A severe lash of cane sent me hurrying to
my feet the next morning.
“So you’re still sleeping?” My Madam asked
looking ferociously at me. “So you’re still
sleeping by 7am?” She repeated lashing out
two more strokes of the cane. “Who are you
waiting for to clean up the mess in the
kitchen and sweep the house?” She asked.
“I’m sorry ma,” I sobbed.
“Come on, go and do your morning
function!” She barked as I ran out of the
room and into the kitchen.
It wasn’t my fault that I woke up late that
morning.
I had overworked myself the previous night
clearing up the dishes that was used in
preparing and serving the meal for the night.
By the time I finished and went to bed, the
night was far gone.
I sobbed as I washed the remaining dishes
in the sink and swept the entire house.
“Make sure you fetch water after sweeping
that thing,” my madam’s harsh voice
reminded me from the bedroom.
“Yes ma,” I replied hurrying up.
The buckets I used in fetching water were
those big saclux buckets that were so heavy
that I never attempted to fill them to the
brim.
I was to fill one very big drum in the front
verandah with another at the back.
For more than 3hours I ferried the buckets
from well to drum and back.
By the time I finished, I was very hungry and
exhausted.
My madam gave me two slices of bread and
a cup of mixed water in the name of tea.
The mixed water was tasteless, hot and
almost burned my tongue in the first sip.
My madam was married to a well to-do
husband and they already had 3kids the last
of which was very tender.
It was obvious that she was the one I came
to babysit.
The other two – a boy and a girl – were
much older but still needed certain degree of
babysitting like bathing them and washing
their clothes and even feeding them as at
when due.
But then the tender baby gave the biggest
trouble. She cried a lot and more often than
not always put me into trouble.
With only two slices of bread and mixed
water in my tummy, I carried the baby about
trying as hard as I could to quell her cry.
“Why is that baby crying?” My madam asked
walking into the sitting room.
“I don’t know ma,” I replied with terror.
“Gbawam!” A very hot slap landed on my
right cheek and I nearly dropped the baby
out of pain.
“What did you just try to do now?” My
madam asked advancing ferociously towards
me.
“Please I’m sorry ma,” I pleaded sobbing.
The raised voice of my madam coupled with
the sound of the slap further increased the
baby’s crying and my madam took her from
me.
“Come on, go and put hot water on the fire
for her pap!” She thundered and I ran into
the kitchen in obedience…