WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:00.952 align:middle line:90% 00:00:00.952 --> 00:00:02.410 align:middle line:84% I'm feeling a little weepy, though. 00:00:02.410 --> 00:00:04.180 align:middle line:84% It was just a fantastic introduction. 00:00:04.180 --> 00:00:05.350 align:middle line:90% Thank you so much. 00:00:05.350 --> 00:00:07.960 align:middle line:84% I am so honored and excited to be reading in front of you 00:00:07.960 --> 00:00:08.460 align:middle line:90% tonight. 00:00:08.460 --> 00:00:10.890 align:middle line:90% And it is long overdue, I think. 00:00:10.890 --> 00:00:13.560 align:middle line:84% So I am going to read a little bit from the beginning of Mr. 00:00:13.560 --> 00:00:14.353 align:middle line:90% and Mrs. Doctor. 00:00:14.353 --> 00:00:16.770 align:middle line:84% I know some of you have heard the beginning of it already, 00:00:16.770 --> 00:00:18.810 align:middle line:84% so I'm going to be reading some brand new work 00:00:18.810 --> 00:00:21.490 align:middle line:84% that I have not read in front of any audience at all. 00:00:21.490 --> 00:00:24.540 align:middle line:84% So, it's going to be very-- it's going to feel very new. 00:00:24.540 --> 00:00:26.850 align:middle line:84% So, Mr. and Mrs. Doctor, as Manuel has said, 00:00:26.850 --> 00:00:31.860 align:middle line:84% it's a novel about a Nigerian immigrant couple 00:00:31.860 --> 00:00:34.740 align:middle line:84% in an arranged marriage and kind of all the trials 00:00:34.740 --> 00:00:37.830 align:middle line:84% and tribulations that they encounter in America. 00:00:37.830 --> 00:00:42.000 align:middle line:84% The first chapter, really, is like the first time 00:00:42.000 --> 00:00:44.310 align:middle line:84% this arranged-- this couple and this arranged marriage 00:00:44.310 --> 00:00:47.350 align:middle line:84% are together for the first time alone. 00:00:47.350 --> 00:00:49.710 align:middle line:84% And so the character, Job, had been with me 00:00:49.710 --> 00:00:52.600 align:middle line:90% for a very long time. 00:00:52.600 --> 00:00:54.870 align:middle line:84% Ifi, wife, sort of came to me a little bit later, 00:00:54.870 --> 00:00:57.510 align:middle line:84% but I kind of put them together, really, 00:00:57.510 --> 00:01:01.830 align:middle line:84% as a result of my experiences visiting Nigeria and being 00:01:01.830 --> 00:01:06.870 align:middle line:84% forced to go on a series of really awful dates, blind dates 00:01:06.870 --> 00:01:10.440 align:middle line:84% that my aunts tried to put me on. 00:01:10.440 --> 00:01:14.310 align:middle line:84% So, I just-- the story sort of grew out of that. 00:01:14.310 --> 00:01:16.530 align:middle line:84% And I should say none of this happened to me, 00:01:16.530 --> 00:01:18.030 align:middle line:90% because sometimes people-- 00:01:18.030 --> 00:01:20.520 align:middle line:90% sometimes, people ask that. 00:01:20.520 --> 00:01:23.280 align:middle line:84% "Everything Job Ogbonnaya knew about sex 00:01:23.280 --> 00:01:25.650 align:middle line:84% he learned from American pornography. 00:01:25.650 --> 00:01:28.050 align:middle line:84% So, on their first unchaperoned meeting, 00:01:28.050 --> 00:01:30.900 align:middle line:84% Joe brushed his new wife, splitting her thin body 00:01:30.900 --> 00:01:33.600 align:middle line:84% against the papered wall of their lavish honeymoon suite 00:01:33.600 --> 00:01:36.660 align:middle line:84% at the Presidential Hotel in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. 00:01:36.660 --> 00:01:40.440 align:middle line:84% Job tore at her lacy pink panties and only released his 00:01:40.440 --> 00:01:42.690 align:middle line:84% lips from her face to haltingly shout, 00:01:42.690 --> 00:01:46.500 align:middle line:90% 'You are the dirty slut girl.' 00:01:46.500 --> 00:01:49.950 align:middle line:84% Ifi punched his gut with a sharp heel of her sandal. 00:01:49.950 --> 00:01:51.270 align:middle line:90% He crumpled. 00:01:51.270 --> 00:01:52.920 align:middle line:84% Together, they landed on the floor 00:01:52.920 --> 00:01:57.060 align:middle line:84% in a tangled heap, legs splayed in every direction. 