Emeka! Emeka!! Emeka!!! Mrs. Busayo shouted from the parlor.
Ma!! I'm coming. Emeka replied.
Emeka abandoned the immense clothes he was washing and as fast as a cheater, he ran inside to answer Mrs. Busayo.
Didn't you hear me shouting your name or you want to pretend you didn't? now I see, you have grown so big that I'll be calling you and you will not answer.
No ma! Emeka replied in a frightened manner.
Will you shut up! She shouted and then continued; I don't have your time now, I'm going to Iya Suliat's shop and I'll be back soon. Emeka before I come back, make sure you are done washing the clothes, plates, cooking and arranging the house.
Okay ma! He replied.
Actually, to Emeka, it is a regular house poem. Mrs. Busayo don't work at home, instead, she wakes up from sleep and goes from one house to the other to gossip even without brushing her teeth.
Mrs. Busayo has become so popular in Ayetoro that she even has a nick name "Madam Mebor". Mebor is the abbreviated word for "Amebor" which means Gossip.
Emeka quickly went inside to complete his washings before cooking and then re-arranging the house as instructed by his step mother.
Hours later, Madam Mebor returned home and met Emeka sitting on the red old couch which is set aside from every other chair in the sitting room. The couch is old and torn like a meat that is being designed by a hungry rat.
Madam Mebor don't like seeing Emeka in the sitting room so she silently walked into the kitchen and brought out a long cane which she used in spanking Emeka till it broke to pieces. Emeka cried at the peak of his voice but his wailing didn't last for too long because he is already used to Mrs. Busayo's spanking.
Despite the fact that she had beaten him till the destruction of the cane, She kept reigning causes on him. Mr. Chukwuma who was returning from work heard her voice from a very far distance and then ran home to see what was happening, only to see his son kneeling helplessly on the ground with bruises all over his body.
Woman! What did this small child do to deserve all this bruises and causes? He asked Mrs. Busayo furiously.
Wo! Ma ba mi sor oro jati jati to ri pe, this your bastard son who don't have a mother wanted to beat me and see how you are handling the issue. I will teach both of you a lesson, omo ibo ti o lekor. Mrs. Busayo pondered as she sat on the arm chair and shakes her leg like an earth worm that has been poured salt.
Of a truth, there are times when both husband and wife argue but this time made kept Mr. Chukwuma perplexed. With the injuries imposed in Emeka's body, Mrs. Busayo has definitely crossed her limits which of course she cannot elude.
Mr. Chukwuma never argued with her that night as he thought it was late. Rather, he went away with his son to the room and waited till the next day before taking his decisions.
QUESTION 1
1. What did Mrs. Busayo asked Emeka to do before she returns?
2. What is Mrs. Busayo's nickname?
3. Why did Mrs. Busayo spank Emeka?
4. What do you think would be Mr. Chukwuma's decision?
QUESTION 2
Complete the following phrases and sentences found in this chapter;
1. Madam Mebor don't like seeing Emeka in_____________
2. This your bastard son who don't have__________
3. There are times when both ___________ argues
4. The couch is old and torn like __________________________________
5. Mr. Chukwuma never argued with her that night as he thought______________
QUESTION 3
With the aid of a dictionary, find the meaning of the following words;
Immense, frighten, abbreviate, spank, wail, peak, ponder, impose, perplex and furious.
SELF DEVELOPMENT
In not more than 150 words, write the morals gotten from this chapter.