THE HOUSE GIRL
Episode 2
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.
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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…
To be continued
