[STORY] STUBBORN HEAD

Stubborn Head

Chapter One: The Woman Who Loved to Disobey

Unoazi had a serious problem. If she heard that she was not allowed to do something, that thing suddenly became the most interesting thing on earth to do. If a shoe seller said, “Please don’t touch that shoe,” Unoazi’s body wouldn’t rest until she had fully explored what was so special about the shoe. And if her husband said ten words during a heated argument, she would say twenty, because she couldn’t let him have the last word.

She had a very unusual relationship with instructions. In fact, to say she disliked receiving orders was an understatement. The moment anyone gave her an instruction, she became determined to do the exact opposite, because she believed nobody had any right to tell her what she could or could not do.

So when Amaeka, her husband, announced that they were going to his village for the August celebrations, Unoazi already knew what she was going to say. For three years since their traditional wedding, Unoazi had refused to follow her husband whenever he traveled home. Each time he started packing his clothes, she would simply sit comfortably on the sofa and continue watching her Nollywood movies.

“My mother called,” Amaeka said, interrupting his wife’s Nollywood-watching session. “She said both of us should come home this year. Did you hear what I said?”

“What is it, Sef? Is it by force to visit your village?”

He wasn’t too surprised. That had always been her reply anytime he brought up the topic. But this time around, his mother was adamant that Unoazi should attend the August meeting. People in the village had started asking questions. Why did Amaeka’s wife never come home? Was she too proud? Did she dislike the family? Or was she simply avoiding them?

But the truth was that Unoazi simply didn’t like the protocol and rules that followed. She loved the freedom of being able to order food without having to cook first in a kitchen that had five other family members. She wanted to wake up at a time she preferred and do house chores at her own pace, without being told what to do and when to do it.

But Amaeka’s mother was persistent. “All the daughters-in-law would be around, and it would be fun,” his mother said over the phone, trying to convince her.

Eventually, Unoazi agreed to go with her husband. She decided that if they wanted her in the village so badly, she would go — but she would make sure they regretted inviting her. In her mind, she only needed to misbehave enough for everybody to conclude that maybe it was better not to have her around during the next celebration. It was a brilliant plan. Or at least it sounded brilliant in her head.

Chapter Two: The Village Welcome

On the morning they left, Unoazi packed her clothes like someone excited to go on a secret mission. When they arrived at the village, Amaeka’s mother welcomed them warmly. But inside Unoazi’s mind, she was already counting the days until she would unleash her plans.

Then came the most talked-about August meeting. Before the big day, Amaeka warned her about the rules. He already knew his wife was a full bag of trouble. He clearly explained to her that she should not arrive late, and also told her about the required uniform.

Unoazi asked, “So what happens if somebody doesn’t wear the correct uniform?”

“Such person would be asked to pay a fine,” Amaeka responded calmly.

“Hmm. But what if the person refuses to pay the fine? What would happen?” Unoazi said, smiling mischievously.

Amaeka looked at her, confused. “Why are you asking? Are you planning on not wearing the uniform?” But Unoazi didn’t answer the question, and laughed it off instead.

Chapter Three: The August Meeting

Fast forward to the day of the meeting. Unoazi took her sweet time getting ready. Amaeka kept reminding her of the time. But the more he reminded her, the slower she seemed to get ready. By the time Unoazi arrived, the meeting had already started about two hours earlier.

Everyone paused to look at her. But instead of looking embarrassed, she walked in majestically. As she approached an empty seat, one of the women quietly walked up to her and reminded her that she was tying the wrong color of scarf.

“Oh, I didn’t know that color of scarf was compulsory,” Unoazi said, feigning ignorance. The woman calmly explained again that it was part of the meeting rules. Unoazi was asked to pay a fine for coming late and for failing to wear the complete uniform.

“See me see trouble. Is it by force to tie that particular type of scarf?” Unoazi questioned them. After much back and forth, she finally brought out the said amount of money from her bag to pay. But she didn’t do it quietly. She did it with enough commentary to make sure everyone in the gathering knew she was being asked to pay a fine.

And that was how Unoazi officially introduced herself to her husband’s village people.

But this was just the beginning. She had only just started with her plans. When food was served, Unoazi ate everything on the table — from melon soup to bitter leaf soup and even beans. She ate fast, and the other women seated next to her got offended. That kind of feeling you get when someone seated close to you eats in a rushed manner — that was the kind of secondhand embarrassment the women felt that day.

By the time the meeting was over, Unoazi had already become a topic of discussion. Some called her rude; others said she lacked common etiquette. Unoazi herself was pleased, because everything was going according to plan. She had arrived late. She had not worn the right scarf. She had argued over the fine, and she had made them uncomfortable with her excessive eating and loud chewing. She was convinced nobody would want her back next year.

Chapter Four: The Grandmother’s Warmth

But Amaeka’s mother did not see things that way. She was just happy that all her daughters-in-law were around. That evening, she called Unoazi aside. Instead of lecturing her, the woman asked if she had enjoyed herself at the meeting. Unoazi simply nodded, too tired to speak.

Then the old woman smiled and told her about the upcoming New Yam Festival. Immediately Unoazi’s ears stood at attention, and the tiredness disappeared. Her mother-in-law went ahead to explain that the new harvest had to be presented properly before people could begin eating the new yam. There was a traditional ceremony where the elders would perform the necessary rites and give thanks. Until then, people were expected to wait.

