The Girl with the Louding Voice

As the dinner continues, there is no suggestion that Big Madam and Big Daddy were in a violent fight only a short time before. Big Madam asks why the young couple do not have children as Adunni serves drinks. Ken explains that there is no pressure for his wife to get pregnant. He then raises the question of whether Adunni might accompany Tia to the local market. Big Madam is reluctant but Big Daddy overrules her, saying that Adunni can go with Tia one night a week. 

Later that night, Adunni thanks God that she is allowed to go to the market with Tia. Hopeful for the year ahead, she walks across the compound to fetch her clothes from the washing line and overhears Big Daddy on the phone to one of his mistresses. He spots her and stops his conversation. Before she can leave, Big Daddy asks Adunni why she has not shown him "a dash of gratitude" (145) for allowing her to go to the market with Tia. He knows that Tia has been helping Adunni and explains that he will not tell Big Madam if she allows him to “help” (145) her. Adunni walks away, thinking of the similarities between Big Daddy and Morufu.

Adunni massages Big Madam’s feet while the television news reports on the upcoming elections in Nigeria. Big Madam complains aloud about one of the presidential candidates, Muhammadu Buhari, who plans to tackle corruption. She claims that the allegations of corruption are “all lies” (147). Tia arrives and asks whether today would be a good opportunity for her agreed-upon trip to the market with Adunni. Big Madam claims that there is no agreement. She offers to give Tia Kola’s number so she can acquire her own maid. Tia agrees to return on a different day.

A few days later, Tia returns and they walk to the market. First, they stop at Tia’s house. The building is fitted with solar panels and Adunni mentions that they would be very useful for her village. Tia is impressed with this idea. As Tia cleans the seemingly unused kitchen relentlessly, she tells Adunni that the arrival of her period means that she is not pregnant yet. Her mother-in-law, meanwhile, begins to recommend spiritual methods to help Tia get pregnant, reminding Adunni of Khadija and Bamidele’s family traditions. Tia admits that if she has a girl, she would like to name the baby Adunni. She also suggests that Adunni accompany her on a trip to a spiritual ceremony to help her become pregnant. 

Tia guides Adunni through her house and then surprises her with a Christmas present: three books about English and a small telephone. Tia explains that if Adunni is ever in trouble, she should use the telephone. The phone also has recordings of certain English words to help Adunni with her lessons. Tia warns that the phone must be hidden from Big Madam and that Adunni must "fight with everything in you" (153) if Big Daddy comes to her room again.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Adunni explains to Tia that her greatest ambition in life is to go to school, just like her mother wanted, so she can have a “louding voice” (154) that will make people listen to her. She hopes an education will allow her to help other girls in her village. Tia tells her to cling to the dream.

At the thriving, busting Balogun market, Adunni is shocked by the deafening volume and the disconcerting experience of people pressuring her to buy things. Looking to buy Ankara fabric, Tia finds a stall owned by a woman who sings in Yoruba. They select the fabric they want, and Adunni haggles over the prices. Tia pays half of the original price.

They shop for two hours and buy plenty of items, benefiting from Adunni’s haggling skills. Afterward, Tia buys Adunni lunch at a fast food restaurant. As they eat, Tia talks about her mother’s illness. She is travelling to Port Harcourt to be with her over the Christmas period. Adunni’s application for the scholarship is almost complete; all she needs to finish is her essay, which Adunni promises to complete in the next two days. Their conversation is interrupted when one of the women from the Wellington Road Wives Association appears. Adunni hides under the table while the two women make small talk. Later that night, Adunni tries to write her application essay. After a faltering start, she decides to write a true account of her life with all of the darkest details intact. The next morning, she runs to Tia’s house and slides the completed essay under the gate. 

Christmas passes unremarkably for Adunni while her employers spend most evenings celebrating. After the celebrations, Big Madam takes Adunni to her shop to cover for an absent staff member. Big Madam hits Adunni for eavesdropping on her complaints about the anti-corruption political candidate in the upcoming elections. Kayla’s Fabrics is as lavish as Big Madam’s house. Adunni marvels at the rolls of fabric as Big Madam sits in a large chair in the center of the store. One of Big Madam’s neighbors arrives and purchases highly priced fabric. She wants to make a dress to impress a man who is not her husband. Big Madam refuses to discount her prices, even for a friend. Adunni is sent to collect the woman’s purse from the maid outside. She discovers that the woman’s maid is a glamorous girl named Chisom, who offers Adunni half a bowl of rice. Chisom muses aloud that “Rebecca was always hungry” (165). Big Madam shouts for Adunni before Chisom can reveal much about Rebecca’s past.

