zizi's pen: June 2024

Chapter One

Once upon a time in Okeani village, in Oko, a town in the Eastern part of Nigeria, lived a man named Adimchimkp Onochie, a palm wine tapper. An occupation he inherited from his grandfather and father, Maduka, who had made names as men of honour and integrity in the community.

His father, Maduka, named him Adimchimkp, meaning, “I am important to God.” As an honest man and a devout Christian, Maduka taught his only son to develop a deep sense of responsibility and trust in the unfailing power of God.

Maduka instilled into his son the belief that a good name is weightier than gold or silver and that righteousness exalts a man. Adim, as the people fondly called him, imbibed his father’s moral instructions and did his best to live a righteous life like his father.

Because of his good moral conduct, people referred to Adim as a good man, which he vehemently refuted. Whenever he did a good deed in the village, and they commended him, Adim would gaze at the people and inquire, “Who is truly good and perfect? Only God,” he would answer. He maintained no one should lay claim to goodness, or being perfect. It is only God who is good and perfect in His ways.

Initially, his friends teased him, and whenever they spotted him, they jokingly called out “Who is good and perfect?”

“Only God,” Adim would answer them with a smile.

Gradually, the villagers, both old and young, turned it into a mode of greeting whenever they met Adim on the way, morning or evening. After many years, it took over his name. Some younger people in his community didn’t know his name was Adimchimkp. Children would run out of their houses on seeing him coming just to shout, “Who is good and perfect.” As always, he would answer, “Only God.”

He was a man of the people, there was no community within Oko and its environs, he would go to supply palm wine that people would not come out to greet him with his famous greeting.

Adim carried out his business of tapping and selling palm wine with a cheerfulness that earned him many customers, even beyond his community and village. He was among the few palm wine tappers who did not dilute their wines with water to increase the quantity for more profits. He firmly believed in the goodness of God and trusted that divine providence would take care of his needs.

Every day, when the sun sets, casting long shadows on the village, Adim would go into the forest with his machete, climbing rope, and empty wine gourds. Within the lush expanse of forest, countless palm trees awaited his attention. He would climb them one after the other, skilfully scaling and scoring each bark to allow the sweet sap to trickle into his awaiting gourds.

In the morning, Adim would go around the palm trees, collecting his gourds full of fresh palm wine. While he worked, he would sing to himself, his voice floating through the forest like a gentle breeze.

People on their way to streams or farms would hear his voice and shout, “Who is good and perfect?”

“Only God.” Adim would respond cheerfully from the top of the palm tree. They would walk away with smiles on their faces.

Before the sun rose to begin its daily journey, Adim would return to the village with his gourds full of fresh palm wine. He would supply his regular customers who owned bars within the community, then carry the rest to the market to sell to his customers from neighbouring villages.

As he went about supplying his palm wine, people would greet him, “Who is good and perfect?” Adim would respond, “Only God,” with a cheerful smile. The people loved him, for he was a jolly, good fellow who laughed and joked with everybody he met on the way.

But not everyone was happy with Adim’s cheerful disposition. Some people were jealous of his success and popularity in the community, especially fellow palm wine tappers. They felt Adim overshadowed their business with his presence. It was not of his making that his goodness and undiluted fresh palm wine attracted many customers to him.

When Adim takes his wine to the market, others only sell theirs if he finishes selling his wine. Often, people booked his wine for occasions, and when that happened, he would not have leftovers to take to the market. Other sellers are happy on such days because his absence means they will sell more drinks.

Despite the attack from some of his colleagues, verbal and sometimes diabolical like when they poisoned him, and he couldn’t tap wine for a month, Adim loved his trade. He was proud to continue the occupation, which his father passed down to him. He was happy to preserve the tradition of palm wine tapping that had run in his family for many generations.