AMAMÌHE

Chapter 5

I took all my tubers home then, called Mama to come see what I had found. Ifeoma and her children where with her, so they all came along. Everyone was confused for a bit as they stared down at the tubers of yam because truly, I tell you, no one had seen real food in about six months and counting. I guess, by the expressions on their faces, they realized it didn't matter and soon, everyone was screaming for joy. Finding food in this period made you feel like a ruler of many nations. It was exciting and overwhelming. Ifeoma was even on the floor in tears. I understood her quite fully, being single and a very good mother that cared about her children, she worried constantly and I could bet her worry for months centered on the fact that one of her children could die before her due to lack of food or the disease taking them unexpectedly.

After I had left Ada that morning, not long after, Ifeoma had come to thank me in the farm. She cried long and hard stating that I didn't know how much I'd done for them. I watched as Mama danced around with Ada and it was more than interesting. Ada danced so beautifully with a smile fixated on her face and she taught Mama some moves. It was funny watching Mama try them.

I had gone to take a bath and Mama, Ifeoma and Ada had gone to make food out of the yam I had brought back. The yams I'd found would do us a solid two weeks not including those I would give Ola if she came around today. After bathing, I went into my room and donned a fresh pair of wrappers. I found everyone at the backyard chatting happily and I would do anything to keep that smile on Mama's face. Not having so many friends or people around her, this was a good change. Our relations weren't close with us so that didn't count. She and Ifeoma we're already good friends in such a short time. Mama asked if it would be okay if they stayed with us until everything was over and honestly, I didn't mind but it would mean Ifeoma and he children would have nowhere to return to if everything eventually got better. Ifeoma stated that they would take a day at a time and when they got there, they would figure something out. I sat with them and we talked about a lot of irrelevant things. Olanna arrived not much later and I had her sit with them as I brought out the yams I had kept for her. She was shocked at first, then happy as happy could be. She hugged me still jumping and I could feel her happiness making it's way into my veins. My eyes were alight with joy because if Ola was happy, I was a thousand times happier. She had to eat with us, as Mama had instructed. Boiled yam and palm oil spiced with a little pepper and salt. When everything has been okay, Mama was a trader. She stored up a lot of things and that was the reason we still had some of these little things.

Before I started eating, I looked around to gauge everyone's reactions. I, particularly, was afraid to eat mine, fearing it would disappear as soon as I touched it. Ola, was gazing at me from Mama's side with so much love and praise in her eyes I couldn't help but smile a little bit. Mama, Ifeoma and her son had already started eating. Typical. Ada stared at her portion with a soft smile on her lips. She dipped her index finger into the red oil circling her yam, put it in her mouth, and licked it off her smile wide now. She started eating.

I picked a morsel of yam, dipped it in my spiced oil and took a bite. It felt magnificent. We ate in silence, everyone savouring what they had in front of them. When we were done, Ola and I talked a bit in my hut before I helped her carry the yams to her home. Her sisters that were at home when we arrived were astonished. They just couldn't believe it.

The next day, I went back to the farm and this time, Ada came with me. I let her help with the much easier things. She actually proved to be good company. We cleared more bushes and luckily, we found more yams, like they had been put there by someone. Ada told me a lot of things about her life in general and the place she was coming from, not that I really cared. When we were done, we took the yams back home and the others helped store it in Mama's room. Leaving those yams in our barn was not an option. I tried resting a bit because I needed it but so far, I was still awake. My mind not settling on anything made it worse. I lifted my eyes as Ada walked into my hut. She looked around at everywhere but me.

" Can I stay with you? My mother is with yours, I can't tune into their talk and my brother had slept off. Can I stay?" she looked up at me hopefully.

" It's fine." I said, sitting taller. I motioned towards the wooden chair by my bedside and she took it

We sat in silence for more than a few seconds before she let out a strained laugh. I had to smile too..The tension and awkwardness in the room was much.

" I didn't know it would be this bad." she said with a little smile in her lips and her fingers working themselves on her laps nervously.

" Do you regret coming here?" my eyes, I'm sure was dancing in mischief.

"No...no. If we are staying at your home, we would have to get to this point sooner or later. I would prefer now."

" It's your home too.What do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know. What do you want to talk about?"

I smiled at that and requested she told me something about her. I felt I needed to know more.

" There's nothing much"

I gave her a look and she, knowing better, started off.

" Okay. Umuopara isn't exactly the best place one could live in. The people aren't friendly, too much hate and envy. My mother was my father's second wife. When the first couldn't bear him a child, he sent her packing. My father was a very wicked man." she paused then continued" He cared about no one and certainly listened to no one. I've seen him beat my mother once or twice. He had a third wife who gave him three sons. Of course, he loved her more. When Papa died, she left with her children because her mother was dying and she never came back. When my father was still alive, he have me as a wife to a blind old man. I was sixteen then. It seemed like he was paying off some sort of debt. I couldn't marry an old man. Plus, he was blind. My mother had talked to my father about it and it had earned her some beating." she wiped a teardrop away from her cheek. Her father sure did bring bad memories." I ran away from home after that....." her voice indicated that she was trying to keep the tears at bay " I couldn't bear it but I had definitely not considered my mother. My father would deal with her thinking she had a hand in my escape. I, however, travelled away from Dikeopara. I didn't want anyone to find me. I found another village, worse than ours and served as a slave to one of their cheifs. It was a terrible experience. How I left there unscathed is still a wonder till this day but that place was way better than putting up with my father and his idea of a husband. That man was older than my grandfather." she shook her head in disbelief " I've always longed for one thing. Love. I care not about material things. Like what you and Ola have. It's so beautiful." she smiled at me " How did you meet her?"

" She was bethrothed to me immediately she was born. Her father and mine were very good friends and I think her father believed that I was the best choice. I was eight then. I watched her grow, fed her, took care of her and defended her. We got very much close. She makes me happy"

" See, I want that. It's so beautiful."

" You'll get it. Trust me, you will."

She left very much later. We discussed a whole lot of things. I felt sleepy and had laid to get some rest. I hadn't even closed my eyes for seconds before thundering filled the atmosphere as rain began to fall heavily. I left my hut and stared in confusion. I was already drenched. Mama and others had come out too. It been up to a year since the gods released the rains. Was it possible things were getting better? Was this nightmare coming to an end? Were our prayers answered already? It was hard to see in the rain but I felt it was raining only in our compound.