00:01:57.060 --> 00:01:59.760 align:middle line:84% 'You are ugly,' she said, glaring at him, 00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:04.260 align:middle line:84% potato sack head, stout shoulders, hog's gut, bushy, 00:02:04.260 --> 00:02:07.170 align:middle line:84% curling eyebrows, thick glasses pushed into the lips of his 00:02:07.170 --> 00:02:07.740 align:middle line:90% nose. 00:02:07.740 --> 00:02:08.669 align:middle line:90% 'Eh! 00:02:08.669 --> 00:02:10.860 align:middle line:90% And now, I married a beast. 00:02:10.860 --> 00:02:16.080 align:middle line:84% Hey!' She wound up her fist and struck him squarely on an ear. 00:02:16.080 --> 00:02:17.850 align:middle line:90% Job clutched his throbbing ear. 00:02:17.850 --> 00:02:20.250 align:middle line:84% For a moment, he struggled to unwind the underwear 00:02:20.250 --> 00:02:23.190 align:middle line:84% from his wrists before handing them back to her. 00:02:23.190 --> 00:02:25.050 align:middle line:84% When Ifi attempted to put them on, 00:02:25.050 --> 00:02:29.160 align:middle line:84% the ripped elastic band left the underwear lopsided on her hips. 00:02:29.160 --> 00:02:31.260 align:middle line:84% 'You see what you have done, oh?' 00:02:31.260 --> 00:02:33.030 align:middle line:84% She thought of the time and care she 00:02:33.030 --> 00:02:35.460 align:middle line:84% and Auntie had put into her appearance for this day, 00:02:35.460 --> 00:02:38.250 align:middle line:84% the matching underwear set, the hours 00:02:38.250 --> 00:02:40.410 align:middle line:84% cooking her hair in an egg-smelling relaxer 00:02:40.410 --> 00:02:41.670 align:middle line:90% and then curling it. 00:02:41.670 --> 00:02:45.030 align:middle line:84% Her lipstick and eyeliner were now a streaky veneer finish 00:02:45.030 --> 00:02:46.800 align:middle line:90% on her face. 00:02:46.800 --> 00:02:48.840 align:middle line:90% A solid fist banged at the door. 00:02:48.840 --> 00:02:50.400 align:middle line:84% Ifi disappeared into the bathroom, 00:02:50.400 --> 00:02:52.020 align:middle line:90% clutching at the panties. 00:02:52.020 --> 00:02:55.230 align:middle line:84% When Job opened the door, a man in a too tight suit 00:02:55.230 --> 00:02:58.020 align:middle line:84% stared up at him with liquid eyes. 00:02:58.020 --> 00:03:00.060 align:middle line:90% 'Is everything fine, sir?' 00:03:00.060 --> 00:03:02.190 align:middle line:84% The man took in job's appearance, 00:03:02.190 --> 00:03:04.290 align:middle line:84% his trousers with the zipper open 00:03:04.290 --> 00:03:07.380 align:middle line:84% and belt dangling, his face prickling with beads of sweat, 00:03:07.380 --> 00:03:09.795 align:middle line:90% his slack bare chest. 00:03:09.795 --> 00:03:12.830 align:middle line:84% A smile gradually spread over his face. 00:03:12.830 --> 00:03:16.340 align:middle line:84% Job cleared his throat and heard his father's voice in his ears. 00:03:16.340 --> 00:03:17.362 align:middle line:90% 'What is this? 00:03:17.362 --> 00:03:19.820 align:middle line:84% You have come to disturb me on the day of my honeymoon with 00:03:19.820 --> 00:03:21.260 align:middle line:90% this nonsense?' 00:03:21.260 --> 00:03:24.790 align:middle line:84% 'No, sir, my apologies, sir,' the man said. 00:03:24.790 --> 00:03:26.410 align:middle line:84% Job and the man stood in the doorway, 00:03:26.410 --> 00:03:28.570 align:middle line:84% awaiting the next line in the script. 00:03:28.570 --> 00:03:33.340 align:middle line:84% Finally, Job let the door close on the man's teasing grin. 00:03:33.340 --> 00:03:35.890 align:middle line:84% He turned back to Ifi, who now sat on the bed 00:03:35.890 --> 00:03:39.100 align:middle line:84% with her legs crossed, her face turned away from him. 00:03:39.100 --> 00:03:40.870 align:middle line:84% He positioned himself so that his body 00:03:40.870 --> 00:03:42.640 align:middle line:90% was turned away from hers, too. 00:03:42.640 --> 00:03:45.070 align:middle line:84% Then gradually, he made his way toward her. 00:03:45.070 --> 00:03:47.920 align:middle line:90% Still, she remained unmoved. 00:03:47.920 --> 00:03:50.740 align:middle line:84% His hand snaked toward her bare brown thigh. 00:03:50.740 --> 00:03:53.380 align:middle line:90% Her skin gleamed, shiny. 00:03:53.380 --> 00:03:56.350 align:middle line:84% Just before he touched her, his hand dropped short. 00:03:56.350 --> 00:03:58.510 align:middle line:90% He thought of her words. 