Living In The Ghetto - Episode 1

 

It was a hazy morning. Chimaobim opened the door and walked out from the hallway; it was the entrance of the building. He looked and observed the not-so clear sky. A neighbour stood outside and brushed his teeth with a stick. He spat out some substances and used water to rinse his mouth before continuing with his brushing. Chimaobim rested his back on the wall and watched, fascinated as the man continued his morning ritual . Everybody in the place they once lived at, did their thing inside their house and here, it was different.

"Chimaobim!!" his mother yelled.

"Ma," he replied.

"You can't sit there and be doing what I don't understand. It's Saturday morning and you are meant to fetch water," she said and gestured toward the children that had buckets of water on their head chattering away as they walked close by.

Chimaobim grumbled, "Mama, I don't even know anybody here. Maybe you'll take me to the stream. I can't go alone."

"Something must be wrong with you. Come and take this bucket and follow them so you'll fetch water with your sister."

Adanne opened the wooden net door, and it creaked slowly. She let it to close by itself and it banged with full force.

"Good morning, mama," she yawned, stretching her body.

"Ngwanu, pick up the gallon, you are going to fetch water with your brother

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. We don't have any. You'll fill the big drum with water."

"Okay, Mama."

They picked up the gallons and wrappers which they would use to support the gallons of water on their head. Immediately they walked out of the house, Mama Chimaobim as she was fondly called by people was welcomed by the voice of two neighbours who lived opposite each other. There were ten rooms on each floors, facing each other and tenants occupied one rooms each. Only people who had money were able to afford more than one room for themselves and their children.

"Mama Oyinda, you dey try me o. I be waffi and I get craze. No dey talk to me like that. Na that your yeye old husband you fit talk to like that. Be warned," Kevwe spoke in a pidgin.

"I no blame you. Na condition let you dey talk to me like that. I don suffer. Common runs girl dey tear eye for me. Why you go sweep dirty come my domot," she stretched the word doormat.

Kevwe laughed and clapped. "I no blame you. I be runs girl but your useless pikin wey dey smoke anyhow dey toast me. Una never see anything."

Papa Oyinda who had been sleeping, was awoken and walked to the net. He peered out through the window net, hands akimbo. He shook his head at their consecutive nonstop invectives.

"You be useless pikin," Mama Oyinda said, pointing at Kewve before she turned away and walked in.

"I no blame you, poverty stricken family. Na your daughter be useless pikin," Kevwe hopped up and clapped her hands, then turned to walk into her room.

Oyinda flung the door open immediately, swiveled Kevwe as she made to open her door and she staggered to the side, away from her door. Kevwe got her balance immediately, but the first blow had landed on her face and she drifted to the wall. 

"Yeah!!" Some guys holding bottles of alcoholic drinks cheered them on and taunted their shaking anatomy. Others laughed and watched as the fight continued.

"Make una separate fight nau. Bikonu, they'll kill themselves," Mama ChimaObim made to separate them.

"Wo, omo nna, free them." By then another thunderous slap had landed on Kevwe's face. She grunted in pain, positioned herself and threw her first punch at Oyinda sending her almost to the ground.

"Kai, that one enter," one shouted.

"She sabi," another said.

Tears welled in Oyinda's eyes, but she made to throw another slap, and Mama Chimaobim blocked her but her shaky hand accompanied with a slap, landed on Mama Chimaobim's cheek.

"Ewooo! this children have killed me," she yelled. She moved away briskly, holding her cheek with two hands. Some guys decided to end the fight and Mama Chimaobim ran inside her house. Her husband had gone to work.

Read " Outcast " by the same author ( Obinna Tony )

. She taught in a little primary school around the environment they lived before moving here and since school was on vacation, she hadn't gotten another job.

She looked into the mirror and observed her reddened eyeball and a thick black bag registered at the side of her eyes. She tried to squint but it still hurt badly. She grunted in pain as she touched it lightly. Remembering she still had to cook, she set the pillow aside. She stood and positioned her stove well on the table and lit up her wool, then started preparing her food after she had placed the pot on it. She could hear noises outside.

"You go go tell that woman sorry. You for don make her blind. Hah. Ma pa mi o."

"I no dey go anywhere. No be my fault. She for mind her business."
Other voices muffled and she couldn't hear anything again.

Mama Chimaobim shook her head as she continued to observe her face in the little mirror she held in her hand, regretting her action.