Category: KUSI

KUSI (A pidgin story)

KUSI – Episode 4

©Amah’s Heart. 




Na so my market just dey sell everyday since wey I start to dey sell fruits. some days no be the same thing but no day wey I no dey sell one tray of fruit finish.
Emy want to dey follow me they carry tray so that she fit help out with expenses but I tellam make she no worry, make she dey stay for shop with my mama, even my mama no gree make she do that kind work with her condition, and her belle don dey come out small small, person go know say she get belle, I no even fit allow make she do that kind of work because wahala plenty inside this hawking job wey i dey do.
If no be say fat full my body I for don slim down tey tey, I for turn like broom stick by force, but no matter how I stress myself I no dey slim, I resemble my papa for that one.
my mama na slim woman she be and she get height join. even Emy too tall like my mama.
me, I no too tall like that but I dey “average height”, make I take that English console myself, after all oyibo people they call my height average.
As things they move forward I just dey thank God. Emy talk say she no get any number she go take call her people, she talk say she no dey fit carry number for head, na only her own number they her head, and she no even get phone after she don lost her bag for the bridge side where she wan jump. she never get phone again, if I get money I go buy her small phone and she go fit retrieve her lost number so that in case her people wan reach her they go fit call her.
I come later get one small space for the market, na there i come put big umbrella because of sun and rain. so instead of hawking the fruit for head, I get a standby place where people they come everyday to come patronize me, even Emy dey come stay with me sometime.
if she come meet me for market I go leave her for that my space still arrange another one for tray which I go carry enter inside market to go sell.
no food for a lazy man na oyibo talk that one too.
People they call Emy my wife, they think say na me give her belle. wetin concern me for their gossip, people like amebo too much. I no owe anybody explanation, so anything wey they like make them talk, if they tire dey go keep quiet.
I tell Emy make she no answer anybody if they ask her anything, na only greeting she owe them, nothing again.
Market people sabi look person bad eye, as the talk come they too much I come later tell Emy e better make she just dey stay with my mama for her shop and dey help my brothers and sisters for home work as she dey do before, I no wan make she they come market because plenty bad belle people full there. before they go use eye commot pikin for her belle.
Any day I just show face for market, the market people go come they ask me
“Kusi Kusi… your wife nko…how she dey na..”?
They go dey ask as if they care but I go just answer them say she dey fine, I no get time for amebo. every minute dey important to me because I be man and I be correct hustler.
Emy belle later come big well well. she don change, her face come fat well well, even her body big, my mama register her for one hospital wey dey close to our house. na their she dey go do check up.
I no know how many months her belle don reach,
because wetin dey my head plenty pass that one but I reason say she go don reach like six or seven months.
all the cloth wey my mama buy for her no come they enter her again. as I dey come back from market one day I come see were them dey sell okirika cloth for women wey get belle, I come bend down select better cloth wey I know say she go like, as I carry the cloth them go house, my mama happy well well, Emy come rush hug me with her big belle wey push me go back. me sef they fear for the way she take hug me, make the baby no start to they cry inside her belle.
Emy come dey thank me say I try.
I happy as I see her dey laugh. she come they try the cloth them wey I buy for her, she come take them they do cat walk for us as if she dey do fashion parade, na so all of us just dey laugh for house.
As I leave them go outside na so i just dey smile like mumu.
I later get myself come arrange my face well before I go back inside.
but inside me I just they happy as I see Emy too they happy.
One day as I go market one of my customer wey dey like buy fruits for my hand come stand they browse with her phone in front of my market, even after I package the fruits wey she buy for her she still stand they read something for her phone.
later she come they talk to herself.
“eeyah…eyah…nawaooo!. see this fine girl…is only God that knows where she is…God have mercy o,
As she just they talk to herself I ask her hope everything they alright, she come sigh before she start to they talk.
“the only daughter of a pastor in one big church has gone missing for almost a year now. nobody has seen her, nobody knows if she is alive or dead. they are showing her on television and radio, even on Facebook, that anybody that sees her should please call one of the numbers that they put up. her parents came on air and were begging the public. anybody that has any useful information about their daughter should contact them, she is their only daughter, they want to know if she is alive or dead. they say the whole church is praying for her. even when journalist interviewed the missing girl’s friend she told them that the girl got pregnant and said she was going to commit suicide because she doesn’t want to be a disgrace to her parents and since then nobody has seen her, her parents are heart broken…”
my heart start to they beat fast. i leave wetin i they do come ask my customer