On the drive home, Adunni compliments Big Madam’s store and her skills as a salesperson. She is shocked when Big Madam smiles at her. Big Madam explains that she started her business from nothing and tells Adunni never to give up on her dreams. Although Adunni feels as though she has shared something with Big Madam, the warm sentiment does not last long.

Buhari, the anti-corruption candidate, wins the presidential election. Kofi is delighted and hopes that Buhari will usher in a new era of equality. Big Madam, meanwhile, is furious. She attends a church service with Big Daddy and takes Adunni along to carry rolls of fabric that she intends to donate. Tia is still away; her mother’s health remains poor, but she plans to return to Lagos soon. She and Adunni communicate via text messages. Big Madam gives her husband money to use as a church donation, warning him that previous donations did not reach their intended recipient. Adunni feels pity for Big Madam.

When they arrive at the church, Adunni is struck by the size of the building. She is sent to a separate service for housemaids held at the rear of the church in a small, unremarkable, smelly house nearby. Adunni tries to talk to one of the five other girls at the service, but they seem unwilling to chat. One girl has fear in her eyes. Adunni spots Chisom and approaches her. Adunni asks why Chisom is treated so much better than the other housemaids and why she wears nice clothes and has expensive gadgets. Chisom says that her boss is “a nice woman” (170). Chisom also knows her boss’s secrets and keeps them safe. She mentions that Rebecca was getting bigger before she disappeared. Rebecca also told Chisom that she was getting married but seemed scared. Then, she did not return home from the market one day. A pastor arrives, ending the conversation between Adunni and Chisom.

Afterward, Adunni tries and fails to talk to Chisom again. Still confused about Rebecca, she travels home with Big Madam and Big Daddy. Sore from the wounds from Big Madam’s regular beatings, Adunni thinks about how she might escape. Noticing her tears, Abu offers to show her a secret item he found in the car soon after Rebecca’s disappearance. Before he can do so, Adunni receives a text message from Tia who will return to Lagos the next day. Tia has arranged for Adunni to accompany her to the traditional fertility ritual. 

When Tia meets Adunni the next day, she notices that Adunni has lost a lot of weight. They talk about the Christmas period and Big Madam’s terrible treatment of Adunni. Tia’s mother-in-law will also attend the traditional ritual, known as a blood bath. She looks like Ken and is unimpressed with Adunni’s presence. The car ride is awkward and slow. Adunni listens to the radio as they sit in traffic. Eventually, they arrive at the destination, known as the Miracle Center. The women must cover their heads on the holy ground. Tia and her mother-in-law bicker over whether Adunni should use a newspaper to cover her head. Tia wants to give Adunni her scarf, but Adunni offers to use the newspaper and they enter the building. They are greeted by the prophet who operates the Miracle Center. The room is a nondescript church with burning candles. Tia’s mother-in-law explains to the man in Yoruba that she suspects her daughter-in-law has an “evil spirit” (175) inside her which is preventing pregnancy. The prophet begins to pray for Tia in an energetic manner. 

The prophet leads the women to the bath and introduces them to Mother Tinu, “a powerful woman in the baby-making ministry” (177). Men are not allowed into the ritual bath, so the prophet departs. Adunni is allowed to accompany Tia but is told to keep her eyes closed at all times. Tia holds Adunni’s hand tight as they are led into a small cave-like room. Inside is a dark green river with four women kneeling nearby. Tia becomes worried and asks for a delay but is told the ceremony cannot be stopped. Mother Tinu brings four brooms and tells Tia to undress. After receiving a white robe to wear, Tia is taken to the river where the women hit her with the brooms. Tia tries to protest, but the women grab her and hold her still. Adunni wants to jump to her friend’s defense but is frozen to the spot. She watches as the women whip a screaming Tia with the brooms.

After the women finish beating her, she lays on the ground bleeding as Mother Tinu collects the brooms. Mother Tinu throws the brooms in the river and shouts that the evils of childlessness have been banished. The other women clap and bathe Tia in the river water. Adunni is shocked by the pained expression on Tia’s face. Tia’s mother-in-law, with tears in her eyes, rests a hand on Adunni’s shoulder and insists that she “didn’t know” (181). When Adunni goes to fetch Tia’s change of clothes from the car, she sees a woman in the church being prepared to face the same ritual.