00:03:58.510 --> 00:04:00.700 align:middle line:84% She looked prettier in the photographs, 00:04:00.700 --> 00:04:03.110 align:middle line:84% even light-skinned, not this tall, 00:04:03.110 --> 00:04:05.570 align:middle line:90% skinny thing with no buttocks. 00:04:05.570 --> 00:04:07.330 align:middle line:84% She was lucky a man like Joe Ogbonnaya 00:04:07.330 --> 00:04:10.720 align:middle line:84% would even consider her appropriate for marriage. 00:04:10.720 --> 00:04:13.630 align:middle line:84% Although Job's life had been bare in America, 00:04:13.630 --> 00:04:16.120 align:middle line:84% he had never convinced himself that what he felt 00:04:16.120 --> 00:04:17.950 align:middle line:90% was loneliness. 00:04:17.950 --> 00:04:20.560 align:middle line:84% She looked tossed apart to him, like the two 00:04:20.560 --> 00:04:22.600 align:middle line:84% legs of the goat his grandparents had butchered 00:04:22.600 --> 00:04:24.670 align:middle line:90% in honor of the engagement. 00:04:24.670 --> 00:04:26.260 align:middle line:84% On the day of the celebration, Job 00:04:26.260 --> 00:04:28.135 align:middle line:84% had stood back wearily as the butcher knocked 00:04:28.135 --> 00:04:30.580 align:middle line:84% the goat unconscious before they pulled its insides apart 00:04:30.580 --> 00:04:32.740 align:middle line:90% and prepared it for roasting. 00:04:32.740 --> 00:04:36.070 align:middle line:84% He'd always loved goat meat, so much so that as a child 00:04:36.070 --> 00:04:40.820 align:middle line:84% he'd earned the nickname onye ohi, thief, from his mother 00:04:40.820 --> 00:04:42.380 align:middle line:84% and sisters, because he would always 00:04:42.380 --> 00:04:45.650 align:middle line:84% let his hand slip into the large pot and steal bits of meat 00:04:45.650 --> 00:04:47.330 align:middle line:90% as it cooked. 00:04:47.330 --> 00:04:51.910 align:middle line:84% Still, he'd wanted no part of the killing. 00:04:51.910 --> 00:04:55.030 align:middle line:84% 'I can give you back to your people,' Job said. 00:04:55.030 --> 00:04:58.390 align:middle line:84% Ifi turned a furious glare on him, one eye widening. 00:04:58.390 --> 00:05:00.130 align:middle line:84% Auntie and Uncle would be angry with her. 00:05:00.130 --> 00:05:01.713 align:middle line:84% After all, they had found her a doctor 00:05:01.713 --> 00:05:03.430 align:middle line:90% husband who lived in America. 00:05:03.430 --> 00:05:05.890 align:middle line:84% He had even promised to send her to an American University 00:05:05.890 --> 00:05:08.440 align:middle line:84% so that she could be a nurse in his clinic. 00:05:08.440 --> 00:05:13.037 align:middle line:84% Auntie would say, how can you, an orphan, be so ungrateful? 00:05:13.037 --> 00:05:15.370 align:middle line:84% Auntie would say that all their hard work in raising her 00:05:15.370 --> 00:05:18.340 align:middle line:84% since her parents died had been in vain. 00:05:18.340 --> 00:05:21.730 align:middle line:90% Still, Ifi could not take this. 00:05:21.730 --> 00:05:24.760 align:middle line:84% She was nearly 30, almost a decade older 00:05:24.760 --> 00:05:27.410 align:middle line:90% than he believed, not a child. 00:05:27.410 --> 00:05:30.460 align:middle line:84% She would find her own way to her dreams without him. 00:05:30.460 --> 00:05:32.830 align:middle line:90% 'I will go,' she said. 00:05:32.830 --> 00:05:35.550 align:middle line:84% Their bags were open on the floor of the hotel room. 00:05:35.550 --> 00:05:38.830 align:middle line:84% Ifi began indiscriminately to dump article after article 00:05:38.830 --> 00:05:41.200 align:middle line:90% of clothing into her suitcase. 00:05:41.200 --> 00:05:44.770 align:middle line:84% Job saw his tan slacks disappearing into the bag. 00:05:44.770 --> 00:05:46.660 align:middle line:90% 'That belongs to me,' he said. 00:05:46.660 --> 00:05:49.270 align:middle line:84% As if in rewind, Ifi flung clothes out of the bag. 00:05:49.270 --> 00:05:52.240 align:middle line:84% 'It belongs to you,' she said. 'It belongs to you.' 00:05:52.240 --> 00:05:56.260 align:middle line:84% Job ducked, barely missing the flying clothes. 00:05:56.260 --> 00:06:01.150 align:middle line:84% 'Ifi,' he started, then clumsily, he added, 'darling.' 