“abeg wetin be the girl name…?
“they said her name is Immaculate Johnson and she is twenty years old. a university student… a very young girl for that matter. all this children that they will send to school and they end up doing another thing…and this things happens more with the well to do people…
I quickly collect the number from the lady. pack up my market and run go house.
I wish we get television at least we for know wetin they happen.
as I reach house on time that day, my mama wey go market never come back, na only Emy dey house, she dey my mama shop. I dey vex as i go meet her.
“you lie give us say your name na Emy but your real name na Immaculate Johnson. well, any name you like you fit answer the wahala wey dey ground now be say your parents dey find you and your picture don enter television and Facebook…I don collect the numbers wey we fit use call your people. you need to call them make them know say you still dey alive. abeg… na God I take they beg you…try make you call them…because the news don reach everywhere say pastor only daughter they miss…
“Kusi…I’m sorry about the name but I felt unworthy to bear the name my parents gave me. Immaculate means perfect, it means something that has no stain, like something that is pure white, undefiled. they wanted me to marry as a virgin someday and my husband should be the one to disvisgin me after our wedding but I failed that…I…failed them and everyone who believed in me. I felt like I was not worthy of such a name, I have stains, i have being defiled, I’m not worthy of the name anymore that was why I just simply picked Emy. please I don’t want to go back…and I don’t want to call them…I can’t face them like this. just take a look at me… this is so embarrassing…this was not the school they sent me to and study, this was not the life they planed for me, this is not how I wanted to end up…I’m a disgrace already to them and I can’t mend what that has be broken, I can’t change the wrong I have done…I can’t …i…i..mmmm
She come start to dey cry heavy cry as tears they pour down for her eyes.
I come dey vex for myself for making her to cry.
why I dey even vex for her before? na me make she come dey cry now, and I know dey like make she dey vex.
I come go hold her they beg her as she dey cry, I just dey console her.
she come dey cry for my shoulder as her tears they pour down for my cloth. her cry sef wan come make me dey cry.
I just hold her dey give her encouraging word so that she go stop to they cry.
“you fit no change wetin you don do but you can still be anything wey you still wan be. you know wetin my mama dey always talk, as far as life dey hope go surely dey. that word don register for my head, no cry again, your tomorrow go better pass your yesterday and your today. you fit still make your parents proud, is not late, your name na Immaculate, and na fine name be that. we fit call you Imma if you no wan make we call you the full name. because you do mistake no means you be the first person for this world wey do mistake. no come allow your mistake to define you or come change your name because of this mistake. the pikin wey you carry no be mistake, God get better plan for that pikin, my mama they always tell you say tomorrow go still better pass our today. you think say your story no make sense now e go still make sense later. e no means say you no fit rewrite your story, e no means say you no go still live upto your name. no fear, everything go still dey alright, you go call your parents…make they know say you dey alive, if you know wan go meet them like this, then you go wait till you born finish. my mama go take care of you wella, if they wan see you tell them to wait you go come see them but you go call them make they know say you dey alive abeg. if na my mama dey house she go still tell you the same thing wey I dey tell you now. abeg make you do the right thing… na your parents them be and they suppose to know say you dey alive and you dey alright…
After I talk finish Emy,no… I mean Imma, because na her real name be that. she no wan make up her mind to go call her people
As my mama come back I come tell my mama everything, my mama come still encourage her make she go call, I give her the number wey I collect from that my customer, I come go load credit inside my mama phone.
Imma come use my mama phone call her people, na long call because the call last for long, they come still call her back, after the call she come dey feel alright.
she talk say na her papa pick the call, everybody they happy say she dey alive but she tell them say she go come meet them when she dey ready but make nobody worry but they fit reach her with that number anytime they wan call her, after she talk finish I even happy because I know say her parents mind go don come down.
I know say everything go still dey alright for her, I fit no go school but I sabi things pass plenty people wey go school.
shebi I tell una say I be young boy with old man brain. na eighteen i be wen God used me to save Imma. now, I don reach nineteen years but I they reason like person wey don reach sixty, even my mama sef dey talkam. she dey tell me say I no dey do like my age.
abeg make age stay one side, age na number. wetin dey my mind na how to make better money for this life. better money no be for bad way but for good way.
that is why I dey hustle hard, make I suffer now so that if I come get my own family tomorrow them no go suffer.
I don suffer for me and my children own, na so my mama dey talk, I copy her for that her talk. na faith i dey use talk my own.

