PART 5

A new tenant moved into the compound. Christopher who preferred to be called Chris claimed to be a bachelor and worked as a clearing agent at the port. He was light in complexion and in the eyes of most of the tenants, very handsome. He was tall, averagely built and had a gap tooth. All the ladies in the compound were interested in him. They dropped by his room to collect one thing or the other. Before long, fights began in the compound.

Iya Farida the caretaker called for a meeting about the continuous fights in the compound.

“Oga Chris, is it that you enjoy the fights amongst these girls? Why don’t you choose one girl and leave the rest?”

“Iya Farida, I am not dating any of them. They are just neighbours. Let any of them come out and say I have ever touched her or kissed her before. I haven’t. I have a girlfriend, she is at university. When she comes, all of them will leave me alone. I don’t have any interest in them”

“Have you heard him? Mothers here talk to your daughters. They are the ones throwing themselves at a man who doesn’t want them and they are fighting a lost cause. He is not interested in any of them o. Ladies, have you heard? If you go and meet him you are an ashawo, a prostitute. Leave the man alone”

There were laughter and grumbles but the matter was settled. Everyone departed to their apartments while talking amongst themselves. Iya Farida had dropped a bomb which didn’t go down well with some of the ladies involved but then what could they do?

Farida, now twelve going on thirteen, was fascinated by Chris. To her, she was the most handsome man she had ever seen. She had feelings for him. Whenever she saw him, she shied away. Farida was dark and had never seen a very light complexion guy before except the ones who had different shades of fairness due to use of inferior bleaching cream. Bro Chris was very clean. His complexion was so shiny that she admired it. When he smiled at her, her heart melted and she ran away. He always dropped something for her and her brothers anytime he clears goods from the Port. He brought back toys, plates, biscuits, pasta, can foods, drinks, chocolate, clothes, slippers, shoes and so many other things. He gave other neighbours too but the bulk was always to them because he liked maami.

Farida had begun to run errands for other people apart from the tenants. She goes to the market and buys things for them. She washed clothes, swept compounds and got paid. Her brothers joined her to work too. Their income over the weekend tided them until the next weekend. Public holidays were also a blessing. The new income had helped them a lot. Maami started house lesson in the compound. Her pupils came three times a week. This was another source of income for them too.

Chris asked maami if she knew anyone who could help him with cleaning his house for a token. 

"Farida cleans for people. Ask that useless Ade, Farida used to clean for him before he got married.”

“Why did you call him useless?”

“My dear, you won’t understand. Tell him I said he is useless”

“Ok, ma. So, what can little Farida do for me?”

“Let her work for you tomorrow then you will know”

“She can come. She should come by 10am. Let it be 10am please, I don’t wake up early on Saturdays”

“She will be there”

When maami mentioned it to Farida, she was reluctant to go. Her reason was the way she felt about the man but maami thought it was because of what happened with Ade. 

Eventually, maami taught Ade a bitter lesson. She summoned him to her room and in the presence of Farida warned him never to have sex with her daughter again otherwise she will call the vigilante group for him and make sure they burn him alive. He was also to continue paying Farida for her work. "Anytime she’s in your room and the curtains or the door are closed she will raise alarm for the compound people to gather and call you a rapist". Brother Ade was scared for his life and never touched Farida again. Any young girl that goes near his room, Iya Farida will shout at her to leave there. She didn’t want what happened to Farida to happen to anyone else. 

 She also had a conversation with Farida. “You are now a woman. You became a woman too early but it doesn’t change anything. Do not allow anyone bribe you into using you like Ade did. Do not enter any man’s room and allow him shut the door. Tell him to leave it open, your mother is watching. In as much as I refused to do anything against Ade, I want you to know that it is because of your future. Nobody needs to know what happened; it is our secret. But when it happens again then we are the fools. If anyone touches you in a way you don’t like, my child, shout for the whole neighbours to gather. He will never try it again. From now on you will be wearing mainly trousers; before they can remove the trousers, people have gathered. No matter where it is please, my dear, shout”

That year, Brother Ade got married. Ten months after the wedding, his wife had a daughter for him. During the naming ceremony, Iya Farida walked up to and said in a low voice, “I do not want to curse this beautiful baby girl but if at anytime you touch any small girl like you did my Farida, men will rape your daughter continuously even in your presence”

Brother Ade was startled by her words but quickly regained his composure. He began to make plans to leave the compound before his sins find him. It took him several years to leave.

