Episode One (1)

‘Wale!’, Maale screamed out as usual. ‘Is it  five am already again?, I slept quite late last night, but its too early for five am again’, I pondered rolling to and fro my mat. I could hear the morning crow of the cocks that don’t enjoy the sweetness of the early morning sleep. It’s five am again, I have to go hawk ‘ogi’ before before coming back to prepare for school, it’s a daily routine, if I don’t hawk, and sell everything, no food for me, talk more of going to school that day. 
‘Wale! Are you deaf!’, Maale screamed out again, I dashed out of my mat-bed to meet Maale at the backyard, She’d already arranged the ‘ogi’ accordingly on my usual tray. 
‘This is the ogi for today, make sure you sell everything before coming back’, she warned. I shook my head in affirmation as I yawned out of my sleep. 
I picked up the tray with her help and place it on my head with the support of a cloth. 
‘Tor, Odabo o’, I baded her bye and she murmured some prayers. 
I walked through the gate of our ‘face-me-i-face-you’ house where we had only two apartments, I met Baami, already sitting at his usaul spot, chewing his long stick, with his radio on the bench he sat and focused on the news papers in his hands, I baded him bye as he shook his head as reply, I shrugged and proceeded with my hawk for the day. 
The street is already busy as usual, I always wonder if people don’t sleep in their homes at all.  
I began my hawk for the day, the sell rate isn’t encouraging, and soon I began to feel tired and hungry, I haven’t got enough rest from previous day stress and here am I again, roaming the streets with a lot of ogi on my head, each of them waiting for  its buyer. The sun is rising already, causing the clouds to look beautiful like a brown skin girl. The noise from all shops playing musics, noise from all angles filled the air with indistinct sounds. 
‘It’s almost seven thirty a.m’, said my instinct, I should bepreparing for school now, and am yet to sell half of the ogi, and I have to be in school before eight o’clock, else, Mr. Giwa’s ‘mr. do good’ (cane) is gonna dance on my body, well, it’s an everyday thing, an inevitable one at that. Am still longing for the day I will be early to school and avoid Mr. Giwa’s rage. 
‘I’m tired, I don’t think I can continue selling for today, but where do I go? I can’t go back home with the left over ogis worth almost five hundred naira, Maale will kill me, ‘, I was wandering in my thoughts, Jilted out of my cogitation by the blaring horn of a Venza jeep in my front, it became obvious to me that I was in the middle of the road, I was confused, how do I get here, people were shouting at me to leave the road, but I can’t seem to fathom anything at that point in time. It was the obviousness of hunger and tiredness. I was dragged out of the road by some mobs, to clear the traffic I was begin to generate, then came a woman in her splendor, with wealth, riches and satisfaction written all over her body. She asked me to follow her, and I did like a ram being led to the slaughter, she led me to her red Venza jeep, parked by tye road side which was the same as that wich I encountered in the road, it became obvious that she was the owner. 
‘What’s wrong with you?’, She asked with concern, 
‘Nothing ma’, I retorted, 
‘But you look hungry and weary ‘, she continued, 
I said nothing, I came to the realization that my tray and it contents isn’t with me, I made for the door, but she held me back, 
‘Where are you going? ‘, she asked holding my arm, 
‘My tray and the ogi I’m hawking, I can’t find them again, so I wanna go look for them’, I said frustratingly, 
‘I will sort that out’, she said with assurance written all over her face. It seems this woman don’t understand what am saying, it’s Maale’s tray and her ogi we’re talking about,if it get lost, I’m doomed!.  
‘My Maale will kill me if I lost the tray and the ogi’, I said menacingly, 
‘I’ll find it, just calm down’, she assured again, 
I decided to play cool, and see what she willy do about it. 
‘So, you hawk’, she asked calmly, and looking directly into my eyes, I took off my eyes, 
‘Yes’, I replied irritated, with the thought of Maale’s whip in my heart. 
‘Why do you hawk? Don’t you go to school? ‘ She asked with concern, 
‘To help my mother in catering for the family, and I go to school when am done hawking’ I replied, she breathed down, 
‘Can you please help me with my tray and Ogi? I have to go now ‘, I continued, 
She didn’t say anything, she deep her hand to her bag and brought out some money, my mind was racing in accordance to how she was counting, I can’t fathom how much She’ve counted so far, she suddenly stopped and handed me the money, I collected it without thinking twice. 
‘Give your mother the amount of money for her ogi, and use the rest to fend for yourself ‘, she said smilingly, 
‘Thank you very much ma, I really appreciate your kindness’, I appreciated, she nodded in response and I dashed out of the car. I waved her as she drove off. I quickly went to the spot she picked me from, I found my empty tray there, I picked it up and hurried home. On my way home, I separated Maale’s money from mine. On reaching home, I gave her hers and went to hide mine, in a place I call ‘the secret place’.  
No school on this day, it’s a day of celebration, can’t wait for Tunde to hear this good news.  
 

To be continued.