At the end I know say Life go still make sense for all of us.
.tbc

KUSI (A pidgin story)

KUSI – Episode 1

©Amah’s Heart.

My name na Kusimala Isaac but people dey call me Kusi. My papa die when I be fourteen years after his death I commot for school come face business.

I want to do business so that I fit they support my mama.

My mama na common trader, the money wey she dey make for a day no dey reach anywhere. I get two brothers and two sisters wey dey go school.
My mama no go fit take care of all of us. All of us for that house sabi chop food well well. We dey finish one bow of eba if we sit down to chop. I come dey wonder maybe this talk wey people dey talk say na poor man children dey chop pass people wey get money.
That talk fit be true because I no understand the way we take they consume food or it fit be say because no be every time we dey see food chop. If money no dey we no go chop belleful but if my mam sell well for her market we go chop until we resemble woman wey get belle.
I don see say my mama no go fit carry the burden alone. Even though my brothers and sisters they go public school but they still dey pay small small fees. They go buy books, school bags and uniform. Everything na money and is too much for only my mama to carter.
I drop out of school come join my mama they do business. Since my papa no dey I go make sure I hustle hard to make my mama happy. I no dey like make she dey remember say her husband die leavam with plenty children. No, I no wan make my mama dey vex or make she dey worry over my papa. I want to make sure say she go dey always see reason to dey smile.
If I see her dey smile the thing dey give me joy. Na so me too go dey smile like mumu or like i win jackpot.
Every day I go arrange my groundnut inside tray, I don already know how much I go make for a tray of groundnut. I go carry the tray filled with groundnut enter market.
If market good, before 1pm I don sell finish, run go back house go carry another groundnut.
I no send anybody if I dey sell my market. Wetin dey my mind na how to sell finish and make plenty money for my mama.
Shame no dey catch me if I see my follow schoolmate wey dey go school. Dey go dey laugh me dey talk rubbish for mouth but I no dey worry for their talk.
Na man I be even though I never get bear bear. Nothing concern me with wetin people dey talk. Na their mouth, if dey tire to dey talk, dey go keep quiet. I no come life to look person face.
Na my family I carry for mind if I dey hustle for sun or rain. Life no easy, I know but I no go because say life no easy come go kill myself. I go makam for this life, na that one be my prayer everyday.
I be man wey get sense, even though my age never too big but I dey reason like old man wey don reach eighty years.
As the small hawking business wey I dey do dey grow, my mama dey happy. She even talk say I get better luck for business. I no dey make plenty money but I dey consistent.
One day as I enter market. My mama don already tell me make I try sell all my market so that she go add the money with her to go use buy more market for sell.
That day, I come enter market and within few hours I don almost sell finish.
Na one youth corper buy the last groundnut for my hand. As she buy the ground nut finish she come give me big money. as I wan find change for her, the corper come say make I no worry for change. Make I take the money.
“heyyy…aunty…aaah. Aunty na God go bless. Thank you oo.
Na so I take greet that corper. I happy well well. I dey save money wey people dey dash me. if I give my mama her own money I go save the one wey people dash me so that I go use am pay for small space for the main market were I fit stay dey sell my market.
I tell you say I dey reason like old man. But sometime as I dey save the money na so my brothers wey wan buy book or sandals go come meet me and I go give them some of the money to go buy the thing wey dey wan buy. I no dey like make dem dey worry my mama every time for money.
As I no go school, I wan make all of them go school and become better person for this life.
After the corper go, I come carry my empty tray they go house. I want rush go house go give my mama the money wey I don sell so that she fit add go market.
As I dey waka dey go na so one strong better food smell enter my nose.
I come trace the correct aroma come see say na one big restaurant dey around for there.
I stand, na so i carry my nose they chop the food. The aroma strong. I no even know if I should go front or back.
Na so I come dey reason maybe I should just enter inside the restaurant chop only once comot, I no go near the restaurant again. But I come reason the money wey dey my pocket.
My only gain for the market wey I sell na only two hundred naira. I no fit touch my mama money.
I confuse as I stand they reason my life. If I comot the two hundred naira chop e go mean say I no go fit save the money.
I come dey swallow spit, as the matter tire me I come take another step close to the restaurant.
One mind say make I go use my two hundred chop another mind talk say make I dey go house.
As I move close I come see plenty people dey chop for their.
I enter inside come use my eyes they look all the plate of food. I see one better ogbono soup wey go havard. The soup set dye.
I swallow another spit. One mind still dey tell me make I dey go house and another dey tell me make I sit down chop better.
I know even know wetin I go do now because na mind battle I dey so but my eyes still dey look that correct ogbono soup wey one man dey chop for the restaurant.
Wetin I fit do now?