00:06:01.150 --> 00:06:02.980 align:middle line:84% Although she didn't turn back, she 00:06:02.980 --> 00:06:05.860 align:middle line:84% stopped flinging objects from the bag. 00:06:05.860 --> 00:06:08.470 align:middle line:84% He thought of his virgin wife tensed against the wall 00:06:08.470 --> 00:06:10.900 align:middle line:84% and wondered, surely, she had been 00:06:10.900 --> 00:06:14.080 align:middle line:84% schooled in the responsibilities that came with the marriage. 00:06:14.080 --> 00:06:15.940 align:middle line:90% But perhaps she hadn't. 00:06:15.940 --> 00:06:17.770 align:middle line:90% No one had explained it to him. 00:06:17.770 --> 00:06:19.900 align:middle line:84% He had been a boy of 19 when he first came 00:06:19.900 --> 00:06:22.840 align:middle line:90% to America all those years ago. 00:06:22.840 --> 00:06:25.300 align:middle line:84% Job sifted through his bags until, from far 00:06:25.300 --> 00:06:28.360 align:middle line:84% beneath the clothes and shoes, he produced 00:06:28.360 --> 00:06:31.600 align:middle line:90% a faded, well-worn magazine. 00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:36.070 align:middle line:84% He slid the magazine across the bed to Ifi and flipped it open. 00:06:36.070 --> 00:06:40.210 align:middle line:84% It was a simple enough story, page one, the doctor 00:06:40.210 --> 00:06:41.530 align:middle line:90% and the patient. 00:06:41.530 --> 00:06:45.610 align:middle line:84% The caption read, 'Doctor, it hurts here,' followed 00:06:45.610 --> 00:06:49.630 align:middle line:90% by 'Let me examine you.' 00:06:49.630 --> 00:06:51.520 align:middle line:90% Ifi flipped the page. 00:06:51.520 --> 00:06:54.580 align:middle line:84% The doctor's milky buttocks stared back at her. 00:06:54.580 --> 00:06:56.620 align:middle line:84% The patient had her arms and head back 00:06:56.620 --> 00:06:58.960 align:middle line:90% and was chortling wildly. 00:06:58.960 --> 00:07:00.310 align:middle line:90% 'What is this?' 00:07:00.310 --> 00:07:01.270 align:middle line:90% Ifi exclaimed. 00:07:01.270 --> 00:07:06.010 align:middle line:84% Was this how Americans paid for medicine? 00:07:06.010 --> 00:07:08.200 align:middle line:84% She covered her eyes, but couldn't help 00:07:08.200 --> 00:07:09.730 align:middle line:90% peeking through her fingers. 00:07:09.730 --> 00:07:13.360 align:middle line:84% She'd been with one man before, but it was over in seconds, 00:07:13.360 --> 00:07:16.630 align:middle line:84% and she'd never actually seen him completely disrobed. 00:07:16.630 --> 00:07:18.820 align:middle line:84% Suddenly, there was a flickering of lights, 00:07:18.820 --> 00:07:22.030 align:middle line:84% a gasp, and the room filled with darkness. 00:07:22.030 --> 00:07:24.310 align:middle line:84% They waited for the generator to click on, 00:07:24.310 --> 00:07:27.160 align:middle line:84% Ifi curious to turn the page, and Job 00:07:27.160 --> 00:07:28.690 align:middle line:84% expecting to consummate the marriage 00:07:28.690 --> 00:07:30.940 align:middle line:90% without further complication. 00:07:30.940 --> 00:07:32.650 align:middle line:84% When the generator did not turn on, 00:07:32.650 --> 00:07:37.180 align:middle line:84% Job instead suggested that they leave the room for a meal. 00:07:37.180 --> 00:07:40.120 align:middle line:84% They ate at an outdoor restaurant, partially shaded 00:07:40.120 --> 00:07:42.610 align:middle line:84% from the elements by skinny, frayed umbrellas. 00:07:42.610 --> 00:07:45.140 align:middle line:90% Fela Kuti roared from a radio. 00:07:45.140 --> 00:07:48.280 align:middle line:84% A big man in khaki pants and a loud printed shirt 00:07:48.280 --> 00:07:49.690 align:middle line:90% owned the restaurant. 00:07:49.690 --> 00:07:52.060 align:middle line:84% He wrapped Job in a thundering embrace. 00:07:52.060 --> 00:07:54.760 align:middle line:84% 'Oga, Doctor,' he said, 'Mr. Doctor, 00:07:54.760 --> 00:07:56.980 align:middle line:84% how long are you staying with us?' 00:07:56.980 --> 00:07:59.140 align:middle line:84% Job told them he was with his wife on honeymoon, 00:07:59.140 --> 00:08:00.610 align:middle line:84% and the man proceeded to rattle off 00:08:00.610 --> 00:08:03.410 align:middle line:84% all the years he'd known Job and his family. 00:08:03.410 --> 00:08:05.770 align:middle line:84% 'This man's father is my father's cousin. 00:08:05.770 --> 00:08:08.920 align:middle line:84% I have known him since before he could stand.' 00:08:08.920 --> 00:08:10.570 align:middle line:90% Job ordered two Coronas. 