Eguono

"Mummy, Mummy," she shouted excitedly, running past the parlour and straight into her mother's bedroom holding a paper in her right hand, "Mummy," she continued shouting.

 "Where is mummy?" She turned sharply making an angle of 90° "Ouch! That hurts," she said holding her leg.

"Mummy are you there?" she asked frantically and at same time banging noisily at the toilet door, and looked here and there like a thief that was about to steal. Perspiration drenched her entire body and she felt like taking a shower. She used her right palm to wipe her face still perspiring profusely; and started fanning with the paper in her hand. She came back to the parlour, looked from left to right and looked at her hand again. 

"This is too precious to fan oneself with," she cautioned herself. "Look at it, it's squeezed already, I have to iron it," she said, trying to straighten it. "It's even stained already with sweat, Lord have mercy." She went straight to the balcony to meet her 10-year-old brother who was playing football with his mates, dragged him quickly from amongst them into the parlour. The other kids just stared at her, lost for words.

 "Where is mummy?" she asked quickly and

hurriedly panting at the same time.

"She's gone to a friend's place," came the reply from the boy, trying to free himself from her grip.

"Where are the others? Obruche and Oyoma."

"They are not back from lessons."

"Oh!" She went back into the parlour and slumped unto the sofa, her legs shaking vigorously. 

It was as if she would die before her mummy finally comes. She stood up, sat down again, went to the window, looked through it, came back and sat down again. She stood up again but now to her room, searched quickly with her eyes which were now bulging out as if they would fall of their sockets, went to her mother's room again to be very sure she was not hiding somewhere. She came back lazily to the parlour after she discovered nothing, and sat down again on the hard cushion. She looked aimlessly at the television set, which has been switched off but now at the shelf with few video cassettes, a video cassette player, a photo frame showing her junior ones, haphazardly arranged in a photograph. She

observed a dusty shelf with dust almost on everything on it.

 Her eyes went straight to her mummy's picture on the wall, she went, grabbed it, kissed it and smiled contentedly, "Mum l love you but come home fast because I want to see the real you." She hung the frame back, came back to the sofa, throwing herself unto it, changing position intermittently. She couldn't contain the feeling anymore, it's so strong, she just felt like bursting loose. 

"I fit just die here now of excitement oh," she murmured. She couldn't just wait to break the news. She went back to the balcony and dragged her little brother inside once more.

"Do you know that school is good?", she asked. "Yes", the boy replied trying to free himself from her grip. "But sister, why all these questions?". 

"I have my reasons which will be unfolding soon", she replied. "Un...fo-ld? What's the meaning of that?", he asked staring at her.

"Go play joor! Big head for nothing," she snapped, "I don't know know whether this is too much for your age to understand or too much play has filled your brain." The little boy was too glad to join his playmates as he ran quickly from her grip. 

 "Mummy you better come fast oh," she said sitting on the sofa again. Just then she sighted a cockroach on the wall, and tiptoed towards it. "I just needed to talk to somebody, maybe this cockroach will be happy for me since mummy and others are not yet around." 

"Cockroach," she called following it but she noticed that the cockroach had started moving away, "foolish thing," she hissed, "I would have smashed you now but for the single fact that today is my happiest day. I will let you go just for only today." She watched the cockroach crawl higher into the wall and then out of sight. 

 "I hope somebody will save me from this madness before something else happens," she wondered aloud. At that moment, she heard footsteps and turning round she met

the smiling face of her mother. "Oh mummy, mummy!" she said, jumping excitedly into her mum's waiting warm embrace.

"Thank God mummy, you came at the right time to save me from this impending madness."

"Mad... what?" her mum screamed. "God forbid!" she said as she passed her hand over her head and then snapping her fingers.

"You saw me perform a little drama a while ago, mum, didn't you?"

"Of course yes," her mother said shaking her head, "though I didn't know what you were up to."

"It's all about this," Eguono said excitedly, handing over the letter to her mum and at the same time maintaining a close eye contact with her.

Madam Cecilia collected the letter from her daughter, read quickly through it and burst into a song.

"Oghene woruno (God you've done well),

Vwe yere kevwe (Help me thank him), Sonobruwe woruno (Almighty God, you've done well),

Vwe yere kevwe (Help me thank him)." 

 They sang and danced to this favourite tune until they were drenched in their own sweat.

"See I just dey start oh!" her mother said pushing the center table away so she could have more room to dance. She danced and danced till the fat in her body moved excessively. Her wrapper was almost falling off her waist but for the timely intervention of Eguono who had now become an amused admirer.

"E don do, oya come siddon small," she said

dragging her mum unto the sofa. She moved to switch on the fan but discovered that NEPA had struck again. She ran quickly to her room to get a hand fan for her mum who was sweating profusely.

"Na so my pikin, fan me well-well," she said as she spread her arms like a bird that wanted to fly. "I be queen now." Her daughter just giggled while still fanning her.

"Oh God! You always hear me when I call," she

prayed, "You have lifted me up and I know you will never let me down." At this point she knelt down and thanked God for His mercies over her family. She concluded the prayer with a loud "in Jesus name," 

"Amen!" her daughter who has been watching in total amusement echoed. She sat back on the sofa and beckoned at Eguono.

