THE PRUDENT WIFE

The Tortoise had a happy home where he lived with his wife, Aliga. His favourite dish was Akidi (a special type of bean). Each time Aliga cooked akidi before leaving for the farm with her husband the Tortoise intermittently answered imaginary calls: “Owe! Wait I’m coming O!” He would tell his wife that those who booked appointments with him were calling him for the meeting. He pretended to have a meeting whereas he could not resist the temptation to go home to steal akidi from his wife’s pot. This happened several times but each time, the Tortoise refused to admit that he ate the Akidi.

One day, in order to catch the thief, his wife, Aliga, cooked akidi as usual but dabbed very sticky gum on the pot. “Very soon, the world would know the truth,” she said to herself. She went to the farm with her husband who played the same tricks of answering imaginary calls and leaving the farm to go and steal akidi. This time, immediately he touched the lid of the pot with his left hand, his hand stuck to the pot. He did not understand why today’s stealing was quite different. He thought that invisible hands were holding him. He ordered: “Let go or I slap you with this my big right hand.” He slapped the pot and his right hand was glued to the pot. He roared “if you don´t leave me before I count three, I will kick you with my powerful legs.” The Tortoise began to count: “One, one and half, two, two and half, two and three quarters, three!” He kicked and his legs were gummed to the pot. He thought that his entire world had collapsed. He was miserable and he remained there until the wife returned from the farm.

When she saw how helpless the Tortoise was she laughed and laughed and laughed. She put on quite a show. She said to the Tortoise: “So you have been stealing the akidi, eh! See the mess you got yourself into.” She threatened to raise alarm to attract the attention of their neighbours but the Tortoise begged her not to call the neighbours because he was ashamed of himself. He promised not to steal again. “I swear! Not for the world would I do it again,” he said. This was how Aliga uncovered the tricks of the Tortoise who had been stealing her akidi and denying it.

One fateful day, the Tortoise and his wife Aliga had a row. Instead of looking for a way to patch up the quarrel, Aliga sought a way to get even with her husband. She went to the market and bought Akidi, cooked it and was eating it alone. It was tantalizing, for the aroma filled the entire house. The Tortoise begged her for some of it. She insisted that the Tortoise must tell her the name of this food before she could give him to eat, for she knew that even though akidi was Tortoise’s favourite dish, he did not bother to know the name of this foodstuff.

The Tortoise did not make trouble with her. He went to the market to find out the name. As he did not want the seller to discover that he did not know the name of such a simple thing as akidi, he knocked over her merchandise. The trader questioned: “Tortoise why did you pour away my akidi?” He said nothing but went away singing “Akidi kridim kridim.” On the way he struck his foot against a stone and spontaneously shouted “Nna m eeh! - Oh my Father!” In the process, he forgot the name of akidi and he went back to the market. He saw a little child and pretended to test the child. He pointed to akidi and asked “what is it called?” The innocent child, who did not know the Tortoise’s trick, told him that it was akidi. He went home and told his wife that the name of the foodstuff was akidi. The wife served him the food and he ate his fill.

The Tortoise chuckled and said: “Ọbụ nwayọ nwayọ k’ eji aracha ofe di ọkụ. Onye sobe uwa n’ike ogbuo onwe ya - Life requires patience, prudence and calmness. One licks hot soup little by little. To pursue things vigorously is suicidal.”

CRITICAL THINKING

It is not good to have long throat because it leads to stealing. It is bad to steal or play pranks. However, to err is human and to forgive is divine. The virtues of tolerance and forgiveness are highlighted.  These virtues are needed for peaceful co-existence. Aliga did not raise alarm to disgrace her husband when she caught him as the thief who had been consistently stealing her Akidi. A misunderstanding or quarrel between husband and wife is an in-house thing that should be settled without inviting outsiders. Husband and wife should not wash their dirty linens in public.

The importance of patience, prudence, wisdom and calmness were also underlined. When his wife denied him food, the tortoise showed some bit of maturity by exercising restraint, prudence and patience instead of aggravating the matter by applying force. By going to the market to learn the name of the foodstuff, he stooped to conquer. Life requires patience, prudence and calmness and the Tortoise possessed these heroic virtues.

As clever as the Tortoise was, he did not know such a simple thing as Akidi which even a small child knew. That shows that nobody knows everything. Hence, wise people ought to be humble.

Eboh M.P., Fables, Proverbs & Critical Thinking, Pearl Publishers International, Port Harcourt, 2015, pp. 190-194.


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