00:08:10.570 --> 00:08:12.010 align:middle line:84% When the bottles arrived, sweating 00:08:12.010 --> 00:08:16.720 align:middle line:84% cool wet pearls down the sides, he paid in US dollars. 00:08:16.720 --> 00:08:19.330 align:middle line:84% Ifi and Job sat silently across from one another, 00:08:19.330 --> 00:08:22.390 align:middle line:84% as he swallowed his Corona and then hers. 00:08:22.390 --> 00:08:24.460 align:middle line:84% Job sucked the layers of slippery flesh free 00:08:24.460 --> 00:08:27.220 align:middle line:90% of the fishbone as Ifi nibbled. 00:08:27.220 --> 00:08:31.060 align:middle line:84% She sat quietly, thinking of the magazine and wondered, 00:08:31.060 --> 00:08:35.230 align:middle line:84% is this how Americans pay my doctor husband? 00:08:35.230 --> 00:08:37.299 align:middle line:84% Light streamed in diagonally, cutting his face 00:08:37.299 --> 00:08:38.679 align:middle line:90% into odd patterns. 00:08:38.679 --> 00:08:42.309 align:middle line:84% His features seemed to surrender to his surroundings. 00:08:42.309 --> 00:08:45.190 align:middle line:84% Is this what America does to a man? 00:08:45.190 --> 00:08:48.370 align:middle line:84% Finally, she spoke, Her voice low. 00:08:48.370 --> 00:08:52.180 align:middle line:84% 'Are Americans so poor that they must--' she couldn't finish 00:08:52.180 --> 00:08:55.720 align:middle line:84% the question without thinking of the naked doctor and patient. 00:08:55.720 --> 00:08:57.190 align:middle line:84% Job sipped the beer and told her, 00:08:57.190 --> 00:08:59.145 align:middle line:90% 'Money is time in America.' 00:08:59.145 --> 00:09:00.520 align:middle line:84% Then he launched into telling her 00:09:00.520 --> 00:09:04.180 align:middle line:84% about the shops, the ladies' clothes, the shoes, 00:09:04.180 --> 00:09:06.700 align:middle line:90% and Ifi was no longer listening. 00:09:06.700 --> 00:09:09.340 align:middle line:84% A beggar boy of perhaps nine moved from table to table 00:09:09.340 --> 00:09:11.080 align:middle line:90% with a pan full of peanuts. 00:09:11.080 --> 00:09:14.080 align:middle line:84% His lean, meatless face was filled with long lashes, 00:09:14.080 --> 00:09:16.058 align:middle line:84% and his sinewy limbs were shiny and exposed 00:09:16.058 --> 00:09:18.100 align:middle line:84% through the holes in his wrinkled Michael Jackson 00:09:18.100 --> 00:09:19.690 align:middle line:90% t-shirt. 00:09:19.690 --> 00:09:22.600 align:middle line:84% Many of the dining couples flagged him away in annoyance 00:09:22.600 --> 00:09:27.100 align:middle line:84% or simply ignored him, but he refused to go unnoticed. 00:09:27.100 --> 00:09:29.920 align:middle line:84% He leaned into a table where a large woman and a thin man 00:09:29.920 --> 00:09:31.180 align:middle line:90% took up the seats. 00:09:31.180 --> 00:09:32.860 align:middle line:90% They were dressed well. 00:09:32.860 --> 00:09:36.280 align:middle line:84% He winked flirtatiously and clicked his teeth at the lady. 00:09:36.280 --> 00:09:37.930 align:middle line:90% 'Ma,' he said, smiling. 00:09:37.930 --> 00:09:39.910 align:middle line:90% 'Ma.' 00:09:39.910 --> 00:09:42.940 align:middle line:84% 'I will buy you a fur coat,' Job said to Ifi. 00:09:42.940 --> 00:09:45.310 align:middle line:84% He would have to get one of fake fur. 00:09:45.310 --> 00:09:47.590 align:middle line:90% 'Ma,' the boy said again. 00:09:47.590 --> 00:09:49.510 align:middle line:84% 'I am not your mama,' the woman said, 00:09:49.510 --> 00:09:51.130 align:middle line:90% drawing her wobbly chin back. 00:09:51.130 --> 00:09:53.260 align:middle line:84% I am not old enough to be your mama. 00:09:53.260 --> 00:09:56.680 align:middle line:84% Shifting her wig back, she turned away from him. 00:09:56.680 --> 00:09:58.600 align:middle line:84% 'This foolish boy,' the man said. 00:09:58.600 --> 00:10:00.760 align:middle line:84% Still, with his knees pulled close together, 00:10:00.760 --> 00:10:04.180 align:middle line:84% he smiled and hunched forward, scraping the floor with a cane. 00:10:04.180 --> 00:10:07.780 align:middle line:84% He was old enough to be the woman's grandfather, much older 00:10:07.780 --> 00:10:09.430 align:middle line:90% than Job. 00:10:09.430 --> 00:10:12.670 align:middle line:84% Ifi wondered how this man and woman had met. 00:10:12.670 --> 00:10:15.910 align:middle line:84% Ifi had met Job only once before their honeymoon. 