrong?" Adaeze asked.

"No-nothing, I'm just thinking," he answered.

"I can tell that you're worried about something," Adaeze said. "What is it?"

He forced a smile onto his face, "My daughter, I'm financially unstable. I'm thinking of giving my piece of land to Zirachi to pay back the money I borrowed from him."

Adaeze knew how much her father's land meant to him. If he intended to give it away, then he must really be in a debt crisis.

"Papa, God will make a way. Don't think about it too much," Adaeze said. "Are you hungry? There should be some soup left fro-"

"No, I'm not," he said and then stood up slowly. "I'm going to bed."

Adaeze watched her father walk away sadly and, feeling lonely, she decided to retire to bed as well. The night was still young but it was of no use for her to remain awake when everyone was asleep. She also had to wake up early the following day to fetch the water that she had not fetched.

* * *

ADAEZE woke up earlier than usual the following day. The sun had not even dawned yet.

She tied a wrapper around her waist and placed a cloth on her head. She wore her slippers and left the house, carrying an empty yellow Jerry can on her head.

The river was not too far away from her home, but it was not so close either. Nevertheless, she had gotten used to the distance, short or not.

The water in the river was crystal clear and sparkled even in the dark. The river was hidden in a closed forest by many trees and bushes. However, the land around it was muddy and dirty. Adaeze felt her feet sink into the mud as she knelt down at the river to fetch her water.

Just a few minutes into filling her Jerry can, a shuffling sound filled her ears. She lifted her head and studied her surrounding, but she could not see anything or anyone.

She got up in a haste and turned around, only to see the eyes of a tall, young man staring at her. Adaeze let out an ear-piercing scream before she could control herself.