The next morning I was woken up by the disturbing cockerel ' Cuckuruku' and the warm sensation beside me wasn't there anymore.
"O ti ji? ( You have woken up?)" Through sleeping eyes I could see a curvaceous figure standing near the bed neatly folding a cloth. Who else could it be if not my mom.
I springed up from the bed going down on my knees " Eka ro ma (Good morning ma)"
She patted me on the head with a smile on her face" Ka ro oko mi,Olorun bukun fun o. Ṣe ireti pe o sùn daradara? ( Good morning my dear, God bless you. Hope you slept well?)"
" Amin, beeni mo sun dada ( Amen, yes I slept well)"
I got up from my knees and assisted her folding the pile of clothes while she kept raining morning blessings on me.
" Amin " Was all I said all through the blessings.
In our culture as yorubas', we never take the prayers and blessings of our parents especially our mothers who bleed for us lightly. We believe that once they blessed us, the heaven stamped it down and it's permanent, so we do our best possible to make them bless us.
But if they curse us, especially ones mother putting her hand on her breasts or between her legs, that child will never go Scott free except he beg forgiveness from the mother and God before everything becomes well with him.
After folding the clothes, i did my house chores like: Sweeping the compound and the rooms, uprooting the weeds growing at our backyard, washing the dishes and mine and my mom's clothes.
While my mom does the strenuous activities like fetching water from the river.... she has done that while I was still sleeping, grinding pepper on the grinding stone, cooking, dying our clothes, preparing warm water for me to bathe with, bathe me and so much more.
" Keji, loni ni Ọjọ Satide kan, kini iwọ yoo fẹ lati ṣe loni? (Keji, today is a Saturday, what will you like to do today?)"
it never occurred to me till now that today is a Saturday, I thought....." Ọpọlọpọ awọn ohun. Mama èyin ko? ( A lot of things. Mummy you ko?)"
" Hmmmm ... Mo fe ta taffeta Ti mo ṣe (Hmmmm... selling my taffeta)" She smiled at me as she dressed me into a small faded Jean shorts and an oversized top " Ọmọbinrin mi ti dagba lati lẹwa (My baby girl has grown up to be so beautiful)"
My cheeks went so red that it could cook beans " Èyin ni ẹwa julọ julọ ni gbogbo agbaye (You are the most beautiful in the whole world)"
She smiled and kissed me on the forehead " Ose (Thank you)"
My mom is the most beautiful woman in whole wide world and I can vouch for that in a million ways and a trillion times; Clear apricot eyes, groundnut coloured eyes, white rabbit teeth, A perfect figure-8 body, clean brown skinned beauty, oblong face with perfect filed chin , long eyelashes, perfect eyebrows and alot of beautiful physical attributes.
You might ask ' How do you know? Have you been taking note?' My answer is clear ' Yes I've been' A long time ago, From the time I was born.
I ate breakfast which was white rice and fried stew with big fried chicken lap
How to prepare the fried stew:
Ingredients:
5 Dried tatashe
1 large tatashe red bell pepper
2 large tomatoes
2 large onions
2 cups Vegetable oil And palm oil or use according to prefence
500 g assorted chiken
2 tsp Curry
2 tsp Thyme
1 tsp Dried parsley
iru
Salt
2 bay leaves
Preparation:
Soak the dried tatashe with warm water between 24-48 hours prior to use
see step 3
Wash and rinse the assorted beef clean, season with salt, onions, curry and thyme and bring to boil till tender, drain on an ase (keep stock), deep fry or grill till golden brown.
Blend tomatoes, ata rodo, tatashe and one onion with little water and blend till smooth. Add the blended pepper to a pan and bring to boil till the water in the pepper dry out and reduced in size
Add vegetable oil and a little Palm oil to a pan on medium heat, add chopped onions and cook on low heat, add a teaspoon of curry and thyme and continue to fry on low heat. Keep an eye on it to avoid burning.
Add the boiled pepper to the oil and stir to combine, add bay leaves. Continue to cook for another 10-15 minute, add water and stock if the sauce is becoming too thick but don't let it be too light. You are trying to achieve a well cooked fried stew.
Add iru after thorough raising and salt to the sauce and stir to combine. Add the fried or grilled meat and stir together. Serve with rice, okra, efo riro or ewedu. Enjoy
Add dried parsley if using and stir to combine. Continue to cook the stew for another 10 minutes or till oil floats and the surface and stew is well fried but not burnt.
After breakfast my mom sent me out to have my routine Saturdays adventure.
"O wa nibi ( You are here)" A boy called to me as soon he sighted me.
"Mo nireti pe Emi ko pẹ ( I hope I'm not late?"
Another boy shook his head implying ' No'
My eyes scanned the area noticing a person.... no two people were not present " Nibo ni Baba Olọdẹ? (Where is Baba ode?)" and him?
" Wo wa nibẹ (He is over there)" A short boy pointed at a direction " A ti n duro de o (We have been waiting for you)"
" Mn" I ran towards that direction and found Baba Olọdẹ sitting on a stone platform loading his gun with gun powder " Eka ro baba"
" Karo Omo Kiniun ti n ṣe akoso igbo pẹlu agbara ati agbara pupọ, ejò ti o fi ara pamọ labẹ koriko lati ba ni ẹran ọdẹ rẹ, ògá ti o mọ ẹnikan le ṣalaye, iyanrin iyara ti o gbe awọn oju buburu mì, kokoro ti gbogbo ẹranko bẹru. Kaabo ( morning the child of the lion that rules the forest with so much vigour and strength, the serpent that hides under the grass to ambush its prey, the chameleon who know one can decipher, the quick sand that swallows up evil eyes, the ant that all animals fears. Welcome)"
I smiled as I watched him loading the gun skillfully and elegantly.
" It's time" He got up and put on his special hunting regalia; A huge garment hamdwoven from the finest aso oke decorated with charms, medicine packets, cowries, extraordinarily heavy, heavily beaded on both sides with thousands of tiny glass beads.Decorated equally on front and back, they exhibit a range of style from fanciful and rustic to elegant and formal. Both the vests and bante Sango (aprons) are considered empowered with spiritual and medicinal energy and thus empower the wearer with ase.
That's when ' Him' Arrived, greeting everyone in that group especially me with a knowing smile.
We all took off into the finest adventure of today