The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives - Lola Shoneyin - Chapter One - Bellyache

Jul 31, 2026

Upload by Skyler

Abolition of patience and the pressure of childlessness set the story in motion as Baba Segi wakes in recurring pain and decides to seek drastic help from Teacher. The visit unfolds against the charged, secretive atmosphere of Ayikara, a place shaped by forbidden desire and clandestine male gatherings. Through tense interpersonal dynamics, the narrative establishes Baba Segi’s motives, the stakes for the wives, and the looming consequences of seeking solutions outside ordinary bounds.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages194

Reading Time4 h 59 min

AccessFree to download

The Alao Family

Chapter One: Bellyache

Chapter Two: Polygamist

Chapter Three: Heavy Period

Chapter Four: Cracks

Chapter Five: Sharing

Chapter Six: Rat Head

The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives Lola Shoneyin [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) for Tinuoye and Yetunde Shoneyin …and for Olaokun [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) Contents TheAlao Family Chapter One Bellyache Chapter Two Polygamist Chapter Three Heavy Period Chapter Four Cracks Chapter Five Sharing Chapter Six Rat Head Chapter Seven Queen Chapter Eight Trade Chapter Nine Iya Tope Chapter Ten Rogue Chapter Eleven Iya Segi Chapter Twelve Theater Chapter Thirteen Iya Femi Chapter Fourteen Homeward Chapter Fifteen Night Noises Chapter Sixteen Note Chapter Seventeen Results Chapter Eighteen Seed Chapter Nineteen Baba Segi Chapter Twenty Homecoming Chapter Twenty-One Washing Day Chapter Twenty-Two Victor Chapter Twenty-Three Out Chapter Twenty-Four Taju Chapter Twenty-Five Farewell Chapter Twenty-Six Silence Chapter Twenty-Seven Staying Power Chapter Twenty-Eight Bolanle Acknowledgments About the Author Credits Copyright About the Publisher [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) THEALAO FAMILY [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) CHAPTER ONE BELLYACHE WHEN BABA SEGI AWOKE with a bellyache for the sixth day in a row, he knew it was time to do something drastic about his fourth wife’s childlessness. He was sure the pain wasn’t caused by hunger or trapped gas; it was from the buildup of months and months of worry. A grunt escaped from the woman lying next to him. He glanced sideways and saw that his leg had stapled Iya Tope, his second wife, to the bed. He observed the jerky rise and fall of her bosom but he didn’t move to ease her discomfort. His thoughts returned to Bolanle and his stomach tightened again. Then and there, he decided to pay Teacher a visit. He would get there at sunrise so Teacher would know it was no ordinary stopover. As soon as his driver parked the pickup truck by the gutter that circled Ayikara, Baba Segi flung open the passenger door and reinflated his large frame. Without a word or a backward glance at his driver, he dashed down a narrow alleyway. If his eyes hadn’t been entirely fixed on Teacher ’s shack, he might have noticed that his driver had scrambled after him. Baba Segi stepped aside to make room for the schoolchildren on their daily pilgrimage. These children went to great pains to bid Teacher good morning, just to see him steam up the louvers with his response.“God mourning,” the smoky-eyed sage hummed. The children waved happily and toddled off to school. Baba Segi shook his head. If their parents ever discovered that they had strayed from the dusty road that led to wisdom, stepped wide-legged over spluttering gutters and shifted between random buildings, those children would be in grave trouble. Teacher ’s shack was in Ayikara and Ayikara was not a place for children. It wasn’t a specific place but when you asked for directions, people looked away from their twirling wrists. There were three reasons for this. First, absolutely no one wanted to admit to knowing where it was, in case their neighbors were listening. Second, Ayikara didn’t have distinct boundaries. Last, Ayikara was more than four or five parallel streets laced by lasciviousness: it was a spirit. The dark buildings were full of women whose faces glowed under ultraviolet lights. These women lived for other women’s men. They cooked for them. Drank with them. Fought over them. Fucked them. Nursed them. Slapped them and loved them. And when the longing love caused made them ill, they surrendered their lives and died for them. Teacher ’s shack, with its shiny glass windows and gleaming shot glasses, was sandwiched between two brothels. Mostly, the skimpily dressed women brought their clients to drink of the shack-made whiskey, but on certain days they would get to the doorway and retrace their steps. These were the days when men glared at them through squinted eyes—the days that men came to meet m

FAQs

Why does Baba Segi decide to visit Teacher?

Baba Segi wakes with the same bellyache for six days and believes it is linked to his fourth wife’s childlessness, so he chooses to seek help from Teacher at sunrise.

What is Ayikara, and why do people avoid it?

Ayarika is described as a spirit-like place with hidden brothels and women, where people refuse to admit knowing directions and where children are warned not to stray.

How do the men’s gatherings at Teacher’s shack work?

Meetings occur spontaneously when a few men gather, starting with a man’s troubles about a quarrelsome wife, followed by others offering advice on what might work, what might fail, and what could kill him if he’s careless.

Jul 31, 2026

Upload by Skyler