00:10:15.910 --> 00:10:17.800 align:middle line:84% Even during the wedding, Job's junior brother 00:10:17.800 --> 00:10:20.208 align:middle line:84% had stood in while he was in America. 00:10:20.208 --> 00:10:22.000 align:middle line:84% All Ifi had remembered from her one meeting 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:23.583 align:middle line:84% with Job was that his face was nothing 00:10:23.583 --> 00:10:26.530 align:middle line:84% more than a jagged relief etched on the dark. 00:10:26.530 --> 00:10:28.698 align:middle line:84% He'd sat across from Ifi, Auntie, and Uncle 00:10:28.698 --> 00:10:30.490 align:middle line:84% all squeezed together on the smaller couch, 00:10:30.490 --> 00:10:32.560 align:middle line:84% so that he could have a large one. 00:10:32.560 --> 00:10:34.105 align:middle line:84% Auntie and uncle had unsuccessfully 00:10:34.105 --> 00:10:35.980 align:middle line:84% tried to borrow a generator for the occasion, 00:10:35.980 --> 00:10:38.200 align:middle line:84% and had been forced to settle on kerosene, 00:10:38.200 --> 00:10:41.440 align:middle line:84% so they stiffly argued about NEPA, the oil truck driver's 00:10:41.440 --> 00:10:44.710 align:middle line:84% strike, corrupt politicians, and the ongoing teachers' strike, 00:10:44.710 --> 00:10:46.810 align:middle line:90% in a bash at explanation. 00:10:46.810 --> 00:10:48.250 align:middle line:84% The kerosene had scrubbed roughly 00:10:48.250 --> 00:10:50.230 align:middle line:90% at Ifi's nostrils and throat. 00:10:50.230 --> 00:10:53.020 align:middle line:84% Outside, she'd heard the sounds of church services going 00:10:53.020 --> 00:10:55.990 align:middle line:84% on despite the dark along the length of their street. 00:10:55.990 --> 00:10:58.810 align:middle line:84% Children had been playing outside, chasing the rooster 00:10:58.810 --> 00:11:02.140 align:middle line:84% and dirtying their bony knees and the muddy roadway. 00:11:02.140 --> 00:11:04.030 align:middle line:84% She thought of how the ankles of the man who 00:11:04.030 --> 00:11:07.840 align:middle line:84% sat before her would in light appear like the children's, 00:11:07.840 --> 00:11:11.320 align:middle line:90% bloodied from the wet dirt road. 00:11:11.320 --> 00:11:14.410 align:middle line:84% Before they met, there were packages of gifts. 00:11:14.410 --> 00:11:16.960 align:middle line:84% At the time, Ifi knew nothing of the letters, pictures, 00:11:16.960 --> 00:11:18.700 align:middle line:84% and conversations with the people 00:11:18.700 --> 00:11:20.860 align:middle line:90% who would become her in-laws. 00:11:20.860 --> 00:11:22.540 align:middle line:84% All her life, Ifi had been instructed 00:11:22.540 --> 00:11:27.650 align:middle line:84% to tell neighbors, friends, age mates that her father was away, 00:11:27.650 --> 00:11:29.350 align:middle line:90% whether they believed it or not. 00:11:29.350 --> 00:11:31.270 align:middle line:84% So, she fooled herself into believing 00:11:31.270 --> 00:11:33.430 align:middle line:84% that the packages were from him, that he really 00:11:33.430 --> 00:11:36.670 align:middle line:84% did live in America or London or Germany, 00:11:36.670 --> 00:11:39.082 align:middle line:84% that he had never been arrested for suspicion of fraud, 00:11:39.082 --> 00:11:40.540 align:middle line:84% that he had never been investigated 00:11:40.540 --> 00:11:43.620 align:middle line:84% and then murdered before his arraignment. 00:11:43.620 --> 00:11:45.970 align:middle line:84% As her cousins paraded through the potholed streets 00:11:45.970 --> 00:11:48.190 align:middle line:84% of their neighborhood in blue jeans and sweaters that 00:11:48.190 --> 00:11:50.680 align:middle line:84% were too big for their slight frames and too bulky 00:11:50.680 --> 00:11:54.280 align:middle line:84% for the thick Nigerian heat, Ifi had imagined her father 00:11:54.280 --> 00:11:57.310 align:middle line:84% sitting behind a large desk in London, paper stacked neatly 00:11:57.310 --> 00:12:00.280 align:middle line:84% around him, awaiting his signature. 00:12:00.280 --> 00:12:02.740 align:middle line:84% Of the sweaters, blue jeans, and jewelry, 00:12:02.740 --> 00:12:04.750 align:middle line:84% Ifi kept nothing except for a red gold 00:12:04.750 --> 00:12:09.250 align:middle line:84% chain handbag that she took out only for church, and today. 