"My pikin, come siddon for my lap," She said.

"Ah mama I'm too big for that now," she said smiling affectionately.

"Nonsense," her mother replied, "You've made me so proud that I don't know how to express my joy. My daughter, you are never too big to sit on my laps you know, if you like become the first lady, you'll still sit on my lap when I want you to," she said looking more serious.

"Okay mama," Eguono said sitting on her mother's lap like a toddler. Cecilia cuddled her daughter like a new baby stroking her long full hair.

 "Can I sit on the sofa now?" she asked her mum smiling warmly.

"Go ahead oyibo mena, my lovely daughter," she said smiling. "Now listen," she adjusted herself very well on the sofa while her daughter listened with rapt attention, "where you are going now is very dangerous, I mean in terms of men, I beg of you my sweet daughter, don't ever throw away your precious treasures to the pigs because they will trample on it and make a mess of it even before your own eyes," 

Cecilia tapped her daughter lightly while maintaining a close eye contact with her. She continued, "You've been a very good girl, don't change your good behaviour at this crucial stage of your life. I beg you in the name of God," she concluded. "Yes mama! I'll always remember that," Eguono said hugging her mum.

 Eguono Akpomena was the first daughter in a family of five. There were three girls and a boy. Mr Akpomena had abandoned his family after Cecilia had given him three girls and was with the fourth pregnancy, thinking that this pregnancy may also result in a girl. Mrs. Cecilia Akpomena has been the bread winner even before her husband left her. He has always beena drunk and she has always been responsible for the up-keep of the children. They lived in a two-bedroom apartment. Eguono was a young lady of 25 years, dark in complexion and a height of 5 feet 8 inches. She has a very beautiful physique; straight legs, a wonderful set of teeth, long full hair, captivating eyes and was gap-toothed. This explained her Victory as the "Miss Ebony Beauty Queen" while on campus. In spite of her natural endowments, she kept herself from the many advances of men, though they just kept coming. She was highly principled and focused. Her philosophy in life had always been; 

"I know where I'm coming from and were I am going and until I get there I'll never stop. Though some other places might look like it but I know exactly where I'm going and until I get there I'll never stop. Though some other places might look like it but I know exactly where I'm going and I'll get there someday".

 At exactly 8:00pm that night and after a dinner of banga soup and starch, which was enjoyed by the whole family, Eguono called on her mother.

"Mummy! I'll need some provisions like beddings, torchlight and others as spelt out at the back of this call-up letter." she said showing her mum, "and camp resumes in three days time."

"Eiwo! So soon?" Mrs. Cecilia screamed, "I thought there is much time so that I can prepare very well for you. Market has been so dull these days." she lamented. She sells second hand bed sheets and nets. "How do we go about this now?" She intoned putting her right index finger on her chin and thinking seriously.

"Mum, I just need the necessary things and my transport fare; I think I can manage until they start paying us our allowances," Eguono assured her.

"You've always beena very reasonable child," she praised, "may God guide and protect you."

"Amen!" Eguono chorused.

 Madam Cecilia went into her wardrobe and came out a few minutes later. "I'll come up with something before that day, but meanwhile you can have these bed sheets and this net," she said handing her daughter two bed sheets and one net. "I'll get you torchlight from my friend's place and should be able to lay my hands on some money before that day."

"I understand mummy," Eguono said with concern. "You've tried raising this family single-handedly and that's an enormous task. Please this will be the last time I'll disturb you for money. I know I'll make it in the shortest possible time in Jesus name."

"Ise!" Her mother answered, rubbing her palms together.

"Mummy, I'll need about two thousand, five hundred Naira (2,500) for my transportation. I learnt the journey is about 10-11 hours drive from here. Even looking at it in the map,"

she said, showing her mum a map she brought from her room earlier, "see, this is Delta state. Warri to be precise and when we go up, this is Minna in Niger State in the North, see?"

Her mum nodded. "Till get you the few things I can afford and I know you can manage."

"Certainly." Eguono nodded.

 A night before her journey to camp, Cecilia called her daughter into her room.

"Eguono!"

"Yes Mummy, I'm on my way,"

"When are you leaving for camp?"

"5:00 clock tomorrow morning,"

"That's okay, but have you packed your bag?"

"Yes," she replied as she ran quickly to bring her bag from her room. She had to drag it because it was heavy. "See!" She said showing her mum her well-packed bag.

"I hope you didn't forget anything?"

"None that I can remember right now."

"Well I think you should go to bed now so that you can wake up early," Mrs. Cecilia said looking at the clock on the wall. It was exactly 9:50pm. "That reminds me, where are your sisters and brother?"

"They are busy watching film."

"Call them immediately."

Eguono went immediately to the parlour to call them into her mother's room. She told them about her journey to camp early the next day. They were all excited except for the boy who burst into tears.

"Auntie! Chie You'll buy biscuit for me when coming?" he asked in between sobs.

"Of course I'll remember that," she replied patting him gently at the back while bringing him closer to her bosom. The whole family prayed together that night with everyone blessing Eguono specially and committing her journey the next day into the hands of God.