Okonkwo's first wife soon finished her cooking and set before their guests a big
meal of pounded yams and bitter-leaf soup. Okonkwo's son, Nwoye, brought in a pot of
sweet wine tapped from the raffia palm.
"You are a big man now," Obierika said to Nwoye. "Your friend Anene asked
me to greet you."
"Is he well?" asked Nwoye.
"We are all well," said Obierika.
Ezinma brought them a bowl of water with which to wash their hands. After that
they began to eat and to drink the wine.
"When did you set out from home?" asked Okonkwo.
"We had meant to set out from my house before cockcrow," said Obierika. "But
Nweke did not appear until it was quite light. Never make an early morning
appointment with a man who has just married a new wife." They all laughed.
"Has Nweke married a wife?" asked Okonkwo.
"He has married Okadigbo's second daughter," said Obierika.
"That is very good," said Okonkwo. "I do not blame you for not hearing the cock
crow."
When they had eaten, Obierika pointed at the two heavy bags.
"That is the money from your yams," he said. "I sold the big ones as soon as you
left. Later on I sold some of the seed-yams and gave out others to sharecroppers. I shall
do that every year until you return. But 1 thought you would need the money now and
so I brought it. Who knows what may happen tomorrow? Perhaps green men will come
to our clan and shoot us."
"God will not permit it," said Okonkwo. "1 do not know how to thank you."