This House Is Not for Sale by E.C. Osondu
Authors: E.C. Osondu
they had a chance in that house, they would turn human beings into goats just so they can sell them off for profitâ
âThat is the kind of house that sold people into slavery in days gone byâ
âWhat do you mean in days gone by? How is what they are doing these days different from slavery?â
âShe is even lucky. She may likely have an easier life with Janet than she has had in that evil houseâ
âSo she is to have no choice; any man that comes she opens her legsâ
âNot really. Some choose to settle for one man, have all their children through the one man so the children donât look too different from each otherâ
âThat Baby that laughs at everything. She is never going to be able to choose. Sheâll accept whatever is thrown at herâ
The event was planned to be grand. Baby was taken to the market to shop for new clothes. She was taken to have her hair braided in a beautiful style. She was encouraged to invite her friends, but alas poor Baby had no friends. It was the first time that the whole street was invited to a party in the Family House. Janet invited her fellow traders. It was assumed by some of them that a relative of hers was getting married.
It was during the dry season and everywhere was hot. Sheds were built. Big red-and-blue metal drums were filled with cold water, and drinks were packed into the water to keep them cool. Women were hired to fry beef and cook jollof rice and moin-moin .
âNot even for a proper marriage between man and woman have I seen such preparationâ
âSo much food being cooked, so many drinks being cooledâ
âI heard they slaughtered two cows and countless chickensâ
âI donât blame the woman, though. It is a terrible thing to come to this world and leave empty-handed with no one to answer your name when you are goneâ
âBut what about the poor girl? It is almost as if they are selling her offâ
âIt is not just her they are selling off, they are selling off the unborn baby as wellâ
âWell, as for me, I have never been known to reject free foodâ
âMe neither, not when they have free drinks thrown in as wellâ
âBe very careful what you eat in that houseâ
âWhy, it is food cooked for the public? Donât tell me you think theyâll poison everybody?â
âThere are things worse than poison. And poison may be even better, because it kills you and that is the endâ
âSo what is worse than poison, eh, tell me?â
âWhat if after eating you turn to mumu , a doddering fool?â
â Mumu for what? For eating jollof and chicken?â
âWhy do you think they are able to keep all the people who work for them acting like mumu ?â
âAh, one has to be careful, I tell youâ
âOnce it has gone into the mouth and the stomach, it is not coming out again and the damage is already doneâ
âI donât think they are that totally gone to try to turn all the invited guests to mumu â
âI think at worst you can call it appeasement. They are using the food as sara â
âWhich wouldnât be a bad thing. They need forgiveness for all they have doneâ
There was not much to the ceremony. The only major thing done was that drink was poured into a glass cup. Baby was expected to look around at the invited guests and give the drink to her husband. She had been warned ahead of time not to embarrass the guests by giving the drink to Janet. She knelt down and gave the drink to a young man seated next to Janet who was also dressed in white. The young man took a sip and handed the glass back to her and she drank. A large box was handed to Grandpaâs representatives. Some said it was filled with money, some said gifts. That was the end of the ceremony, now guests could go outside to eat and drink their fill. When Baby said she had a headache and was going inside to rest,
âThat is the kind of house that sold people into slavery in days gone byâ
âWhat do you mean in days gone by? How is what they are doing these days different from slavery?â
âShe is even lucky. She may likely have an easier life with Janet than she has had in that evil houseâ
âSo she is to have no choice; any man that comes she opens her legsâ
âNot really. Some choose to settle for one man, have all their children through the one man so the children donât look too different from each otherâ
âThat Baby that laughs at everything. She is never going to be able to choose. Sheâll accept whatever is thrown at herâ
The event was planned to be grand. Baby was taken to the market to shop for new clothes. She was taken to have her hair braided in a beautiful style. She was encouraged to invite her friends, but alas poor Baby had no friends. It was the first time that the whole street was invited to a party in the Family House. Janet invited her fellow traders. It was assumed by some of them that a relative of hers was getting married.
It was during the dry season and everywhere was hot. Sheds were built. Big red-and-blue metal drums were filled with cold water, and drinks were packed into the water to keep them cool. Women were hired to fry beef and cook jollof rice and moin-moin .
âNot even for a proper marriage between man and woman have I seen such preparationâ
âSo much food being cooked, so many drinks being cooledâ
âI heard they slaughtered two cows and countless chickensâ
âI donât blame the woman, though. It is a terrible thing to come to this world and leave empty-handed with no one to answer your name when you are goneâ
âBut what about the poor girl? It is almost as if they are selling her offâ
âIt is not just her they are selling off, they are selling off the unborn baby as wellâ
âWell, as for me, I have never been known to reject free foodâ
âMe neither, not when they have free drinks thrown in as wellâ
âBe very careful what you eat in that houseâ
âWhy, it is food cooked for the public? Donât tell me you think theyâll poison everybody?â
âThere are things worse than poison. And poison may be even better, because it kills you and that is the endâ
âSo what is worse than poison, eh, tell me?â
âWhat if after eating you turn to mumu , a doddering fool?â
â Mumu for what? For eating jollof and chicken?â
âWhy do you think they are able to keep all the people who work for them acting like mumu ?â
âAh, one has to be careful, I tell youâ
âOnce it has gone into the mouth and the stomach, it is not coming out again and the damage is already doneâ
âI donât think they are that totally gone to try to turn all the invited guests to mumu â
âI think at worst you can call it appeasement. They are using the food as sara â
âWhich wouldnât be a bad thing. They need forgiveness for all they have doneâ
There was not much to the ceremony. The only major thing done was that drink was poured into a glass cup. Baby was expected to look around at the invited guests and give the drink to her husband. She had been warned ahead of time not to embarrass the guests by giving the drink to Janet. She knelt down and gave the drink to a young man seated next to Janet who was also dressed in white. The young man took a sip and handed the glass back to her and she drank. A large box was handed to Grandpaâs representatives. Some said it was filled with money, some said gifts. That was the end of the ceremony, now guests could go outside to eat and drink their fill. When Baby said she had a headache and was going inside to rest,
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