Bathing...Finally!

We finally get back home, and the children all go back to their house, which is next door.

My mom is still sitting in the entrance hall, reading a book.

"I'm back!" I announce, walking towards her.

She glances up at me as I approach, "how much did they sell it?"

"200 naira," I say, handing her the change.

She slowly takes it, then pulls her phone from a chair.

"I'll go take my bath now, bye," I wave, a smile on my face as I turn to leave.

"Be quick," I hear her say.

I hastily walk out of the hallway and into the backyard.

Without wasting further time, I walk over to the bushes and twist open the bottle cap then begin pouring the bottled water into my mouth.

Stupid tadpoles, stupid earthworms.

What are they doing inside the water humans are supposed to be consuming?.

I shake the water thoroughly in my mouth then spit it out.

I'm not stopping here, what if they're more in my mouth!

I pour more of the water into my mouth and continue the process until the water is out.

Ahh, finally!

Tossing the empty plastic bottle away, I begin making my way to the hallway.

As I step into the hallway, the gentle smell of body perfume immediately fills my nostrils.

It smells really nice!, It has this gentle fragrance I enjoy, soo soothing!

I walk forward to the entrance of the living room and push open the curtain, then step in.

The cray fish smell is now mixed with the scent of perfume, making it hard to notice it's still lingering.

My eyes instantly fall on Faustina, sitting on the couch opposite the one with my clothes and bag on it.

She's engrossed in her phone, oblivious to my presence.

My grandma suddenly emerges from the room across from me, wearing a brown native gown adorned with flowers and a black headtie.

She catches faustina's attention.

"Mm ga nata noge ta, Kai ke crayfish noge," (I'll come back early today, so we'll package crayfish on time) she says, before slamming her door shut.

"Okay, mma," faustina responds with a gentle voice.

The sound of the key turning in the door my grandma just exited implies she's locking it.

My grandma turns to face me, and I feel a bit nervous.

"Uhm, grandma, good morning," I say, bowing slightly.

"Morning!" She replies cheerfully.

I nod, smiling, as she walks past me into the hallway, her perfume scent soothing to the senses.

Haahh...I could smell that all day.

"Hey," I hear faustina say.

I turn to see her approaching me, still looking like she hasn't taken a bath.

"Hi," I respond.

"Where did you go?" She asks, now standing right in front of me.

Her face looks kinda dusty, and it's extremely visible due to her skin tone.

And not just her face, but there are visible dust stains on her shirt.

Where had she gone to look this way?

She snaps her finger in my face, pulling me out of my trance.

"Amanda," she calls.

"Uhm, yeah?"

She raises a brow.

"Oh, uhm...where had I gone?"

Uhm, where had I truly gone?...oh yeah!

"I went to get bottled water," I say, smiling at her.

"Hmm okay," she nods, returning a smile.

"Take your bath then, I also want to take mine," she says.

"Okay," I nod.

She walks away and into the hallway, her footsteps growing distant each passing second.

I walk over to the couch to pick out the clothes I'll be wearing today.

My eyes instantly land on a big grey shirt, I like it so much because it's really comfy to wear.

I pull it out, and sight a black jean short hiding in the corner of the couch, and that I pull out too.

Turning around, I head out of the living room and into the hallway.

I step forward and into my fat relative's room.

The darkness envelopes me once more, and I don't have my phone with me to make the environment visible, but there's a slightly opened door by my right.

That's the door to the room we slept in this morning.

Stepping in, I realize how much cleaner the room is now.

The walls are a bit dirty, but everything else looks good now.

I'm sure my mom did this.

The bed sheet has been changed to a red one with flowery designs, and there's a black blanket perfectly folded and placed on it.

It's looking really pretty!

I set my clothes on the bed, then look around once more.

I think I should bring my clothes here, rather than leaving them in the living room.

And wait...that reminds me, my money!

I still don't know where it is!

I quickly make my way out of the room and into the hallway.

As I look to my right, I see the entrance hall and notice my mom engrossed in a conversation with someone whom I can't see.

I guess I'll take my bath then return to her.

I begin walking out of the hallway and into backyard.

I don't see faustina anywhere around.

Maybe she's at the front yard.

I grab my towel which I had set on the chair earlier and walk to a green bucket filled with water, and is in front of the tank.

Wait a minute...

My eyes widen in realization.

Oh Lord!, Am I really going to bath with such unclean water?.

Is it possible to skip my bath till whenever we are going back home?

But I'll stink like hell!

I take a deep breath, then hold the bucket by its iron handle.

I lift it up, and gosh! It's piercing.

It's piercing into my finger and making me feel pain in my bones, but I have to endure.

I drap my towel over my shoulder and walk over to the bushes, then throw out the water.

"Bock! Bock! Bock!"

The splash terrifies the chickens, and they begin running away.

I head back to the tank and place the bucket beneath the tap.

Turning the tap on, I let the water rush into the bucket.

The loud sound of the water hitting the bucket decreases as it fills.

