chapter 8
**** Today is my resumption date and I am very nervous, I just hope I am able to save up enough money for my trip and then I would start from there.
Good morning ma, I said as I entered the office of the manager
Good to see you are early, she said as if she were expecting me to come late.
I will call one of the workers to show you to your work place she said as she walked out to call one of the workers.
The restaurant is a fairly large local one. So where I am to work is a shed made of zinc with a stool in front of two large iron basins. There are already use bowls that were used to prepare the ingredients for the food to be cooked the morning.
After the worker left, I set to work. As I was washing, the plates were increasing.At a time, I got really frustrated but I know I have to endure if I want to leave this unfamiliar environment and what is worse is that I don't understand their language. They have to demonstrate more than once for me to understand what is being expected of me and it makes me feel embarrassed and out of place.
***
After work, I went back home very tired and weak but I know I still have to feed myself and Maggie who was surprisingly quiet today.
I followed the same routine for weeks to come. It was a sunny Saturday and business was slow, so there were not much plates to wash. As I was sitting, enjoying my free time, I heard some commotion going on in the restaurant. At first,I thought it was a minor thing but it soon became louder and I had to go check. Going into the restaurant I realized that the commotion was from the owner of the restaurant and some loan sharks who are bent on collecting their money which madam had borrowed a long time ago all the while refusing to pay.
After all the dragging, they left saying that they would come back for their money the same time next week and if she doesn't pay up they would lock the shop.
Maggie who was with me when it happened started to cry. It was too much for her. Scratch that, everything that has been happening has been too much for because lately she keeps to herself, the usual jovial child had grown silent, she mostly keeps to herself and rarely complains about anything. I was gonna take her to the doctor before but lack of money has stopped me.
After petting her, I proceeded to feed her and then put her to sleep on a carton that I brought specially for that purpose.
***
Knock! knock!!knock!!! I knock on the manager's office door.
Come in!! She called from her office in a grumpy voice.
Good morning ma, I greeted as I entered her office
What do you need? She asked as soon as I entered her office
Actually, I came to ask if you can give me an advance payment for my services, I asked humbly
What do you want to do with an advance payment? She asked probably irritated by my presence
My daughter is ill and I want to use it to take her to the hospital, I replied slowly trying not to ignite her fury
You this people, you don't have any human feeling, weren't you in this restaurant when this loan sharks came over? I am here thinking of how to pay them before next week and you are here asking for advance payment. As you are seeing me like this, ban da kudi(I don't have money) she said with a dismissive wave of her hand
Please ma, I have to take her to the hospital, it is not a matter of what I can buy in the chemist, I pleaded
I said I don't have money haba, ki bar damu na (stop disturbing me) she said walking out of the office
I felt like crying, I hadn't bargained for this, why am being tested in this manner?
Is it my fault that things turned out this way? Why do I have to suffer the brunt of it? I asked myself as I tearfully walked out of the office.
***
Knock! Knock!! Knock!!! I heard someone knocking at my door
Who is there? I called from inside my room warily because I don't know of anyone who can come to visit me
I am the one, I heard a familiar voice say
I proceeded to open the door and discovered it was the eldest woman in our compound who serves as the caretaker of the compound.
Good evening ma, I said as I opened the door
Ina wuni(good evening), she replied back in hausa
I don't understand hausa, I said to her all the while gesturing with my hands so she could understand what I am saying
After a long while of gesturing, she finally understood what I am saying and proceeded to brindg someone who understands English and hausa to serve as an interpreter.
Gaya mata wai ta bada kudin wuta, the woman said in hausa
She's asking for money for NEPA, he translated
Ohhh, I had no idea that's what she was talking about, I exclaimed I am sorry but how much is the money?
Wai nawa kudin? The man asked the woman in return
Dubu Daya ne, the woman replied
She said it's one thousand naira, he said
Please I am sorry but I don't have that amount of money yet, I promise I would give it before the end of this week, I pleaded with them careful not to get on their bad side
Wai Bata da kudin amma kafin a Gama satin ga zata biya, he interpreted to her
Toh, Gaya mata wai jar ya wuche satin ga, the woman said
She said it shouldn't exceed this week , he said
Thank you, I said to the both of them
After they had left, I went back inside lost in thought. The last money I had, I used it to take Maggie to the hospital and now there is no money on me. I wonder how I would find money to pay for my light bills not to talk of what to feed on. The manager of the restaurant has refused to give an advance and I pray she pays when it is due this week Saturday so I can pay for my light bills and buy food even if I can't save for our transportation yet.
What!! I exclaimed silently to myself when I saw the restaurant locked, I am flabbergasted, like how would it be shut down when it is my pay day? I decided to walk down to meet my fellow workers who are out side the restaurant in a group
Good morning, I said as I got there. Most of them looked at me with strange eyes while one of them answered me. She proceeded to explain that most of the workers do not understand English and the few with her don't understand it at all.
I had no idea about that, I too don't understand hausa, I Said to her apologetically
There is no need to be apologetic, I had been in your shoes before. And before we diverge from the main topic, we were just talking about how to go visit the madam for our salary because this place has been locked up by the loan sharks, she explained
Loan sharks? I asked
Yes, the loan sharks who madam borrowed money from, she replied
Before I could reply, me ku keep fadi(what are you saying),one of the women asked
Ina Gaya mata wai wanda Suka ara ma madam kudi Suka rufe kofan gidan abinci(I am telling her that the people who lent madam some money had locked the restaurant), she replied before translating to me.
There is Soo much ruckus going on here because the hausa women are causing a fight when madam said she doesn't have any money to pay us, but who am I to blame them, most of them has a large family to feed not to talk of feeding their husbands too. I am just thankful that I left Maggie with one of my neighbors whom I had befriended just as the doctor suggested, if not for that it would have been too much but with what I'd going on, I don't think so she's going to pay. I felt weak all of a sudden, all this is weighing on me.
***
Maggie you have to eat even if it is a little, I said trying to coax her to eat
Her reply was just a shake of her head. This new Maggie is starting to get me worried, her silence was starting to get to me . The earlier we leave this environment the better. Anything that will affect Maggie at this early stage of her life is not welcomed at all.
Can you please do this for me? Just a teeny weeny bite, I said with a huge playful smile on my lips
She just stared at me for some time before opening her mouth to receive the food. We repeated this routine for some time before she signaled that she was full.
***
As I stared at sleeping Maggie, I already decided what to do and it wouldn't be postponed a minute longer. I picked up my phone make a call.
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This is it for today, hope you enjoyed this part, I promise to post as soon as I can.
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