Mara episode 3

Mara
Episode 3
I thought I still had fish in this house o!
As I bent down to rack my wooden cupboard for more pieces of dry fish to complete my Egusi soup, I felt a very sharp pain in my tummy.
“Jesus!” I exclaimed suddenly as I quickly drew a stool nearer and sat down.
What pain was that now, ehn?
I had read in one ancient book that had survived the test of time with me since secondary school- “Where there is no doctor” that whenever a pregnant woman feels any sharp pain in her tummy, she should see her doctor as it could mean a lot of things.
My eyes were so swollen as if they would jump out of their sockets!
My headache was very great!
What could be wrong with me?
Or was it the stress of the day?
The stress of knowing that I was pregnant after three sets of twins with my fate unknown as regards what my husband’s reaction to the news would be?
Or was it the embarrassment of seeing my baby boys on the Almajiri mat, singing beggars’ songs?
Or was it the stress I had undergone in transferring my anger on Taiwo?
I shook my head in sadness.
After I had seen what I saw at the market, not knowing what to do, I acted a very wise woman and smiled at my neighbor who only got bothered.
She looked scared when I smiled and even more scared when I patted her shoulder and spoke patiently.
“Thank you. Let’s go home”
She looked into my eyes again to be sure that I was very okay ‘upstairs’
“Did you know about the wh0le thing before?” she had asked me and I could only shake my head in the negative.
“Let’s go” I said calmly again, smiling
She turned the ignition key and there was a very thick silence in the car as went home.
“You sure you would be okay?” she asked as I alighted from her car.
“Yes. Thanks, I am grateful” I said as I walked towards the wooden door.
These children didn’t lock the padlock again, ehn!
“Mama, sanu da zoa” Taiwo, one of the eldest twins said from behind me and I turned to look back at her.
She was coming from the shop, a wrapper tied round her slim wa-ist.
Her eyes were very red
“Is it firewood you are using?” I asked and she nodded
“The coal has finished, so I just broke the faulty stool that was in the backyard and used it to fry the chinchin” She explained and I nodded.
She was the most industrious of my children.
“Where is Kehinde?” I asked and she hit the back of her right palm in the hollow of her left palm
“I don’t know o” she said and I turned to move in,side.
“What about Bola and Tola?” I asked again.
The second set of my twins could do nothing better than read.
They could read just anything so they must have gone to find something to read somewhere.
I could not afford to buy them books
“What about James and John?” I asked, trying to see if she knew about my boys’ whereabouts
She turned back to look at the shop, then she fumbled with her wrapper
“I don’t know o” she said again, hitting the back of her right palm in the hollow of her left palm again.
“You don’t know where they went to?” I asked again
“I swear to God Almighty, I don’t know” she said again, her index finger travelling from her l-ips to pointing to the sky.
That gave me the sure answer.
She knew about it!
Whenever my Taiwo swore, it was because she was trying to cover up some lies
“Is my shop locked?” I asked again
“Yes ma” she replied, swinging her right hand
She didn’t know what was awaiting her.
“Come in,side” I said calmly again and she followed me in,side the house.
I locked the door from behind and pulled her in,side the room.
Despite how scanty my room was, it was always neat.
I never condoned any form of dirtiness.
“Mama, what did I do?” she asked as I pulled her in
“Just kneel down there” I said as I dropped my purse on the bed and climbed a plastic chair to pick the koboko I had hid on one of the planks supporting the roof.
I had begged one of my customers who was a teacher to get me one koboko and she gave it to me as she passed in front of my shop last week. I had hid it carefully because if my children should see it, they would have thrown it away.
“Mummy, truth to God, I don’t know where they went to” she started crying
She just gave me more reasons to know she was the one.
I jumped down from the plastic chair and with no restriction, I started beating her.
“By the time I take breath from your mouth, you would know that your mum hates lies” I started as I readjusted the mouth of the koboko
“Mummy, they told me they were going to Kasuwa” she said
She had started confessing
Let me increase the tempo of the beating…she has to confess
Taiwo of all people!
“I told them not to go o mummy” she said again, tears cascading down her face.
I landed two clean slaps on her face.
Why lie?
As she increased the gear of her crying, I pinched her tightly.
She scre-med
“If you don’t keep quiet!” I whispered quietly
I don’t really beat my children that hærd but I was mad!
Mad that my children- the youngest of them all could embarrass me
Mad that my most industrious daughter could know about the dirty engagement of her brothers in that dirty business
-And she could still lie that she didn’t know!
I threw the koboko away and pulled her by the ears to myself as I sat on the bed.
