When The Sun Was Mine

Chapter Three

When I woke up in the morning, the first thing I did was to observe the weather. I stared into the sky to be sure the sun would give off strong rays. The rains had disrupted my work the previous day and left me in melancholy. But that morning, the weather looked a bit promising. The sun had begun peeping through the sky in the east. Its rays were still very weak but the weather was clear. It didn't look any cloudy, so I packed my working tools and started preparing to go to the farm.

My sister had some work to finish on someone else's farm so she couldn't follow me. I went alone. But she said she would be with me on our farm the next day, so we could finish planting all the seed yams. I left the house without eating anything. My sister and I had made it a culture never to eat in the morning. We ate only in the afternoon and night. She told me to dig the holes for planting but that I shouldn't plant. She wanted to plant with me so it doesn't become too much work for me.

"Lekara, make sure you dig the holes but don't plant. I don't want you to do all the work alone" she had said.

"I've heard you, Lewa. I'll do as you've said" I replied.

But I knew if the weather was friendly enough I would stay back to plant some of the yams. Before leaving, I looked into the sky to be sure the rays from the sun were getting stronger and the clouds were not gathering. It became a part of me that day to be looking into the sky. I didn't want to imagine it would rain so heavily again and disrupt my plans to work on the farm. Good as it was the weather was getting brighter. So, I left for the farm.

When I arrived the farm, I first started digging the holes for planting. It was quite an exhausting task but I was able to finish up. The rays from the sun had become very strong. I was sweating profusely. But my joy lay in the fact that it wasn't raining and I could do my work. When I finished digging the holes, I decided to plant a few yams. I resolved to do that because I was considering the much stress my sister had gone through working on people's farms just to raise some money for our upkeep. I didn't want the work load on her to increase. I first resolved to plant just twenty seed yams. But when I finished and saw that there was still time, I added ten more. I continued that way and by the time I knew it, I had planted all the seed yams and it was already very late in the afternoon. Yet I had eaten nothing. My whole body was looking entirely worked up.

Exhaustion reflected through the sweat that trickled down my face and body. The old white shirt and black shorts I was wearing were soaked already. Lines of weariness formed on my forehead and my stomach was grumbling too much. It was time to go home. I packed my farm tools and left.

On my way home, I met old Dubor once again. She complained that I looked too overworked and exhausted. Her brittle voice poured out words of complain about my physical appearance at the moment.

"Lekara, you look too overworked. You shouldn't be killing yourself with too much work at such a young age. I know you're trying your best to survive but don't stress too much" she said in our native Káná language. She was not educated so she spoke only in Káná.

"I'll try my best not to be stressed" I replied.

It took quite longer than usual for me to arrive home, because I was too tired and hungry. But when I reached the house, my sister wasn't at home. I guessed she had gone to the market to buy some food items for our meal. It was already afternoon and my sister never stayed too long on the farm. So I knew she may have come back and gone to the market. I checked in the kitchen but found nothing to eat. The mango and orange trees in our compound had not produced any fruits. There was nothing available to eat. So, I decided to go fishing. If I could catch any fish I'd simply prepare them with salt and pepper and roast them, then I'd eat them, while waiting for my sister.

I went inside my little hut and took my hook and a little calabash bowl. I usually used the bowl for keeping the earthworms which I used as bait. I checked to be sure that I was leaving nothing behind. When I stepped outside, I stared into the sky to observe the sun. Its rays were getting weaker and less bright than it was earlier in the afternoon. But it still didn't look like it would rain. So, I set off for the Capa Stream.

Nobody was at the stream when I got there. The place was distilled in calmness. The only sounds I heard were those of crickets and other insects whose names I didn't know. I brought out the hook and pulled out strings of earthworms from the soil. I used the worms as bait then threw it inside the stream. I tried so many times but I didn't catch any fish. I had exhausted all the worms and spent so much time yet had caught no fish. A stale feeling of loss crawled into me. I felt so sad. So much time and energy wasted. My hopes were defeated.

