Living In The Ghetto - Episode 16

 

Mama exhaled after they had narrated how scary the day was for them. Chimaobim exaggerated the whole scenarios. He stretched every details and gesticulated his hands while Adanne stared at him. Mama's face reflected a mixed feelings as Adanne stared at her and Chimaobim concentrated on the television. 

"It's absolutely normal," Mama said, turning toward Adanne. 

Adanne nodded slowly at Mama. Her eyes were dim accentuating her pale face. 

Mama moved close to where she was, and touched her face . She rubbed her cheeks and brought her face toward her body. Adanne's head rested on her body and she rubbed her back. "This only shows you are becoming a woman," Mama said, "...and you need to be careful on how you relate with boys. It means you can get pregnant now."

Her eyes lit up immediately and she brought her head up. Her lashes rose slowly and her brow furrowed. "Really?" She queried in a low whispering tone.

Mama turned quickly toward Chimaobim to know if he was attentive to their discussions but his attention was fully registered on the wrestling tussle being displayed in the television.

"Yes. You have to be careful with guys

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/living-in-the-ghetto

. Be careful! Any little thing, you'll get pregnant," she said again, reassuring her with the movements of her hands.

Adanne nodded and assured Mama she wouldn't do anything bad to herself. They hugged each other and Mama whispered some incomprehensible words slowly into Adanne's ears.

***
On a Saturday morning, Adanne had swept their room and packed the dirt with the blue packer. Dropping the broom, she walked out from the room to the place where the container bins were kept and dirt are disposed into.

"Iron, you be useless man. You no get shame," a young lady shouted.

"I no blame you. You resemble man, na why nobody wan marry you. You be real useless girl. No respect--" Iron blurted out with spits spattering all over his mouth.

He was interrupted by an old woman by the other side cutting grasses. She laughed at their banters. Adanne hit the packer on the container bin after she had disposed the dirt. She stood and fixed her eyes on them while allowing her packer to fling left and right. It was amusing to her and she couldn't help but laugh.

"Iron, na me you dey call useless. You dey mad?!" the young lady asked in annoyance. 

Her face lit up quickly and it turned red. She was about to let out all the anger boiling within her. Jumping up and down, she hit her hand on the floor and swore by placing one of her fingers into her tongue.

"Wetin you go do?" Iron said, and staggered with the bottle of drink he held in his hand and dragged his trouser up. "At last, you no go fit do anything. Na one useless man wey go marry you I pity. Na if you find husband sef," he said.

"Na better craze dey worry you! You must be mad!" the young lady shouted again.

"Ah! Aunty Simi calm down," Ngozi said as she walked by slowly.

"See small pikin wey dey tell you how to act like a lady," Iron said and cackled, fixing his bottle of drink into his mouth as he gulped down slowly.

Simi positioned her hand and slapped Iron. The slap sounded so good. Thunderous and loud.

"Pow!" the slap landed on his cheek.

Iron fell on the little grass like a defeated iroko tree, with his mouth facing toward the grass.

"I go slap you again and you no go do anything," Simi said.

"Hah," Ngozi said and covered her mouth with her palm immediately not to attract the wrath of Simi and ran toward Adanne.

Simi was seventeen but she was in the same class as Ngozi. She bullied them in the class and they all feared her. Seventeen in J.S.S3, she was built in a muscular way and nobody dared get close to her; she had only few friends she controlled.

Read " She Did It " by the same author ( Obinna Tony )

. The day she almost beat a senior student to a coma, made all of them afraid of her. She was suspended for a week but when she came back, those who never respected her, started giving her the maximum respects she deserved. 

Adanne ran away quickly from Simi's angry stare as she continued ranting uncontrollably. Chimaobim walked out not long after to chide Adanne and ask what was delaying her outside.

"What has been delaying you?" Chimaobim queried in angry tone.

Adanne shook immediately. "It's Simi that's beating Iron," Ngozi pointed.

Chimaobim stretched his eyes and saw Iron trying to stand. He fell immediately he stood. Sitting down on the floor, his mouth was filled with grasses and he panted heavily.

"Simi, what's your problem? Must you fight with everybody in this area and school before you feel fufilled?" Chimaobim asked and walked toward her.

Simi drifted back a bit. "Don't worry. I dey count am for you. You go chop am one day," she said and walked away.

Chimaobim at sixteen was very tall. Simi could barely reach his shoulder. She was same height with Ngozi who was fourteen and they were both taller than Adanne with barely two inches.

Chimaobim held Iron's hand and helped him to stand, while he tried to walk home.