Who is Francis Obi?

Francis is Adah's husband and the father of her children. They marry in Chapter 2 as soon as Adah graduates high school because she needs a place to live in order to attend college. He is a young man with ambitions of becoming an accountant and he comes from a family of modest means—it is noted that they cannot afford Adah's bride price. Francis goes to England ahead of Adah, and when she arrives to meet him, he behaves cruelly to her, telling her that they cannot expect decent accommodations because they are Black. Adah gets a full-time job and Francis refuses to contribute to the household by looking after the children, claiming he must devote all of his time to studying for the accounting exams, which he fails repeatedly. He becomes increasingly cruel and abusive to Adah over time, beating her badly shortly after the birth of their fourth child when she attempts to get birth control. He then burns the only copy of the book she has written, The Bride Price. When Adah moves out of their apartment, Francis comes to her new home and beats her again, causing her to take him to court, where he is ordered to pay child support.