Living In The Ghetto - Episode 4

 

Chimaobim sat on the slab and watched his mother hang clothes on the rope while Adanne assisted her.

"Adanne, give me the other one," mama Chimaobim said. 

Adanne dropped the one she held in her hand, and bent slowly to pick another one.

Chimaobim gawked at them. I don't like this house . See how everybody is trying so hard to relate with us and I don't even like any of them, he thought. 

Immediately, someone tapped him by his shoulder. He looked up and saw two boys that looked his age standing behind him.

"Hey, how are you?" one said.

He raised his neck slowly and stared at them without muttering a word.

"We are playing football over there," the other one said and pointed. "You can join us if you are interested."

He nodded reluctantly. They muttered some words and dashed out to the playground. Chimaobim turned to look at where his mother was standing and noticed her eyes fixated on him, while Adanne bent slowly and was busy with the big bowl they had put clothes in.

Mama Chimaobim shook her head and walked close to his son. "Chim, why not go and play with them? You don't want to make new friends here?" she asked and rubbed his head slowly, while she used her other hand to adjust her wrapper.

Chimaobim smiled

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. "Mama it's not that. I don't like them," he said and shrugged.

"If you say so. But you need to make new friends. Open up," his mother said and walked into the house.

Adanne walked close to Chimaobim and stared at him with a slight demeanor as she made to walk by.

"What? You will not mind your business," Chimaobim said.
Adanne drifted back slowly. "Mind my business? What did I do?" she asked and rolled her eyes. "Like I'm the one that said you shouldn't be friendly to people here." She snapped her fingers and twisted her mouth.

"I don't have your time. Carry your wahala and go," Chimaobim said and grunted.

Adanne walked into the house and Chimaobim bent his head down while using his hand to draw something on the floor. He raised his head up slowly after he heard some noises coming close. It was Kevwe and a man. 

"Err, this is my house," Kevwe said and pointed, while he held the man tightly. 

"Let's go in," the man said and smiled.

"Okay," Kevwe replied and kept making sounds with the gum she chewed in her mouth vigorously.

"Hey, how are you?" the man asked looking at Chimaobim while they walked past him.

He nodded to their greeting. A minute after, Mama Oyinda walked out from the house with another neighbor and they laughed immediately Kevwe walked by and gestured dismissively at them.

"Na correct ashewo this one be o," the neighbor said, clasping her palms together.

Mama Oyinda made a face. "Na today? Me I don't want her wahala. She go think say I dey hate on her. Na her way till she get belle, her eyes go clear.

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

. Biko, let's waka before she go come here dey do like something person no sabi."

Chimaobim overheard them, shook his head and stood up immediately. He made to walk in, but the neighbor dragged him back, holding his cloth.

He turned quickly. "What?"

"No go do amebo. Me I no care say you dey new and your mama dey calm, I go deal with you," the neighbor said.

Mama Oyinda laughed. "Abeg leave small pikin alone."

Chimaobim pushed away the grip of her hand and hissed. He sneered and walked into the house.

"If you like, do your face like shit, me I no send, jare," she said and clapped her hands.

They laughed and kept walking down to the heart of the ghetto where people engaged into various businesses.

"Hey, Mama Oyinda and Iyawo, bawo ni o," a man that sat on a long chair, in front of a shop constructed in a form of an iron tank, greeted them.

Iyawo had been married for some years to an Alfa in the ghetto and people called her Iyawo from the onset and that had been her name since then.

Iyawo smirked at the man. He was notorious for being a drunk.

"Iron, awa daada, iwo nkor?" Mama Oyinda greeted him.

Iyawo flung her hands. "Abeg stay here dey greet that useless man, I no send am," she said and quickened her steps ahead of Mama Oyinda.

Iron as he was nicknamed, staggered up slowly with a small cup filled with alcoholic drink in his hand, while he tried to adjust his trouser that almost pulled down baring his semi dark boxer that was formerly white but had been turned to black due to dirtiness.

"Na because I dey give that ugly girl attention, na why she dey form for me. I better pass her husband wey dey manage her," he scoffed and waved his hand dismissively.

Mama Oyinda laughed and walked away to catch up with Iyawo who had been persistently calling her to meet up or she would leave her and walk away.

"Ah! Iron. Na person wife you dey talk to like that," other men cautioned.

"Worefa," he gestured and tried to sit but fell on the floor. Everybody laughed.