“Is it father that you just called sonofa-” she held herself back from completing the words then giving me a very displeased look, she shook a warning finger at me as she said, “Bia Chike, Chike, Chike, how many times did I call you? Do not bring a curse on this family! Do not incur the wrath of God! How dare you speak against such a holy man, do you want God to strike you dead?! No one must hear this from your lips o! What did he even do to deserve such an insult from you?!”
“He has been the one taking advantage of Zainab! I trusted him! I entrusted her in his care and yet he took advantage of her! Who does that?! And you all go around worshiping him as if he’s some god!”
Angrily, I went into my room to rest. I woke up in the evening to find a stranger sleeping beside me with her head on my chest. At first, I was confused about where we were but when it dawned on me that I was actually in my room, I stared down at her head in surprise.
Suddenly, I jolted up to a sitting position and she only slid off my body and continued sleeping without a care in the world. Instantly, I began to tap her.
I had to tap her three times the before she finally roused and stared at me with sleepy eyes. “Baby, is something wrong?” She asked in a dull voice. Baby? Baby kwa? “What are you doing in my room?!” I asked tersely. “Baby, is that why you woke me?”
She sounded annoyed for waking her up. In my own room, imagine! She turned and tried to resume sleep again but I shook her hard this time.
“Would you get up, my friend! Is something wrong with you?!”
“Ohhoohhhhh!” she grumbled angrily, reluctantly sitting up with a pout. “Me I want to sleep o. I’ve been helping your mother and doing chores in this house since morning and I’m tired, very tired!”
“And who asked you to do any chores? Me?!” I snapped. “Ehn, is it not for you I’m doing it?” She stuck out her fingers out and began to count and part them with another finger as she listed, “I washed your clothes, I fetched water from the village borehole, I cooked egusi soup, I pounded fufu, I fried garri, I broke firewood.”
I cut her short. “I don’t care what you did, I never sent you to do any of those. How about you go finish counting in your father’s house, just get out of my room right now!”
To be continued…
© Angela Okoduwa
