Jagua Nana

‘Freddie, I die! Kill me, Freddie. I die! … Oh, God! …’

He bit her ear. He felt golden-sweet with this release of his pent-up tensions. The pleasure he had found in Nancy’s youthfulness, her sensitivity, came as from a fable. He could not help contrasting her skin which was firm and elastic, with Jagua’s flabby and soggy for all the artifice. When Nancy cried, it was because she felt pain or pleasure; not because she had rehearsed it and timed it in advance. Her eyes rolled in ecstasy, and when she sat sobbing after he had had her he was disturbed and he kissed away the tears and smoothed her cheeks. She was genuine. Did genuine mating exist? Freddie asked himself. If only Jagua knew it, this was the greatest betrayal she had ever faced.

‘Freddie, tell me you love me.’ She kissed him.

‘I love you, Nancy,’ he murmured between kisses. ‘But why you cryin’? You so sweet, I wonder if I jus’ dreamin’!’

The tears came up again. He saw them fill the eyes, brown eyes that looked beyond him in a flood of grief. He took a handkerchief and dabbed away the tears and tenderly told her to get up and dress before lying back for a while. She slipped out of the bed and clumsily began putting the chemise over her head. He went and held her hips.

‘Where you come from, Nancy?’

‘My fadder and modder come here from Freetown, in Sa Leone. Long time. My fadder workin’ in de Secretariat before he die. Since den I live with my modder who sen’ me to school. She doin’ a bit of dressmaking and a bit of bakery – we got a nice shop where we sell cake and bread …’

‘So you say your modder know all about we?’ He handed her the blouse. She was getting into her knickers, and she held his shoulder to retain her balance.

‘I tol’ my modder dat I love you an’ I wan’ to marry you. She think I no serious. “Don’ forget, Nancy … We comin’ a long way, from Freetown. An’ if you marry dis Nigerian boy, den you mus’ forsake you fadderlan’.” So my Mama say, but I don’ lissen to her, so she jus’ go on talkin’. She tell me dat if I wan’ to marry you, I must kill Jagua firs’ before I kin get you. I mus’ kill Jagua firs’. She talk true, Freddie? Tell me, Freddie, is true dat if I want you Jagua will fight me? Answer me true – not because you and she quarrellin’ or anythin’. Answer me true, because I love you, Freddie.’

He looked at the pain her eyes tried to conceal. ‘No, Nancy. I not goin’ to marry Jagua. At firs’ I think Jagua serious with me. But is all lie, lie, lie! She got dis habit of runnin’ after men with money. Now if she don’ sleep with one man every day, she never feel happy. Den on top of dat, she takin’ me as small chil’ and she always deceive me under me own nose. If I catch her, she begin to tell long story. I got too much pride, Nancy. But jus’ now, it won’ be de right thing, if I let her know. Ah mus’ wait till ah enter de ship firs’. Till I land in Englan’. Den I will show my hand.’

She threw herself into his arms and he folded her, soft and sweet and dain

ty. ‘But Freddie, what you goin’ to do? Jagua put a lot of money on you head. How you goin’ to pay back?’

He stroked her hips. ‘Easy. Jus’ let me reach England and begin to study de law, firs’.’

‘You know what, Freddie? I goin’ visit your home town of Bagana. Before I cross over to Englan’ I mus’ go and know Bagana and salute you Fadder and Modder. I will tell Mama to take me wit’ her, so she too kin see dat Nigerian man is good for her chil’ to marry. Is true we comin’ from Freetown, but is here dem born me, and here I go to school. Nigeria is me secon’ home.’

Freddie kissed her again; then he heard the loud, insistent knocking on the door.

8

‘Open de door! … Freddie, open de door! … You hear me? Open de door quick, or I will burs’ de door!’

It was Jagua. She would bring the house down on their heads if he did not quickly calm her down. His first impulse was to dart through the window, to pull Nancy after him. But the meshes of the mosquito netting were too fine to allow that. Glancing at his bare legs he reached instead for his trousers, jumped into them, fastening the wrong flap buttons in his headlong hurry. She was banging the door now with a heavier object.

‘Just a minute! Wha’s de matter, Jagua?’

With one quick glance at Nancy and a finger pressed over his lips, Freddie went to the door and slid back the bolt. Jagua crashed into the room. She lunged straight at Nancy.

‘What you doin’ in dis room?’ she panted. ‘You good for nothin’. You call yourself decent gal. What you doin’ with my man with de door all locked up and—’

‘Is your man, then? Why you runnin’ about wit’ odder men, you can’t sleep in you own bed.’

Nancy’s nerve surprised Freddie. He immediately sensed the fight coming and stood on his toes. What a scandalous thing for his teacher reputation. ‘I beg you, Jagua. Don’ make trouble. Is a misunderstandin’. I goin’ to explain.’ His words had the reverse effect.

‘Shut up, Freddie! Got no business with you – yet!’ She turned to Nancy. ‘Dis is de poor bastard I got to teach a lesson so dat she will know next time about taking de man of her senior. Nancy, who tell you dat I goin’ with odder men?’ Her eyes were aflame and Freddie seeing them, went and shut the door. ‘Who tell you dat? Answer me!’

‘Yourself! Who tell you dat am in de room with Freddie? Why you hurryin’ to enter de room. Somebody tell you am here, das why you running and ramming de door with stone.’ Nancy was speaking with a spirit which made Freddie want to raise her by the arm and shout: ‘Champion! …’

‘I tell you, Jagwa! I love mah Freddie. He goin’ to England and when he coming back he will be my England man!’

‘Close you mout’, you small pickin’! Who born you to talk to me like dat?’

Jagua sprang at her. ‘I goin’ to teach you pepper! And you kin go and call you Mama too an’ I will give am fire to chop!’ Freddie scarcely saw the flash of her hand but he heard the smack and saw Nancy wince and place a hand on her cheek. The two women clinched, and it was Nancy who screamed. ‘Oh! … Freddie, she bite me! De witch-woman bite me! …’

‘Bite her back! You got no teeth? Nancy, bite am back good and proper!’

He saw Nancy butt into her and Jagua screamed. Freddie felt a sweet glow at Jagua’s humiliation and Nancy’s incredible nerve. Quickly he slid between the two women and tried to tear them apart. From both sides blows buffeted his skull and ribs. Jagua landed a good right on his cheek. He seized her by the wrists but with the enraged strength of a jaguar she wrested free.