Yaremi was idle.
Surprised? I am too.
(If you’re wondering why we are surprised. Please go and read from chapters 2 – 5)
She sat outside idly; unconsciously listening to the evening sounds of the village and studying the heavenly bodies, especially the moon.
In this chapter, you get exposed to the use of poetic devices like never before. The moon was described as an ‘immaculate white ball of ancient days clothed in a garment of parables and proverbs’.
The danshiki of melody and a thousand anecdotes; the kaftan of mystery no one could unravel. It was described as the solitary lamp of God brightening the heavens, one which lit a path for the barefooted women of Kufi village who went to the silent stream path with water jars on their heads and led village hunters to the right game in the deep forests of Africa Land.
The moon did everybody a great service; including children. To the children of Kufi, the moon was a precious gift. It was made for them. It enabled their imagination by wrapping them in mystical thoughts. Shall I give you a glimpse into the minds of the wonderful Kufi children?
They turned the moon into a monster with their imagination and called it a “moon monster”. How so? You ask? Sometimes the moon appeared as a big human head, with glittering white teeth – glittering white teeth? You and I have seen a moon. Ever seen it with teeth? Take note of the poetic devices.
On other days, the moon would shoot out from the sky with a thousand wrinkles on its “ghostly brow”, this would scare the children so much that they’d flee from the scene into the arms of their mothers. Kufi children!
But you know what? I don’t blame them. They were told stories about the moon that caused them to revere and fear it so much. Now I will tell you that story using Nigeria as Kufi village – for proximity;
“Once upon a time, the moon lived on the low sky of Nigeria, right above humans’ heads. If you jumped, you could touch it. If you wanted a hug, you could hug it. Nights lit by the moon were most enchanting, so farmers planted at night time.
Women used the light provided by the moon to go into the bush and pick kola nut droppings and cocoa leaves. The moon was the light bringer of Nigeria. But one day, it moved up and went far away into the sky. This was because, after evening meals, Nigerians would rub their oily hands on the moon. This was insulting, so the moon retreated”
This was the story that was told to the Kufi children, that is why they revered and feared the moon so much.
Yaremi sat there, staring at this powerful moon. She stared and stared, observing its features but she wasn’t staring at the moon. She was thinking about Ajumobi. She reminisced about the highs and lows of her marriage to him.
She thought about the days she made his life a living hell and insulted him till he stammered. Then he’d retaliate by threatening to beat her to a pulp.
Since wife beating and bullying were common phenomena in Kufi village it was completely okay. The women were quite submissive in the physical world, but in the spirit world, it was stated that women dealt with men. The woman speaks with authority and her voice resounds like a clap of thunder. No wonder they believed that women killed their husbands in that village.
You remember in Chapter 6 when I stated that Ajumobi wanted a new wife before he died and I wish I knew how Yaremi felt about that? This chapter tells us how she felt. She was very, very happy about it and she made him know this.
See;
“Alright, Ajumobi! Go and take that your new wife you promised yourself! Your silly new wife! Your ugly new wife! Your stupid new wife! Take the new wife today not tomorrow! Don’t stop with one! Go for two, then three. The wife you called ‘gold’ Go for counterfeit gold! ”
All this, she said to Ajumobi from a distance after ripping his buba to shreds. Yaremi was a ‘no gree for anybody’ woman, especially with her tongue. She called her husband promiscuous and a husband to everybody.
She was upset that Ajumobi called his new wife gold. Did that make her silver? How dare he? When she was young, she was a sight to behold! Varieties of men chased her. She was a beauty queen! Had he forgotten what she looked like when they got married? How dare he?
Now, he was gone. Yaremi wondered if she was fair to him in all her dealings. I mean she was profusely celebrated in her time, what right had she to complain? Would Ajumobi ever forgive her insults? She wished she could resurrect him and beg.
She had heard different stories about how her husband’s ghost was walking the earth. She heard that he visited a tobacco seller, his favourite spot during his life then shook hands with the goldsmith and palm wine seller. He also gave a parting word to his barber.
Yaremi would’ve said it’s a lie, but she’s seen it too! One time, she saw a human rise out of the kitchen smoke, smiling at her and floating away and there was another occasion (read the book to find out). She wished he could come and just give her a second chance. She had so many questions to ask. Let him come and give her advice and shout at her. She wanted him, but life had to go on.
The next day, she continued her work – she retired to her dyeing yard. She had so much to do because the market day was three days away. But after a few activities, she found herself crying. Why was she crying all the time? I mean she had happy days with Ajumobi, right? She wiped her tears with the back of her palm telling herself that she had good days.
She lay on her bamboo bed as it was a really cold night. She thought about all the other Kufi women enjoying the warmth of their husbands. She thought about all the love they made on that bed (she and Ajumobi), and then she felt warm. Nobody could take away her love for Ajumobi. Not the scheming men of Kufi! Not death! Nobody!
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