THE BOOK IS NOT THE CONTENT.

Wow! I exclaimed entering Mr.Cart house excitedly.

"You can feel at home ,Anita" he said

"Honey! Honey! where are youuu...

come on honey! come meet your

precious pie!...Mr.Cart romantically

said.

A fair lady in complexion walked into the sitting room having wrapper tied round her chest, she embraced her husband as they involved in some seconds romantic kiss, I have to shy away facing towards the pictures on the wall.

"Welcome back pie, how was your

trip? ... she asked

"Aaah! I assured you everything will

work out successfully and here is

the result of our plan"...Mr.Cart said pointing at me,I turned and courtesy with greeting.

"Uh pie!... she said resting on

Mr.Cart chest.

"Why not a lad? she looks odd"

"Honey, don't warm the cold soup

yet, you will get along with her...ok?

"Alright pie"... she responded.

I was still standing and staring at the romantic scene by the love couples.Why did she say that she needed a lad? ,If she needed a lad at the first place,Why didn't Mr.Cart pick up a lad bad there?, Didn't they sought it out before Mr.Cart come for me?. With her manner of refusing to reply my greeting,does this mean I am into a pan ready to be placed on the hot fire?. This questions lingered in my mind until Mrs.Cart snapped at me to bring my luggages and follow her.

I followed her to a room where she opened and ushered me in.

"What's your name lass?... she asked.

"I am Anita"...I answered

"Anita! let's see the good you have to

offer us"...Mrs.Cart said as she slam the door and walked away.

"At least,I still get to sleep on a good

bed,eat three square meal a day and

take a good shower"... I said.

I was so excited on how the room was well decorated and how foamy the bed was,I jumped and bounced on the bed which threw me above the ceiling and caught me back,I laid down spreading my legs and hands apart and staring at white man above.

Things are going to get better for me now,I can now pursue and accomplish something in life,soon,a nobody will become somebody in life.

Still not on the bed,I walked round the rooms,went back to the sitting room.I then asked myself.

"Since there's no toddler's picture on

the wall...does it mean they had no

child and this mean they are going to

take care of me as theirs?...

I walked to the corridor where I saw kids playing around in the compound.

" Kids' life" ...I murmured and smiled.

I looked up the sky,looked at the atmosphere...."it smells nice"..... and then looked around me, when I heard the shout of my name from the inside.

"It's Mrs. Cart "...I said

I walked into the Kitchen and found her standing with a knife and the other hand on her waist.

"Ma! you called for me"

"Yeah, your assistance is needed

here from now on,chop those

carrots, slice those vegetables and

finish up with the cooking.... and

don't forget to fold those dried

clothes into the box"...Mrs.Cart

ordered.

"Yes ma'am! ...I replied.

Some hours later, the food was ready,I served them at the dinning,ate mine,packed the clothes into the box as she stated and went back to my bedroom still staring at me white man.

"What now ?, Am I to do these

all day ?, Won't I get engaged in

an income giving work.... this is

just the beginning,I must have

become a millionaire at the end

of my struggle and then,I can use

my personality to change the world.

This i said,as I clapped my hands, snapped my fingers , jumped on the bed and rolled over.

**********************************

Things were not the same anymore,

Mrs.Cart would always tell me that...

"he who eat with the devil must

use a long spoon"

I never understood this proverb,I felt unconscious about it. Maybe, she hates me, maybe she is trying to tell me that the devil is funny and therefore,if I am to eat with him,I need to eat with a long spoon so as to eat the larger quantity of food than he does. I didn't absorb the words. Innocent poor Anita,in the hand of mystery,in the generation of wickedness.

Mrs.Cart begins to suspect me, she no longer let me prepare the husband's food, she always sit with her husband and would never desert the room for I and Mr.Cart.

Whatsoever she must be up to,I am still ignorant of it.Never did I know that there's lingering snake that wriggles around me all day ...."But why ? "

Just a glimpse at the snake,it disappears,I no longer feel comfortable,I became a watchdog at night, since I found out the snake mostly wriggles at night.

It's the sixth night in the tenth month of witnessing the wriggling snake,I tried opening up to Mrs.Cart.

"Won't she think that examples are

better than precepts"

Mrs.Cart will never believe me.

"Oh no! I can't, I must keep watch"

At this while, I begin to understand Mrs.Cart proverb and her sayings all this while.

The short hand have rested on the eleventh number and so did the long hand on the fourth number as post meridian, this time around,I couldn't keep watch any longer I doze off in my dark room,at the bolting of the door,I woke up.

"Who's there ?, show yourself...

I questioned.

"Shhh! any word, I will stab you"

the voice echoed.

"Mr.Cart, is that you?...as I could

recognize his voice.

He switched on the light.

"Yeah... it's me"

Mr.Cart said, holding a knife in his hand.

"You only have two options...stay

still and don't shout or you prepare

to meet your grave".

"Mr.Cart please don't do this...

please !... I pleaded.

My pleading felled on deaf ear as he undress himself still holding the knife.

"O my God! ... I exclaimed.

"Mr.Cart please! I have done

nothing wrong to you, hear my plea

and let me be".

"Lie down quietly! ...he

commanded raising the knife

on me.

I laid down sobbing, this was when I remembered that someone lives above the sky, as I muttered for help unto the invisible helper.Tears rolled down my cheeks as Mr.Cart begins to undress me.