Ugomma The Port Harcourt Girl

Chapter one:

It is how one walks that his clothes get torn. Ugomma was a Port Harcourt girl. She had been in Port Harcourt ever since she divorced her first husband, Ikenna. Ugomma got married to Ifeanyi. Ifeanyi was a musician and the leader of Ifeanyi dance band, Port Harcourt. He was the kind of a man that Ugomma was longing to marry.

Ifeanyi was average in body weight, average in height and dark in complexion. He was also a model in fashion. This was what Ugomma loved most in him. He met Ugomma in a night show he performed in the main city of Port Harcourt. Ifeanyi wanted Ugomma at first sight. He loved Ugomma because she was very beautiful and sought her hand in marriage.

Money does not suffer hatred. Ugomma was not surprised. She knew that everyman who saw her must be tempted to take her home, though, she purposely dressed and stationed herself to attract Ifeanyi who had just divorced his wife and needed a woman to take that position immediately. Ugomma knew that and prepared for it.

Ifeanyi was singing but was sending a message with his eyes to Ugomma. Being the kind of a woman that men went after, Ugomma knew that she had gotten a replacement for Ikenna. She was willing to go home with Ifeanyi thinking that what happened in her wedlock with Ikenna would not be repeated. She had always heard of Ifeanyi and his musical crew. It was Ugomma who prayed to settle down with him.

As soon as Ifeanyi’s assignment was over, Ugomma was next on line. Ifeanyi located Ugomma and did not spend much time to reach an agreement. Ifeanyi was ever ready to play the game he knew best. He brought out an engagement ring and engaged Ugomma.

“I wish to spend the rest of my life with you”, Ifeanyi said as he brought the ring.

“I ‘m not yet convinced you will respect me as a woman and what I am. I don’t need this ring”, Ugomma pretended.

“We are not perfect. We may argue, quarrel and fight but I don’t want to lose you”, Ifeanyi added.

Ifeanyi possessed all the indices that Ugomma wanted from a man. She was so desperate to have him. Ugomma accepted the ring without asking how Ifeanyi got it. It was a dream come-true to both divorcees. Ifeanyi paid Ugomma’s bride price and they settled down to a family life.

There was nothing a woman would need that Ugomma did not have, unlike when she was living with Ikenna and his father, Ossai, in the village that raindrop flooded the entire floor. Ifeanyi’s house was designed with Plaster Of Paris (POP) ceiling. It was constructed in a way that no one would know when it was raining.

It was eba and okra that Ugomma ate at Ikenna’s house while she ate noodles and anything she wanted in Ifeanyi‘s house. She directed her maids to cook whatever food she wanted.

“Yes! This is how life ought to be”, Ugomma told herself. “I cannot compromise my joy for love. Ikenna should continue to suffer in the village”, she added not knowing that Ikenna had gone back to the city and had re-married too.

Ugomma was still a new person in the house. She sat down admiring the furniture and the electrical gadgets in the sitting room.

“Thank God”, she nodded her head. “Thank God I took giant steps on time and divorced him. I could have been roasting in their mud house like a cricket”.

It was Ifeanyi’s resources that gave Ugomma joy. He loved Ugomma and treated her like a queen. Ugomma had maids that did all kinds of domestic work for her. There was division of labour among the maids. Ugomma had a maid that took charge of her cell phones. The maid would put the phone on Ugomma’s ear when she had a call, thereafter kept the phone.

The maids must stand round Ugomma doing one thing or the other anywhere she was. If there was nothing meaningful to do, Ugomma would ask them to scratch her head and rub her feet.

“No one calls the daughter of a king a maid”, Ugomma said happily. She was in total control of everything in Ifeanyi’s household

Ugomma returned from shopping one evening and asked Rhoda to cook yam porridge for her. Rhoda was one of her maids. Ugomma made her the director of kitchen in the house.

“Hurry up,” said madam Ugomma. “I need yam porridge and chicken for supper.”

“Sorry ma’, we have no chicken,” Rhoda replied

Ugomma looked at Rhoda like a negation with a slap on the face.

“How can you say there is no chicken? What happens to the poultry?” Ugomma shouted at Rhoda looking at her like a person lacking common sense.

“Forgive me ma’, I never knew it’s in the poultry,” Rhoda apologized and left.

The maid’s languages were; “sorry ma’, “please forgive me ma’, thank you ma.”

Rhoda had gone to the kitchen while Ugomma was in the dinning waiting for the meal. Ifeanyi was away always. This was the only problem Ugomma had with him. He returned late and left so early every day and did not call at home some days. Money was Ugomma’s problem and she had it in abundance. It was Ifeanyi’s continued absence that made him hire the maids to care for Ugomma and her two month baby. Ugomma had already given him a baby boy. Ifeanyi spent limited time with his wife.