Soon, the bucket fills up, and I bend to take a look at the water.

As I look into the water, my mind races with hope that there are no tadpoles and earthworms in it.

"Haaah," I let out a sigh of defeat.

I guess I'll be using the water this way then.

There are still creatures in it, but they're swimming to the depth of the water.

So I have to be careful when using this water, so as to not scoop in any of these creatures.

But I don't think a bucket would be enough if I'm going to be selecting!

I'll need another one.

I stand up straight, looking around, and notice there are no other buckets outside, just washing basins are what I see.

There must be one in the bathroom.

I lift the bucket of water by the iron handle, and begin making my way to the bathroom that is a door away from the kitchen.

The bathroom door is wooden, but it's not a full door, it leaves the top part of the entrance open.

What if someone sees me?!

I take a deep breath then push open the door and step in.

The sweet smell of a body soap greets me, indicating that someone had used the bathroom not quite long, and that's obviously my grandma.

The bathroom still looks the same as I remember - no shower, cemented walls, and a white toilet thingy, positioned on the floor.

There's a basket on a medium sized stone that has sponges and a soap in it.

Could that be the soap that emits  such an amazing scent in the bathroom?

Would grandma mind if I use it?

No no...I have mine, I'll use mine instead.

There's also a black bucket that has a blue cup in it.

I'll use that to get water.

I pick the bucket and take out the cup, then place it on the green bucket of water, allowing it to float.

I turn around and walk out of the bathroom and to the tank, water still dripping from the tap.

I turn the tap on and place my hands on my waist as I wait for the bucket to fill up.

The bucket soon fills up, and I pick it up and walk straight to the bathroom, the delightful scent greeting me once more.

Why does it feel like I'm forgetting something?

"Hmm...what could I be forgetting?"

"Oh, that's right, my soap and sponge!" I exclaim.

"Who are you talking to?" A familiar voice asks.

My eyes widen and I quickly step out, seeing my mom under the shade structure and staring at the ashes of the burnt wood.

"Uhm..."

She slowly turns her head to face me, her facial expression neutral.

Her facial expression suddenly changes to a cheerful one.

"So you finally decided to bathe with the water?" She asks.

I fold my arms, trying to avoid her gaze, "it's not like I have a choice."

She chuckles, "go ahead then, no more interruptions from me."

"Hmm," I nod, unfolding my arms.

My gaze drifts away from her and inadvertently land on the chair where I left my toiletries.

I walk over and grab the essentials then head back to the bathroom, passing my mom who's still staring at the ash.

I wonder why she's so fixated on it.

I shake my head, hang my clothes and towel on a nail, to cover the revealing space above, so as to maintain my privacy, and begin bathing.

I start by opening the case that had my soap and sponge.

I pull them out, scoop up a little water, and pour it onto the sponge.

Then I rub the soap on the sponge and begin bathing.

As I continue bathing, I hear pots clattering outside and my mom singing.

Her presence doesn't bother me since she's my mom.

After throughly scrubbing my body, next comes the rinsing, which I've been dreading.

I take a deep breath, bend slowly, and try to shake off the terrifying thoughts.

I just hope I don't get harmed by these creatures.

I grab a scoop of water.

"Oh Lord, please let there be no earthworms or tadpoles in this water, please please please," I whisper.

Taking another deep breath, I raise my arm to a 90-degree angle and begin pouring the water onto my face with my eyes tightly shot.

The coldness of the water, and the fear of the creatures getting on me is making it really hard to breathe.

I'm trying my best not to open my mouth, or else the creatures might get in, but meanwhile, water is entering my nose!

"Haaah, Haaah," I can't take this no more, I had to let it out.

I continue pouring the water over me, careful not to use the depth of the water.

And after a thorough rinse, I grab my towel to dry myself.

I wrap it around my body and take a deep breath, feeling relieved.

"One more day left and we'll be outta here" I mutter.

I pull off my clothes from the nail and grab my toiletries, then walk out of the bathroom.

I notice a large log lying next to the shade structure and an axe beside it.

Seems like someone is about to make a firewood.

I continue walking until I reach the hallway entrance.

I pick up my things and head to the living room to grab my clothes. I wonder, where could Mom, Grandma, or Faustina be?

I've not seen or heard them since I came out.

I hastily pack my belongings from the couch, double-checking if my money is still there.

Unfortunately, it's not.

"Haah," I sigh, feeling my heart heavy.

I step out of the living room and walk straight to our room, where I get dressed, making sure to apply all my deodorants.

As I arrange my belongings, the sound of a motorcycle catches my attention.

It seems to be moving around, then heading straight forward until the sound fades away.

I step out of the room and into the hallway, seeing no sign of anyone.

But I'm pretty sure it's Grandma who just left with her motorcycle.

"Chimo!" (My God!) Someone exclaims, my mom.

She sounds suprised, but I can't pinpoint her location.

"What in the world is this?" she asks, her voice full of disbelief.

"Come here!"

"Faustina!"

Faustina?