Chorus

She set the two buckets down with a force equal to one a heavy weight champion boxer used in striking a hated opponent in the first round. And as if on cue, her mother’s voice which sounded like a pair of cymbals on coke reverberated in her ears,“Kekeli? Are you stopping? Is there enough water for everyone in there? Don’t be so lazy!”

Kekeli’s heart began to beat faster in solidarity with her anger. Lazy? After three trips to the well with two buckets?she was all about balance just then).  Once again, her habit of being quick; she had run to the well each time, to get things done and over with had brought her more work with no thanks. Her lazy cousins had only poured water into the barrel once but she got called lazy for throwing in six buckets in the same amount of time. 

But looking around at the red and black canopies and the black clad people under them, this wasn’t the place or time to talk back to her mother or advocate the injustice of it all, so she took her two buckets and started running again. It was also an outlet for her anger after all, running.

Six more buckets water got poured in the barrel; pepper was grinded in Kole as one aunty kept up a running commentary on the best way to grind pepper, ending in her snatching the kole and doing it herself; and big pots of water was boiled and carried to the washroom for the elderly and the children. 

Just when they settled snugly onto their borrowed beds and mats, the lights went out. Swiftly followed by a chorus of ohh! ECG! these people again! died down, a mischievous thought entered Kekeli’s head. She got off her mat and made her way gingerly to the middle of the room her brother in law’s family had reserved for them. Barely making it to her destination without stepping on any limbs she fisted a hand and delivered a swift knock to what sounded like somebody’s temple. The thunderous “Agyei¡Agyei¡ that followed told her it wasn’t her annoying cousin Elinam who had only fetched two buckets of water by walking like a snail contesting for a Guinness world record. See? Elinam abhorred local stuff and pain was not going to make her utter Agyeiii! instead of ouch!. 

The unfortunate receiver was aunty Afi, the legendary pepper grinder. It was now time for subterfuge—hurrying back to her mat without missing any limbs so the Agyeiis! became a new chorus. Before a light could be found, Kekeli was under her covers. The fall guy, Bubune, a toddler who woke up and began stumbling about looking for his sister to take him out to pee. Of course he was forgiven, ECG was wholly at fault.