00:12:09.250 --> 00:12:10.833 align:middle line:84% Only after the package's contents 00:12:10.833 --> 00:12:12.250 align:middle line:84% had been spread across the couches 00:12:12.250 --> 00:12:14.740 align:middle line:84% did Auntie and Uncle inform her that a man was 00:12:14.740 --> 00:12:16.740 align:middle line:90% coming to visit her. 00:12:16.740 --> 00:12:18.930 align:middle line:84% Auntie had watched her closely that day. 00:12:18.930 --> 00:12:21.960 align:middle line:84% 'You see all the good things we've done for you, you, 00:12:21.960 --> 00:12:24.510 align:middle line:84% a skinny girl with nothing, no parents, 00:12:24.510 --> 00:12:27.540 align:middle line:90% and now you will see America.' 00:12:27.540 --> 00:12:30.570 align:middle line:84% Ifi needed to ask Job about this America. 00:12:30.570 --> 00:12:32.340 align:middle line:84% Before leaving her cousin's laughter, 00:12:32.340 --> 00:12:34.260 align:middle line:84% Auntie's gossip, and Uncle's stories, 00:12:34.260 --> 00:12:36.510 align:middle line:90% she needed to know everything. 00:12:36.510 --> 00:12:39.690 align:middle line:84% But the skinny beggar boy was standing at her table now. 00:12:39.690 --> 00:12:43.290 align:middle line:84% Ifi began to shoo him away, but Job stopped him. 00:12:43.290 --> 00:12:45.707 align:middle line:84% The boy dumped the peanuts into his palms, 00:12:45.707 --> 00:12:47.790 align:middle line:84% tumbling his hands in such a way that he magically 00:12:47.790 --> 00:12:49.170 align:middle line:90% released the shells. 00:12:49.170 --> 00:12:52.080 align:middle line:84% He was grinning, proud of his work, 00:12:52.080 --> 00:12:55.290 align:middle line:84% but how could he be so pleased in his condition? 00:12:55.290 --> 00:12:57.360 align:middle line:84% She imagined him curled into a tight ball 00:12:57.360 --> 00:12:59.310 align:middle line:84% underneath the bridge near the hotel. 00:12:59.310 --> 00:13:01.800 align:middle line:84% The ground would be muddy, a deep red where the rain had 00:13:01.800 --> 00:13:03.730 align:middle line:90% softened the Earth. 00:13:03.730 --> 00:13:05.920 align:middle line:84% If he slept deeply, he might not notice how close 00:13:05.920 --> 00:13:08.080 align:middle line:84% his face was to the water, the shit, 00:13:08.080 --> 00:13:10.630 align:middle line:90% the dead malarial mosquitoes. 00:13:10.630 --> 00:13:12.130 align:middle line:90% Ifi shuddered. 00:13:12.130 --> 00:13:14.770 align:middle line:84% Instead of sitting at a fancy table alongside her doctor 00:13:14.770 --> 00:13:18.190 align:middle line:84% husband, she would have been under the bridge girl had it 00:13:18.190 --> 00:13:20.410 align:middle line:90% not been for Auntie and Uncle. 00:13:20.410 --> 00:13:23.470 align:middle line:84% The little boy before her, too small for his shirt, 00:13:23.470 --> 00:13:26.770 align:middle line:84% the shirt with all its holes, he would have gnats and lice 00:13:26.770 --> 00:13:28.690 align:middle line:84% in his hair, his skin his lips chalky 00:13:28.690 --> 00:13:31.270 align:middle line:90% from the residue of dusty dirt. 00:13:31.270 --> 00:13:33.190 align:middle line:84% Job was still smiling a distracted amusement 00:13:33.190 --> 00:13:36.250 align:middle line:84% at the boy when Ifi thrust forward the bowl of peanuts. 00:13:36.250 --> 00:13:37.790 align:middle line:90% Ngwa, go! 00:13:37.790 --> 00:13:40.670 align:middle line:84% The peanuts splattered across the table and the floor. 00:13:40.670 --> 00:13:43.790 align:middle line:84% The boy's eyes met Ifi's in desperation just for a second 00:13:43.790 --> 00:13:47.060 align:middle line:84% before he averted his gaze to the ground in deference. 00:13:47.060 --> 00:13:49.153 align:middle line:84% The restaurant owner was on them in seconds. 00:13:49.153 --> 00:13:51.320 align:middle line:84% He knocked the boy's head with the back of his hand. 00:13:51.320 --> 00:13:52.760 align:middle line:84% 'Why must you disturb my customer? 00:13:52.760 --> 00:13:55.280 align:middle line:84% He is a doctor, here from America for only a short time. 00:13:55.280 --> 00:13:57.230 align:middle line:90% I will beat you today.' 00:13:57.230 --> 00:14:00.110 align:middle line:84% To Ifi and Job, he said, 'I am so sorry.' 