Nwosu, the Osu

True to his words, the stranger did exactly as he said through the journey home was a quiet and eerie one. When they got to her father's house, he apologized and was forgiven by her parents and left after bidden her goodbye. Once he was gone, her father warned her never to go near him again as he was an Osu.

That night as Nnenne lay on her mat, she thought of all that has happened that evening and was filled with regret and remorse. Why did she slap him? He didn't deserve that slap, why was she always quick to anger. Osu is usually not kind to Dialas, why didn't he return the slap? Why was he kind tome? She wondered before making up her mind to ask for his forgiveness next she sees him.

Eight days after, Nnenne was returning from the stream when she saw him approaching from afar, holding hand with another girl about her own age. Immediately he saw her, he excused the maiden and slowly walked over wearing a beautiful smile. Nnenne said the smile made her heart skip a beat. She wasted no time in apologizing for her wrong the last time they met. He introduced himself as Nwosu and the girl as Ogadimma, his younger sister. Adding that she was the one he wanted to startle as she claimed not to be afraid of anything.

They spent so much time getting to know each other like every other thing faded in the background, their social classes disappeared into tiny air; it didn't matter whether they were from different worlds, everything seems to be perfect. After all, true love doesn't care about Osu and Diala. That was how Nnenne and Nwosu love story began; they began seeing each other in odd places at odd times, hiding from the rest of the world. They were not really good at hiding it because soon it was no longer news that they were seeing each other.

Her father kept warning her to stay away from Nwosu; that he was bad news and nothing more; that their love will bring nothing but calamity upon their noble family. He even went a step further to threaten that he would disown her if she continued seeing that osu; all of these fell on ears covered with the beautiful music of love. Nwosu's parents were no different; they too wanted nothing to do with dialas to avoid the wrath of the gods upon their household. They also warned their son asking him to abandon Nnenne and look for an Osu like himself and get married to but as expected he didn't listen.

About twenty Igbo weeks after, these two have become inseparable with thoughts that they are invisible to the rest of the world, it became clear they were not when Nnenne's father went to attack Nwosu's family in search of him with a machete. The lovers met in their secret hideout the next day and decided to make love for the first time to further prove to the world and the gods that nothing is going to come in between them. After the gratifying action, they agreed to elope to another far away village with no diala and osu, where everyone is free to get married to whoever they love. There they agreed to meet at the same spot the next morning before the sun rises, from where they will begin their journey to the promised land.

Nnenne left him that evening after a heartfelt goodbye, all smiles and extremely excited. Her dreams were about to become a reality. She has been suggesting they run away but he refused saying he doesn't want to leave Ogadimma behind as she declined running with them. But that attack on hisfamily changed everything. He had just made her the happiest woman in the world.

She got home that evening and quickly did everything that was expected of her. While in her room, she hurriedly packed all her belongings and lay on her mat forcing herself to sleep. After the second cockcrow, she sneaked from home not minding the danger that could lie ahead as it was not yet dawn to their hideout, waiting for her lover to show up but he never did. Instead, Ogadimma came to inform her of a change in plan, that Nwosu wants her to come to their house first.

Ogadimma at first never liked Nnenne, she felt threatened by her, she thought Nnenne wanted to come in between her and her brother but later she discovered their love was genuine and she was the only thing that brought joy to his once lonely brother. She became the only person in the world that was in support of their relationship and currently her only friend as the rest had deserted her in order not to share in her maledict.

She asked about her lover and why he was not there yet? Ogadimma responded promising that Nwosu was alright but that something unexpected came up, that's why he could not make it and has asked her to come instead. She trusted Ogadimma and was curious what unexpected thing came up, so she followed.

They arrived at the compound to find people gathered in small groups, whispering to each other and wearing long faces. Once they saw her, they stopped talking and began staring at her as she slowly walked past them into the hut that Ogadimma pointed after she said "Go inside and see for yourself".