SOMAYINA, the little smart orphan [Chapter 2: The Weird Woman]

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Welcome to my blog and chapter of the story the little smart orphan. Here you are going to read about how Ginka successfully dropped the little smart orphan with his paternal groundmother.

THE WEIRD WOMAN

The weather was a bit uncomfortable. That was why Egonna, the old woman, sat outside the hut. There was no electricity yet in Udokamma though there was some rumour it would soon come. Notwithstanding the absence of fans and air conditioners, the villagers did not bother because they had a lot of trees and shrubs to calm their temperature and protect them from global warming. The old woman calmly sat on the bench under a shady cashew tree. She had thick, bushy hair and eyes shaded by dark bushy eye brows. Her thin lips were very dry and displayed an incomplete row of coloured teeth that were once white. Her crossed legs were long, thin and straight. Egonna was as stubborn as a wild boar and as rigid as a tree trunk. She had a tongue so sharp that someone could be sliced in two if she believed them to be worth her time. But for the hot weather, she would have been indoors, staring through the window of her little hut, counting the birds that flew by and the villagers that walked by on the distant track road down to Eluala Valley.

On the left-hand side of the old woman sat a green bottle of Gordon dry gin. She gulped one shot and began to sob as she recounted all the chances and opportunities that had passed her by. Having picked up her round snuff box, she poured some into her left palm. With her index finger, she scooped a little into her nose, being careful not to scratch her nostril with her overgrown finger nails. She began to sniff the substance slowly, relaxing her nerves as she did. Atíshuaal She sneezed loudly and took a deep soothing breath. Then she brought out a piece of bitter kola nut, cutting it sharply with her finger tip. She began to chew the bitter kola violently, as if it was the cause of all her worries. "Ahek-ahek! Hrrrr-tua!" she coughed and spat, wiping her mouth with a piece of her old pink blouse.Looking up, she saw Lamido coming up the hill with the goats. Lamido was the eleven-year-old Fulani boy, informally adopted by Monica and Clement, her blind husband. He was the son of a herdsman who died of a poisonous snake bite. Clement and Monica adopted Lamido for two reasons; firstly, on charity grounds, because he was to be homeless and secondly because they did not have any children of their own.

Cattle and goat rearing was Lamido's father's job, so he knew much about animals at a very early age. Every day, he fetched the goats from the villagers and led them to the grazelands where he formerly grazed with his father. After, he would whistle sharply through his fingers so that the villagers would come to collect their animals. Despite his stubbornness, Lamido was a friendly boy, loved by the entire community including Egonna. Looking behind Lamido, the old woman saw another little boy. She had no idea who he was until she saw Ginika coming tiredly behind them.

Getting to the old woman before Lamido, Somayina held out his hands and greeted her.

Giving the little boy her hand for only a moment, she watched him with a long, penetrating look. "Well, Ginika, what does this mean?" the old woman said in a loud, harsh voice.

Somayina gazed back at Egonna, wondering why she was so unfriendly. The old woman's unkempt grey hair and thick frowned eyebrows, made her very strange to look at. Ginika finally arrived with Lamido, who knowing Egonna so well was mischievously eager to see what was going to happen.

"Good afternoon, Mama," Ginika said as she approached. "This is Somayina. He is the child your son, Obinna, and my sister, Uzoma, left for us. You won't be able to recognise him, because last time you saw him he was about four years old."

"I remember him and I am sure he remembers me too. Why do you bring him here?" asked the old woman.

"Mama, I have brought him for you to keep," said Ginika politely. "I have done my bit these last six years and now it is your turn to provide for him."

The old woman's eyes flamed with anger. "Indeed!" she scowled. "What on earth shall I do, when he begins to whine and cry for you? Small children always do, and then with my old bones, I will be helpless."

"You will have to look out for that! He is your grandson." Ginika retorted. "Mama, you can't blame me for wanting to earn some money. If you can't keep the child, you can send him to his blind grandfather or do with him whatever you please. If he comes to harm, you are responsible and I am sure you don't want to hurt your son's son." Turning to the little boy she said, "Listen Somayina, This is your grandmother, the mother of your father. She is all you have left."

Shooing Ginika away like a stray cat, the old woman interrupted in a most commanding tone, "Away with youl Be gone! Stay wherever you came from and don't venture soon again into my sight!"

Ginika did not have to be told twice; she said "good-bye" to Egonna and "farewell" to Somayina. She quickly started back down the hill. Like steam, her excitement drove her forward, running down at a tremendous rate. The people in the village began to call out to her even more than they did on her way up, all wondering where she had left the child.

"Ginika, Where is the child? Where have you left him, Ginika?"

She answered more and more reluctantly, "Up in the hills with Egonna,-up the end of the hill with his grandmother!"

The villagers gossiped among themselves: "How could she do it? ... the helpless little orphan! The idea of leaving that poor little boy up there!" And over, and over again, "Oh dear, poor little thing!" They continued to gossip as they watched Ginika disappear into thin air. She was glad when she heard no more calls, because she felt guilty. Her mother asked her to look after Somayina and she promised. She consoled herself with the thought that with more money, she would be able to help the child more.

End of chapter two see you next week in chapter three.

I am @udyliciouz