It was now late in the evening, most people who had come for the burial had left, the compound was now empty. In front of the almost run down brick house, Orisi sat holding her toy doll made from banana fibers and sticks, she turned it up and down from time to time with no care in the world. Seeing her always silent daughter who would forever be fatherless, a tag of grief washed over her.
"Orisi, the sun is almost down, come inside the house," Rungi beckoned her daughter attempting to smile.
Orisi slowly turned her head and silently looked at her as though she was observing something deeper than her mother's words.
Seeing the foolish look on her daughter's face, Rungi just walked forward towards her and pulled her up, checking whether the dust from the ground had dirtied her clothes.
Seeing as her dress was clean, she breathed a sigh of relief, this dress was brought from Mbarara town by her husband's friend who had come to visit, Songu had quarreled about it being given to Orisi because according to her, her eldest grand child who was almost the same age as Orisi would look more nice in it as she had more meat on her bones compared to Orisi. Mani had become angry at that time and told his mother that whatever belonged to his daughter, no one could take away.
Who would have thought that this dress would be used to bury him?
"I made your favorite sauce, groundnut paste, let's see, what should I make you later.., '' Rungi said as she led Orisi in the house, who was still holding the doll in her other hand.
Orisi turned her head behind and slowly let the doll fall to the ground before waving to the small figure scooting in the distance exactly where she had been sitting. Skin grayish black with tattered clothes and bear feet, the small figure of a child around five years immediately splinted to the doll and attempted to pick it up to no Vail, after attempting this for a long time the small figure gave up and slowly sat on the ground besides the doll.
All these things were completely Oblivious to Rungi who was chattering away foods she would make Orisi later.
Inside the house, Rungi brought a small dress that Orisi usually wore at home and told her to change in it. Orisi did as she was told, but as the dress came off her body, visible rib cage bones came to view, a clear early sign of malnourishment.
Rungi sighed at the sight. Orisi was a 10 year old child but due to her poor feeding this year, she looked to be 6 years old. Mani tried to provide for them as best as he could but he wasn't a machine after-all, last year a very deadly drought sprung out of no where causing many people to die as many weren't prepared for it.
Although there was food in the granary, Songu insisted on serving it herself and given the dislike she had for Rungi and the daughter, it was obvious how the distribution went. It was only when Mani was feed up and stormed the granary, getting a sack of maize and millet floor that songu toned down her ways.
"This season is going to be great, the harvest will be in plenty. My big girl will eat lots of mattoke and maize, i will even buy you meat, what do you think?" Rungi said as she softly pinched Orisi's cheek.
"I don't like maize only mattoke," Orisi said, her voice was clear and firm, with no grief or sorrow. It was as though she wasn't from her father's funeral at all.
"Alright, mum shall remember your words," Rungi smiled as she said.
If only Orisi couldn't tell that her soul was grieving deeply and she said all these words to console her and make her forget about the burial, she would have been deceived. Since her childhood, she would smell, see and talk to souls, she just didn't tell anyone because the first time she told her dad about her elder brother whom she had talked to, he was very angry and warned her not to say nonsense in-front of her mother. From that day, she stopped talking about seeing things in-case it annoyed her parents.
The mother and daughter sat around a worn out dining table, and then had super. Rungi really didn't have appetite but when she glanced at her daughter eating without a care in the world, she went along. She had to stay healthy for both of them.
That night, Orisi slept besides her mother in contentment. The night was peaceful and quiet. However, although she was having peaceful sleep, that wasn't the same for Rungi who quietly left the room and picked up the old album on top of the wooden wardrobe besides the bed in the crumpled room.
Rungi sat in the chair and cried herself horse while covering her mouth in consideration of her sleeping daughter. The lose of her husband had left her empty. She had been abandoned by her family when she got pregnant in school, her father discarded her to Mani in shame.
During those days, getting pregnant out of wedlock was greatly looked down upon, some women committed suicide for fear of the treatment they would get from society. In most cases, the men would also abandon such girls due to pressure from their families but Mani never left her or gave up on her, when she was shunned by everyone, he came forward and took responsibility, he was a man of his words and always did as he said.
In that state, sleep took over her. No sooner had she closed her eyes when the 'sleeping' Orisi opened hers. She slowly picked up a bracket and went to the outer room, covering her mother with it. Looking at the nearby table, it was a photo of his father and mother , his father was lean and attractive with a round afro hanging her mother from behind with a very wide smile while her mother attempted to slap his hand with her head lowered.
She walked to the album, gently closed it and took it away. She knew about the dead, and his father went somewhere better than where they were, she hoped they would meet later with her elder brother, that way they would be a complete family.
However, it was better leaving this place, everything was grey here which wasn't a good sign, Orisi thought as she put the album away standing on the edge of the bed.
Rungi woke up with a start due to the loud noise, sitting in the old sofa, she massaged her crumpled shoulders as she walked towards the door, opening it and stepping outside.
Songu was outside with a basket and sickle as she harshly rebuked a scooting Orisi who was looking for something on the ground with a focused gaze.
"Look at this child, how did you raise her! She is always lost in her head every day! Sitting around and looking into thin air like a fool! Are you sure she is even my son's child!" Songu strongly pointed out.
This immediately angered Rungi, how could Songu accuse her of something so immoral!
"How can you say that? Orisi might not be like other children but she is bright! She always came first in her class before her education stalled due to financial constraints! " She said.
"Look at this! You said all this but still can't prove to me if she is my son's child!" Songu screamed making Rungi even more furious.
"Grandma, your hands are too dark, what did you touch last night?" Suddenly, Orisi's voice cut through Songu's bickering.
"What are you saying...I...I didn't touch anything!" Songu spat with a dodging look.
Rungi heard her daughters words and quickly approached her, wiping her dusty hands which were looking for who knows what on the ground. It was better to stop her words, who knew what Songu could do or say once angered. Rungi knew that Songu had lost her son and was grieving, her anger towards her might be a way to cool off and it would pass as always.
"Meet the women in the millet garden to harvest! Don't be lazy all day long and request for food like hungry wolves after!" Songu said before fleeing like she was being chased by dogs as she discreetly cast a probing gaze at Orisi. How could that child know what she did last night? Did she follow her? No that wasn't possible! She was always aware of her sorroundings!
Last night, she had gone to her usual native doctor and took her son's clothes which he wore before passing, the native doctor had told her he would summon his son to tell her where he kept his fortune if it were there. How could she not take the chance? She couldn't let the vixens take anything from her own flesh and blood!
"Don't say such words to your grandmother again, you will anger her more," Rungi said to Orisi.
"Alright," Orisi replied. However, she planned to look for a way to tell her mother about her father's friend so they could at least leave this place, everything she saw around here wasn't good and she felt like something bad would happen soon.