Her Mistake

∆ FOUR ∆

"Ekaroo o!" We hear a voice coming from behind the sitting room door. We are all watching Aladdin, the movie. Mummy and daddy are in their bedroom.

"I'm guessing that's grandma." I speak and hurriedly move to the door to open it. "Ekaaro grandma." I kneel the moment I come in contact with her.

"Arike mi, bawo ni?" My grandmother says calling me by my oriki. My paternal grandfather gave me that name when I was born and my grandmother has adopted that name for me.

"I'm fine, grandma." I answer collecting her luggage. It's just a big black box and her hand bag that was with her. I lead her into the house while struggling with her heavy box, only God knows what's inside the bag.

"Grandma!" Remi screams in joy and runs to embrace our grandmother. Remi has always been grandmother's favorite ever since she was born maybe because she was born a day after the  death of our grandmother's elder sister.

"Aderemi, you are looking very lean o? Is that mother of yours feeding you well at all? Don't worry, now that am here you will eat all kinds of efo and soups. You will be so fat you won't be able to fit the door when I leave your house."  Grandma says making Remi laugh.

"Grandma, I don't want to be fat! Am still a small girl."

"Ekaaro ma." Sister Deola greets grandma as she sit on the sofa whilst Remi sat on the arm rest of the chair her hand around grandma's shoulder.

"Bawo ni? School nko?"

"It's fine ma." Sister Deola replies and sit down on the chair when grandma is done talking to her. She changed the station from what we were watching to African Magic Yoruba. "Grandma, mummy and daddy will join you soon." She informs her and grandma nods then continued talking with Remi.

I went to drop grandma's things in the guest room before going to join them in the sitting room. I heard my parents voice coming from the sitting room which means that they were welcoming grandma. I got to the sitting room and sat next to sister Deola on the twoseater sofa.

"Shade, I thought by now you ought to be heavily pregnant?" Grandma begins.

"Maami, how can I? Tunji and I have decided to stop at Remi. May the Lord take care of these ones for us." My mother replies our father's mother in a very soft tone, but am sure that's not how she intended to reply grandma.

"Maami, these ones the Lord has given us is enough." My dad tells her and I couldn't agree more.

"Who will then continue the family name? You know my friend, Mrs Ojo?"

My dad nods, "of course."

My grandma pinches the bridge of her nose before continuing,  "her first son, Oyedayo has five sons. You are here saying God should take care of these ones. These girls will become women and get married one day, that will be the end of the Oyesile  family name. Do you want that, Adetunji?"

"Maami, but you do know, what a man can do, a woman can do better. Women are even doing better than men in this present age." My dad enlightens his mother.

I noticed the atmosphere had already become tense. My mum  and Sister Deola are frowning their faces while Remi watched what is going on. I definitely don't agree with grandma. What is even wrong with old people nowadays? Why don't they think the female child is just as relevant as the male child?

"That's the problem with you educated Nigerians! Always forgetting your roots. Just because you acquired small education and now live in the city, you've adopted the white man's culture." My sixty-seven year old grandmother says.

"Illiteracy is a disease!" Sister Deola tells grandma indirectly after a hiss and walks out of the sitting room regardless of my parents and grandmother calling her name.

"Can you see what I've been talking to you about? This girl lacks manners, and she will be someone's wife one day." Grandma claps her hands, "Shade, can you see how much of a failure you are as a mother? Tunji, and you say women are better than men. All I know is I want a grandson."

The frown on mum's face deepens then she stood and left the sitting room as well. This our grandma ehn, she's something else. Its like she is sent to make my mother's life a living hell.

"Grandma," Remi calls and grandma hums. "My social studies teacher in school taught us about gender equality. She says; men and women are the same and that we are all equal."

Grandma gasps, "you see what the government has caused? They want to start acting like the white men whereas that isn't possible here. We won't let them destroy our culture. Aderemi, don't mind that teacher of yours. In Yoruba land, a male child is always necessary in every family. Any woman who doesn't bear a male child will be replaced. Such woman is not meant to be called a woman!"

"Maami! What sort of nonsense are you teaching my daughter?!" My father yells. "If that is your belief then stick to it, don't drag my children into that thrash you belief in!"

My grandma's butt jolts up quickly, "emi?! Emi lo n ba soro saka be yen?" My grandmother questioned my dad in our native language. "You've grown wings, Adetunji! It is me your mother that you dare talk to like that? All because I tell your children about our culture, no problem. Baba agba must hear of this!" She says and walks out of the sitting room into the room where I kept her bags. That's grandma's usual room whenever she comes to our house to cause her occasional trouble like she just did today.

I just hope that grandma doesn't bite more than she can chew before she leaves for her house in Osun state.

Glossary

Emi - means, me.

Emi lo n ba soro saka be yen - it's me you are talking to rudely.

Bawo ni - how are you.

Ekaroo - good morning.

Efo - vegetable soup.

Baba agba - The oldest male in the family considered to be the wisest and the one to settle disputes within the extended family.