By Maryam Abdullahi
I laid down in my wooden bed, all dressed, as it was only ten more minutes before sheshi would arrive, as usual he comes at exactly 12 noon, while I had my eyes fixed on the sluggish wall clock, I heard footsteps followed by a collective thumping guffaw, heavily, a slender voice shouted, Gogo….., at once, I flew out of the bed and landed in the sitting room, my confounded eyes couldn’t hide its shock, extremely curious as if to order explanations, but my cowardly curiosity surpassed my desire to ask, though somehow, the voice came out, “What’s going on here?”
Nda’s husky voice spread through the room, our guest today has come for you, with an odd finger he pointed to one disheveled man that escaped dwarfism, he stopped for a while as if constructing the next sentence that would strangle me completely, in utter confusion, I searched for words, then, Nda continued, We are going to accept their gift, in my mind, I asked, ” so my voice doesn’t really count?” With burning disgust, I stormed out of the room running heavily to no clear place.
I sat down by the tides of the river, singing with cracks and my tears expelled from fortitude, while I cried, the only saviour that bounced my mind was eloping. Our people have said; ” a roaring Lion kills no game” if I must avoid being disrespectful to Nda, I must not sit and wallow in sorrow and while the sun is still shinning, I must make hay.
I know my case, for a chicken that will grow into a chick can be spotted the very day it hatches. I awaited the footsteps of the night, then I crept into the house like a strange thief, squeezed in one or two things into my bag and ran into the darkness.
To be continued…