Farida was smitten by Chris. She loved the way he looked and smiled at her whenever he saw her. He was her first crush. She talked about him to her friends in school that they came around to catch a glimpse of him. They were not disappointed. She was to start work with him with him the next day, how would she cope.

Farida was worried about meeting with him one on one and being alone with him while she did the household chores. Early the next morning, she got ready and wore her best clothes to his house. It was about 7:00am she boldly knocked on his door. There was no reply. She knocked severally before she heard someone grumble and then the door opened. Brother Chris was topless and had on only shorts. He had several black curly hairs on his chest. She thought she would faint at that sight but surprisingly, she kept a straight face. When she looked at his face, he didn’t look happy to see her. “I thought I told your mother you should come by 10:00am. Why did you wake me up from sleep?” he asked.

Farida calmed down inwardly and said, “By 10:00am, the sun will be out and most people would have occupied the lines. I might have to go to the market for you and the freshest items are best bought in the morning. If you give me a list of things you want me to do, I will start from the things that wouldn’t disturb your sleep”

Chris looked at her. He could see she was quite sharp. She was also very beautiful even more beautiful than her mum. She was still a small girl but she was tall for her age and a bit robust. She was a black beauty. This was the first time he was observing her. He liked her. He asked her to come in and take the instructions.

Farida was marveled when she entered his apartment. Her crush on him vapourised and was replaced by the apartment. No wonder all the ladies wanted to kill themselves over him. He occupied a room and parlour self-contained. He had a blue light in the parlour. The walls were painted white with gold shimmery designs. He had a big fluffy brown rug on the floor, three bin bags, a round glass centre table. She was shocked to see a room divder which was white and coffee brown in colour. It housed a 27” coloured television, a stereo, a CD player, and loudspeakers. The door to his bedroom was ajar. It had red light. There was a massive bed on the side of the wall with an equally big mattress, there was a blue rug on the floor and by the side a wardrobe. She couldn’t wait to get in to investigate further.

“Sit down. I can see you came prepared” he said pointing at her notebook and pen she had in her hands. “I needed you to help me clean up the house and wash a few things for me as I send my clothes to dry cleaner. You can go to the market for me. Can you cook?”

“Yes, sir. I can cook very well”

“I am not too sure of that but I wouldn’t mind you making stew for me and maybe something simple like Egusi soup. Can you make that?”

“I can cook any soup. My friends are Igbo, Calabar, Hausa and I help their mothers cook at home so I can cook. Trust me”

Truly, she was sharp. He told her to write the list of things she would need to cook and clean so she could buy them at once. He estimated she would be back after an hour so he could nap a bit more.

Farida was back in 40 minutes. She stayed outside and prepared everything she would need to cook. When she was set, she knocked again. Brother Chris responded grudgingly but this time he made himself decent. She entered into the kitchen first. She tidied up everywhere including mopping the floor. Then she put the meat on fire and started working in the sitting room. She opened the windows and door before she started. She was working and cooking. Brother Chris watched her in amazement. She swept the rug in the parlour and cleaned the room divider and all the electronics. She used soapy water on the windows, left it to dry and then used old newspaper to shine them. She took out the things for washing and soaked them. She changed the bedsheet and pillowcases and asked for a replacement. She poured harpic into the toilet and continued her work. Before 11 am, she was done with everything including the cooking. The quantity of soup and stew she made with the money he gave her surprised him because he gave more to other ladies and he would only get half of what he got and not even as tasty. She boiled rice for him to have with the delicious stew she made. He was so impressed by her that he gave her N2000 and asked her to go with some soup and stew. 

“Maami, you need to enter brother Chris house. It is very fine. His kitchen is like the kitchen we watch on telly. He has something that holds plates, another one that holds knives and another one he hangs his frying spoons and kitchen spoons. His cupboard is not like our own. Each one has a door. That is where he put his fine pots and some plates that have a cover. They are very beautiful. He put his foodstuff in another side. The rice he eats is not like our own. The bag is like semovita bag but the colour is brown” Farida went on and on. She was impressed with what she saw. Then she told her mother, “One day, maami, I am going to live in a big house and have everything brother Chris has and more. Even Nkoyo that is living in a flat doesn’t have what brother Chris has. Maami, I want to be very rich”

“It is my prayer for you my daughter. I want you to be very rich. That is why I push you to work hard in school so you will get good jobs and make plenty money”

“Maami, you went to school, how come you are not rich?”

