Even the way it caught the light looked expensive. She raised her head slowly. Mama Grace was smiling. “If you don’t like gold, maybe you’ll like that.” Chika stared at both of them. Then she looked around the simple room again. Old chairs, plain walls, a quiet house in a village, then gold, then pink diamond. Nothing matched. She tried to smile, but her confusion was too clear.
“I I don’t understand.” Mama Grace and Obinna looked at each other. Then Obinna sat down and motioned gently for her to sit, too. Chika sat. Mama Grace sat beside her. Obinna spoke first. “You expected poor people.” Chika felt embarrassed at once. “No, I didn’t mean “It’s all right,” he said calmly. “Most people do.
” The way he said it made it easier for her to breathe. Mama Grace smiled. “This house confuses many people.” Chika looked from mother to son again. “I thought you were farmers.” “We are,” Obinna said. That only confused her more. Before she could stop herself, she asked, “Then how can you afford these?” Mama Grace answered as if she was explaining something very small.
“My son farms a lot of land.” Chika gave a small nod. “How much land?” Mama Grace waved her hand lightly. “Not one or two plots, many, across several communities.” Obinna added, “Farming is only one part.” Chika looked at him. One part? He nodded. “There’s livestock, too. Fish farming, some tourism projects, a few other investments.
” A few other investments? He said it so casually that Chika almost wanted to laugh. Instead, she asked carefully, “So, how much do you make from farming?” She expected something modest, something good by village standards. Mama Grace answered before Obinna could. “Billions every year from crops alone.” Chika turned sharply to look at her.
Billions? Mama Grace nodded as if she had said thousands. Chika looked at Obinna to see if his mother was exaggerating, but he did not deny it. He only said, “It depends on the year.” That answer made it even worse. Chika let out a breath and sat back slowly. For a moment, nobody spoke. Then Obinna reached into his pocket and brought out a bank card.
“Take this,” he said. Chika frowned. “For what?” “For anything you need, clothes, toiletries, whatever you want. You don’t need to ask.” He placed the card in front of her. Chika stared at it. The whole day already felt unreal. This only added to it. “I haven’t even bought anything yet,” she said. “You will,” Mama Grace replied.
“You’re in a new place. There must be things you need.” Chika hesitated, then took the card. Still, she looked uneasy. Obinna noticed. “What is it?” “I just don’t want to spend carelessly.” A faint smile touched his face. “Then check the balance first.” Chika thought he was joking, but both he and his mother looked serious.
So, she brought out her phone, checked the account linked to the card, and nearly stopped breathing again. The amount there was so high that for a second she thought she had counted wrong. She checked again. No. It was real. She looked up slowly. “This is too much.” Obinna shrugged lightly. “That account is small.
” Chika blinked. Small? “I’ll transfer more later if you need it.” She stared at him. Mama Grace shook her head fondly. “Why later? Since she is your wife now, she should manage your money.” Chika turned to her quickly. “No, Ma. That’s not necessary.” “It is necessary,” Mama Grace said. “That is how it should be.
