Chapter 22: Awọn igbesẹ mi si titobi (My steps to greatness)2

I ran like someone t being chased by a madman. I never looked back to see that human's reaction.

The only thought I had was to get home and demand an explanation from my mom. I really need to know.

The time was quarter past 8, it was quite early. My mom might be surprised to see me coming back earlier than expected.

The full moon hid behind the black sky like a shy maiden whose hand was asked in marriage. The light from the room paved way for me in the darkness.

We never had what you call a ' streetlight' in the village. We all depended on the light gotten from the sun during the day, the moon during the night . Also in our homes, we use kerosene lanterns or candles to brighten up the house. We don't have power company or electronics at that time.

I made it back home safe and sound, though, I was breathless. The running took all my strength and oxygen. My heart was pounding furiously from the stressful exercise, bitter-salty sweat baptized my body, my normally kept curly hair was flying everywhere, my eyes was seeing triple and so heavy, my nose refused to breathe properly; so I had to use my mouth to inhale and to exhale. And my pink dress was a mess. thanks to the air Olodumare was breathing in and out. Thank you so much.

Overall, I felt exhausted from everything.

From what baba said to meeting the human to my mom betraying me.

I felt so tired that I could lay on a bench outside my house to sleep, forgetting about whatever might happen at night.

" Morenikeji" I heard my mom's lovely voice calling my name. At first, I thought I was hallucinating or worse, dreaming.

I stood in the place I was. Afraid to move, so I could keep on dreaming about the voice.

" Morenikeji"

I felt a pair of powerful and gentle arms around me, picking me up from the ground, where my foot refused to move.

The owner of those hands cleaned my sweat with their clothes and hugged me tight.

I knew the owner of those hands without being told. The honey scent, the pillow breasts, the careful hands, the sweet lkiniun voice. My mom.

I was very angry with her but when I got in her arms, I forgot being angry with her. She's just to perfect for a normal person. She is a goddess. A goddess with alot of superpowers.

" Mama (Mommy)" I cooed "idi? (why?)" I murmured against my ' pillow' as I wrapped my tiny hands around her neck.

I had so many questions on my mind to ask her. But where should I start?

Okay maybe I could start with" why did you send me out early?" that sounds absurd. I was the one that seeked her permission and hoping to go very early.

Or this; " Why Sonya?" this is crazy.

She is just helping out with my terrible relationship with him. She just wants me to get over my hatred for good and focus on my main goal: success.

Being friends with your enemies is very much appreciated than being friends with your friends. That was what she was trying to point out to teach me.

Perhaps; " Why did He say it" That will confuse her. And I don't know how to explain it. Maybe I can say " Mommy, baba said that I might turn out to be very evil in future and I should be careful" tell me, how will she feel? She had enough from the female teacher.

I just didn't know what to ask. I just buried my head inside my 'pillow'.

" Kí nìdí? ohun ti o jẹ? (Why? what is it?)" My mom asked. Her tone was as gentle as before but she was trying hard to hide a tease in it.

I thought hard before replying looking at her rabbit eyes which shone in the night" kilode ti o fi rewa to? (why so beautiful?)" What could I've done? I felt guilty for not asking those torturous questions.

" Tani? Who?" Her voice was high pitched when she asked. I knew she knew who I was referring to.

"iwo ( you)"

She chuckled softly before replying "Emi ni pipe ati ẹwa ṣe mi ọwọn (I am perfectly and beautifully made my dear)" She said with a teasing smile on her face. I felt heat rising on my face, I immediately hid my face in my comfortable pillow before she teases the hell out of me.

My mom is just so beautiful and sometimes, so beautifully annoying.

Though being her daughter and her photocopy, I envy her alot. She is so beautiful as the peacock who spreads out his flag of beautifulness and handsome as ẹtan who got his beautiful spots by accident , courageous and confident , wise as the ants and knowledgeable as owiwi who lives in the midst of fools but buries himself in his pile of knowledge, sly as ejo who hides below the green grass and cunny as kọlọkọ who saw how the ikiniun tricked other animals into his cave and devour them, gentle as Nibo ni o wa who, during war loves peace and violent as ewure oke who fights for his possession.

