THE LAST TRIP DOWN THE WEST 5
Mary continued to cry despite her conscious efforts to stop. She
realised that her eyes seemed to have developed a will of their own. She
was feeling very miserable. “ why why why!!”
She found herself moaning. But eventually, she calmed down. She went into the bathroom and started to wash her face.
Right at the sink, she decided that she could not stay in a
house like this. She had to go. She could not watch a man
treat his child like this. She just couldn’t. She washed her face and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She blinked twice in a bit to get the last of the water out of her eyes.
house like this. She had to go. She could not watch a man
treat his child like this. She just couldn’t. She washed her face and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She blinked twice in a bit to get the last of the water out of her eyes.
“ i have had enough, i cant stay here. This is so messed up”
She said aloud to the mirror.
“ where will you go Mary and why are you going?”
Mary jumped and nearly jumped out of her skin. How did this little devil always manage to move around so silently and catch her unawares? She forced a smile and said to him ..
Mary jumped and nearly jumped out of her skin. How did this little devil always manage to move around so silently and catch her unawares? She forced a smile and said to him ..
“you're awake little bugger. How was the sleep?” He looked at her with
one nose crinkled. He wasn’t buying what she was selling, he was not
about to switch to another topic.
“where will you be going to, and why will you be going? Can i come?”
“duke I'm not going anywhere” he shook his head and pursed his lips.
“ you are lying. You eyes are swollen. Are they hurting? Are you going to see the optician?”
Mary couldn’t help laughing. How difficult could it be for
anyone to see that she had been crying? Her eyes were still wet and red and swollen from all the crying. It occurred to her that it should have been his first guess that she was crying and not that her eyes were malfunctioning. What was it with this boy anyway? why did he seem so cut off from the rest of the world? why did he seem to be absolutely oblivious of emotions? she supported herself with the bathroom cabinet and came up. come with me little Oga, we need to get you something to drink." she said as she subconsciously reached out for his hand. she was just about to withdraw it, remembering how much he hated to be touched but his little hand curled around her thumb before she could. Mary was surprised. this boy was a
bag of surprises and it pained her that she was practically the only one seeing it.
anyone to see that she had been crying? Her eyes were still wet and red and swollen from all the crying. It occurred to her that it should have been his first guess that she was crying and not that her eyes were malfunctioning. What was it with this boy anyway? why did he seem so cut off from the rest of the world? why did he seem to be absolutely oblivious of emotions? she supported herself with the bathroom cabinet and came up. come with me little Oga, we need to get you something to drink." she said as she subconsciously reached out for his hand. she was just about to withdraw it, remembering how much he hated to be touched but his little hand curled around her thumb before she could. Mary was surprised. this boy was a
bag of surprises and it pained her that she was practically the only one seeing it.
"did my daddy agree that we should change the times on the clock?"
he asked as he go back onto the room.
"yes" Mary said without hesitation. she wasn't about to tell the boy
what had really transpired outside. will you tell me more of your story
now?" he asked, looking up
at her with that baby faced look. Do you want me to? "
at her with that baby faced look. Do you want me to? "
" yes"
okay ... listen. she said as she picked him up and dropped him. in the middle of the bed. she then sat down beside
him and started again..
him and started again..
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when Mrs adamolekun came back home that day, she scolded her sons and
told them some old bible story about why we should be nice to people
that are less privileged. the boys were repentant, or so it seemed until
the following Friday when they came back early again. this time I was
in the bathroom washing some clothes that had been left there by my
madam and her husband. Adegoke was the first to talk. in fact he seemed
friendly and seemed to be Willing to start afresh. he asked me if he
could help and I said "no" . he flew into rage and started to turn the
buckets that contained the clothes over. He poured them over my head and
kicked me vigorously. Even in the intense pain the kicks gave me, I was
scrambling all around the place to gather my ,madam's cloths. we were
still on this when his
brother joined in and added some slaps for the equation to get balance. I was wet all over and my body hurt like crazy.
Their mother was my angel, the minute they heard her car come into the compound , they ran out of the bathroom and dressed up in a flash. they changed out of their wet clothes and looked like they had been dry all day. I on the another hand was a basket case., trying to pack the clothes off the floor and trying to put the house in order at the same time.
She came in and met me in the bathroom, she was furious. she assumed that I was lazy and had been playing all day.
brother joined in and added some slaps for the equation to get balance. I was wet all over and my body hurt like crazy.
Their mother was my angel, the minute they heard her car come into the compound , they ran out of the bathroom and dressed up in a flash. they changed out of their wet clothes and looked like they had been dry all day. I on the another hand was a basket case., trying to pack the clothes off the floor and trying to put the house in order at the same time.
She came in and met me in the bathroom, she was furious. she assumed that I was lazy and had been playing all day.