“I didn’t finish school that is why”

“I am not looking at going to school to be rich. Aunty Chioma is always going for interviews, she still hasn’t gotten a job. I want to marry a very rich man. I will be his only wife. He will take very good care of me; not like Alhaji. He will be young, handsome educated and very rich. He will make me happy”

Maami was perplexed at her daughter’s heart desire. That wasn’t what she wanted for her. She calmly tried to make her understand. “My daughter, it is not as easy as that. Ok, what will you offer him?”

“My beauty of course. He will not be able to resist me”

“Farida, what beauty? See you, you are fat. You eat too much. You refuse to rub cream on your body every morning and night as I instruct you. Look at how white your legs are. You walk around on bare feet, look at the sole of your feet how chipped they are. Apart from that, if he is educated and you are not then you do not match. Can’t you see the men that come for Chioma? See the cars they come in and how they look. They know she is educated but you, you have nothing to offer but the beauty only you can see”

 Maami’s words left Farida sleepless. Farida pondered deeply on her mother’s words. She knew she had something apart from her beauty. She was hard working and she learnt things very fast. This should also be a plus for her. But she realized her mother was right. She was twelve and didn’t take care of herself. She was going to be a teenager in a few weeks and she still dressed and behaved like a child. Maami made them rub ori (shea butter) on their body to moisture it but she hated the smell and the way it made her sweat. She and her friends spent most of their saved money on buying things to eat and show off when they went to school. She resolved to change all that. If she wanted to attract a very rich man, she had to take better care of herself, wear clean uniforms and socks, always make her hair neatly every week and stop eating junk so she could lose weight. She also resolved to walk to and fro the market instead of taking a bike (motorcycle) as she does. She didn’t want to rub ori. Auntie Chioma uses very nice cream, soap and body spray. She always smells nice. What she would do is to negotiate with her. She will work for her and in return, she would buy her a nice cream and soap. Her school bag and sandals were tattered. They did not suit a girl who wants to attract a rich husband. She decided to talk to bro Chris concerning them. He could see at his place of work. This long vacation, she will spend less time with her friends and more time working to make extra money to transform herself. Also, she had to study hard. She will get maami to help her with her academics. She was going to be writing her Junior WAEC examination next session so she needed to sit up. She had it all planned and mapped out.

Farida put all her plans into actions. Immediately after her examinations, she went to all her customers and mapped out the time she would work for them. It helped her know how much she would make in a week. She earmarked how much goes to her contribution at home while the rest went to her saving which she put in a wooden ‘kolo’ also called the piggy bank. She met brother Chris and talked to him about the school bag and sandals.

“What is your size and those of your brothers? I have a customer importing school items, I can get some things for you. What else do you need? Water bottle, math set, pencil holders? Just name them, I will get them for you once his goods arrive”

“Brother Chris, God will bless you. I will work for you for free for …..”

“No, you don’t have to. I am getting them for free. He is bringing them for sale and I am entitled to some as his clearing agent. Once his container lands I will bring for you. What is the colour of your school sandals?”

“Brown sir”

“No problem. You will cook Ogbono soup for me tomorrow. You can cook it at your house and bring it when I get back. I enjoyed the last one you cooked”

“Thank you, sir. I will collect the money in the morning”

Farida was ecstatic. She was going to get new sandals and school bag. Even mathset and water bottles. Her brothers too will have new school things. She was excited but contained it in order to keep it a secret for now. She didn’t want others to know about it and then disturb bro Chris for the same thing thereby jeopardizing her chances.

Next was her uniform. She went to check the price of the material in the market; it was affordable. The sewing was the problem. So, she went to the tailor, told her she would come every morning to sweep her shop and then come in the evening to help run errands in exchange for her to make uniforms for her brothers and herself. The woman was amazed that such a young girl could come confidently with such an offer. She agreed, she took her measurement and the measurements of her brothers who were entering JS1. She told her the number of materials she would need for two sets. She swept the shop every morning and stationed her brothers at the shop to run errands for the woman. She took up extra jobs and within two weeks, she was able to buy the materials. 

She needed soap and cream. Auntie Chioma was a nice lady but she was also snobbish. Farida had to look for a way to get her attention. She observed that Chioma stared at Chris whenever she saw him. It used to prick her heart but now she knew what she wanted, the rich husband wasn’t brother Chris. If getting Chioma close to him will get her what she wants then she would use it to penetrate Chioma. She hacked a plan. She approached Chioma.

