She sighs as her baby wakes up for the umpteenth time that morning, she hadn't even gone half way in the house chore,soon she will have to go pick her older child who just started preschool.
She hurries to the crib where her baby lays screaming,as she bends down to pick him up, he giggles at the sight of his mother.She wonders how some mothers abandon their babies to foster care and she remembers hearing stories how babies have been rescued from dustbins, roadsides, some are left at church entrance and even some have died in the process.
She sits on the sofa in the baby's room with her baby in her arm and breastfeeds him, he has a huge appetite as he sucks hungrily, Amina talks to him as he sucks on happily. Suddenly, her mind wanders down memory lane.
Going down that part is not always a happy one for her but she can't keep her mind off it.
A little fair skinned girl of about 7years old with unkempt thick curly locks jumping with a skipping rope while the other kids around her counting along 18,19,20,21....without as much care in the world, when suddenly, one of the boys grabs the skipping rope and she comes sprawling down with a sream, she struggles up on her feet, with much rage as she throws the a punch, the boy misses the punch with a mocking smile on his face just then a call out to Oby is heard.The boy answers to his name and turns towards the sound of his name and at the same time a blinding slap which was unexpected lands on his face,with tears streaming down his eyes he runs away. Ama starts to laugh at her victory.
The other kids start to struggle whose turn it was to play with the skipping rope.The next name being called was Ama, she answers grudgingly and walks toward the house.Yes mommy, Am coming o. Her mommy is a beautiful woman in her late 30s, a woman you can term "virtuous woman" she is mother of 7 while her own biological children are 4 the rest are, well should I say adopted or live in?
Ama dreads plaiting her hair, that call was for her to take her turn to braid her hair, the hairmaker is an elderly woman who comes to the house once in two weeks to braid the female children's hair and she pulls it so tightly that the children always cry,but Ama cries even before the ritual begins.
Luckily for Ama today as she started her routine tears, her mother told her not to worry about making her hair, she doesn't have an idea what was to befall her, as she runs back outside to continue the game with other children she hears her name again but this time around it was a masculine voice, with a frown she goes back in only to be told to sit on a small side stool already prepared for her, she starts to protest that mommy said she should not plait her hair again, the man answers her in the affirmative and brings out a scissors, with fear in her eyes she screams but the man tells her not to worry as he chops off her thick locks which had tangle due to lack of combing.
What a relief Ama feels, then suddenly the scissors click very close to her ear and missing it by just a fraction she whimpers as she is brought back to reality, the baby just bit her nipple. Ama had forgotten she was breastfeeding her baby.
Oh not again as she exclaims with pain in her voice. She knew that she needed to nurse him the other side now, but time was not on her side. She puts the baby on her shoulder to burp him. Baby, let's go pick your brother from school...
To be cont'd.
She hurries to the crib where her baby lays screaming,as she bends down to pick him up, he giggles at the sight of his mother.She wonders how some mothers abandon their babies to foster care and she remembers hearing stories how babies have been rescued from dustbins, roadsides, some are left at church entrance and even some have died in the process.
She sits on the sofa in the baby's room with her baby in her arm and breastfeeds him, he has a huge appetite as he sucks hungrily, Amina talks to him as he sucks on happily. Suddenly, her mind wanders down memory lane.
Going down that part is not always a happy one for her but she can't keep her mind off it.
A little fair skinned girl of about 7years old with unkempt thick curly locks jumping with a skipping rope while the other kids around her counting along 18,19,20,21....without as much care in the world, when suddenly, one of the boys grabs the skipping rope and she comes sprawling down with a sream, she struggles up on her feet, with much rage as she throws the a punch, the boy misses the punch with a mocking smile on his face just then a call out to Oby is heard.The boy answers to his name and turns towards the sound of his name and at the same time a blinding slap which was unexpected lands on his face,with tears streaming down his eyes he runs away. Ama starts to laugh at her victory.
The other kids start to struggle whose turn it was to play with the skipping rope.The next name being called was Ama, she answers grudgingly and walks toward the house.Yes mommy, Am coming o. Her mommy is a beautiful woman in her late 30s, a woman you can term "virtuous woman" she is mother of 7 while her own biological children are 4 the rest are, well should I say adopted or live in?
Ama dreads plaiting her hair, that call was for her to take her turn to braid her hair, the hairmaker is an elderly woman who comes to the house once in two weeks to braid the female children's hair and she pulls it so tightly that the children always cry,but Ama cries even before the ritual begins.
Luckily for Ama today as she started her routine tears, her mother told her not to worry about making her hair, she doesn't have an idea what was to befall her, as she runs back outside to continue the game with other children she hears her name again but this time around it was a masculine voice, with a frown she goes back in only to be told to sit on a small side stool already prepared for her, she starts to protest that mommy said she should not plait her hair again, the man answers her in the affirmative and brings out a scissors, with fear in her eyes she screams but the man tells her not to worry as he chops off her thick locks which had tangle due to lack of combing.
What a relief Ama feels, then suddenly the scissors click very close to her ear and missing it by just a fraction she whimpers as she is brought back to reality, the baby just bit her nipple. Ama had forgotten she was breastfeeding her baby.
Oh not again as she exclaims with pain in her voice. She knew that she needed to nurse him the other side now, but time was not on her side. She puts the baby on her shoulder to burp him. Baby, let's go pick your brother from school...
To be cont'd.
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