It happened some years back when I was still a young girl, between the ages of 8-10 years perhaps. We were four siblings from the same parents by that time. We lived in a big compound which was a one-storey building. The upstairs and downstairs had twenty rooms each, you could imagine how much of people were living in the house as every occupant had a family. You could imagine how rough, dirty, and rugged the lifestyle would be. We had two bathrooms and two toilets having pit latrines for those living downstairs which were always frustrating and messy at night with big rats and cockroaches coming out to have their meetings. No one dares to sit directly into the pit latrine to poo unless you have a potty at night as you would have to scream out of the toilet and would be careful not to fall into the latrine filled with poo and dangerous kinds of creatures living in it. Seriously, if you ever lived in such a residential area always called, "face me I face you", which is a term given to a building filled with tenants that are opposite to each other, you will know the value of money and the reason why you should never be poor again.
That was the kind of house we lived in as tenants and no one would blame anyone because everyone was trying to find the cheapest and most manageable home to settle in while they go about with their daily businesses. No secrets were kept away from people because if you decide to plan something secretly, there was always eavesdropping from each wall of the room who would help broadcast the news to everyone. But it was always lively and funny every day with the different kinds of people we lived with. In that house, there are different kinds of personalities you would experience with daily incessant fights ensuing among people and this is what makes the house more fun. There were daily disagreements and gossip among people and you´d never get tired of listening to daily happenings around.
We rented three different rooms. We were a large family and we needed enough space to be free to do whatever we want. A room is set aside for only the kitchen and a store for keeping things. The second room is an office where my Dad kept his musical instruments and had a big freezer where we sold chilled drinks for people who came for them and the last room is meant for the bedroom and main room. I also started my first business of selling snacks, biscuits, goodies for kids and chilled zobo drinks. Thanks to my mom who loaned me the capital to start with, even though my siblings helped in stopping my business as they couldn't stop stealing my drinks from the freezer and would lie they didn't take them. Who then took those missing drinks? A spirit or they crawled out with invisible legs? I had to stop it.
As young as I was then, I loved carrying babies. There was a woman who gave birth at that time and every day, I woke up very early to visit the family and would carry the baby till later in the day except on days I would go to school. Till the baby started walking, I was the second mother taking care of her and she got used to me. I wished my mom had a baby too.
After many months, I noticed my Mom and her protruding stomach and curious to know, I asked if a baby was coming. When she told me yes, I never stopped sharing the news with all children in the house, you know how kids act right? They are very good at exposing secrets if ever you tell them one, they aren't confidential, lol So, if you want to do something without them knowing, just make sure they aren't aware of it because they are newscasters, especially in such kind of house. They might not know the people they are sharing the news with are witches or wizards, they are only doing that out of excitement, you wouldn't blame them, would you?
It was time to bring a new baby home but Mom was missing for some days. She didn't inform any of her children she would be travelling and this brought more fear and curiosity in us as Dad refused to say anything too. He will only return home and instruct me on what to do as the elder sister around that time. My elder sister had been taken away from us since she stopped breastfeeding and was taken to live with grandma while the three of us stayed with our parents, which made me the next older sister. But one thing I noticed was that when mom was still around with us, we saw a new big bag which after opening it behind them, saw baby's items. I could still recognize the baby's wares at that time and that was when I knew Mom would be delivering soon. The bag was missing which made me confused and perplexed as to what was happening in the house.
Where has Mom gone to? Perhaps if both of them had told us how we were born, we would have had a clue where she went. My siblings and I were panicking one day as dad wasn't around and they made matter worse by not telling us what was going on. So whenever Dad returned, we would ask "Dad, where is Mommy?" He would tell us she travelled.
We heard this same reply over and over again and we were tired. One evening, Dad came back, only God knows what he was always looking for then and wouldn't stay at home with us even if we believed Mom travelled truly. After welcoming him and serving him food as instructed, we saw his mood was okay to talk to him. Then, I started the speech by me teasing him, "Daddy, you know where mom is and you do not want to tell us, right?" he was smiling, but we continued, still observing his mood, "Dad, we didn't see that bag again", which bag? he asked, "The one for the baby that was kept at the back of the door". He saw we were trying to force him to share with us but he stood up and told us to go inside and read our books. Though I wasn't happy, we left him alone.
This was definitely their plan not to tell us anything, perhaps they see we might share the news with everyone as they weren't ready to tell anybody until Mom gave birth. My parents knew the kind of children we were, we don't need to be paid to spread the news around, we were good at that because it was our speciality. That prompted them to keep the secret from us until the day it happened.
We already went to school that day and while we were returning home, there was a woman who sold groundnut outside the house, who lived next to us, she was the one who gave us the information even before we entered inside. "Busayo, una mommy don born" meaning, "Busayo, your mom has given birth"
When I heard that, you should come and see the expression on my face, even food refused to enter my mouth because I lost my appetite immediately. We would be welcoming a new baby was the song I sang all around the house that day while telling our little friends too. Dad was not at home and I realized he and Mom decided to keep it a secret and make it a surprise for us. I guess Mom started feeling increasingly uncomfortable about the secret and the probable consequences of not telling us the truth, also, I assumed the excitement of a new baby couldn't make her wait till she arrives home, she had to tell her husband to bring us to where she was.
Later in the evening as we kept anticipating his return and the eagerness to see him come, we couldn't eat anything even when there was food at home prepared by one of our neighbours as instructed by Dad. We just couldn't do anything for the Joy that I would be carrying our own baby and not anyone's. Dad returned on his bike and we went to welcome him in. We knew and could recognize the horn of his bike from afar as we were accustomed to it already. We collected the things he brought home and we just couldn't hide our feelings when we asked to confirm, "Dad, is it true Mom has given birth?" We do not need him to say it because the expression on his face gave way to a positive reply but we just wanted him to say it with his mouth. Then, he said, "Okay, go and get dressed up, we would be meeting your Mommy".
On hearing this, we ran inside like someone being chased for taking what does not belong to him. We wore our clothes and off we go on Dad's bike with the youngest boy in the front while the two of us stayed at the back as we held his shirt tightly so we don't fall off the road. We were just so happy that day.
We got to a white garment church which was the one we attend, entering inside, we saw Mom, though her face revealed she was very weak and could not speak much, but she was happy to see us as she was carrying our baby in her hand while smiling. We couldn't control our emotions as we kept staring at the baby and seeing how white and soft she was, we were amazed to see a baby again in the family. I knew right from there that Mom gave birth to all of us in that church as she never visited a hospital to deliver any of us. We went home but after a few days, she arrived home and we had huge people who came to welcome a new baby and congratulated us.
This is my entry to the Inkwell NonFiction Prompt #27.
