Her pain Her joy

No more

"Mama Etim! abeg give me rice 100 beans 100. No meat o." I would never spend over 200 naira on any breakfast this month. I had come to this resolution after calculating my expenses last year and realized I spent all I had on food. This was the third month of the new year and I was succeeding in my frugality. I sat on the crooked bench and placed my hand on the table waiting for my order. I frowned at the customer sitting across, he downed his yam pottage as if he was being chased and made disgusting sounds when he chewed. I couldn't help but notice the black dirt trapped in his finger nails, his skin appeared dehydrated and had cracked white lines like someone with a skin allergy. He grinned at me and his "plaqued''teeth shot me back to reality.
   "Ah ah Ma Etim, where my food na?" I had been so engrossed observing the man across me I didn't  realize my order had been completely ignored.  " Abeg customers dey find where to sit stand up commot" she replied. I looked around in confusion because there was no standing customer in sight and there were two empty benches adjacent to me. I looked up at the plump, dark, middle aged woman, whose terrible cooking I had been managing, the passed six months I had been working in this retarded company and I couldn't come to terms with her sudden change in character. She dished out two servings of beans porridge from one cooler, amongst the three that sat on a wooden table, waved the flies that were fighting their way into the cooler away and covered it. She handed the plate over to her help Itoro and pointed at a shop she was to deliver it to. I still sat looking at her expecting an explanation but to my dismay she walked over to me, pulled me up from the bench, and as I struggled to find balance I staggered and fell scraping my left  knee on the rough hard floor. I got up shaking in anger and shock, while looking at the warm red liquid trickling down my calf and unto my worn out covered shoe.
    There was hollering from the other customers who chastised her for her treatment of me. She was adamant and shut them up accusing me of being an irritant. "Shebi I don tell you say I no dey sell anything for 100naira make you no come here again?"  So that was it? She was sick of putting up with my poor bargaining? Yes, she had told me not to come again yesterday being Monday, but she had also said so the Wednesday last week and many other Wednesdays,and thursdays, and Mondays. Why on earth did she mean it this time?

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  "Baby come make I buy you food" a hoarse male voice said. I turned back and behold! the dirty man who had sat across me. As I took my walk of shame out of mama etim's food stand, he had followed me and was now holding my wrist. My goodness, his palm was so rough it could peel my skin. It told the story of long suffering and I just wanted to be away from him as quickly as possible. I looked at the mocking smirk on his face and I just wanted to slap it away. His hollow eyes moved from my face down to my throbbing chest and remained there. "If you do me good I go do you good" he said while dangling his tongue in the most irritating manner. "Tawaaaaiii" I slapped him with every strength in me and a loud "heeeiii" could be heard from the food stand. He clenched his teeth in anger and shoved me and this time I fell hard on my buttocks.
     The Kpra sound I heard as I fell should better be my waist or leg breaking. Anything but not my tight gown ripping I hoped. Alas it was my gown. It had ripped all the way to the middle of my back and I was overwhelmed in embarrassment. I remained on the floor bending my head in shame and wishing for the trumpet to sound.  I felt a huge warm cloth over my shoulders and a familiar voice said "get up".  I rose my head and couldn't stop the tears from escaping my eyes and rolling down freely over my cheeks. Fejiro squat down and hugged me and i sobbed  vigorously on his shoulders.
    The vile man who shoved me earlier was in a heated argument with a small crowd that witnessed our little drama, and while some blamed me for being violent and disrespectful others reprimanded him for walking up to me in the first place. His defense was he just wanted to help and we all knew his form of help. I rose from fejiro's shoulders to find itoro looking at me with so much pity in her eyes and my skin crawled. I would take anything but not pity please. I ignored her got up and allowed fejiro hold my hands guiding me to the office in his oversized jacket.