Deities of Deceit

Chapter Twenty-five

After dinner, Mama, my brothers and I laid out a bamboo mat under a tree to take in the breeze, and the perfect moment was set to tell Mama.

"It's not as if they'll know every single person that doesn't attend, Nimah. You don't have to go," she said calmly.

"What danger could there possibly be, Mama. Lolo said I can and it is expected of every young bachelor of age. I am of age."

"Is this one of Iman's brilliant ideas?"

I shook my head. "No, I want to go because I want to experience something new, Mama. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity."

She raised the lantern to look into my eyes for a minute. My brothers giggled at the gesture as I squinted. After a few seconds, she lowered it and laid back down. "Go if you want." She said it as though she could see right through the lie, as though she knew it was Iman's idea and I was only doing it for Iman's sake. "What will you wear?" she asked suddenly. "Your fathers old clothes are still there, I kept my favorites ones, some of them are of good quality."

With a soft exhale, I smiled. "Ok, Mama. Thank you."

She turned back to me. "Listen to me, Nimah. If anything should happen to you because of this. That is it. We are moving back to Uwari."

"Mama..."

"I have had enough, Nimah. And I have missed your sisters very much. Please, don't fight me on this. It is better we are back there with nothing than here with crumbs." It was silent for a moment before she continued. "Parents aren't supposed to watch their children suffer. We are supposed to give you the best life possible, protect you. I feel lesser as a mother and even lesser as a woman." She stretched her hand over my brothers until she was touching my knee lightly. "Will you do this for me? Will you move back to Uwari with your brothers and I if anything more happens?"

Mama was a beautiful woman, the years tried their hardest to squeeze the daylight out of her, but yet, even in my darkest night, she was the brightest star. Unending love that never ceased. I hadn't known it until then, but I, too, was sick of the capital, I was worn out and tired.

The very thought of being back home in Uwari seemed to fill me with relief. The beautiful faces, black and white people living shoulder to shoulder as equals, the great overflowing river, the soft grass I used to lay over as a boy beside it, cotton fields I spent long hours in. It was a tedious job, but I liked it there, especially with my friends. We'd sing along and laugh and when we got paid, we'd contribute little from our share to buy kwilikwili, a kind of sweet every child in the neighborhood loved.

No, we didn't have much. It was barely anything, but it was enough.

"Yes, Mama, I promise, I promise you," I assured her, nodding. She grinned and my brothers grinned too.

While they went back to telling Mama and I all about their new school friends and all the drama that came with them, I drifted back to Uwari in thought.

It was the day of. The markets were closed, alongside every other working establishment in Khada, so Mama and my brothers stayed home. I woke up to my brothers missing from our hut only to find them in Mama's hut fussing about what I'd wear. They'd been trying to figure which one of Papa's clothes was the best fit for me, almost in the same way Udume's parents had done for him.

The clothes were worn out and old with numerous holes in them, but Mama assured me they would be stitched up before sunset when the ball was set to begin. I didn't have the heart to tell her about Iman's camouflage magic. I was forbidden from using magic, and Mama loathed Iman at the time, so I let them fuss until they decided on what was right for me. An old Kente wrapper and shirt paired with tiny broken beads Mama tasked my brothers with stringing.