going? Can you see through that thing?”
“Oh, come, come, come,” she’d bark. “This thing is completely see-through.”
“Good so you can breathe and everything?” I’d laugh.
Staying at my grandmother’s house, I realized where Mama got her strength. My grandfather had been dead many years, and Granny lived alone, taking care of everything by herself. And when I went to visit her, she’d wear me out. As soon as we got up in the morning she was ready to go. She’d start in on me right away: “Get going. Come on, Waris. Let’s go.”
Granny lived in a neighborhood of Mogadishu that was a good distance from the market. Each day we’d shop for food, and I’d say, “Come on, Granny let’s take it easy and ride the bus. It’s hot and the market’s too far from here to walk.”
“What!? Bus! Now, come, come, come. Let’s go. Young girl like you, wanting to take the bus. What are you complaining about? You’re getting lazy these days, Waris. All you children today I don’t know what’s wrong with you. When I was your age, oh, I’d walk for miles and miles..” girl, are you coming with me or not?” So off we went together, because if I dawdled, she was obviously going to go without me. On the way home, I’d come trudging along behind her, carrying the bags.
After I left Mogadishu, one of my mother’s sisters died, leaving nine children. My grandmother took care of these kids, raising them just as she did her own. She’s a mama and she did what had to be done.
I met another one of her sons, Mama’s brother Wolde’ab. I had gone to the market one day, and when I returned, he was sitting at my grandmother’s with one of my cousins on his lap. Even though I’d never seen him before, I ran to him, because suddenly here was this man who looked exactly like my mother and I was desperate for anything that reminded me of Mama. I ran to him, and since I also look very much like my mother, it was a wonderful but strange moment, like looking in some sort of crazy, distorted
mirror. He had heard that I’d run away and was staying in Mogadishu. As I came closer to him, he said, “Is this who I think it is?” That afternoon I laughed more than I had since I left home, because not only did Uncle Wolde’ab look like my mother, he had her silly sense of humor. The brother and sister must have been quite a team growing up, cracking everyone in the family up till they cried, and I wish I could have seen them together.
But it was to Aunt L’uul’s home that I went the morning I ran away from my sister’s. Shortly after I arrived in Mogadishu, we had gone there together for a visit. The day I left Aman’s, I decided that I would go to Aunt L’uul’s house and ask if I could stay with her. She was my aunt by marriage, since she was married to my mother’s brother, Uncle Sayyid. However, she spent her days raising their three children alone, as he was living in Saudi Arabia. Because the economy in Somalia was so poor, Uncle worked in Saudi and sent money back home to support his family. Unfortunately, he was away the whole time I lived in Mogadishu, so I never got to meet him.
When I arrived, Aunt L’uul was surprised, but she seemed genuinely glad to see me. “Auntie, things aren’t working out very well between
Aman and me, and I wondered if I could stay here with you for a while.”
“Well, yes, you know I’m here by myself with the children. Sayyid is gone most of the time and I could use a hand. That would be nice.” Immediately I felt relieved; Aman had grudgingly let me stay with her, but I knew she didn’t like the situation. Her place was too tiny, and she was still a relative newlywed. Besides, what she really wanted was for me to go back home, to ease her conscience about running away from Mama all those years ago.
Staying first at Aman’s, then Auntie L’uul’s, I got accustomed to life indoors. At first, the confinement of living in a house seemed strange to me
“Oh, come, come, come,” she’d bark. “This thing is completely see-through.”
“Good so you can breathe and everything?” I’d laugh.
Staying at my grandmother’s house, I realized where Mama got her strength. My grandfather had been dead many years, and Granny lived alone, taking care of everything by herself. And when I went to visit her, she’d wear me out. As soon as we got up in the morning she was ready to go. She’d start in on me right away: “Get going. Come on, Waris. Let’s go.”
Granny lived in a neighborhood of Mogadishu that was a good distance from the market. Each day we’d shop for food, and I’d say, “Come on, Granny let’s take it easy and ride the bus. It’s hot and the market’s too far from here to walk.”
“What!? Bus! Now, come, come, come. Let’s go. Young girl like you, wanting to take the bus. What are you complaining about? You’re getting lazy these days, Waris. All you children today I don’t know what’s wrong with you. When I was your age, oh, I’d walk for miles and miles..” girl, are you coming with me or not?” So off we went together, because if I dawdled, she was obviously going to go without me. On the way home, I’d come trudging along behind her, carrying the bags.
After I left Mogadishu, one of my mother’s sisters died, leaving nine children. My grandmother took care of these kids, raising them just as she did her own. She’s a mama and she did what had to be done.
I met another one of her sons, Mama’s brother Wolde’ab. I had gone to the market one day, and when I returned, he was sitting at my grandmother’s with one of my cousins on his lap. Even though I’d never seen him before, I ran to him, because suddenly here was this man who looked exactly like my mother and I was desperate for anything that reminded me of Mama. I ran to him, and since I also look very much like my mother, it was a wonderful but strange moment, like looking in some sort of crazy, distorted
mirror. He had heard that I’d run away and was staying in Mogadishu. As I came closer to him, he said, “Is this who I think it is?” That afternoon I laughed more than I had since I left home, because not only did Uncle Wolde’ab look like my mother, he had her silly sense of humor. The brother and sister must have been quite a team growing up, cracking everyone in the family up till they cried, and I wish I could have seen them together.
But it was to Aunt L’uul’s home that I went the morning I ran away from my sister’s. Shortly after I arrived in Mogadishu, we had gone there together for a visit. The day I left Aman’s, I decided that I would go to Aunt L’uul’s house and ask if I could stay with her. She was my aunt by marriage, since she was married to my mother’s brother, Uncle Sayyid. However, she spent her days raising their three children alone, as he was living in Saudi Arabia. Because the economy in Somalia was so poor, Uncle worked in Saudi and sent money back home to support his family. Unfortunately, he was away the whole time I lived in Mogadishu, so I never got to meet him.
When I arrived, Aunt L’uul was surprised, but she seemed genuinely glad to see me. “Auntie, things aren’t working out very well between
Aman and me, and I wondered if I could stay here with you for a while.”
“Well, yes, you know I’m here by myself with the children. Sayyid is gone most of the time and I could use a hand. That would be nice.” Immediately I felt relieved; Aman had grudgingly let me stay with her, but I knew she didn’t like the situation. Her place was too tiny, and she was still a relative newlywed. Besides, what she really wanted was for me to go back home, to ease her conscience about running away from Mama all those years ago.
Staying first at Aman’s, then Auntie L’uul’s, I got accustomed to life indoors. At first, the confinement of living in a house seemed strange to me
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