8 Chapter Eight

Farida turned slowly on her sleeping fur, rubbing her swollen eyelid. She tried sitting up but felt so dizzy that she remained laying on the fur for a while. It seems waking up with an empty stomach and a terrible headache early in the morning is not the best experience anyone will like to have. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she crawled to the earthen pot on the other side of the hut containing the foul medicine kept by Aladeje and took a mouthful of it. With infinite care not to swing her head, she crawled back to her fur and sat hugging her legs.

It has been seven good days since she was conscious, there was no sign of the chieftain summoning her and that alone made her worry endlessly. Farida held her stomach to stop the grumbling, so as to think of a reason why she was neglected up till now but it was a lost game as it keeps grumbling because she was hungry for so long that it has started to hurt , she grinds her teeth willing the pain to vanish.

'You're awake? Good then we won't be having problems, call me Lamee.' A woman said loudly. Farida jerked her throbbing head to see the person who spoke and standing at the entrance of the hut was a grumpy looking woman who is still beautiful though.

'Not again please.' she prayed a silent prayer to the Gods watching over her from the heaven above. Her lips stretch to something akin to a smile at the woman, just to look polite even when worms are feeding on her stomach wall.

'You've rested too much for anyone liking, young girl. Get to your feet; you're starting your servant duties today under my supervision.' Lamee stated, turning on her heels to leave the hut. 

'But at the wrong time madam supervisor,' Farida mutters to herself and that earns her a glare over the shoulder from Lamee. Standing to her feet, she fell down hitting her already throbbing head on the wall, causing her vision to blur.

Lamee came back noticing the servant girl's absence behind her. Looking at the fallen form with a scowl, she hissed unable to hide the scorn in her voice 'It is too early to try my patience whatever your name is, because I'll deal with you if you for once disobey me. Do I make myself clear?'

Perfect! another Wuloma but in a more mature woman's body, she thought bitterly before answering her supervisor's pathetic question. 'Yes Lamee. I haven't eaten since yesterday and I'm a little dizzy.'

'Nonsense! Shut that mouth full with teeth no whiter than chicken droppings and get up at once you demon' shouted Lamee finding the servant girl irritating and entirely disrespectful to her sense of reasoning. 'Get up before I kick you to death.'

As Farida scrambled to her feet obediently, smarting pain from her side inflicted by Lamee's feet obliterated any form of headache, dizziness and hunger. She could hardly suppress the groan that escaped her lips. 'What a good way to start a day,' She said which earned her a glare and a kick to her dear ribs.

'A chicken should mind where the waste from its anus drops because its feathers are likely to be plucked,' said Lamee in a hush voice dripping with venom and eyes glaring daggers.

******

The early harmattan made a smoke screen around the household, shutting off the numerous huts that formed the distinguishing household. Palm fronds trimmed for sweeping was thrown towards the shivering Farida who was fast to catch it, as the fronds were mere inches from her face. 

'I want you to sweep the whole compound. To be precise, every corner must be clean. The kitchen is by your left,' Lamee pointed to an invisible kitchen to Farida's left. 'Clear the previous day ash and be fast about it, you have water to fetch from the stream.'

'Okay,' answered Farida waiting to know if there is more instruction from the annoying woman. 

What Lamee did next both surprised and annoyed Farida for the second time that early hour of the day. One of Lamee's footwear flew in her direction. And as the Gods will do, she avoided the missile with a fast reflex like an artful dodger, it only grazed her shoulder and landed on the ground behind her.

'May the leopards tear you to bits, if you think you can look at me in such a manner and I'll not see that evil eyes of yours. Don't start sweeping, wait for me there!' she said walking towards the spent missile that was directly behind Farida.

Farida was taken aback by what she considered Lamee's sudden dislike for her. She thought the woman's rude and wicked behavior was uncalled for since they were meeting for the first time that morning. What a woman? What does she take herself? She thinks she can descend on me, as a witch will do a poor child with hands and feet. Whichever proved most convenient to her all because I am in this forsaken household to sever? I'll show her what an innocent maiden the daughter of Shakur tends to be when provoked.  Frowning at the approaching woman before bending down to start sweeping in an ostensible rush to obey the high and mighty supervisor. Unbeknown to Lamee, it was just a trick to trip her up. She struck out the palm fronds as fast as lightning and Aw! Lamee tripped and fell with a scream that almost deafen Farida's ears.

'The deaf mute does not wait to be told that the market is ablaze. I advise you to make yourself scarce.'

She stood in shock, never expecting an eyewitness to her action.

'Oh! I see you're not only deaf but also blind to see that a swarm of bees will be arriving soon.' And of course that snapped her out of her shock state. For a moment, she stood looking at the person in front of her. He was an old man and in his standing posture, it was easy to see that he was slightly bent with his limbs shrunk. But what struck her particularly were the man's eyes; it does not seem weak as those of most old people. Rather it shines and sparks with intelligence.

A cockcrow to indicate daybreak and it was the exact time Lamee chose to shout, 'my waist oh!' distracting Farida. The old man glanced about, checking to see if anyone heard the poor woman's scream of agony that he himself knew was exaggerated to call for attention.

Notwithstanding the cold and hazy weather that corrodes anything standing in its path 'the harmattan' , heads were peeping out of their huts to investigate the source of the disturbance.                          

'Run along before it is too late,' he said sternly. His voice hoarse with the cold. Farida ran straight to where Lamee pointed earlier, leaving behind the old man and her supervisor to start other duties than to sweep for now.