It is true that sometimes we get trapped by life but mind you in everything we shouldn't let our emotions take control of our entire body, that's why listening to good advice is somehow beneficial.
"Madam Hoha,i want another glass of matango,i will psy it later" ordered Abel
" Iam coming o " answered Madam Hoha
" No more of it" i said
I look at my brother wondering whether he never gets tired of drinking matango. Of course no? Perhaps yes? Iam as blank as you. But the truth is that he inherited this sharp and powerful taste of it from our late father Joseph. He was a fan of it when he was alive and was always present at this matango club as they call it, every Thursday after selling his goods. My brother behaves actually like him in that domain because he is always here every Thursday with me drinking matango. Someone may say that Iam also like him,but no,it is a bad judgment. It is true that Iam always at this matango club with him but truly i never more than two glasses of it.
He drinks this time around as If he has never drunk it before. Perhaps because something is wrong. I can't figure it out well but i know something is going wrong in his home. He complained to me last time about his wife. The last time i visited him,i found him talking savagely and hellishly to Chantal, trying to beat her as she was responding. I hindered him from doing it and asked him what was going wrong and he said"you see this woman,she hardly goes to the farm,she hardly works as a good woman must do to sustain her home but only spends the money i provide as a mad person. When you ask her to do simple things,she hesitates. Can you imagine, before going to the farm this morning,i told her to water my cocoa nursery,she didn't do it"
" O sorry my brother but don't beat her please" that was the only thing I could say.
Abel Afumbom is my junior brother and has been living with Chantal for 2 good years as husband and wife. They are married if i may say. Their union was sustained by pregnancy on November two years ago before they started living together. She is 23 and he is 28. Obviously i can't call their union marriage simply because they aren't married legally. Concubinage ! Does it sound good? No, marriage. Quite amazing.
I noticed something about Chantal ever since she accepted to live with my brother as husband and wife. In fact it is even something i noticed long before she started living with my brother. She doesn't like farming. Not only farming because even house chores she hardly does them. She spends her time spending my brother's money, drinking sachet whisky abd buying comestic products to fasten her beauty.
I have known her for quite three years. We were friends ever since before she became my brother's lover. How we met? It might be important. Well,one day i was going to fetch water and on my way i met her and passed without saying anything. 10 meters further i heard her shouting behind abr when I went to see what was going wrong,she said " a snake has just bitten me". I did all that was to be done and took her to her father's house. Since that day,she became my tight friend. It is true that friendship can in many occasions become a relationship,but o my God,not with Chantal,she never interested me. Not that she wasn't that beautiful but because she wasn't simply my type. Beauty is a minor criterion when judging or dating a woman of my type. In addition to that ,there is also her attitude and behavior. A woman must be respectful and hardworking in order to help her husband and not sit and wait for him to provide completely for her. Of course,Chantal wasn't so and till today she is still the same. Lazy!
She got acquainted to my brother in the market on Thursday noon. She was with me that time and we were chatting. She came to buy some food in the market. Abel came towards me speedily as he saw me and said " bro i have been looking for you. I even went to that matango club but didn't find you. I want you to give me that sprayer. I will be going to the farm by 3 pm". As his sight fell on Chantal,he said" who is that beautiful, wonderful abd fair lady by your side?"
" She is my friend. She is called Chantal. Chantal,this is abel,my Junior brother"
" Good day Abel" she said
" Thank you Chantal. Bro please let's go. I need it". As he spoke, he held his sight on her. I noticed it. Perhaps he allowed her beauty and body charm to ruin his emotions. Since that day he kept asking me whether we were lovers and i proved the contrary. Since then,he went on a date with her and started visiting her at their place.
I was surprised when my brother told me that he went on a date with her. I then concluded that he was charmed by her beauty, her fair skin,her big ass and her charming eyes at their first acquaintance.
They became lovers after a short period and later on promised themselves marriage,the power of love. Chantal if i may say was also fond of Abel because she didn't wait so long to accept his proposals. He is quite a charming and handsome guy. The charming prince. His former girlfriends loved him because of that.
His decision to live with her happened out of w sudden and it amased me. In fact,in addition to her father's decision,there was also Abel's decision. He impregnated her when she was still living in her father's house and so he decided that she should start living with him for him to carry his responsibilities. I advised him at first not to go on a date with her? What did he not listen to me? Stubbornness! That pregnancy was a simply a drop of water that came on to fill the bowl because even before I t,he had already decided to live with her. I advised him not to rush into marriage with her without studying and understanding her well even though she was carrying his child, whether she was his choice but he wouldn't listen. Love and beauty possessed his mind. Despite everything he decided to live with her following her father's decision too. My father was already dead by then. Maybe if he was alive he would do a better job than me. My mother advised him too. The poor woman!
I have been thinking about it regarding his mood ever since his union with Chantal, especially these last months. I have been telling him to send her back but he doesn't want to do it all in the name of love. He loves her so much,i know it, perhaps because of her beauty,o my God,what a trash! He has approved it to me several times " bro i love her so much i can't do it",poor Abel,he allowed his emotions to dazzle his vision and understanding. It is quite amazing, quite wonderful. He works and she consumes without providing,is it not slavery? Can't he see he is suffering? Love has really dazzled his vision and understanding. At times i come to think that she has given him charm. What proves it then? Nothing. She is still fresh as before and her beauty hasn't fade. Possibly when it fades ,he will realize at what point he is a slave to her and make a good decision. I can't decide for him, Iam just his brother,not even his mother or father. I can only advise him and if he takes my advice serious he will be fine.
