Liberian Literary Magazine
I wish he had kept his big
mouth shut. But since he had
opened it, I was left with no
other choice but to frame up
a quick reply. “I went in that
direction to get my cutlasses
repaired.”
“So you didn't get to see the
old man?”
“No,” I said, “I learn that he
had gone to his fish trap.”
“That is Bleng all right,” my
landlord remarked. “He used
to be the best man in this area
for leaves. But, his reputation
is waning somehow.”
I was taken aback when my
landlord said this. Buu who
had introduced me to the old
man did not put up any
defense for him. In fact, he
added, “that old man, he
drinks too much. St. Paul
Lightning these days.”
Nevertheless, I decided to
place complete confidence in
the doctor man. I figure out,
that if the old
man
manipulated the right leaves,
I had no doubt he could bring
Tene around.
While my landlord and
landlady
were about, I
thought it an appropriate
time to frame up an excuse to
run to Bendabli for the parts
of Tene I needed. I had to
present a convincing lie.
I told them that I had just
received an urgent message
from home, saying that old
man Joma, my foster father
was at the point of death, and
that whatever I was doing, I
should drop it and come to
Bendabli at once.
“What a pity,” the landlord
sympathized. “How long has
he been ill?” He inquired
seriously.
“The person who brought
the message did not say.”
“Kai, I sympathize with you
for your sudden misfortune,”
Buu remarked. He offered to
accompany me. I told him it
Promoting Liberian literature, Arts and Culture
was not necessary at the
moment. I woke up with the
pepperbirds the following
morning and started my
journey.
My mission was of such a
delicate nature, I had to be
extremely careful to avoid
being seen in villages where
people would recognize me. I
decided therefore, to take a
different route which lead
through a high forest. I got to
Bendabli
earlier
than
scheduled, hence I had to
conceal myself until I could
achieve my objective.
Most of the people in the
village were engaged on the
other side of the town,
removed from our quarter.
Now and then, children I
recognized ran between the
banana orchard where I
secreted myself and our big
square house. When I was
certain that no one had
detected my presence, I
crawled on my belly carefully,
until I got within hearing
distance of the people in the
open kitchen opposite our
house.
Tene and Kema were sitting
there running their mouths.
The other members of the
family, the old man and his
wife, were sitting on the far
side of the kitchen. Tene was
telling
Kema
of
her
experiences with one Bioma
Chachi, a pursuant from Bomi
Hills.
I heard her say, “Sister
Kema, you should see his
house. It has four large
sleeping
rooms,
a
big
hall,kitchen and wash house.
And, o!” Tene continued.
“Water is no problem, for
right in front of the house is a
pump which supplies water to
all the other quarters in the
area.”
Kema
sat
attentively
listening to her sister. “Ain't I
6
told you so? Chachi is the man
for you.
Only thing, his wives. How
many has he got?”
“Plenty o!” Tene explained.
“The head wife, she is an ugly
thing. I don't know what he's
doing with her.”
“Old thing like that, she's
just there to take care of his
children by his other wives,
what do you expect?”
“That's what you think,
Kema, the old hag dogs the
poor boy around like you do a
child.”
“With all that Tene,
wouldn't you like to be one of
his women?”
Tene hesitated for a
moment, then said, “Sister
Kema, my eyes are just
opening. You and the old folks
have tried your best so bend
me, to make me decide on a
man. But, the more I look
around, the more I feel that I
should be left alone to make
my own choice.”
“This is the difference
between the young people of
your age and those of my
generation, at your age.”
My foster mother spoke up.
“When I had matured, my
parents came to me and said
that a man wanted me to be
his wife. I had nothing to do
with the proposal. One
morning, while taking my
bath, my mother summoned
me and told me that the man
who wanted to marry me had
come
to
our
quarter.
Everyone told me to say that
the
proposal
met
my
approval, and that was all
there was to it.”
“Mother, that was in your
days. From here to Gbarnga
took weeks, when you were a
girl; places like Tapeta,
Saniquellie, Juarzon, sounded
like names in fairy tales.
Today, visit these far off
places and meet new friends