She is both a god and a goddess. She is very perfect and I won't deny that.

This evidence will prove it; My village usually carry out censors twice in a year.

You might be asking why will a village do that?

We do it to know our people. In case of any intruder or a spy from anywhere.

This year censors was carried out in the late January, and our total population were about five hundred. Equal female and equal male. Ọlọrun loves us so much he created each of us equally in the village.

We are not much.

Our resources were more than enough for everyone. We don't waste it for stupid and useless things as they do in the big city. We manage even when the resources are so much that three generations to come won't be able to finish it.

The record were usually taken with the permission slip from our oba and by village officials.

If anyone who really wants to be a village official, he or she must fulfill some certain things, like: Being loyal and faithful, living the village for sometime, having no criminal records... Why should we have criminals, we are always so peaceful apart from wars, which is not within but with other villages. The person should meet the ifa priest whether ifa granted them the permission after series of sacrifices and rituals before meeting the oba.

After counting heads, the results will be made known after which the drum had being beaten by a town crier who will tell us to assemble to the Oba's palace for the results.

No one dares to disobey the king because he was seen as Ọlọrun in human form with supernatural Powers. So we all respect him and his power.

This is the chronological order of the results:

Older males - Younger Males- Older womten- Younger women- Children.

Then to:

Married men- Unmarried men- Married Women- Unmarried women.

Following:

Virgins- non-virgins.

This part was so disgracing.

But no cause for alarm, We ladies aren't ashamed to proudly say we were virgins.

In our village, if any man just appreciate your beauty and he isn't your husband, we ladies will start crying because it is only our husbands' right to appreciate our beauty, also there will be stigmatism.

Also if a woman has lost her virginity before marriage, and it wasn't her husband to be that disflowered her.

After marriage, and her husband finds out. The man and his family are allowed to publicly disgrace the woman and her family. Giving her half or used palmoil, half dry gin, half palmwine, half bride price or he might request back his money he paid for bride price.

This is to show that the woman is a used vessel or an empty vessel.

To women, bride price is very much important to us. and it will be a great shame if the man request back his money or him, paying half.

This is unfair, why can't the man also be a virgin till he gets married?, Though no one will ever know that he is a virgin or not.

If I had my way, if any man who is not a virgin before marriage, I will do the same thing they do for women who are not virgins.

You know, there are stupid men who loves to disvirgin someone's daughters but will never marry a non virgin. They will make sure they must marry a hot blooded virgin. This is stupidity of the highest order. I frown on it.

If there is something like bride price, there should be a groom price, you know. There should be something to be used to identify a man as a virgin or a non virgin.

Maybe a very big boil on their face to signify how many women they have slept with.

For example: if a man sleeps with two women, two big boils will grow on his face. Not to talk of a man that sleeps with everything in skirt or gown.

Well we women are very much sensible than men. They think because they are men, the first creation, the head of the house, they can do whatever they like.

Adam, the first man, he was destroyed by a woman. Solomon, the wisest man, he destroyed by women. Samson, the strongest man, was destroyed by a woman. David, the apple of Ọlọrun's eyes, generations was cursed because of a woman.

Look, if men are not careful, woman might ruin their lives, they should learn how to control their southern region.

Men are allowed to marry as many wives he wants, while we women..... stucked to one man forever.

If a man's wife dies, he can remarry,but women... it is a taboo....

A man can marry a woman who is old enough to be his youngest daughter, but a woman...a crime.

I will do whatever I want... even if I, unfortunately, a woman.

Then:

Most beautiful- Must ugly.

My mom was the first person to be mentioned on lists and I was very happy.

Before anyone can enter the most beautiful list, she must have some traits to be beautiful.

Even if the woman is ugly on the outside and she is beautiful in the inside. Her name will surely appear in the most beautiful. There and then, my mom was the first on the list.

She is beautiful in the inside and outside.

See, I don't say anything without proving my points with a solid evidence. Or do I?