“Auntie, brother Chris likes you. He said out of all the ladies in this compound it is you he likes best”

“Are you serious? Farida did he really say that?”

“He did. He said he likes the way you behave. You mind your business and you don’t quarrel with anyone”

“Chris said that? Anyway, he is right. I am not on their level now”

“I said let me tell you”

“Thank you”

“Do you have any work for me to do for you?”

“I don’t have. I just got a job I am managing now. The pay is small but it is better than nothing”

Farida thought for a while. Then she said, “I will ask bro Chris if he can find work for you since I know he likes you”

“Will you? If you help me, I will give you whatever you want”

“Whatever I want? Is that a promise?”

“It’s a promise”

“Ok. Consider it done but you must keep to your promise”

“I will”

Farida waited for bro Chris outside the gate to come back from work. He was surprised when she dragged him to a corner to talk to him.

“Farida, what is it?”

“Brother Chris, I need a favour from you”

“Is that why you had to wait outside? What is it?”

“Sister Chioma needs a job and I know you know people that can employ her”

“Does she really need a job? I was under the impression she was comfortable”

“She’s not o. She needs a job and she said she would have asked you herself but she’s shy. Since I am close to you. she begged me to ask you”

“Ok, I know a maritime company that is recruiting. Let her give you her CV, I will submit it for her. She should have come herself”

‘She is shy. I will get it”

“Is that all?”

“That’s all for now”

“Farida, you can disturb. I will do it for you”

Farida jumped excitedly to sister Chioma’s room. She requested for her CV which she gave her with a look of curiosity. Farida took it to brother Chris. To her it was mission accomplished. She just had to wait.

Sister Chioma came to their house three weeks after to thank Farida. She got the job and she was very happy. She wanted to rush out when Farida stopped her and reminded her of her promise.

“I remember. So, Farida, what do you want?”

“I want a good bathing soap, cream and body spray. You will buy them for me. That is all I want.”

Iya Farida was dumbfounded at her daughter’s request. “Farida, how do you make such demands because you helped someone?”

“Maami, we had a deal. I am not asking for too much”

“Truly, you are not asking for too much. Tomorrow, I will get you the soap, cream and roll on. You don’t need a spray for now. They are not expensive. I will also buy you packs of sanitary pad so you will stop using tissue paper. I can see you are becoming a lady and you are self-conscious. I will gladly supply you the items every month. You are like my younger sister”

Farida’s joy knew no bounds. She ran and hugged sister Chioma. She was happy she understood and didn’t back down on her promise and to always supply them made her even happier.

When Chioma left, maami called Farida and asked her what happened. She explained how she used brother Chris to get a job for sister Chioma and they agreed she would do anything for her if she succeeds. 

“Did you use a rich husband to do this?”

‘No o, but I need those things to attract a rich husband”

Iya Farida was speechless. Her daughter baffled her. She still didn’t get the message. She was still transfixed on getting a rich husband. If attracting a rich husband would make her lose weight and take better care of herself, then she would not discourage her. She never knew there was more to come.

 

PART 4

A few days after her encounter with Baba Juwon the landlord, the tenants in her compound were summoned for an urgent meeting. The compound got a letter from armed robbers telling them they would be paying them a visit in two weeks. As the letter was read, Iya Farida’s heart began to beat very fast as the robbers specified what they wanted. They asked for a special meal to be prepared, the specific amount of money they expected to collect and women who would “service” them. This threw the compound into a panic. Some of the tenants moved out immediately. Iya Farida was stuck; she had nowhere to go. 

The week of the intended visit by the robbers, Iya Farida begged a danfo(commercial) bus driver to give her shelter in his bus at night so they could hide from the robbers. The man agreed but wanted something in return and made it clear what he wanted. She left him and went to the head of the touts popularly called “agberos” to help her secure a place in the market where she could sleep with her children at night. He found a place for her. She arranged the tables in the stall, used their clothes as a mattress on the floor and used a wrapper as a bedsheet. She used the tables as a shield. She took old mosquito net to cover around the tables to keep mosquitoes away. Then she went to get her children.

