Street Talking

Something happened today. I was walking with my brother Lanre, 8, and my sister, Sade, 5. We sell ice, wrapped in little bags, balanced on a tray on our heads. Then, we walk all over Lagos calling out, “Iced water! Come and drink iced water!” If we don’t have enough money to buy water from the ice company, we beg. Sometimes Mama comes with us. Other times, she doesn’t. Today, she didn’t.

“Iced water! Don’t let the heat take you! Iced water!” I called out. I held my tray with one hand, Sade with another and Lanre did the same. Mama said that I should never let them out of my sight because of gbomogbomo, child-stealers: “They’ll take you and turn you into a servant and you’ll never see me nor your siblings again.”

Today, we were at Apapa port, near one of those places that white people liked to eat when an area boy pushed me and told me to give him my money. I refused. If I give him the money and return home empty-handed, who will save me from my father’s beating? I screamed out at the top of my voice, pointing to him. “Ole! Thief! Everybody, thief!”

“Ole!”

“Where?!”

“Get him!”

A crowd of people ran towards the area boy and started kicking him. I saw someone stamp on his face. Somebody else put a tire around his neck. When they poured petrol on him, I pulled Lanre and Sade away and we ran. I thought the area boy’s friends would come after us but nobody did. Sade didn’t stop crying until we got home and she saw Mama.

I told Mama what happened. She was quiet for a few moments. “At least you’re all safe and well,” she said.

Father held out his hand. We all gave him our money.

“In a few weeks, you’ll be making even better money than this,” he said waving the naira notes at me.

Eyo Speaking

Mother does not like our landlord. Every morning, he stands in front of his window and looks at the women bathing at the back of the house, and every morning, the women call him all kinds of names.

'Olosi, foolish man.'

'Ware, madman.'

'Your life no go better.'

He doesn't do anything. He just laughs and keeps on looking. Mother says that I should make sure that I'm never alone with him.

'If he offers you sweets, just keep on walking. Don't stop to talk to him. And if I hear that your sister or brother have taken anything from him, it is you that I will beat.'

Last week, Lanre and I got beaten because he took something from the landlord and I reported him to Mother.

'Why weren't you looking after him? Aren't you the oldest?' she said to me before beating us. Afterwards, she bought us sweets and rubbed my back.

'Eyo, you know that man does bad things to little children. Why weren't you looking after your brother? How many times do I have to tell you, eh?'

My back was hurting where she was rubbing it. I took the sweets from her.

'I'll save this for Sade,' I told her.

Mother smiled. 'I'm sure your sister will like that,' she said. Mother does not smile often and when father is around, she smiles even less.