UYAI ✔️

Uyai (thirteen)

After that long trek, long due to the length and depth of muddy pot holes she had to maneuver through to get to the village stream to find her sister. Perhaps the fact that her legs and skirt were all drenched with muddy paints that gave her clothing a new outlook that spelt disaster. Her slippers, they were long forgotten, drowned in depth of mud, that had refused to let go after so much pulling. The mud had completely enveloped her slippers leaving her barefooted. So dear friends, imagine how she must have looked with all that earthy color. There was no doubt she was born of the soil, or most specifically mud.

Uyai couldn't turn back now, after she had gone this far. So she had to muster the minute courage she could salvage and approach every single soul except the lesser creatures of course to find out the whereabouts of her sister dearest. Affiong.

Well, Uyai was pleased to tell you that after all the efforts, humiliation and every other miserable word you see fit to describe her situation, it was all futile. Affiong was nowhere to be found. Even if she was around, no one was ready to tell, judging from their short clipped answer.

"Have you...?"

"No." the young woman didn't let her complete her question. She just shrunk back from her in disgust.

She walked to another woman who was about putting the water filled pot on her head. "please have..."

The woman almost threw her water pot. She shook her head and shot Uyai a glare.

This was how it went, thus, her long trek back to the house, she had managed to sustain a no nonsense scratch against her upper arm after slipping and falling for the hundredth time. If she was furious when she found the person she had almost died trying to look for, sleeping soundless in their room, it was an understatement.

Uyai approached the straw bed where Affiong was sleeping, not just sleeping, having a nice dream while at it, if you could see from the curve of her lips as it stretched to one side. Menacingly she drew near to her. God knew how much her hand ached to wipe that smile from her face with a resounding slap. Her teeth were gritted in fury, and her hands had balled into a fist. If she could just hit her, just once and then run. It'll be so wonderful. But she couldn't do anything about it. Not when mother was hollering her name like she wanted to call the name out of her. Uyai could imagine the pains it took for mother to call her Uyai, to call her Beauty. Thank goodness, she had washed herself before mother could see her in  that state. The thought of her reaction gave her the chills. Uyai shivered.

Reluctantly and with a grump she retraced her steps regretfully and turned to answer her mother.
"Yes mother!" she hollered back.

"Come here quickly, your father wants to see you."

Uyai hurried her steps and saw mother waiting for her while she held a basket of cucumbers. Probably the new harvest. Uyai's step faltered when she was met directly with mother's smiling face. She was humming a happy tune and Uyai didn't know what to make of it.
"Where's father?" she asked ignoring her unusual pleasant expression

"He's in the front yard." Her voice was surprisingly pleasant, without contempt. She raised a few cucumber that had been in the basket and transferred them into a Stainless plate which she held in her right hand. She pushed the now cucumber filled plate into her hand. "Take it with you and give it to your father."

Uyai nodded, taking the plate. She went in the direction of the front yard.  As she got close to where her father was, she discreetly took out a cucumber and hid them under the waistband of her skirt, making sure to fold it twice in order to properly conceal it. Her stomach growled at the thought of eating it later.

Now with a little smile, she skipped to where father sat on a bench playing Draft with grandmother. Judging from the scowl on his face, he was loosing shamelessly. Guess grandma was the only one who could beat him at his game.