“Where did James and John go to?” I asked again
She sniffed wetly
“Mummy, they said they were going to Kasuwa” she said
“And you told them not to go?” I asked
“Yes ma” she said and I slapped her again
She held her face as she wept out loudly again
“What does your mother hate most?” I asked
“Lies” she replied amidst her tears
“What did they go and do in the market?” I asked and as she wiped her tears, sniffing and reluctant to talk, I broke down into tears
“Why Taiwo? What have I done to deserve this? What have I done to deserve all these Taiwo?” I cried out the more and though she still sniffed wetly, she stopped crying
I had never cried before my children before!
Never!
She must have been shocked
I was shocked myself…I didn’t plan it.
I was just so overwhelmed by so many thoughts that the best thing for me to do was to cry.
“I try my best to give you everything needed. You are growing now and little proceeds from my business, I use to buy you fine dresses. The wrappers I have now are the ones I had been using over five years ago but I have been giving you almost all you need. You might not be comparable to all kids, but am I not trying?” I asked
It was meant to be a rhetorical question but she answered
“You are trying ma” she said
“So, why Taiwo? Why would you send your brothers to Kasuwa to beg for alms? Why?” tears ran down my face
“I am sorry mum. WAEC registration closes tomorrow and I was not able to tell you since I know you had nothing. I was crying today as you went out when James and John asked me why. I told them and the next moment they told me they were going to the market for Almajiri. I told them not to go but eventually, I allowed them to go” she confessed and my heart got swollen up.
“WAEC Registration closes tomorrow?” I asked again.
“Yes ma”
“So, your brothers volunteered to beg for alms to raise WAEC fee? How would they raise enough for both of you? How? #28,000 isn’t small o”
My head had started pounding
“Kehinde already has her own money.” She said and my eyes opened in shock
“How? Who gave her?” I asked again
“Benjamin” she replied
“Who is Benjamin?” I asked again
“Her classmate’s brother” she said again, fumbling with her wrapper.
“A boy or a girl?” I asked again, foolishly.
My head couldn’t just compute all I was hearing
“A boy ma” she replied
“Her boyfriend?” I asked again. Taiwo avoided my face and my heart dropped.
I am in serious soup!
“Answer me nah” I almost scre-med
“They are just friends ma. That was what she told me” she said
I was tired of beating her
“What did she do that made him give her that much? Tell me the truth ehn, I won’t beat you” I promised as my heartburn increasing.
“Mummy,..” she was reluctant
“Just tell me” I said again.
“He met us on the way and we were crying. He said we should come and I said no. Kehinde went to meet him”
“Jesu!” I exclaimed, loudly, holding my chest in anguish
“He said he was Benjamin’s brother and Kehinde and him became friends. He said we should not cry that he would give us the money. I said no thank you and he said what about you Kehinde and she said she must go to the university, so she agreed”
She swallowed as she looked at the floor, ashamed to look into my face.
“So?” I wanted a complete story.
“Yesterday, we went to his shop”
“Where?” I cut in
“In Tammah. He sells motor parts” she explained
“Mo ti gbe” I pulled at my hair
“So?”
“He said he would touch Kehinde’s chest before he gives the money. The two chests” she said and my eyes w¡dened
“Chest? Two chests ke? You mean br-asts?” I asked and she looked down
“Answer me” I slapped her, my heart thumping hærd
“Yes” she answered
“Then, he gave her the money?” I asked again
“Yes. He gave her #10,000 and said she should come back for the remaining today”
“And she has gone?” I asked and she nodded
“Then you said you didn’t know where she went to. Ah, mo ti daran o Jesu!” I scratched my head as I cried the more
She started crying too.
“Would you get out of this room this instant?” I scre-med hærd and she ran out hurriedly.
I fell to the ground and cried hærd.
“Ah ah ah ah, ah! Jesu! Ah ah God of mercy!” I cried so hærd.
I never imagined bringing up my children this way.
I knelt before my bed and cried so heavily till my eyes could produce no more tears.
››››››
“Where are the mushrooms?” I called out.
“I am coming ma” Taiwo responded and she brought in a bowlful of them.
There was no more fish in the cabinet so, these ones would suffice …I discovered them as I spread my clothes outside yesterday.
As I dropped the last piece in the already frying Egusi, someone pulled at my wrapper
James!
James the beggar!
“Take your dirty hands off my body jhur” I shouted at him
He laughed, the wide gap in front of his teeth showing glaringly.
“Mummy, many people gave us plenty monies” he said, happily.
“Leave my side now!” I scre-med and the pain in my head tummy and eyes increased.
What would I do from here?
Exactly where should I go?
Who should I tell?
“Taiwo, come and make the Eba o.” I shouted
“Mummy, no garri o” she replied
“Go and buy one module from Matan Mallam o”
“Mummy, money nko?” she asked again
“Come and carry it from my head, stupid girl” I was angry and if it was not curbed, I would run mad
“Go and take money from the safe o. If she says the garri is #110, tell her its #100 your mother gave you o. if you buy anything more than #100, I will beat the hell out of you” I said as I entered my room to sleep- if I could get some!
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