I tilted my head to the right and lifted my eyes to the sky. The rays of the sun were weak and yellowing for the evening to come. I had to go home. I picked up my fishing tools and began trudging home. Hunger and dejection recollected on my mind. I thought more about the misery of living in Capa. If it had been in other villages or in the big city of Lagos, things would have been different. I had once thought of leaving Capa but there was no money for me to start life somewhere else.

While I was walking home, I spotted a figure far ahead. It was a male figure in a clean white shirt and something that looked like a pair of black trousers from afar. The figure was sauntering towards the stream. I halted to look very well at it. The clean white shirt sparkled from the distance. It didn't look like anything I'd ever seen in Capa. I stood in awe wondering who it was. Different thoughts came to my mind. He could be someone from the government sent to evaluate the condition of Capa and make a report about the pains of the people. He could be someone from the big country called America, who has come to observe the pains of living in Capa.

But when the figure came closer, I was surprised it was a young teenage boy. He looked really clean and new. I had never seen such a face in Capa. He was wearing a pair of brown leather shoes. One didn't need to look at him twice to know he was from a different world. He was clearly from the world of affluence and comfort. But then I wondered what he was doing in a place like Capa, and alone on the lonely road to the stream.

"Hello" he beckoned.

"Hi" I replied, drawing closer to him.

"The place was so lonely I thought I'd not find anyone around", he said.

He was actually very correct. Everything about the place was too lonely at that moment. The road was lonely, the surrounding bushes were lonely, and the stream itself was lonely–that was why there were no fish in it to catch.

"I'm new in this village. It's my first time of being in here. I just decided to take a stroll" he said.

"You are welcome to Capa" I replied.

He said he didn't know anyone in Capa. He didn't even know his grandparents. When he said that I was startled. His grandparents? That meant he was from Capa? How come?

"Are you from this village?" I asked.

"Yes. But I've never been here except for now."

It marvelled me that a person like that could accept that he was actually from Capa. The same Capa that has been known and described as a place of misery? The same Capa that was known as the village either forgotten or abandoned by God?

"What are you doing on this lonely side all alone?" I asked further.

"Well, since it's my first time of being here, I decided to take a stroll to where they said the stream was"

He sounded so different. His accent was nothing like what I'd ever heard before. He sounded even better than Mr. Lekia. He spoke English in a way that made me feel like I didn't know English at all. But he acted so humble. Even when he detected that I felt too low for him, he tried to make me feel comfortable.

"Do you want to sell the fish you caught? I saw the hook so I knew you went to catch fish. I'll like to buy them if you intend selling" he said.

"I didn't catch any fish. The river was too dry today."

"So sorry for that. Maybe you'll catch some tomorrow" he consoled.

His words were quite consoling. But I couldn't understand why he would be there alone, and I still couldn't believe he was actually from Capa. I'd never expected anything like that in my lifetime.

"My name's Henry. What's yours?" he asked.

"I'm Lekara" I replied.

"Well, Kara, I'd like to be friends with you. I want to know more about this village and I believe you can tell"

I replied him in the affirmative. Then he stretched his right hand for a handshake. I first froze. It was surprising. Two people from two completely different worlds becoming friends? I never would imagine that. But I gave him my hand quite reluctantly. My clothes were old and tattered. His were new and sparkling. My palms were dry and hard; his were soft and fresh. We were two opposites. After the handshake, I apologized to him for my dirty palms. He simply gave me a friendly grin to let me know there was nothing wrong in what I did. We walked back together until we reached a spot which we called the "Y Junction". When we reached there, he patted my shoulder and told me he'd like to go fishing with me the next day, in the evening. Even though I was still startled I agreed. We agreed to meet at the Y Junction the next day. Then we went our separate ways.

I raised my head and looked into the sky. The sun had formed an orb of yellow. Its rays were yellow and faint. But some questions kept repeating on my mind: who was this young man and what was he doing in Capa? Was he actually from the village? What did he want?

I resolved to find out the answers to these questions in the coming days. But at the moment, the yellow rays from the sun reminded me it was time to go home, find something to eat, rest and prepare for the next day's labour. But I could only have a better tomorrow if the sun would smile on me. My legs were shaking from weakness. I managed to wobble home, hoping that the sun would smile on me the next day.