Episode 5
I woke up in the middle of the night and heard madam and her husband whispering in hush tone.
“Give it to me harder,” madam whispered breathing heavily.
My heart skipped some beats as I thought madam was in distress but I kept calm and listened further.
The squeaking sound of their bed increased and madam’s voice filtered once again into my room.
“Ouusss…mmm…ahhh,” she moaned.
At that point I knew what was happening.
Madam and her husband were at it again and another baby could soon be on the way.
Some minutes later madam’s husband started groaning aloud and everywhere went quiet afterwards.
“Darling you’re so wonderful,” my madam said.
“And you too my queen,” the husband responded and let out a short laugh.
I didn’t know when I slept off and by the time I woke up it was morning.
I got up immediately and went to do my morning function.
Within one hour I was through so I sat on the mortar in the kitchen waiting for my madam to wake up.
Part of the warning madam gave me was that for no reason whatsoever was I to sit on the padded seats in the sitting room.
“If you feel like sitting down,” she instructed. “Sit on top of the mortar in the kitchen and never in the sitting room.”
For no reason whatsoever was I to touch the remote controller in the sitting room no to talk of putting on the television.
The dining room was also out of my bounds so I ate in the kitchen and on top of my mortar.
Madam woke up very late that morning around 11am and came and inspected everywhere but saw nothing to complain about yet she wasn’t satisfied.
“Who put on the toilet light?” She asked frowning her face.
“I don’t know ma,” I replied.
A very hard knock landed on my head and I shouted in pain and ran towards the toilet to off the light.
Then she went back into her room.
“Darling I suggest you take it easy with that young girl,” I overheard my madam’s husband admonishing her.
“That girl can be very annoying,” my madam replied. “Can you imagine that she hasn’t scrubbed the toilet uptill now,” she added, which was a very big lie.
“Just be patient with her,” my madam’s husband insisted. “I believe she will learn,” he added.
“I hope so,” my madam responded.
I felt very bad.
The toilet my madam lied that I didn’t scrub was actually the first thing I scrubbed that morning.
Why my madam was being so wicked to me was what I couldn’t explain. I was doing all my best to please this madam of mine yet it seemed like all my best wasn’t good enough.
I swallowed hard and let the annoyance pass.
By noon, madam ordered me to prepare and escort her to the market.
Her husband stayed behind with the baby and waited for us to come back.
We boarded a bus and madam sat down while I continued standing.
A passenger alighted at the seventh bus-stop and left a free seat which out of exhaustion I decided to sit.
Madam’s hard blow on my thigh sent me to my feet in no time.
“Who gave you the permission to sit down?” She fumed ogling at me. “Will your dead father pay for the seat or your wretched poor mother in the village?” She asked still staring at me ferociously.
Her words hurt me as much as the blow on my thigh but I endured.
“Madam please take it easy,” one man sitting behind us pleaded. “She will learn with time.”
My madam kept mute and didn’t utter any word in reply.
When we got to the market, Madam bought everything we went to buy and I carried them on my head till we got to the house.
“Wash those vegetables and cut them,” my madam instructed. “Cos I’ll cook soup this evening.”
With tiredness and exhaustion I set to work immediately.
Within 30minutes I was through with the vegetables. Then I proceeded to cut the okro as well.
When I finished, I was very tired so I went into my small room to rest for a while…
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