Who did you meet today and how did you treat them?
Humming to herself ♫I don get alert, God win!♫ while trying to balance the empty Jerry can on her head, as she scrolls through her phone. Even though there was no one else on the path that leads to the Borehole, she rolled her waist nonetheless. With time, she had gotten use to her pseudo-model steps that sends out messages to whosoever that looked her way. “And why won’t they mind their business?!” She thought to herself. “I’m married, yet these men won’t leave me alone. After, their wives will stay up late in the night praying fire and brimstones on their own head because I didn’t go after anybody’s husband, God knows my intents are pure” and she laughs mischievously at such preposterous thoughts.
♫I don get alert, God win! ♫ She continues to hum away and then she hears his baritone voice,
“Please may I have some water to drink?”
“You people have started again o! Now your wives will not come and pull you away. Shebi, I came to this Borehole by this time to avoid stories that touch, yet you timed me and waited till I got here. Abeg, park well.”
Laughing at her ridiculous insinuations, he continues “If only you knew who was asking you for this untreated Borehole water, you would have offered to buy chilled bottled water for him instead.”
“Typical male chauvinist behaviour, you don’t even have a water bottle or money, but a well-grounded bad mouth! ‘You would have offered to buy chilled bottled water for him instead, indeed!’” she sighed as she repeated with mockery in her voice. “Are you better than our Oba that drinks from this Borehole, or the Chairman that installed it for us many years ago?” she queried.
“You still don’t understand me. If you did, you would have literally begged me to give you this water, so you won’t be thirsty again. Besides you won’t have to come to the Borehole, it will be coming out by itself for you at home.”
“Wonders shall never end!” Martha exclaims (Sitting down with her left hand over her jaw and lost in thought, her eyebrow almost connect in a frown, she begins to calculate in her head) “Imagine having that kind of source, I will not only have water flowing from my home, I will avoid these troublesome women that come to the Village square to fetch water. Who knows, I might even start my own water board company. See money!” (Smiling and nodding her head at the bright prospects before her that she failed to realise that she had spoken her thoughts out loud.)
“Pardon me?” he says and her dream quickly evaporates.
“I was just thinking aloud”, (she eyed him upset at the intrusion, but then, understanding the implication of what he has just said, she swallowed the rebuke that was at the tip of her tongue and said nicely) “Sir, give me this water so I won’t have to come here anymore.”
Amused at how quickly she began addressing him with courtesy, he said to her “Go and call your husband, and come with him.”
“Hmmm”, (with grimace) because I asked for water, now you want to know my husband, what gives you the impetus? I have no husband jare, if you no wan give me water, bone. Nah condition make crayfish bend.”
“You have said the truth. You were married to five men before now and the one you are with now is not even your husband.”
“Who told you?! That’s how they go about peddling stories about me in this village, God will judge them. Abi, you be winch? Nah joke o!
“No offence taken”, he replies as he joined her on the stone, they spoke about the life she lived, her community, the intertribal-wars and her personal struggles with the women of Ibak Community and the possible solutions. Oblivious of the time, they spoke on and the more interested in him Martha became. 
●
His friends returned from their shopping and met him with the lady, each man to his thoughts.
“We haven’t been gone for long and he has already found himself a companion, no dulling”
“Who is this woman he is talking to? And they seem so engrossed in the gist.”
“Is it not that notorious woman that many women hide their husbands from?!” Chai!”
“Hello guys” she says sweetly and hurriedly pushes past them. “I have to tell my ‘men’ about this man, he might be the real deal after all.”
John 4: 7 – 42
Words in Pidgin English:
1. I have gotten a bank alert, God’s got the victory
2. Slang meaning “Didn’t I”
3. Please behave yourself
4. I do not have any husband, if you won’t give me water, forget it. It is by design that the shrimp is bent over.
5. Are you a wizard? I was only kidding.
I checked up on Seasoned Sistah 2 and she’s slowly but surely going through her programme. I have missed her writing, but she’ll be back soon. At this period, we will just have to make do with her last two posts and pray she gets better and better. Take the needed rest and returns refreshed. Hugs to you Yvonne 🙂
Picture source: http://northcountymsbl.com/2015/06/2015-upcoming-managers-meeting/
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