00:14:00.110 --> 00:14:02.840 align:middle line:84% The boy tried to run, but the man shoved him to the ground 00:14:02.840 --> 00:14:05.930 align:middle line:84% with his foot and began to beat him. 00:14:05.930 --> 00:14:08.060 align:middle line:84% The boy whimpered and heaved tearless cries. 00:14:08.060 --> 00:14:11.720 align:middle line:84% 'No, sir.' He turned to Ifi. 'Sorry, Auntie,' he said. 00:14:11.720 --> 00:14:14.150 align:middle line:84% On his knees he begged, his thin quivering frame 00:14:14.150 --> 00:14:16.550 align:middle line:90% on the floor before her. 00:14:16.550 --> 00:14:19.610 align:middle line:84% Ifi's voice was small as she spoke. 00:14:19.610 --> 00:14:23.370 align:middle line:90% 'Leave him.' Everything stopped. 00:14:23.370 --> 00:14:25.830 align:middle line:90% A chill rose through her body. 00:14:25.830 --> 00:14:28.950 align:middle line:84% This was what it meant to be a big woman. 00:14:28.950 --> 00:14:30.780 align:middle line:84% Half bowing, half filling the bowl, 00:14:30.780 --> 00:14:33.448 align:middle line:84% the boy attempted to sweep up the mess as he left. 00:14:33.448 --> 00:14:35.490 align:middle line:84% He would go hungry for the rest of the day, maybe 00:14:35.490 --> 00:14:37.448 align:middle line:84% the rest of the week without the money he would 00:14:37.448 --> 00:14:38.970 align:middle line:90% have earned from the peanuts. 00:14:38.970 --> 00:14:42.090 align:middle line:84% 'Leave him,' Ifi said again with force. 00:14:42.090 --> 00:14:47.380 align:middle line:84% 'Ego,' she said to Job, 'we will pay for the nuts.' 00:14:47.380 --> 00:14:48.850 align:middle line:90% Job retrieved a few naira. 00:14:48.850 --> 00:14:50.920 align:middle line:90% He tossed them on the ground. 00:14:50.920 --> 00:14:53.440 align:middle line:90% 'Go,' Ifi said, 'go.' 00:14:53.440 --> 00:14:55.300 align:middle line:84% The boy collected the money and ran as fast 00:14:55.300 --> 00:14:57.040 align:middle line:90% as his bony legs allowed. 00:14:57.040 --> 00:14:59.290 align:middle line:84% When he was gone, the fat lady laughed 00:14:59.290 --> 00:15:00.820 align:middle line:90% into the skinny man's ears. 00:15:00.820 --> 00:15:04.180 align:middle line:84% The bartender brought Ifi and Job two more bottles of Corona, 00:15:04.180 --> 00:15:08.560 align:middle line:84% on the house, and Job said to no one in particular, 'In America, 00:15:08.560 --> 00:15:11.620 align:middle line:90% boys like that are in school.' 00:15:11.620 --> 00:15:13.810 align:middle line:84% By the time they started back to the hotel, 00:15:13.810 --> 00:15:15.790 align:middle line:84% a steel gray had enveloped the orange sun 00:15:15.790 --> 00:15:17.680 align:middle line:90% as night began its descent. 00:15:17.680 --> 00:15:19.780 align:middle line:84% All around, the breeze interrupted the calm 00:15:19.780 --> 00:15:21.550 align:middle line:90% of long-necked palm trees. 00:15:21.550 --> 00:15:23.410 align:middle line:84% With their wares balanced on their heads, 00:15:23.410 --> 00:15:25.450 align:middle line:84% hawkers darted across the streets. 00:15:25.450 --> 00:15:27.670 align:middle line:84% Job's driver swerved through the gaps in the roadway 00:15:27.670 --> 00:15:29.680 align:middle line:84% with practiced turns that knocked 00:15:29.680 --> 00:15:31.960 align:middle line:90% Job and Ifi into one another. 00:15:31.960 --> 00:15:34.870 align:middle line:84% Each time they touched, Job felt the softness of her skin 00:15:34.870 --> 00:15:36.160 align:middle line:90% against his. 00:15:36.160 --> 00:15:38.530 align:middle line:84% He tried to reconcile this gentle touch 00:15:38.530 --> 00:15:41.680 align:middle line:84% with her harsh way with the boy, telling himself 00:15:41.680 --> 00:15:44.290 align:middle line:84% that he had been in America too long. 00:15:44.290 --> 00:15:46.930 align:middle line:84% Even the boy with his tearless cries 00:15:46.930 --> 00:15:49.480 align:middle line:90% had walked with his head erect. 00:15:49.480 --> 00:15:51.550 align:middle line:84% He would likely brag to the boys in his gang 00:15:51.550 --> 00:15:53.770 align:middle line:84% about how his crocodile tears had earned him 00:15:53.770 --> 00:15:55.670 align:middle line:90% double what they had earned. 00:15:55.670 --> 00:16:00.740 align:middle line:84% Now, more than ever, Job was glad to be home." 00:16:00.740 --> 00:16:02.290 align:middle line:90% OK.