Mama Risi got up and went to the
window.
“They are not coming
back yet,” she said and came back to where she was sitting.
“Your children?”
Mabel asked.
“Yes.”
“But eeh, won’t Risi’s
school accept half of the fees?”
“I pleaded with them
but they refused.”
“Why?”
“They have really
tried for me. Other terms, they even allow her write exams and I pay later. But
because of the way things are in the country, they have tightened up their
policies. Money is not in circulation, civil servants are being owed, so they
need their pupils to pay up in order for the school to run.”
Mabel
thought for a while and said, “Ok. I will give you the remaining half. Then
work towards paying back the person you borrowed from.”
Tears
rolled down Mama Risi’s cheek.
“Thank you so much,”
she said as she hugged Mabel.
“Risi has to go back to school no matter what,”
Mabel said.
Cynthia
just sat quiet and watched with tears forming in her eyes and lump in her
throat.
“When will you want
it back?” Mama Risi asked Mabel.
“Want what back?”
Mabel asked.
“The money.”
“Don’t worry about
it. It is not a loan.”
“Ahhhh. May God
bless you richly.”
“You need to find
something doing as soon as possible. There are other terms ahead. You can’t
keep living off benevolence.”
“I know, but where
else will I look for work na? I have tried severally, but my lack of academic
qualification has been a challenge. My parents couldn’t afford to train me in
school beyond class 3. That is why I vowed to do whatever I can to make sure my
children get the best education.”
“Eiyaa.”
“Last term, I had to sell some of my wrappers
to pay their fees.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“You must not look
for a paid job. You can start a small business and be making money.”
“It needs capital to
start too. I will have to rent a shop, and buy materials to work with and
things to sell.”
“You can start small
and grow.”
“Ok oo. When I see
money to start, I will.”
“I will talk to my
office people and see if they can grant you a loan.”
“Oh thank you so
much.”
“You need to find
out what line of business you can do, especially one that does not need much
capital to start but will be lucrative.”
“I have some in mind
but I will make enquiries and know which one is best.”
Mabel gently squeezed Mama Risi’s
hand and said, “That is settled. Now please cheer up.”
Mama
Risi smiled and said, “Why will I not cheer up? You people are just Angels sent
to me from heaven.”
Mabel checked her wrist watch.
“Please before you
go, what do I offer you?” Mama Risi asked, trying to get up.
“Do you have pounded
yam and vegetable soup?” Cynthia asked her.
They
laughed.
“I don’t but it can
be arranged,” Mama Risi said.
“Ehe, before you
arrange, tell me what has been happening since Wednesday.”
Mama
Risi told them everything she could remember.
“So apart from those
strange faces, nothing else happened?” Mabel asked.
“None that I
witnessed,” Mama Risi said.
“Did anybody come
looking for me at any time?”
“I didn’t meet
anyone.”
“Ok. Let me go up.”
“Ok. I will see if I
can arrange the pounded yam and vegetable soup. It should be ready by next
month.”
They
laughed.
Mabel
and Cynthia got up to leave. Mama Risi saw them off to the door and hugged them
before they left.
“Greet Risi and her
brother for me when they come back,” Mabel said as she climbed the stairs.
“I will,” Mama Risi
replied.
Mabel
and Cynthia went up to her house. Mama Risi stood for a while looking at them
as they climbed up. When they were out of sight, she went in and closed the
door.
When
Mabel got to her door, she looked around for any note or something that was not
supposed to be there.
“What are you
looking for?” Cynthia asked her.
“I am just doing
security check,” she said.
“Security check
indeed.”
Mabel
did not see anything, so she opened the door and they went in. Inside, she
checked everything in the house. They were as she had left them the last time
she was there.
“You are still doing
security check?” Cynthia asked.
“Just to make sure
nothing is missing,” Mabel replied.
“Ok oo.”
Cynthia
dropped her bag
“This place doesn’t
need any clean up o,” she said, lying on the bed. “Before you go and bring
broom and mop now.”
“It does o,” Mabel
said, laughing. “At least to remove the dust.”
“I am not seeing
anyone. If you see any, you will do it alone o.”
“Lazy girl.”
“Let it be.”
“Don’t worry, you
will soon get your own place, and you will have to clean it yourself.”
“Till then. For now,
I will just watch movie.”
She put
on the Cable TV and flipped through the channels. When she did not see anything
interesting, she got up and went through the movie rack. When she selected one,
she slotted it into the DVD player and lay on the bed to watch it. Mabel
changed into a short and and free polo and swept the room, then she cleaned
some of the places she noticed dust. When she was done, she washed her hands
and lay with Cynthia.
“Are you done?”
Cynthia asked her. “You did not mop o.”
“That one will wait
joor,” she said.
“Lazy girl.”
“I am better than
you.”
They watched the movie and ran
commentary.
“I am hungry,” Mabel
said after a while.
“Do you have
anything to cook?” Cynthia asked her.
“Something like?”
“Maybe noodles and
egg. Do you have them?”
“I think so. Let me
check.”
She
went to the kitchen and checked the cupboard. She came out to the room and told
Cynthia that she had them.
“Let me cook it na,”
Cynthia said.
“Ok.”
They
heard a tap on the door.
“Who is tapping like
that?” Mabel asked rhetorically.
She
opened the door and saw Risi standing outside with tears in her eyes.
...to be continued
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