Number 225, Katakata Street (A Story By Centino) - Season 1 - Episode 9

6 years ago

Number 225, Katakata Street (A Story By Centino) - Season 1 - Episode 9

They continued to pour water on Akunna and I watched as he first opened one eye and then the second. As he heard a collective roar of jubilation at his revival he seemed disappointed and then cocked his head to one side and shut his eyes again, exactly the way they died in Nollywood.

“You people should just leave him alone. When he is tired he will get up. Akunna, you better get up. Who your mama go come kill as you wan die now?” Josiah said.

If we thought bad news had returned when Wasiu showed up, then the coming of Akunna’s mother is Armageddon.

“De woman no dey mind her business and she get very bad mouth. She dey even open other people soup pot. Wasiu, Akunna mama, Buhari in one day!”

“I don’t care if Buhari returns or not.” Josiah fumed. “Before he left we did not have light. While he was away we still did not have. Now that he has returned we will still not have light. All the people that are owing me since last year have still not paid and they have not phoned to say they will bring my money now that Buhari has returned.”

“Make sure you go and greet her when she arrives.” Irikefe said of Akunna’s mother. “It is what we all do. Don‘t let her run into you in the corridor or backyard before you pay homage.”

I nodded at Irikefe’s counsel. Then at about 6:30 in the evening, a yellow keke pulled up and a light skinned grizzled woman wearing a sweater and head warmer over a print wrapper and rubber slippers alighted. She stood straight just shy of six feet and slowly looked around, taking in her surroundings like a local government tax official snooping for hidden sign boards. Her first words were “this place never change o! all the winch for this street no wan make better tin reach hia.” Her voice was sharp and piercing and when she turned to face the compound everyone made sure their eyes did not meet hers. Then as if on cue the children began chanting “mama oyoyo! mama oyoyo!” The keke driver handed her belongings, which were a bundle of clothes tied in one wrapper and a nylon bag containing some unripe plantains and okazi leaves to Akunna who had scaled the gutter in double time to welcome his mother.

“Nwam!” She said and rubbed his head like a little boy as he clutched her belongings and advised her to be careful while jumping the gutter.

“No worry I no go fall. E no pass de potopoto wey I dey jump everyday wen I dey go farm.”

She stood in front of the compound and looked around again and shook her head and said “Tifiakwa! So una still be like this?”

Akunna made sure his teeth remained as visible as a roasted goat’s as his mother threw one vitriol or the other as she gingerly made her way to his room through the corridor.

“Akunna’s wife has fled” Irikefe whispered in my ears. She would have gone into labour tonight if she stayed. From outside we could hear her asking her son “wey all your basitad and that ashawo you keep hia?”

“She stopped calling his children by their given names as soon as she suspected they were not his. She started calling them basitad one, basitad two, basitad three and basitad four according to their order of birth,” Irikefe explained.

“Mama my wife go visit her mama. Em the children…dem go church. Dem go soon come back.”

We queued along the corridor to take turns to go in and greet her. I stayed at the back of the queue since I was new in the compound and had never met the woman.”

It was Wasiu, perhaps exuberant from his new status as a free man that went in first to greet her.

“Welcome mama” he said and prostrated.

“You! Dem never kill you?”

“No mama. I no dey do bad thing again.” She sneered and Wasiu stood and came out and Castro went in next and also prostrated.

“You. See as you don grow finish. Eh hen! As you come reach man you come carry your papa wowo face!”

“No mama. Na my mama I resemble” he said and was out in a heartbeat.

Castro’s mother was next. “Welcome mama. How home people?”

“You! You still dey rub cream? See as your hand be. You no know say you don old? If dem see us now dem go think say na you born me.”

“No talk so mama. Welcome!” She said and was out and headed for the backyard.

I watched as Irikefe stepped in and said “Welcome mama.”

“You! You go don begin tiff well well now abi? You still dey tear small pikin dem yansh for this compound?”

“No mama. I dey learn carpenter work now ma.”

“Wey your papa dey?”

“Hin go village ma. Hin go tey for dia small.”

Irikefe came out and I was surprised to see that he was smiling.

“She was easy with me today” he said.

I listened as she continued to batter person after person. She was kind only to Mr Cosmas so far.

“Better pikin” she said when he entered. “How body? You don marry? No worry I go bring better gal come give you when I come back. Na d pikin wey I keep for my son before hin go hotel go carry dat tin wey oda people dey use as dem like for dis compound.”

“She is very interested in the things Mr Cosmas says. She calls him a true prophet. You will see them together a lot. It is as if it is Cosmas that is her son and not Akunna.”

“Even a mad person has friends, as we say in my place.”

“True” irikefe said. “Bros Freke, it is your turn now.

I went in and found her seated on a stool in front of the television set. Her eyes seemed to bounce in their sockets as she looked me over and said “Wetin be your name?”

“My name na Ndifreke mama. Welcome. I hear plenty things about you” I said.

“Who you dey follow stay?”

“Na Mkpoikanna-Abasi broda I be.”

“You be Calabar?”

“No, na Akwa Ibom we be ma. But dem dey call us Calabar. No problem.”

A gleam entered her eyes and she smuttily said “no give person belle o!”

Irikefe was waiting for me when I came back out.

“I think she likes you” he said.

“Why do you think so?”

“She was kind to you.”

“You call that kind?”

“The first time she saw Achike who had just moved in with his brother before he inherited the room she made him cry.”

“Haa!”

“She questioned his ambition in life for coming to squat with his brother in a place like this. Later she was heard telling Mr Cosmas that Achike was too short and ugly to succeed in life.”

“Wow.”

“She’s a witch.”

“I believe.”

“I pity all those that did not come to greet her.”

“No wonder Akunna wanted to die.”