In Igbo culture, names are more than just individual markers or identifiers—they carry the weight of destiny. My younger brother, Peter, bore the name, Onwuchekwa—"Death, wait"—a command, a defiance, a plea. Growing up, I thought his name was mighty, almost untouchable. I mean, telling death to wait? What could be bolder than that?

But surprisingly, death did not wait. It came too soon—abrupt, unrelenting—leaving behind only silence and unanswered questions.

In this poignant short memoir, I navigate a landscape of grief, memory, and the haunting significance of a name that feels both prophetic and incomplete. Onwuchekwa: Death Waits... is my journey through loss, identity, and the deep scars left by a death that still lingers in my heart, eleven years later.

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