THE MAD MAMMOTH

Chapter 9-Girl's Chores

As Tolani grew older she understood that the difference between a boy and a girl went beyond the way the births were

received. From the time she was old enough to assist with the house chores she was saddled with a lot of responsibilities. It started with sweeping at the age of six years old. Then as she grew older, it included washing the dishes, washing clothes, running errands, cooking, going to the market. At a point Tolani worked so hard she barely had a chance to sit down and rest. It occurred to her though that Omokorede who was a year older than her was spared of such responsibilities. On several occasions she asked why Omokorede was spared of the house chores but she was told over and over, "He is older than you, show some respect" This reply was satisfactory to Tolani when she was younger. She assumed being older meant you'd be spared of the house chores when your siblings started doing it. As her sisters grew older, they joined her in the chores. Tolani didn't stop doing household chores though, which also confused her because of her assumption that being older meant you'd be spared of the house chores but unlike Omokorede, that wasn't the case with her. Finally Okanlawon and Omojuwon were old enough to join in the household chores but still they didn't. So the bulk of it was done by Tolani with a little assistance from Kanyinsola and Eniola. One day, after discussing with her two sisters, they decided to go and ask their parents to clear the confusions about house chores and Tolani asked,

"Dad, is it because Omokorede, Okanlawon and Omojuwon are boys that they don't participate in the house chores?"

Their father laughed at the question and dismissed it but their mother didn't like the fact that they were showing signs of being "rebellious."

"These chores are girl's chores," she said. "When there are boy's chores they'll be required to take part in it. Meanwhile you people should stop all these rebelliousness. Our society doesn't expect girls to ask so many questions."

Since that conversation Tolani and her sisters kept waiting for the boys' chores but it never came.

As the girls grew older, the disparities in the way they were treated got worse. From the moment they woke up till the moment they slept the girls were on their feet doing one 'girls chore' after the other. Their mother had no housemaid so the house work was shared between her and her daughters. The girls had to wake up around 5.30am to help with cleaning the house and cooking breakfast. The sleepy girls got up, swept, helped with the cooking, served the dishes, cleared the table, washed the dishes and washed clothes for everyone in the house including the boys, Throughout the day they were either running one errand or the other. The boys had no chores except to gather in their room or in the sitting room and play games, have talks with their parents, play outside or go to their friends' houses to play. Sometimes they came back from outside quite late. Occasionally the girls joined them in their outside plays but for a brief period before their mother or father sent for them, insisting they return home immediately while the boys stayed on and played as long as they wished. On one occasion the children on the street were playing a football game and Tolani enjoyed watching it very much. When her mother sent for the girls, Kanyinsola and Eniola went back home but Tolani stubbornly stayed behind for one more hour. Her mother eventually came to drag her from the field and as soon as they got indoors, she gave her a serious beating with a long cane.

"How dare you stay back on the field?" her mother scolded. "Do you think you are a boy that you can stay back outside as long as you want? Do you want to give yourself a bad name in the society?"

Tolani wondered how she could get a bad name from just watching a football game but she didn't dare voice her mind. She was nine years old at the time and she never dared to stay outside against her parent's will after that incident.

The only one of her brothers who showed an interest in house chores especially cooking was Okanlawon. He was always offering to and eager to help. He was also very much interested in learning to cook and sneaking into the kitchen when their parents weren't watching. He was Tolani's favorite brother as the others were content to just laze around all day and watch television. The only problem was that their parents didn't want him doing house chores at all as they called them 'girl's chores'. Mrs. Ige especially couldn't stand seeing him around the kitchen and was quick to chase him out telling him to go back and stay with his brothers.

"I've told you several times to stop doing girl's chores" she was always quick to say. Okanlawon got his freedom when he got admission to the University as he registered for cooking classes and later became a successful chef.