That night, as they slept, Iya Farida heard someone stagger towards the stall. The person stopped and urinated in the gutter nearby and then staggered back to their stall. Obviously, the person was either drunk or high on marijuana. She was worried about the safety of her children who were sound asleep. As the person got closer, the person called out to her. She immediately recognized his voice; it was the head of the touts. She knew she and her children were not safe anymore. She quietly woke them up as he was calling out for her. She packed their things and through the side of the stall, without making much noise, she escaped with her children. She went back to the house with them. Sleep eluded her as she watched guard over them. She was scared but she felt safer there than at the market. 

As the day began to dawn, she thought about her situation. All the men she had encountered wanted the same thing from her. Most of the women were not willing to help her; they only gossiped about her which she didn’t bother her'. She had three children to protect, what should she do? She weighed her options. Just to sleep at night, she would have to be regular 'food' for the danfo driver and the head of agberos who are still young and agile. If she stays back in the house, the robbers will rape her in the presence of her children and to the knowledge of everyone in the compound. This will bring shame to her and her children. But if she agrees for Baba Juwon, the landlord, the man is old, she would have accommodation and her family will be well taken care off. She had to make a decision and quickly too.

The next morning, she found herself in the Baba Juwon’s house. He asked her if she was ready to pay for the house. She explained to him she still had no money and narrated what happened in the compound.

“Well, my offer is still open. If you want the accommodation, it is available under my terms. I will take care of you and your children and in return, you will take care of me.”

“How do I take care of you?” she asked.

“Anytime I send for you, you have to answer me. You will do whatever I ask” he replied while winking at her and raising an eyebrow in a lewd way to drive home his point.

“Sir, I work. I leave home very early in the morning and come back home very late at night. I cannot be at your beck and call. I am saying this so you will not say I did not keep to our agreement and throw me out.”

“That’s not a problem. How much do you make a day?”

“N1,000 sir”

“I will pay you for the days I want you.”

Iya Farida smiled. She made just N500 a day and here she was getting a N1,000 for doing nothing. She could put the boys in daycare with the extra cash so Farida can start school. She believed she made the right decision. Instead of having sex with different men that would even take from her like Ronke in the compound did, it was better to stick to one man and hide it as much as possible.

Iya Farida was now living the life. She moved her belongings into their new abode. Baba Juwon installed burglary proof on the doors and windows to make her feel safer. He renovated the place and painted it. He gave her his old furniture to use. He gave her an old television set he had so her children could be entertained when she was not around. She could see that her children were happy. Everything was looking good.

Baba Juwon was kind to her. He never treated her like her husband did. She was already used to being maltreated or forced to have sex so she was expecting the same treatment from her new lover but he was different. He was gentle and wanted to please her. He was also very generous. Whenever he travelled to his home state, Ondo state, he bought foodstuff for her which kept their tummies full for a long time.

She fulfilled her promise. When she was introduced as the new caretaker, some of the young men who were tenants saw an opportunity. They were surprised that she was very strict and rigid. She took very good care of the property. She swept the compound herself every morning. She ensured contributions for electricity bill are made and the bills paid timely. All complaint about the building were made to her while she channelled the complaints to Baba Juwon during their “private” time. She gave him less work which made him glad.

She lived there happily for three years. She wrote GCE so she could at least have her WAEC. She passed. She got a job as a teacher in a nursery and primary school. The salary wasn’t much but at least her children had the opportunity to attend the school for free. She was more confident and lost her village ways of talking and dressing. She was now exposed. Baba Juwon was getting jealous with the men that he observed around her especially male tenants. She assured him that she had nothing to do with them. He didn’t really believe her but he had no proof she was dating anyone of them. After some time, he learnt to trust her.

Several months after Iya Farida had settled down. on a Sunday morning which was her rest day, she heard a loud knock on her door. Farida answered the door and ran back in visibly frightened. She couldn’t respond to her mother continuous enquiry of who was at the door due to the fear. Iya Farida went to check herself and was shocked to see Alhaji, her husband, and her father. She became dizzy instantly. How did they find her? Who told them where she was? There was only one person she ever disclosed her whereabouts to and the person was supposed to be trusted. It was only her sister she had been sending letters to. 

“Open this gate immediately” her husband bellowed at her.

“Iya Farida, is this you?” her father asked. “We thought you were dead. Please open let us talk.”

She didn’t have a choice but to open the burglary and let them in. She knew the day won’t end nicely. She feared more for her children.

“You took my children away from me Iya Farida. You stole my money and my children so you could come to Lagos and start ashawo business. How market now?” her husband asked her. She could see the anger in his eyes. She didn’t answer him.

