MY FATHER IS A FARMER BUT MY MOTHER IS NOT WORKING

We live in a village called Ago, my father is a well respected farmer but my mother is not working, she only perform are expected roles. Every morning my mother wakes up at exactly 4.am in the morning, she walks to next village's stream with ever other woman in our village, they move en-masse for security purpose. Their early morning water is good for drinking and cooking. Every man will still be asleep by that time including my father.

By 6.am-7.am, they would have returned from two trips of water fetching, and mother will start cooking for us and preparing to take us to the village school just across the express road. Immediately we leave for school, my mother will take care of my younger ones, the youngest is six months old while the second to the last child is about a year and eleven months old.

My mother loves washing clothes everyday, I believe it is because almost all her children bed wet. I do not bed wet unless I eat too much or drink lots of water but I bed wet almost five times a week, mother loves pounded yam, it is always too heavy for me that is why I bed wet. I just cant imagine where her strength comes from, to pound yam for seven people is real stress, but that is father's best food.

Mother will carry my father's food to his farm everyday before going to her own farm which is closer to the village. my father's farm is very very far, but he rides his bicycle to the farm around 7.am in the morning, he does no eat in the morning, because mother's food is always late, according to father.

Mother will strap our baby to her back but leaves the other child at the care of neighbors because according to her, grandmother cannot even take care of herself not to talk of taking care of her grandchildren, she leaves for her farm which is closer to the village at around 10.00 am after taking care of the little ones and my grandmother, grandmother is a once upon a time beautiful woman according to my father but now she is too old to lift a finger, I think mother takes more time to take care of her than to take care of our little baby. One day my father sternly warned my mother never to complain about his mother, she spits on the floor because of her tobacco that is permanently glued to her tongue and she bed wets too, father said that her bladder is weak or so. But everywhere must be smelling nice, that is father's instruction and must be strictly adhered to.

Produce from my Mother's farm is strictly for home consumption, even is she sells them, father will always collect the money from her and she said it is a good woman that is transparent to her husband, in actual fact, they operate common purse. Though mother has never seen the purse before, may be father will show us the common purse one day, just to know the color of the common purse.

Mother will leave is farm around 4.30 pm to fetch water in the local stream, then father will return too, but he plays the local game known as ayo olopon with his friends under eh mango tree, where they gist and drink palm wine but mother performs her duties during that time. After tow rounds of water for cooking and drinking, she will begin to cook yam, father eats pounded yam everyday of his life. I will never do that, I love rice and beans, father believes it is meant for birds.

We always run to call father when food his ready, the big meats are reserved for him, he loves meat too much, I love meat too but children must not be encouraged to eat meat, mother says it causes ringworm in children. Mother will prepare for next day after washing the plates and bathing for her baby. She retires late when everyone is fast asleep, she is a neat woman who loves her duties and do them religiously but I love my father, he is a very strong and powerful man.

My mother is not working at all because she is a full time house wife.