Chapter 79 Summary: A Black Kite and a New Self
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
Eniiyi visits Zubby’s apartment in Victoria Island, a space filled with anime art, coding books, and comics. While Zubby sketches her, Eniiyi browses genetic counsellor job listings. After eight months since earning her master’s, she finds a graduate role at a UK-based NGO that sponsors visas. Despite her grandmother’s negative memories of the UK and her connection to Zubby in Lagos, she applies. Zubby shows her a sketch—an exaggerated, semi-realistic portrait. When she admits it is hard to look at herself because she sees her aunt, Zubby takes her to a tattoo parlour. He argues a tattoo will set her apart from her aunt. Eniiyi chooses a black kite, focusing on its eyes and beak, costing a hundred thousand naira. Zubby pays and gets a Latin phrase behind his ear. Eniiyi has the bird inked mid-flight below her breast. Afterwards, they return home and become physically intimate, Eniiyi giving herself unreservedly.
Key Events
- Eniiyi applies for a genetic counsellor graduate role at a UK-based NGO.
- Zubby sketches her, but she feels sad seeing her aunt’s shadow.
- Zubby drives her to a tattoo parlour without prior explanation.
- He suggests a tattoo as a way to differentiate herself from her aunt.
- Eniiyi chooses a black kite tattoo; Zubby gets “Alea iacta est” behind his ear.
- They share an intimate encounter at his apartment.
Character Development
- Eniiyi: Takes a concrete step toward independence by applying for a job abroad and by getting a permanent mark on her body. The tattoo becomes a physical symbol of her effort to break from her aunt’s legacy.
- Zubby: Acts as a catalyst, using his creativity and support to help Eniiyi see herself apart from her family. His willingness to get a matching tattoo in solidarity deepens the bond between them.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Tattoo as Identity Marker: The black kite bird represents a break from the family line; it is something no one else has. The bird in mid-flight suggests freedom and movement away from past burdens.
- Art and Perception: Zubby’s sketch exaggerates Eniiyi’s features, showing how others see her differently than she sees herself. The tattoo is a permanent revision of her own image.
- Intimacy as Trust: The final scene describes a giving of self “unreservedly,” underscoring that Eniiyi’s trust in Zubby allows her to physically embody her new choices.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 79 marks a turning point: Eniiyi actively resists being defined by her aunt. The job application opens the possibility of leaving Nigeria, and the tattoo permanently alters her body. Combined with their physical intimacy, this chapter solidifies Eniiyi’s commitment to forging a separate identity, with Zubby as both witness and partner.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Zubby take Eniiyi to a tattoo parlour, and what does he hope the tattoo will achieve?
Zubby notices Eniiyi’s sadness when she thinks of her aunt. He suggests a tattoo because it is something her aunt never had, and therefore will be “another thing to set [her] apart.” The act is meant to help Eniiyi reclaim her own body and identity.
2. What does Eniiyi’s choice of a black kite tattoo reveal about her state of mind?
She deliberately avoids quotes, zodiac signs, and celebrity images. The black kite is a bird of prey, and she focuses on its intelligence and hooked beak. This choice suggests she wants to embody a fierce, perceptive, and independent persona, one that hunts its own path rather than following inherited patterns.
3. How does the scene of intimacy connect to the themes of separation and self-possession?
Eniiyi says, “I did it for myself” about the tattoo. The physical encounter with Zubby is described as her giving herself “unreservedly and generously.” This union is not a loss of self but a deliberate sharing, reinforcing that she now chooses whom to let close, a contrast to the shadow of her aunt’s story that previously haunted her.