“Iya Farida, pack your things and those of your children, you are coming back to Ilorin with us.” Her father emphasized.

 “I don’t need her; I only came for my children. She is an ashawo, a prostitute. How could she afford to live in this Lagos if she was not selling her body? I don’t want it again. I just want my children especially the twins.” Her husband replied.

Iya Farida knelt down before her father to appeal. “Baba mi, I almost died the last time he beat after you talked to him. He wanted to have sex with me in the presence of my daughter. I knew it was a matter of time before he kills me. I have a job; a good job. I am teaching in a school here and my children are attending that school. Please baba mi, I don’t want to go back with him. Allow me achieve something in my live.”

Her husband laughed at her words and then reminded her, “You were given to me; I didn’t come for you. You cannot be returned to your family. Since you have started prostituting then I will use you to make money.”

“Haba Alhaji, why would you say that about your wife? I shouldn’t have told you about our discovery then. If her mother hadn’t found the letters, will we be here today? Be patient with her. Let us resolve this and take her back.” Her father replied.

“Baba mi, I am not going back. He cannot take my children.” She insisted.

Alhaji descended on her as she spoke to her father. He threw blows at her body. She shouted while her children wailed at the torture their mother was facing. The chaos attracted the tenants in the compound; they gathered in front of her room. A tenant went to call the landlord. When the young men in the compound saw Alhaji beat Iya Farida, they came to her rescue and without asking questions beat him up. Her father watched in shocked amazement while his in-law was dragged out of the apartment and taught a bitter lesson. A man cannot beat a defenceless woman in the presence of other men. It was no proof of his manhood.

The commotion in the compound attracted Baba Juwon to the scene. When he was told what happened, he invited the Police. They picked up Alhaji and took him to the Police station. He was charged with assault and was locked up for a week. His family members and Iya Farida’s father met Baba Juwon to appeal for his release. He asked them to come back the next day after much begging.

He summoned Iya Farida who had been avoiding him. He needed to understand all he had heard from those who came to beg for the man’s release. She was terrified to see him but knew she had no choice. Immediately she stepped into the room, she fell on her knees. She cried as she confessed to Baba Juwon who Alhaji was and her reason for running away. 

She concluded by saying, “He beats me till I am unconscious and then rapes me and leaves me for dead. When I realized that I could die from the constant beating, I ran away from his house.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? It is a taboo for me to sleep with a married woman. Do you want me to lose all my fortunes? Why did you do this?” he replied angrily.

“I am very sorry. I had to hide our identity. Please Baba Juwon, you can see what this man is capable of. I want him to divorce me and free me. If you can help me achieve this, I will be forever grateful.”

Baba Juwon thought about the situation hard and long before deciding. He was upset at her deception but on the other hand, he could understand why she did it. If it was the last thing he would do for her, then he will help her regain her freedom from an abusive husband. 

The cell at the Police station had not been fair to Alhaji. The inmates beat him up for attacking a woman. He was made to serve the president of the cell. He was ready to do anything to leave. He had his regrets. He would have just collected the boys and left but instead he decided to teach Iya Farida a lesson. He just wanted to leave and erase his visit to Lagos from his mind as a bad dream. 

Baba Juwon went to the Police station and gave Alhaji a condition.

“I can leave you to rot here in the cell. Ilorin is not Lagos. You might be a strong man in Ilorin but here, you are a nobody. You assaulted a woman openly. I don’t care if she is your wife but it is assault. She can file a case against you. But if you don’t want that, divorce her right now and I don’t want to see you anywhere near my property again. If you agree, I will release you immediately but if you refuse, I will transfer you to Federal SARS and accuse you of armed robbery. You won’t see your family again.”

Alhaji didn’t need to think too long about it. He was quick to accept the condition. He divorced Iya Farida and wrote an undertaken never to come near Iya Farida or the children again. Iya Farida’s father was so disappointed that he disowned her and offered Alhaji his other daughter in exchange but he declined saying, “I don’t want any child from you. Is it not the girl that was hiding letters from us you want to give me? I am not interested. Keep your children. Because of them, I spent how many weeks in the cell. I will never forgive Iya Farida for what she put me through”

That was the end of it. Alhaji and his entourage left Lagos for Ilorin. Baba Juwon was Iya Farida’s savior once again. With a joyful heart, she went to thank him and he expressed his disappointment at her.

