By AmieSillah
Funeral at the Village
Friends, relatives, work mates and neighbours accompanied them to the village to observe the funeral rites; buses were hired to and fro to bring them back Sohu and Saul joined the buses back home but Ti stayed back to wait for the 40 days charity.
Mama Sawdatou
She was shattered.
“He was my last hope and they have killed him for me; where will I get a child again? I’ve lost 5 kids in teenage life and infancy I am a ‘yaradal’ (a woman who loses her children).”
Yaa Lisong
She speaks truth to her friend, both are retired head mistresses.
“God (Allah) gives and takes; stop accusing people of killing your son; it is a big loss but we have to take it in good faith just as an unfortunate accident.”
Ti
She is very bored already missing her husband as she has never visited the village alone she was always being accompanied by her husband and companion. She rang Sohu expressing her grief.
“Thank you and extend my gratitude to Saul I am very grateful for all the support you have given to our family I’ll be back after the 40 days charity because the children have to go back to school.”
Utter Surprise
Mama Sawdatou came out showing her true colours.
“You wicked woman! Are you happy that he died and you can now continue committing atrocities? My God will judge you wicked woman. You are leaving tomorrow I don’t want to see you here in my house.”
Ti
“Mama! What have I done to you but to show you love and respect? Why are you accusing me falsely? Thank God that you have shown your true colours.”
She slapped her and she fell upon the floor as she took the phone from her hand as she maltreated and mal handled her.
“American wife shit! You have committed a lot of atrocities and God will punish you.”
Ti wept bitterly as she cannot understand Mama’s total transformation and hostility.
“What have I not seen? What has Gaa not done to me before his death? I am now acquainted with the shocks.” She sobbed bitterly as all the kids came and circled her amidst Mama’ taunts, insults and false accusations.
In the Morning
She packed ready to go with the children but Mama came with another trick.
“The girls are ours they are not going; take your son who is a living corpse.”
“God forbid Mama! What do you mean by such remarks? The girls have to go to school and you cannot keep them at the village. As for my son he will live just as his sisters.”
Mama Sawdatou
“They will school here like their dad who later became successful in life to marry an ‘American wife’. I am a retired head mistress. I can take them studies and moreover, they can also learn informally as the village children learn farm work, gardening, how to cook, wash and take care of the house,” she posited.
Ti
“My children have to school in the city to continue their education, they are learning home economics but not at the detriment of quality education.” She pleaded with Mama but to no avail as the girls cried bitterly and held their mom’s trousers as Mama dragged them away hitting them into submission.
“Spoilt children but you’ll soon realise that grandma as an old head mistress does not spare the rod,” she threatened and this statement struck fear in Ti and her children.
Back to the City
She came back to her house all alone without her husband and girls and she wept bitterly as if the whole world was falling upon her, she rang Mam Ndaxte.
Ti
“Mama has seized my girls and cursed my son! What am I going to do? What about their education?”
Mam Ndaxte
“Mama is dancing on the musical chair it is her feast let her rejoice, ours will come and we shall laugh last and the loudest. Wipe your tears and be strong for your family both nuclear and extended. We will see later. Mama would know that she is dealing with the tigress herself and when I start my dance it will be too hot for her.”
Ti
She prayed hard and asked God to judge Mama.
“I could have never believed this that the humane mama would suddenly turn into a monster and torment her son’s widow and kids.”
Girls at the Village
Mama over worked them and gave them pap without milk.
“You were over pampered, your dad started with humble origins and grew up a man of prestige and class. I do not like how your American of a mother pampers you to become cow and gate babies.”
Kumuna
“You are over working us and feeding us with poor diet how do you expect us to grow healthy and strong? Malaria and all that! Give us a break grandma; if you give us pap add sour milk which is abundant in the village, we can manage with or without sugar.”
Grandma
She slapped her hard on her face.
“Your late dad complained about your running mouth as well as your mom but I’ll shut it for you; I’ll give you what I have with no stress.”
Kumuna
“Take us back to the city and stop maltreating us; are you our real grandma? Why do you always want to make both us and our mother cry?”
Grandma
She is furious as she went after Kumuna who dodged and made her fall on the floor with a sprained ankle.
“I’ll kill you if I catch you daughter of a bitch,” she yelled.
“Back to sender, you cannot do anything to me, I’ll check your store and get milk for us, and you cannot seize us at the village and starve us.” Grandma rang Yaa Lisong who came to her aid and told her the truth.
Yaa Lisong
“These are dual American/Gambian citizens take it easy with them before they disgrace you in public; ‘Field Marshall Mom! You control your son up to death but not his children; the sooner you release them back to the city the better for you.” She advised her aside but Kumuna eaves dropped and heard everything.
Kumuna
She went to their room and whispered everything to Jomfolo.
“I know her weak point and will frustrate her until she sent us back to the city, wicked old woman! Is she really our grandma? She was just pretending while dad was alive and mommy was so good to her we virtually shared into half every thing we have with her. When we leave here I’ll never talk to her again.”
Jomfolo
She is the calmer, just like her mom Ti.
“We should be different from her, two wrongs cannot make a right,” she posited.
To be Cont.
