THE STUBBORN CHILD AND THE MERMAID - CHAPTER TWO

One day at about 5:30 in the evening Mrs. Eniola wanted to prepared dinner for her husband, Mr. Akpengsa but she discovered that there was no single drop of water at home for her to even start the preparation.

She called her children and asked why on earth did she gave birth to them calling them children but they don’t resemble one? She asked Simi the senior sister why would she not know that there is no water at home for her to cook not even a drop for anyone to drink?

Simi responded with pleading, telling her mother how sorry she is. That she didn’t know that there was no water; that when she left home to fetch firewood, that there was enough water at home to use at least if not enough to bath but enough to start cooking.

That she doesn’t know how come that there is no water. So she asked Sandra what happened to the water. Sandra already crying when her mother was yelling and asking about the water, because she was the only one who all by herself fetched the water to surprise her parents.

She answered saying “mummy I don’t know anything about and how come the water now disappeared from all the pots because she fetched a bucket to take her bath and left for market to get the food items she sent her.

Mrs. Eniola now said if not two of you and your father is not yet back from work, then who? Akeem is it you because you don’t fetch water in this house, so you suppose not to use the water your siblings fetched. Akeem now responded “Annh! Mummy just as you said, I don’t fetch water in this house so it is not me.

So if it’s not you people, who then finished all the water in the whole pots? Finally she concluded saying “I don’t care how the water managed to disappear but all she care is for them to go to the stream right away otherwise, no one eats.

Meanwhile Akeem knew he was the one who used up the whole water to wash all his dirty clothes and after washing he spread the clothes on their neighbor’s robe so that nobody would see it or knows that he was the one who used the water to wash.

When Sandra went to the backyard to carry a pot to stream. She saw some clothes which belongs to his brother Akeem been hanged on their neighbor’s rope at the backyard. She shouted Mummy! Mummy!! With hope that after the complained, her mother would ask Akeem to fetch all the water he used. Mummy! it is Akeem who used the water to washed all his clothes.

But her mother said, Akeem? She said yes mummy? Akeem eeeeh! She called. Akeem almost on his way to stream came back to answer his mother. Mummy you called me. Yes! I called you, why on earth will you and what right do you have to used up the whole water in the house to wash your clothes and in my presence denied it?

Akeem answered saying “annh…..mummy is it that one? I only use it to wash clothes, I didn’t drink all of them and moreover I wanted to go to stream to wash but I couldn’t go and I was tired after I finished washing, if not i would have fetched the water. His mother yelled at him, short up your mouth you this stubborn goat, you think you can suffer your sisters because you are the only son?

You think, you can enslave them? See let me tell you, I was the only daughter of my parents and I didn’t killed them before their time, so you will not kill me Akeem. Akeem arrogantly, tell his mother sorry and went outside and prepared to go to stream.

Simi jumped in saying: mummy it’s him that will fetch that water oooo, me am tired of fetching water in this house.

Their mother decided to share how many times each of them would fetch. She asked Akeem, to fetch four times since he was the one who used up the water. Akeem’s mind was troubled because it has never been in his character to do anything at home.

She asked Simi to fetch two times while Sandra once since she was the one who fetched the previous one all by herself. Akeem imagined going to stream for four good times. He started thinking about some smart ideas to dough fetching the water.

He thought about going to the stream only once. Since he knew that his father loves him and he wouldn’t allow him to go to the stream for four good times.  So he developed an idea of not going to the stream with them but going on his own; so that when he gets to the stream he will stay there playing with anybody he sees till the time his father will come back.