"do you even know what you're here Mary?"
she asked...
confused and not really understanding her English, I
answered her
she asked...
confused and not really understanding her English, I
answered her
" madam... I dey hear word o... I wan finish the work but
karsala burst for toilet. I just dey try do am now."
by saying this, I made her even angrier. she asked me a
different question, and I was answering in a way that did not even tally at all. what was worse was that she had also interpreted my " karsala come burst for toilet" to mean that I had been purging.
karsala burst for toilet. I just dey try do am now."
by saying this, I made her even angrier. she asked me a
different question, and I was answering in a way that did not even tally at all. what was worse was that she had also interpreted my " karsala come burst for toilet" to mean that I had been purging.
" what did you eat that you're purging? have you used the toilet carelessly now? I hoped you didn't use my own toilet o ?
you better make sure you flush properly, I must not perceive any odour from that place."
I was confused. I didn't know how to explain myself properly and it was starting to become obvious to me that we would have that communication problem. this was a problem that I had never anticipated."
you better make sure you flush properly, I must not perceive any odour from that place."
I was confused. I didn't know how to explain myself properly and it was starting to become obvious to me that we would have that communication problem. this was a problem that I had never anticipated."
Mary paused to see if duke was sleeping, he had seemed so quiet all
through the time she had been talking. but he was awake, he was
listening. she decided to continue.
"when I first got to Mrs adamolekun's house, I also had
another problem, it was the problem of hygiene. you see,
where I come from, bathing was not an everyday thing, it was rather something that we all did together in the big stream that ran across out village. some of he cleanest of us bathed twice a week, and a man who only bathed once a month was not considered dirty. life was simple and infact, some of us believed that bathing too often would cause us to lose our immunity.
"when I first got to Mrs adamolekun's house, I also had
another problem, it was the problem of hygiene. you see,
where I come from, bathing was not an everyday thing, it was rather something that we all did together in the big stream that ran across out village. some of he cleanest of us bathed twice a week, and a man who only bathed once a month was not considered dirty. life was simple and infact, some of us believed that bathing too often would cause us to lose our immunity.
Mrs adamolekun was not pleased with the way I handled my hygiene when I
got to her house. so when she noticed that I only bathed once or twice a
week, she started to restrict me from things. I could not use their
plates, or spoons or any other cutlery for that matter. she gave me a
cup, a spoon and a plate that were supposed to be mine and only mine. I
was not to use anything else in the house.
I didn't mind much... after all, where I came from, we also did things
like that. every one had their own cutleries in order to prevent
misunderstanding. what however started to open my eyes to the fact that I
needed to improve my hygiene was that she also started to restrict me
from the furniture except if I was cleaning them. once , she came in and
met me seated on
the small armchair. on the corridor she was so furious and even said to me
"get your filthy body out of my chair... is that what you came here to do?"
the small armchair. on the corridor she was so furious and even said to me
"get your filthy body out of my chair... is that what you came here to do?"
I jumped out of the chair and really, after that day I never sat in it.
things were different, Mrs adamolekun was not making conscious efforts
to maltreat me, but somehow she had started to.
The smallest of her three children was a small boy of very light build.
it seemed to me that he was always sick. he was his mother's sorrow and
it seemed to me that he would die very soon. I liked him best in the
house because he didn't victimise me. he was a splendid little angel and
it often broke my heart that he was always sick.
often times, he would sit with me and tell me about his day at school, it was through him that I got the hang of basic arithmetic. when his brothers teased or maltreated me, he became a sort of protector, often reporting them to their mother.
The last character in the house, and one that I barely ever saw was their father. a middle aged man who only came home something like once a month. sometimes he spent the whole weekend, other times he left the same day. but Mr Adamolekun had a little bit of a bad habit, this bad habit not his would turn out to be the biggest factor that helped me decide that I didn't want to stay in their house anymore.
often times, he would sit with me and tell me about his day at school, it was through him that I got the hang of basic arithmetic. when his brothers teased or maltreated me, he became a sort of protector, often reporting them to their mother.
The last character in the house, and one that I barely ever saw was their father. a middle aged man who only came home something like once a month. sometimes he spent the whole weekend, other times he left the same day. but Mr Adamolekun had a little bit of a bad habit, this bad habit not his would turn out to be the biggest factor that helped me decide that I didn't want to stay in their house anymore.
You see, duke, Mr Adamolekun had a weakness for meat.
considering how much meat he ate, its surprising that he was not fat. He also had another problem, he was an acute insomniac. He almost never slept. whatever sleep he got was often short and light. so often times, after the whole house had gone to bed, he would walk around, talking to himself, checking on the children and just basically walking around now when you brought his first problem together with the second, what we have now a man going around the house, eating meat anytime he could find any. One Saturday morning, after my Oya had left for his has as usual, madam can to the kitchen where I was washing plates and said,
" Mary... who ate the meat I put in the oven?' I of course
knew who did. but how was I supposed to tell her that her husband walks around the house, eating meat? so I did what every good housemaid should do.
