Sekinat: Muted Voices

Chapter 3

Sekinat hurriedly took her stove apart and pulled up the multiple headed wicks inside the stove innards, before lighting it up and placed a pot on it. She washed spoons and other utensils stacked in a corner, as the food she was warming up simmered away on the stove. After about quarter of an hour Sekinat placed the steaming pot on a wooden cupboard and fished out some plastic bowls from the lower section of her cupboard. She dished out the food into two portions placing both plastic containers on the wooden cupboard. Which served dual purpose as a pantry and storage for her meagre supplies. She hurriedly devoured her breakfast in the kitchen and cleaned the plate, then wrapped the apportioned portions of food in towels storing it in the cupboard for her children. Finished and dressed she peeped in the room one last time to check on both children. She grunted softly with satisfaction, as she observed them still sleeping soundly then picked up her thread-worn duffle bag hanging in a corner of the kitchen.

The hunched figure of Sekinat braced herself against the morning harmattan cold, shivering slightly before stepping out to brave the elements, trekking towards the roadside shelter in the middle of town to await the truck.

Every inhabitant of their small town started out for the farm quite early, under cover of the cool harmattan breeze. They set out that early to avoid searing rays of the sun descending upon them scorching everything in its path. Besides the lorry only made one trip to the farm and then another trip in the evening to drop them off in the centre of their town. Without an alternative means of transportation and the distance to and from their farm situated in the outskirts of town, missing the lorry was not an option for all of them safe the minority who possessed their own bicycles and motorcycles.

A handful were already there awaiting the impending arrival of the truck when Sekinat arrived to wordlessly merge with the silent horde, huddling together in the half light of approaching dawn.

Her heart sunk in dismay as she initially beheld the dark emptiness which their designated truck stop highlighted in the distance. The truck was normally there by now, but it seemed as though it was late today for some inexplicable reason she wondered.

And almost right on cue before she continued to despair its lateness, came the familiar belch and bang heralding the truck's arrival intruding upon her thoughts. The decrepit lorry laboured the remaining distance, as it trundled along before finally lurching to a stop before them. A darkish grey halo of diesel infused pungent smoke belched out from its exhaust, and covered the dark atmosphere as Sekinat and the other passengers coughed and covered their noses. No one complained or offered the slightest protestations. After all they were used to the early morning ritual hence simply shielded their face with the edge of their wrappers.

The substantial girth of Mallam Rabiu became apparent in the driver's seat, as he popped his head out and shouted his conductor's name twice.

-Dogo,dogo

-yes mallam, Dogo answered as he scrambled out from the back of the lorry.

-go put shock foh back tayah, mallam instructed Dogo, without a word the slim built but tall teenager quickly ran to the back of the lorry and fished out a block of wood, and a medium sized concrete which he wedged behind both of the back tyres. Rapidly anchoring the lorry to an immediate stop right in front of the awaiting assemblage.

The dark figures that had been huddling unseen underneath a roughly hewn lean to, now trooped out and massed around the ramshackle lorry. The conductor Dogo rushed to open the back door, and began to rearrange wooden benches there for his passengers. As the passengers including Sekinat hoisted themselves into the back of the lorry, they took a seat on one of the long wooden benches and settled themselves in for the long journey.