Resuscitated Hope - Episode 16

 

Ifeoma was seriously worried and after several attempts in begging Mama Bola to help her with JAMB form fee to no avail.

Rather, she turned her to a house girl that worked tirelessly everyday.
Ifeoma was fed up with her and knew she had to take a measure to keep her hope alive.

One faithful day, 
Ifeoma garnered courage to approach Mama Bola.
She had packed all her luggage and was ready to end this once and for all.
There was an old woman living down the street, who had offered Ifeoma to stay with her while she fend for money from doing menial jobs and pay for her JAMB form.
Ifeoma had this option and still wanted to use it to threaten Mama Bola and if she doesn't give in to paying her jamb form fee, she will leave finally.
With the bullying, she still preferred Mama Bola's house to the old woman's own but her future were at stake.
Mama Bola had a better conducive atmosphere to the old woman living in a face-me-apartment, sharing kitchen, bathroom and toilet with over ten other tenants and their families.

It was a Saturday morning,
Mama Bola and her children were watching their early morning programme.
"Ifeoma just bathed, dressed up when she was supposed to be doing house chores", Bola said.
"This is interesting", Bose shook her head.
"Ifeoma, Ifeoma!!!", Mama Bola called.
"Ma", Ifeoma replied.
"Come here", Mama Bola said.
Ifeoma went to meet them.
"What do you think you are doing? Visit your boyfriend? When you have chores littered in the house for you to do"?, Mama shouted.
"I am not going anywhere. I can do all the chores but since you don't want me to register for JAMB examination, I'm leaving this house for good", Ifeoma said calmly.
"Wow! This girl had grown balls", Bose said with her eyes wide open.
"So, leave here to where? To sleep with men abi?", Bola quipped.
Ifeoma was riled.
"Everybody isn't like you that sleeps around

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. I'm going to be living with Iya Ugu down there", Ifeoma said and pointed.
The old woman was called Iya Ugu because she sells Ugu and Ifeoma was always sent there to buy Ugu.
"And she will pay your jamb and education fee with less than five thousand she makes and spends in a month?", Mama Bola said and they all laughed.
"At least, I'm free there to work for money outside, and Jamb form is just one thousand naira", Ifeoma said.
Ifeoma continued, "unlike here I work for days without a show of gratitude".
"I said it. You want to be sleeping around", Bola shouted.
"Whatever makes everyone happy thinking I'm going to do", Ifeoma said angrily went inside and carried her loads.
"I don't blame her, I blame myself and that stupid witch called Iya Ugu", Mama Bola said.
Before they could think of an idea to lock her inside to beat her very well before she left, she had already reached outside.
They all ran out, requesting Ifeoma opened her bag so they searched if she picked any of their items.
Neighbours were happy that Ifeoma was finally free from Mama Bola and her two children's bondage.
They have had enough of maltreatment of the little girl.
Ifeoma got to Iya Ugu's house and had to wait for her to come back, because she went out.

She finally arrived,
"Good evening Ma", Ifeoma greeted Iya Ugu as she dropped the Ugu, she went to buy from the farm to be sold the next day.
"Good evening, Omo mi", Iya Ugu replied. "Omo mi" means my child.
Ifeoma helped her to drop the ugu and arranged them neatly at the corner as they went inside.
"I have a pot soup there", Iya ugu said and pointed to Ifeoma.
She continued, "I hope you will eat".
"I have no option, thank you Ma", Ifeoma said as she light the matchstick and put fire on the stove to warm the pot of soup.
After she was done, she boiled water in a kettle she used to make eba and the soup.
"Eba" is a Nigerian swallow made with cassava flakes to garri and then, Eba.
 They ate and chatted away.
"This soup is sweet to the bone marrow", Ifeoma said and they both laughed.

Iya Ugu sighed, "I have a woman you can help to do nanny for and she will pay ten thousand naira in a month".
Iya Ugu continued, "she is wealthy and comes to buy Ugu from me with her car".
"I told her you are a well behaved and academically sound child", Iya Ugu said again as Ifeoma looked.
"Thank you MA", Ifeoma thanked her.
Mrs Coker was a working class single mother with two male children, age six and four.
She needed a nanny as those that had stayed with her but sacked are mostly illiterates and most times, commits grievous atrocities in her house.
She had made up her mind not to have a nanny again but drop her children with a teacher she paid fifty thousand every months.
She took her kids every night whenever she was back from work.
She always need to tidy them when she took them home and this was a hard nut but it was a sacrifice she had to make.
She was still in search of a full time educated nanny who would stay in her house.

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January 1998
Ifeoma had worked for two months the preceding year before the new year and made twenty thousand naira.
She gave Iya Ugu her first salary as a kind gesture and had registered for JAMB with one thousand naira.

"How will you cope doing a nanny job and going for lesson", Iya Ugu asked.
"Don't worry, Mama, I can read on my own", Ifeoma replied.