" madam, I no know o..."
but my madam was not to be deterred. she had obviously been patiently waiting, hoping to catch the person who had been staying her meat. she had the wrong person but she didn't know. I couldn't bring myself to tell her so I just kept quiet and continued with my plates washing.
my madam must have interpreted this to be defiance. she
walked upon to me and slapped me hotly three times. she was furious.
" you stupid creature, you stupid stupid ingrate. " she was saying a bun of things that I don't even remember right now. I wept. it wasn't from bitterness, it was just the sting of the slaps. she stopped at the slaps and ignored me for the rest of the day. Now that was what made me sad. my madam was not a bad woman, but I had made her so angry. I disliked my Oga at that minute.
the following weekend, when my oga came back, my madam told him of my theft. I as a bit happy that my oga would at last tell my madam where the meat went. but all he did was grunt sheepishly and continue reading the newspaper that he was reading. I was dumbfounded. when my madam told him that she slapped me a couple of times, he just looked at me briefly and
considering how much meat he ate, its surprising that he was not fat. He also had another problem, he was an acute insomniac. He almost never slept. whatever sleep he got was often short and light. so often times, after the whole house had gone to bed, he would walk around, talking to himself, checking on the children and just basically walking around now when you brought his first problem together with the second, what we have now a man going around the house, eating meat anytime he could find any. One Saturday morning, after my Oya had left for his has as usual, madam can to the kitchen where I was washing plates and said,
" Mary... who ate the meat I put in the oven?' I of course
knew who did. but how was I supposed to tell her that her husband walks around the house, eating meat? so I did what every good housemaid should do.
" madam, I no know o..."
but my madam was not to be deterred. she had obviously been patiently waiting, hoping to catch the person who had been staying her meat. she had the wrong person but she didn't know. I couldn't bring myself to tell her so I just kept quiet and continued with my plates washing.
my madam must have interpreted this to be defiance. she
walked upon to me and slapped me hotly three times. she was furious.
" you stupid creature, you stupid stupid ingrate. " she was saying a bun of things that I don't even remember right now. I wept. it wasn't from bitterness, it was just the sting of the slaps. she stopped at the slaps and ignored me for the rest of the day. Now that was what made me sad. my madam was not a bad woman, but I had made her so angry. I disliked my Oga at that minute.
the following weekend, when my oga came back, my madam told him of my theft. I as a bit happy that my oga would at last tell my madam where the meat went. but all he did was grunt sheepishly and continue reading the newspaper that he was reading. I was dumbfounded. when my madam told him that she slapped me a couple of times, he just looked at me briefly and
said...
" you should discipline her properly. these Igede people are little less than animals. if she's stealing, you need to show her what will happen to her if she steals from you again.
My madam had chipped in saying
" you should discipline her properly. these Igede people are little less than animals. if she's stealing, you need to show her what will happen to her if she steals from you again.
My madam had chipped in saying
" Mary is a good girl really, the stealing is just a bad habit. "
My oga grunted again and that was the end of the
conversation. I had been eavesdropping, hoping to be
vindicated but it was not to be. I was sad. I made up my mind that day that once I left the home for Christmas, I would not be coming back. "
There was a knock at the door and before either Mary or duke could answer, dukes father came into the room. Mary stood up
with her hands at her back like she always did when her boss came into a room. duke remained in the bed, using his small palms to support his chin.
" hey there duke, Mary said you need to speak to me?"
duke looked at me, angry at the fact that I had obviously
deceived him into thinking that his father had agreed. I looked away from him. his father, noticing the tension between us said as gaily as he could
"why don't I take you out for iced cream tomorrow and you
can tell me all about how you are getting along with Mary?
"okay" duke said . then he stood up and went to the closet to
get his pajamas and walked until the bathroom. as far as he
was concerned, the conversation was over.
Mary's boss was actually twisting a key around in his hands. he
looked like he was embarrassed. Mary almost felt like saying "
I swear I didn't tell him anything" but she didn't. instead, she
just continued to look at her feet. she was still looking at her
feet when her boss left the room.
My oga grunted again and that was the end of the
conversation. I had been eavesdropping, hoping to be
vindicated but it was not to be. I was sad. I made up my mind that day that once I left the home for Christmas, I would not be coming back. "
There was a knock at the door and before either Mary or duke could answer, dukes father came into the room. Mary stood up
with her hands at her back like she always did when her boss came into a room. duke remained in the bed, using his small palms to support his chin.
" hey there duke, Mary said you need to speak to me?"
duke looked at me, angry at the fact that I had obviously
deceived him into thinking that his father had agreed. I looked away from him. his father, noticing the tension between us said as gaily as he could
"why don't I take you out for iced cream tomorrow and you
can tell me all about how you are getting along with Mary?
"okay" duke said . then he stood up and went to the closet to
get his pajamas and walked until the bathroom. as far as he
was concerned, the conversation was over.
Mary's boss was actually twisting a key around in his hands. he
looked like he was embarrassed. Mary almost felt like saying "
I swear I didn't tell him anything" but she didn't. instead, she
just continued to look at her feet. she was still looking at her
feet when her boss left the room.
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