Some people may wonder why Iam not living with a woman in my house or why Iam not married at 39 years old as my brother or why i don't have a child. Let me tell you. Marriage is an institution and a man must think well before getting married or lube with a woman. He must make sure he chooses the right person according to his desires in order to avoid distress. That is what I hold in the first place as a justification of my celibacy. Secondly a man must plan well so that he will be able to take care of his family. I want my children to live in good conditions. That's what I have been doing, planning! Looking for the right partner is quite a difficult task. You may go through heartbreak before finding that person,but the truth is that i believe in love,the true love, across my heart. I could have wooed Chantal and decided to live with her as husband and wife if i wanted but she wasn't my type,i knew she was interested in me.i want a hardworking and respectful woman. Beauty comes in the second place. I have been looking for a girl having these qualities but unfortunately I haven't found yet, particularly in this cursed village. I had many girlfriends but presently i don't have any. I broke up with my other girlfriend recently because she was a whore. Anything about planning has already been fulfilled because i have a very big farm of cocoa and banana that i created myself
It is true that Abel got himself into slavery but he doesn't realize it because of beauty and love if i may say. He loves her because of her beauty,what if it fades? Will he still love her tenderly? Perhaps. He doesn't see himself as a slave to Chantal who only consumes what he provides without providing, woman material. At times his vision and understanding rise and he acts as a normal man would do when his wife doesn't do his will. I noticed this that day i found him amending his wife. They bother have a one year old child named LD Ashley Afubom. Perhaps he is looking forward to fathering another child,i don't know,it doesn't concern me. What concerns me is the fact that he doesn't have a good wife. If he had a good wife,he would do great things. My brother is a good farmer,a hardworking person. He is hardly at home and always in the farm working for his family. You can only find him in the house in the evening.
But God bless Abel! This year he is planning to build a house and cease to be a tenant. That's why his expenditure rate has reduced, many people cannot understand it, except me. He has a piece of land already that he bought last month,all this thanks to me,i encouraged him to do it and not to keep spending his money for nothing and remain useless. Actually he is still a tenant abd he rents a two-room and one pallor house. For me,i have a one room and one pallor house which i builded when I was 28. It is quite amazing. I promised to help him if ever he comes short of money when realizing his project. It pleases me so much.
He has already finished the second glass that he ordered. It seems he wants a third one but i cannot allow him to drink again for fear he might get drunk before going back home as often. The wine isn't even sweet,i have drunk only one glass. Its sourness only proves that it is dangerous. His friends are laughing at him as often and saying " drunkard master". My God, my brother isn't a drunkard. That fact that he drinks a lot doesn't mean that he is a drunkard master. I still remember a Chinese movie i watched 2 months ago in which there is a drunkard master. Let me tell you,that movie is wonderful. That Chinese master's power comes from wine. Whenever he is drunk,he becomes powerful and fights his enemies like a good warrior. A flawless victory. I couldn't have remembered it if this miserable friends of Abel hadn't said the word.
One of his tight friends Martin has already drunk four glasses,yet isn't sufficient for him,he orders another one " madam Hoha i want another glass". My brother hearing this, definitely intervenes
" Martin,you are the drunkard master they are talking about"
" Indeed na true o" i answered
" Shut up! Leave this matango club. Madam Hoha please send these people out if this place. This statement is encouraged by others, especially Joe who is sitting at my right
" Execute it"
Perhaps they are drunk. I know them very well especially the regular customers of Madam Hoha. Joe and Martin are the gods of this matango club. They're always here every Thursday like my brother. They never drink less than four glasses of it and when they do so,they all get drunk out of a sudden. It is not strange. Their speeches,their facial expressions and their body movements approve everything. Iam not making a bad judgment but quite a good one. IAM really a good judge because from their facial expressions and speeches i can say whether they are drunk or not.
Martin wakes-up and goes outside. Maybe he wants to ease himself because he woke up abruptly even though already drunk,his movement was weak.
It is already 4pm and i think i have to leave this place and go back home because i left my house without bathing. What happened? I can't tell
" Abel i think we have to go"
" What na Dan,let me drink a third glass before we go"
" I think it is not evident for you. Now let's go"
" Go with your brother" says Joe ,his eyes winging
" Yes" i say
" A go come see you bro,go first"
He is reluctant about leaving this place. His decision to drink a third glass before leaving is final. I know him quite well,his decisions are always final. I still remember 2 years ago when I advised him not to marry Chantal despite the fact that she was carrying his child,he didn't listen. Well i feel sorry for him.
I can see sellers abd some people from inside here, leaving the market and going back home. The market is already finished. Perhaps my mother is already back,she went to the market this morning to sell her cocoyams. Anyway i will go to see her in the evening.
There us something so marvellous about Bantum market,you find almost everything in the market every Thursday: foodstuffs, cosmetics products, clothes, shoes and many other important things. Every Thursday when it 5 am ,you find people on the highway strolling to the market and when it is 4 pm ,they go back home.
The sun at this time of the evening is weak compared to the sun that shines at noon while merchants, sellers abd hawkers are shouting in the market " groundnuts 209 FRS for one cup","12 maggi at 100frs and so on. It is quite difficult especially for hawkers. We are in January, that's why merchants and sellers always bring their umbrellas to the market in order to avoid the heat of the sun rays