“What you did could have cost me everything I have. I had to go for cleansing. You should have told me; I would have understood, and still have given you the house. But it is okay now he has divorced you. Never you lie to me again. I will protect you as much as I can”

That was good news to Iya Farida. She was happy the issue had been resolved amicably. She still did some work for him at home but he hardly called her into his bedroom anymore. She was not needed to render such services. It created shortage in their lives. He was no longer giving them the perks that come with her servicing him. She talked to him and begged him to forgive her but he refused to reconsider. She had to take up extra jobs to meet up. Some days she worked very late in the night selling by the roadside. She still performed her duty as a caretaker.

Baba Juwon fell ill. He had been diabetic but had managed it for a long time. Iya Farida had helped keep the diabetes level down when they were still together because she forced him to obey the instructions of the doctor. Months after their separation, he relapsed on the instructions and his sugar level was dangerously high. To worsen the situation, he had an injury on his right foot which refused to heal for a long time. His children came together and took him abroad for treatment. He was there for about two years and then news got to them in the compound that Baba Juwon was dead. It hit Iya Farida hard. He was her benefactor and was very good to her. She wailed uncontrollably when she heard it. 

After the burial, the children called the tenants together for a meeting. The tenants were informed that the house will be managed by a lawyer and he would attend to everything concerning the house. The tenants told them there was a caretaker who had done a good job for years now. They advised that the lawyer works hand in hand with Iya Farida as she knows everything about the house. The lawyer said he was going to quit her from the care taker’s room and bring in his own person. The tenants refused saying she had handled the job very well all these years and she should be allowed to continue. The children agreed but the lawyer had a wicked plan in mind.

Three days later which was a public holiday, thugs came into the compound carrying sticks as weapons. They tried to paste eviction notice on the doors of the tenants. They barged into Iya Farida’s room dragging her and her children out. They proceeded to throw out all her belongings. She had rice on fire when they came and they threw both the food on the fire and the stove outside. The hot rice poured on Iya Farida but she didn’t notice the damage it had done. Luckily, the fire quenched before the stove landed. 

Iya Farida’s cries were wasted where they were because it was a Sunday and the compound was almost empty until a Police officer and the vigilante group of their areas came to the house. Apparently, the tenants who were left in the compound couldn’t stand the injustice being meted out on their caretaker and called the Police and vigilante in their area. The thugs stopped their task.

“Who sent you to remove this woman from the house?” the head of the vigilante asked.

“The lawyer did. He said she had been asked to go but she refused” the thugs answered.

“Where is the eviction notice? Is it your duty to evict anyone? Where is the court judgment giving the lawyer such right? Call him here immediately.” The police officer instructed the thugs.

“He must come here immediately. If he doesn’t come, both this house and the landlord’s house will be destroyed. You better call the landlord’s children too, otherwise, their inheritance will be destroyed as they destroyed this woman’s property.” The head of the vigilante added.  

Iya Farida tried to stand up but she noticed she couldn’t. When she was dragged out of the house she had hit her leg and scratched it on the floor. She couldn’t support herself with her right leg. She became scared when she notice blisters on her face and her hand. They had swollen. What could have happened? It was then she noticed the rice grains on her body.

Iya Farida was rushed to the hospital. The vigilantes were so angry that they wanted to burn down the Baba Juwon’s house. The security quickly contacted the children as the lawyer who gave the instruction refused to show up. The children arrived in the nick of time. They quickly resolved the issue. They never instructed the lawyer to evict anyone. They also had agreed that Iya Farida remained as the care taker. The lawyer wanted to use intimidation to have his way but it failed woefully as the neighbourhood stood with Iya Farida.

Iya Farida stayed for several days in the hospital as her face and hand were scarred from the boiling rice water landing on her face and hand. Her ankle was twisted in the process of throwing her out which developed into a fracture.

Late Baba Juwon’s children came to visit Iya Farida in the hospital bearing gifts. They paid all her hospital bills and also assured her no one would chase her out of the house. Her twisted ankle required her using clutches which they provided for her. Unfortunately, the ankle never went back to normal and affected the way she walked because she couldn’t afford physiotherapy.

Life took its toll on Iya Farida. She had to depend solely on her teaching as she couldn’t carry load on her head which she used to augment her meagre salary. She had a roof over her head and did other menial jobs which her condition enabled her to do. Sitting in a place made her put on excessive weight which made movement on the ankle very difficult. She had help from just one source; her daughter Farida and now Ade decided to steal her joy. She had plans for him.