Time passed quickly, and it was soon time for the Age Grade Festival. The entire kingdom was bustling with activities from the early hours of the morning. The men were expected to be at the ritual hut before the first light of day.
The women cooked and organized the children to attend the festival at the town square later. General Edosa's residence was very busy that morning. After all, two of his grandsons would be performing their rites that day.
Iyare took charge of fetching water while her mother prepared the food. Usually the family should have cooked together but since the rivalry between Osaro and Osaze started the General Wives never cooked together again, no matter the occasion.
"Uwa!" Uye, who had just entered Iyare's mother's courtyard, called out to her daughter-in-law.
"Good morning, Mama," Uwa, Iyare's mother, responded. She had not expected her mother-in-law to visit her courtyard so early in the morning.
"Why are you the only one cooking?" Uye frowned. Although Osaze was her only son, he had three wives.
"Mama, Iyare is fetching water. She will join me once she is done," Uwa replied, lowering her head. She thought her mother-in-law was going to curse her for not having more children. Over the years, any time there was a situation like this, her mother-in-law would often curse her. Uye frequently reminded her that the only reason she had been deemed fit to marry her son was that she had expected Uwa, like her own mother, to give birth to five sons in succession.
Uye lamented daily that Uwa was useless for giving birth to only one son. Sometimes she was even harsher, suggesting that if Uwa couldn't bear sons, she should at least have daughters who could help around the house. "If not for the fact that you gave birth to my first grandson, I would have thrown you out of this house already," Uwa could already imagine her mother-in-law saying. But just as she braced herself to hear those words again, her mother-in-law's question surprised her.
"Why didn't you call your junior wives to help out?" Uye asked. It was such a good day to celebrate her precious grandson—nothing could go wrong.
Uwa looked at her mother-in-law, unsure of what to say. Her husband had married another wife while she was pregnant and a younger one a few years later. As the first wife, Uwa had little authority, especially since she couldn't have more children. Her husband had stopped visiting her room. The other two wives often flaunted their pregnancies. Yet, over the years, neither of them had managed to give birth to a son, this seems to be the only blessing she had received from heaven.
Seeing the shock on her daughter-in-law's face, Uye fought the urge to curse her. Just then, Iyare returned with a large water pot.
"Good morning, Iye," Iyare greeted her grandmother, surprised to see the old woman in their courtyard so early.
"Good morning. When you drop the water, go and call Eloho and Emu for me. Tell them to come here with their daughters immediately," Uye instructed her.
"Yes, Iye," Iyare replied. Her grandmother's attitude toward her had always been neutral—neither warm nor cold. After dropping off the water, Iyare went to the other wives' courtyards to deliver the message.
"Mama, good morning," Emu, the second wife, was the first to arrive with her three daughters.
"Iye, good morning, ma," her daughters greeted in unison, following their mother's lead.
"What is good about the morning? Today is my precious grandson's Age Grade celebration. If I hadn't sent for you, did you not know you were supposed to help?"
Emu was shocked by her mother-in-law's words. Over the years, Uye had never scolded them for not helping Uwa with cooking during festivals. Usually, each woman cooked her own food in her courtyard, but the food for the festival was meant to be prepared together. Although all the wives were supposed to help, Uwa never asked for assistance, and Uye never insisted.
"Mama, it's Sister Uwa who didn't call us," Emu quickly deflected the blame.
"You still dare to shift blame?" Uye was angry at the excuse.
"I'm sorry," Emu said quickly, adjusting her tone. Seeing her mother-in-law's displeasure, Iyare decided to pick up her pot to fetch more water.
"Iyare, drop the pot. Let those two go and fetch the water. Your health is not good; go in and rest," Uye said. Her statement shocked everyone present.
"Iye, I can manage," Iyare replied, scared by the sudden favoritism.
"If I say go and rest, you go and rest," Uye said sharply. It wasn't that she favored Iyare. Her son had explained the importance of the day's occasion—there might be a need for Iyare to compete on her brother's behalf. Uye worried that if Iyare overexerted herself with chores, she would perform poorly later.
Iyare silently dropped the pot and went into the courtyard. The second wife was displeased that her two daughters had to work so hard when her son wasn't the one being celebrated, but she didn't dare argue with her mother-in-law.
"Good morning, Mama," the third wife, Eloho, arrived with her two daughters at that moment. Uye wanted to scold her but, seeing the woman's large stomach and hoping she might be carrying a grandson, decided against it.
"Go ask Uwa how you can assist her. We need to finish cooking quickly and secure a good spot to watch my grandson later," Uye instructed.
Eloho wasn't happy about helping, but with her mother-in-law present and Efosa being the heir of the family, she could only comply.
The cooking was soon completed, and everyone returned to their courtyards to get dressed. Once ready, the servants arrived to carry the food to the town square.
As usual, Iyare picked up her mother's and grandmother's stools for use at the town square. Seats were only arranged for the men.
"Iyare, you are weak. Don't stress yourself," Uye said, not allowing her to carry anything heavy. She wanted Iyare to save her strength for the competition later.
"You two, come and carry these things," Uye instructed her other granddaughters.
Emu and Eloho were displeased by this development. In their hearts, they felt Iyare looked fine and should take responsibility for carrying her mother's stools. However, they didn't dare question their mother-in-law.
Iyare also remained silent, understanding that her grandmother's sudden attention was solely because of the upcoming competition. Carrying heavy loads over such a long distance would exhaust her before the event.
"Why is Mama suddenly being so nice to that girl?" Emu whispered to Eloho.
"How should I know?" Eloho replied, feeling anxious. Since Efosa had become the heir, her lack of a son had made her increasingly uneasy. Looking at Emu's pregnant belly only fueled her frustration. All she could think about was getting pregnant soon and giving birth to a son.