A CUP OF MOONLIGHT 2

"Sanu",the female voice said.

"Yaya dei"?

His mother replied with excitement in her voice.

Rabiu was auwals night mare.

Not just because she had a face of a horse with a beak as a nose, but because She knew everyone's business and took it upon herself to do so.

She was the village queen gossip and no one else had her annoyingly loud and squeaky voice. His mother adored her because anytime she came around, it was fresh gossip accompanied with kunu and kosei (bean cake).

He wondered why his mother tried to match make both of them even though he has made it clear several times that he wasn't Interested in a woman like rabiu.

He emptied whatever was left in his bowels, cleaned himself up and made his way out. The gossip was already in full swing and auwals face tightened with irritation with each second to the sound of their voice.

If there was anything he didn't like about his mother it was her insatiable craving for gossip. On several occasions, he had witnessed his mother been confronted by other women in the village due to one rumour or the other which she either formulated,  exaggerated excessively or spread.

Sometimes the confrontation became physical and auwal would refuse speaking to; or eat anything prepared by her for days.

Such moments flung him into depression. He was a man who didn't allow the idea that he was abandoned by his father upset him.

After all he was more intelligent than his peers  when it came to academics and was pointed out as role model by parents to their children .

The bile in his stomach rose to his tongue when he heard his name come up in their discussion.

Rabiu was asking about him...

"you mean your husband?”

Teased his mother. The loud squeaky laughter that erupted from rabiu made it seem like a giant possessed rat had just found where a farmers newly  harvested corn has been hidden.

He was going to the stream to bath and would find something to eat from the farm..anything to take him out of the house and not to be stuck with these women was bliss for him.

His mother called out to  him just as his hands touched the cutlass which sat beside the hoe.

Reluctantly he answered and made his way to her.

He still loved his mother and appreciated her effort for raising him single handed.

He saw her sometimes as a little child who needed scolding when wrong and pampering when well behaved.

Rabiu sat on the mat close to the clay pot which sat cooking while been upheld by three large rocks. His mother was sitting with her and before  them was a decorated bowl of bean cake and kunu.

He refused making eye contacts with her as he looked at his mother who kept darting her eye balls to rabiu as to say "she is here....say something".

Auwal was a man of his own and could never be cajoled into anything he didn't want to do through pity or threat.

But this was his mother. And he knew she had her own way of tormenting his life if he didn't do a favour. Reluctantly he muttered some Inaudible greeting to her and before the last word could finish she responded with a giggle and hid her face in her veil as if she was shy.

Auwal almost bursted out laughing because catching her from the corner of his eye,she looked like an imbecile making an effort to be sexually bashful.

A wide smile came to his face as he shook his head to the picture that came to his mind as she giggled. wide eyed, both women looked at each other in joyful disbelief. It indeed was a miracle to see auwal smile.

Rocking her bum and crossed feet simultaneously she joyfully squeaked

" Kachi abinchi mana"

urging him to join them in their meal. Taking a deep breath as the smile which gave him such a beautiful face began to contrast into a more turgid handsomeness, he asked  his mother if she had any errand he could run for her.

Knowing her son so well,she knew he was already out of patience and could snap any moment.

She replied that rabiu would run her errands. As he turned and made his way out of the compound, rabiu squeezed her crossed legs tighter secretly pleasuring herself to the thoughts of having such a man crush her under his weight.