In the Loving Arms of Servitude

4. A Few weeks in Hell

(Owerri)

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It has been about two weeks now and no Nne, no Amaka, no Nwunye Okafor or little J.J; worst of all, no school. Uju would have resumed the second term of S.S. 2 by now, if she hadn't been condemned to this 'dungeon' at Owerri, in the home of uncle Obinna and aunty Obiageli or mummy, as she prefers to be called.

A medium-sized blackened kettle is on the kitchen stove, and the water inside it starts to bubble slightly. Uju then reduces the flame, to prevent it from boiling because she is not done peeling the yams yet. She has to make some eba first for uncle Obinna and his two daughters, Kamsi and Ebere to eat for supper. Thereafter, she will need to fry some yam and eggs for mummy, who does not feel like eating eba this evening. But right now, the water is about to boil and still, Uju is yet to finish peeling the yam tuber. What on earth is she going to do now? Mummy has warned her several times not to waste her kerosene and even more times, to be very efficient while performing tasks, not to be sluggish and most importantly, not to be a dunce!

In utter panic, she starts to sweat profusely and immediately increases the speed with which she skins the poor tuber. But unfortunately for her, mummy walks into the kitchen and exclaims, "Ah ah! Uju, how long will it take you to fry small yam nau?? Wait o!... So you have not even made the eba, okwia?? And look at the water; it's almost boiling out of the kettle!! You stupid village girl!!! How many times have I told you not to waste my kerosene, ehn???"

"Sorry mummy..." Uju replies dejectedly, with her head facing the ground.

"...Sorry for yourself!!! You just mumu finish like your mama!" she barks at Uju, afterwhich she drops the plate of orange peels in her hand on top the sink and then turns back to Uju, barking again, "I dey go baff now! You had better be done with the food by the time I'm finished!"
Then she storms out of the kitchen. While mummy leaves, Uju sighs in frustration. Right now, she can feel the tears gathering in her eyes. Her mother! Her poor mother! What could her mother have done to Obiageli, to warrant such hatred? And what has she, Uju done to warrant such horrible treatment from her? 'What sort of life is this???' Uju wonders, as she takes in yet another deep breath, sniffing in all her sorrow and pain.

Afterwards, she quickly handles the tuber again, peeling and then cutting it into short sticks like fries. She pours some oil into the frying pan and places it on the stove after removing the kettle. Thereafter, she removes the container of warmed soup from the microwave and then rapidly starts to make the eba. In about fifteen minutes, dinner becomes ready.
With utmost artistry, Uju then sculpts the soft eba into spherical moulds and serves them on three plates, leaving her own portion in the bowl. Then like an expert chef, she scoops the fried eggs onto a wide porcelain plate for mummy, making sure to shift them to a corner of the plate; afterwhich she neatly arranges the yam fries beside the eggs. Next, she hurries toward the hanger beside the dish rack and takes out three ceramic trays and one round porcelain tray for mummy; placing each plate in the appropriate tray. Thereafter, she dishes up some oha soup, making sure to put two large pieces of meat for uncle Obinna, one large and one small piece for sista Kamsi, and one average piece for Ebere. Both girls are currently in the living room. Sista Kamsi is chatting with her smartphone, while Ebere is watching television.

Thereafter, Uju begins to go back and forth between the kitchen and the dinning room, while serving each tray on the table. She serves the bottles of water alongside some drinking glasses, and then places two small bowls of water as well as a can of soap for them all to wash their hands. When she is done with the serving, she goes into the living room to inform uncle Obinna who is deeply engrossed in his newspaper crossword puzzle, that dinner is served. While doing so, she makes sure to curtsy (the Nigerian way). "Uncle... Dinner is ready." she says, in a very babyish and innocent tone.

"Okay. Thank you." he replies, without looking at her. Thereafter, Uju walks to sista Kamsi and says, gesturing toward the dinning room, "Sista..." Kamsi then rises from the couch, taking her phone along with her and starts to walk to the dinning room. Ebere follows. Uju then leaves the sitting room and heads to the master's bedroom. Its door is slightly open, so she knocks exactly three times but does not enter, afterwhich she calls out in a tone of undiluted reverence, "Mummy..."
She receives no answer. Uju is not allowed into mummy's room, unless she is asked to clean it up. So with a jittery lump already growing in her throat, she echoes humbly for the second time, "Mummy, dinner is ready." Her eyes are already beleaguered by tears, but she struggles to hold them back. Mummy usually gets even more irritated when she cries.

After some seconds, a voice echoes from the room, "You said what?"

Uju replies, "I said your food is ready, ma. It's... It's on the dinning table."

"Okay!..." mummy echoes, but then continues with a repulsed voice, "Biko, I hope the yams are not too dry o??? Hm!... Or na you go just chop am! "

"No, ma. They are not too dry." Uju replies, attempting to assure her.

"Okay oo!" she responds jeeringly. Uju leaves.

As Uju gradually walks back to the kitchen, she becomes so famished and exhausted, that she almost feels like she is about to collapse. Upon getting there, she puts some oha soup for herself in a small rubber dish, without taking any piece of meat. Afterwards, she picks up the bowl with the leftover eba, drops it on the kitchen floor and then sits on the small jokko beside it. This is where she has her dinner.

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GLOSSARY
S.S. 2 - The penultimate year of high school; equivalent to the '11th grade'.
Mummy - Mother/Mum/Ma'am(familiar)
Eba - A hard pudding, made by mixing dried cassava flour(garri) in hot water.
Okwia!, Ehn! - Huh!
"You just mumu finish, like your mama!"- "You're just as dumb as your mother!"
"I dey go baff now." - "I'm going to take a bath now."
Sista - Used to refer to an older female sibling, colleague, aunt etc. ,as a sign of respect.
Oha soup - An Igbo Nigerian soup, made from evergreen Ora leaves, using cocoyam paste etc. as a thickener.
"..or na you go just chop am!"- "...or you'll eat it(the food) yourself!"
Jokko - A very low wooden chair without handles, used to sit, when doing things on a low platform, such as the ground.