Yellow Tales of a Nigerian Housemaid (completed)

Chapter Eighteen

I had just gulped down the last drop from the bottle when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to catch the angry stare of my aunt, Oby. I sprang up instantly but a vicious push from her had me staggering to the ground.

"So this is what you do eh? All you do is to sell my water and use my profit to eat?" she roared in anger
"No aunty I......" I tried explaining to her but a thunderous slap interrupted me. I cried out loudly as she held my collar and began dragging me to a nearby shop. Her little drama attracted much attention as many people gathered round to know what was happening. Drivers, passengers, passersby and even some hawkers were all staring at me as I was being led out like a common thief.

"Wetin she do? (What did she do?)" a young park attendant asked.
"Look at her, thief! She used my money to buy fanta and gala" my aunt replied aggressively. "I have always said that she steals from me but they think I'm making things up. I'm always the bad guy" she added

"Ah nne. If you don begin now steal, when you go stop? You too small abeg (If you've started stealing at this tender age, when will you stop? You are still young for this please)" the young man said to me disapprovingly.
"How only you take chop one Gala plus one bottle of mineral? With which mouth and which belle e enter?  (How did you manage to savour a beef roll and a bottle of soft drink all alone? Could your little stomach contain it all?") he added jokingly.

"Madam no vex, pity her maybe she dey hungry! " another added generating roars of laughter. I was very ashamed. She held my collar again as she continued dragging me but a tiny voice from the crowd caught everyone's attention.

"She no steal from you o, na one aunty buy am for her. Na me she buy the gala from (she didn't steal from you, a young lady bought it for her. I sold the beefroll to them)" the young hawker said in my defence. I looked up at him in appreciation but my aunt was angrier now.
"Come here!" she screamed but the young boy hesitated.
"So you are among those spoiling her, teaching her how to lie? Which aunty bought what for her?"
"Dem don commot. I dey tell you say na me she buy the gala from (They've left. I just told you she bought the beefroll from me)" he said, his eyes searching round the crowd now. Then his eyes lit up as he saw who he was searching for.
"no be you she buy mineral from (Are you not the one she bought the soft drink from?)" he asked the young female hawker we had bought  drink from earlier. She nodded. "Why you come dey there that madam dey call am thief? Why you no talk? (Then why were you silent when her aunt was calling her a thief? Why didn't you speak up?)" He was obviously disappointed.
"E no concern me (It's none of my business)" Came the young girl's response which infuriated some of the spectators. Many cursed her for being silent in the face of injustice and praised the young boy for standing up for the truth.
But my aunt didn't still believe him as she kept dragging me to her friend's shop. I was in tears and her friend's mocking remarks made me feel worse. 
"Start talking and better say the truth right now" She said as she dragged a wooden stool for support.

"Aunty I swear to God, one lady bought it for me" I cried
"Shut up!" she shot back. "So this an unknown lady is now mother christmas eh? To just buy things for someone she doesn't even know"

I shook my poor head.

Her friend laughed out hard at my supposed lie. She admonished me for being ungrateful and stealing from my aunt.
"This is why I treat my help worse. Once you give them a handshake, they would want a dance" she retorted.

"Yes my sister, imagine such lie!" aunt Oby agreed.
"Now how many sachets have you sold so far?" she asked
"One" I murmured.
"Liar! Big lie!" she screamed jumping up from the chair. "Oh my! since morning you left the house, you just want to tell me that you just sold one sachet? Jesus!" she was now very angry.
"Aunty you know I came out late and.....
"And what?" she interrupted "You know you came out late yet you had the mind to use my money to feed? So you can't endure hunger for a day? You want to tell me you wouldn't have survived the Biafran war?" This statement made her friend laugh even the more.