Unoazi listened carefully. Then she asked, “So nobody can eat the new yam before that?”

“Yes, my daughter. That is the tradition,” her mother-in-law nodded.

Unoazi smiled. “Okay, no problem. Good night, mama,” she said, and retired for the night.

That was where the real trouble began. Because once Unoazi heard that she was not allowed to do something, that thing suddenly became the most interesting thing to do. There were old yams in the barn, alongside plantains, rice, and beans. But none of those things mattered anymore to her. Unoazi suddenly started craving the new yam. She already knew exactly how she was going to do it.

Chapter Five: The Forbidden Yam

Her plan was to wait until nobody was watching. She would find a nice new yam, cook it, and then she would have the satisfaction of knowing that all those warnings had been nothing but mere exaggeration.

By morning, the household was busy making preparations for a family member’s marriage introduction. People were moving around the compound, discussing arrangements. Her husband wasn’t paying particular attention to her, and that was exactly what she needed. She quietly made her way toward the farm at the backyard, where she found a beautiful new yam, and took it. As she walked back, she felt like a child who had successfully stolen meat from her mother’s pot.

When she got back to the compound, she waited until she was sure everyone had gone for the introduction ceremony. Then she went to the kitchen and started cooking. She prepared palm oil, chopped onions, pepper, and even added fresh uziza leaves. By the time she finished, the plate looked so good that even somebody who wasn’t hungry before would have considered joining her.

She balanced on the small wooden chair to eat. After taking the first bite, she looked around to see if thunder would strike or if she would hear some mysterious voice. But nothing of the sort happened. After eating, she cleaned the place, washed everything, and made sure there were no traces left.

For the rest of the day, she felt victorious. Every few hours, she checked herself to see if she still moved, laughed, and talked normally. But she was totally fine, and everything was normal. Unoazi believed she had finally exposed the great mystery. The rule was simply just a rule. They just liked giving unnecessary rules to keep someone from doing whatever they liked. She hissed and went to take a nap.

Chapter Six: The Swelling

A few minutes into the nap, she was jolted awake by a strange pain in her stomach. Her body felt different, and when she went to the mirror, what she saw made her almost pass out. Her mouth was swollen beyond recognition.

“What is this?” she said to herself. Her first thought was that perhaps an insect had bitten her, but her stomach kept making funny noises. Then the yam she’d eaten earlier came to mind. “No, no, no,” she shook her head. “It cannot be because of ordinary yam.” She quickly dismissed the thought and forced herself back to sleep, hoping that by the next morning she would feel better. And most importantly, she didn’t want anyone to see her face. So she went to bed earlier than usual, before everyone came back.

By morning, it was Amaeka who woke her up himself, with other family members gathered in the room. Everyone kept staring at her as if she were a freshly molded statue. The swelling was still there. If anything, it looked even worse than the previous day.

Then Amaeka asked the question she was hoping he would never ask. “Nwoi, what did you eat? Hope it’s not what I’m thinking.”

Unoazi slowly bowed her head, and that confirmed everyone’s fear. She admitted that she had eaten the new yam. She claimed she just wanted to know what would happen if she ate it, and now she could see for herself.

Chapter Seven: The Weight of Tradition

Amaeka’s mother shook her head in disappointment. Unoazi had not just attracted the punishment of the gods to herself — she had also brought shame to the family as a whole. According to the traditional belief of the community, Unoazi had violated a sacred custom, and many people feared the consequences would extend beyond her.

A few days later, an unusual heavy rain fell and damaged some of the crops that had been prepared for the festival. To the elders and many people in the community, it was more than coincidence. They believed Unoazi’s actions had offended the traditional order they had carefully respected for generations. Whether that was one hundred percent true, no one knows — but that was what the people believed at the time.

The whispers moved through the compound quickly. Some of the older women who had once quietly rolled their eyes at Unoazi’s scarf incident now looked at her with something closer to fear. Children were warned to stay away from her doorway until the swelling passed, as if whatever had touched her might reach for them too. Amaeka, caught between his wife and his people, spent those days moving quietly between the two — bringing her warm water, sitting with her when no one else would, and absorbing, without complaint, the disapproving glances that followed him around the compound because of what his wife had done.

Chapter Eight: Recovery

Luckily for Unoazi, after receiving treatment and spending several uncomfortable days recovering, the swelling and stomach pain eventually disappeared, and the people of the community gradually recovered from the crops they’d lost to the heavy rainfall.

Just like that, the woman who had once treated every instruction like an invitation to rebel became noticeably calmer. When people explained things to her, she listened carefully, and whenever there was a rule, she followed it respectfully, without arguing unnecessarily.

From that day forward, whenever Unoazi saw yam, she avoided it like a plague. In fact, if somebody offered her yam, she would politely decline, choosing any other food option available instead.

The village never quite forgot the story of the woman who ate the forbidden yam before the festival rites were complete. It became one of those tales told half in warning and half in laughter at family gatherings for years afterward — a reminder, passed from one stubborn young bride to the next, that some rules exist not to be tested, but to be trusted. And Unoazi, who had once believed no instruction deserved her obedience, became, in the end, one of the village’s most careful listeners — a woman who had learned, the hardest way possible, that a stubborn head sometimes carries a heavier price than anyone warns you about.