NOT TODAY, SON!

Source

The rainy season had nearly passed. Somayina was over the moon with joy, not just because the dry season was coming again, but because his grandma's pain would go away with the speedy wind that made the dogoyaro-trees roar. Egonna's joint pain usually got a hundred times worse during the rainy season, so it's terrible that she hardly slept at night. In addition to her swollen joints, she also had a kind of dull pain that nipped into her buttocks, thighs, and groin area. Soon, he would be able to go up to the grazeland again, where green leaves and yellow flowers greeted him at every step. The green, purple, and pink flowers were getting weaker. The bumble bees and irate butterflies did not mind; they still perched from petal to petal, feeding on nectar and passing pollen from the stamens to the carpels. It was amazing how these wild flowers coped with the morning sun. The flowers the little boy loved most were: the birds of paradise, calla lily and campanula.

By this time, Somayina was nearly nine years old. Several times, the village councillor had sent word to Egonna that he should be enrolled in school, but the old woman had not paid any attention to the message, keeping him with her as before.

One faithful day in August, while Somayina was running to and fro before the door, he suddenly saw an old gentleman, dressed in an old black suit, white shirt and tie. The stranger scared Somayina, standing like a tower
in front of him. Sensing Somayina's fright, the old man said kindly, "You must not be afraid of me, for I love children. Give me your hand and tell me where your grandmother is."

"She is inside, mending clothes," the child replied, opening the door while he spoke.

Mr. Simon Eze, the councillor of the Udokamma ward, was genuinely concerned about Somayina's future. "Good morning, neighbour," Mr. Eze said as he approached Egonna.

The old woman got up, surprised, and offered a seat to the visitor, said, "Good morning, Mr. Councillor.

Accept my old wooden chair if it is good enough for councillors."

Sitting down, the councillor said, "It's been long since I last saw you. How are you?"

"Without being rude or wasting your time," Egonna replied, "what brings you to my house today?"

"I have come to discuss an important matter with you. I am sure you can guess what it is about." The councillor looked over at poor Somayina, who was standing near the door.

"Somayina, go quickly and check on the goats; bring them some salt and wait at the shed till I come." Egonna did not want the little boy to hear what Mr. Simon had to say. The little boy obeyed immediately.

"The child should have come to school two years ago," the councillor went on to say, "didn't you get my message? What do you intend to do with him?"

"I do not want him to go to school," said the old woman unrelentingly.

"What do you want the child to be?"

"I want him to be as free and as happy as a bird!""

"But he is human, and it is high time he learnt something. I have come to talk to you so that you can make your plans. He must come to school like every other child in this ward. School resumes on the nineteenth of next month, remember that."

"I shan't do that, councillor!"

"Do you think there is no way?" the councillor replied a little hotly. "You know the world, for you have travelled far, but what little sense you show!"

"You think I am going to send this delicate child to school in stormy weather!" the old woman said excitedly. "It is a two hour walk, and I shall not let him go, for the wind often howls and chokes me if I venture out. Did you know Uzoma, his mother? She had a lot of complications. She was asthmatic, allergic to dust, and the sun and also walked in her sleep. Nobody shall compel me to let him go. I will gladly fight it out before the elders of Udokamma."

"You are perfectly right," said the councillor kindly; "you could not send him to school from here. Why don't you come down to live among us again? This place is too far from everywhere: the church, the school and the market. You are leading a strange life here; I wonder how you can keep this child warm during the cold harmattan."

"Dear Angel Simon, worry not your head about the boy and I. He has young blood and a good cover. When it gets cold, I have a thick sack that keeps him warm. I know where to find good wood, and throughout the harmattan, I keep the fire going. I can't live among the people, for the people and I despise each other; we had better keep apart.'

"You are mistaken, I assure you! Make your peace with God and the people, and then you'll see how happy you will be."

The councillor rose from his seat, holding out his hand, and said cordially, "I shall count on you. Hope to see you on the nineteenth of next month, neighbour. We shall receive you gladly."

"Thank you for your kindness, but you will have to wait in vain," Egonna replied firmly, while she shook the visitor's hand.

"God be with you," said the councillor as he left the old woman, sad that their discussion did not end as he'd hoped.

The old woman was out of humour that day. On days like that, she always found something wrong with her two innocent goats. It didn't matter if the young goats were just being goats; there was always a comment about how they chewed the curd rudely or how ungrateful they were. When Somayina begged to visit his grandfather, Egonna growled,

"Not today, son!"

See you in the next episode!
I am @udyliciouz