Rhoda brought the food to the dinning and set the table before madam Ugomma. Ugomma had nothing to do as the maids shared the domestic duties among themselves. Ugomma was seen as a queen. The maids must make her bed before she could go to it.

The maids stood round Ugomma as she opened the dish and began to eat. She commissioned the maids to fan her even when the air conditioner was on.

“You idiot,” Ugomma shouted at Rhoda. “Can’t you see what I ‘m eating is hot?”

“Sorry ma’ I never knew you need it now,” Rhoda pleaded and resumed with her hand fan.

Adaobi was the maid who took care of Ugomma’s child. She carried the baby and sat beside Ugomma who never carried her baby except to breastfeed him, or she was very happy.

Rhoda’s hand fan mistakenly hit Ugomma’s hand. The piece of yam in her hand fell into her clothes. Ugomma got angry and jumped to her feet. She walked a little while, came back and landed a slap on Rhoda’s face.

“How dare you, Rhoda? How dare you cause a stain on my clothes?”  Ugomma roared like a wounded lion.

“I ‘m sorry ma’, it’s a mistake. Please forgive me,” Rhoda pleaded

“Must you be troubled by the food?”

“No ma’, I am not hungry. Please forgive me,” Rhoda pleaded again.

“I must teach you a lesson today,” Ugomma threatened.

“Madam, I beg you, don’t hurt me. It’s not intentional,” Rhoda continued to beg Ugomma. She went on her knee

“You ‘re leaving this house. Don’t beg me. A fowl will see maize inside a bottle but will never eat it. You are leaving this house now,” Ugomma shouted again.

Rhoda was crying, knowing how tough Ugomma was.

“You go to your dirty room and take all that belongs to you and leave before I strike you dead,” Ugomma demonstrated raising her garn.

Rhoda’s colleagues knelt down and they all began to beg Ugomma. They knew that a punishment for a maid was a punishment for all of them.

“Madam, please forgive Rhoda. Such mistake will not be repeated,” Adaobi pleaded.

Ugomma sat like the first lady shaking her leg in anger, while roving her eyes like that of the cat.

“Yes, I can see it,” Ugomma nodded as if she remembered something and stood up. “I can see you are tired of your job. You all are going out of this house,” she added without showing concern for their plea.

Rhoda was tired and did not know what to do. It was Ifeanyi who helped a lot to calm Ugomma whenever she blew hot. Rhoda became helpless as Ifeanyi was not at home to put the situation under control. She did not want to lose her job yet.

“Do not dismiss me, I beg you,” Rhoda begged with heartfelt regret and tears in her eyes but Ugomma was not looking at her. She knew the job meant a lot to her no matter how small was her take-home pay.

“I have no one to care for me if you should sack me. I beg you again, keep my job. My parents are late. I have no brother or sister to help me. The only thing I have in this world is you and my fellow maids. Please ma’, throwing me out of the house is like throwing me out of the world.”

Ugomma was looking at Rhoda when she was confessing. To Ugomma, Rhoda had not said anything. Lightening does not prevent the thunderstorm.

“One who has groundnut has nothing. You can eat groundnut but it won’t fill your stomach. You have nothing if I am the only thing you have,” Ugomma replied Rhoda. She stood up and poured the yam porridge upon Rhoda.

Rhoda sprang up immediately. She was battling with the pains of the pepper in her eyes. She cried and ran from one end of the house to the other, cleaning her eyes with her fingers.

“It is the same teeth the dog uses to play that it uses to bite. Touch me by mistake, I will strike you by correction,” Ugomma said

Adaobi went into her room and brought a glass of water for Rhoda to wash her face. Ugomma did not allow them to use the facilities in the house.

“She-goat,” Ugomma called Adaobi. “Come here! Where are you taking my glass to?”

Adaobi stood and could not move further. She was enveloped with fear.

“What is that in your hand?” Ugomma asked Adaobi.

“Sorry ma’, it is a glass of water. I want to give it to Rhoda to wash her face,” Adaobi explained.

“Hmmm … water! You want to give her water? Good! Is Rhoda more important than my son?” Ugomma asked.

Adaobi knew she was in trouble. She stood still with the glass of water without saying anything while Ugomma walked little closer to her.

“Every question has an answer,” Ugomma shouted at Adaobi. “Adaobi … I ask a question. All I need is an answer. Assuming you had carried a baby in your womb you could have learnt how to love and cherish a male child,” she added pointing at Adaobi.

“Sorry ma’,” Adaobi used their normal language.

“Where is my son?” Ugomma asked

Adaobi pointed towards the room and answered in a very low voice.

“He is in the room sleeping.”

Other maids were still kneeling

“Are you supposed to be here or in the room sleeping with my son?” Ugomma asked as she took a step forward.

Adaobi could not respond but remained standing with the glass of water. Rhoda had cleaned the pepper in her eyes and was mopping the floor.

“Why can’t you answer a simple question, Adaobi?” Ugomma shouted looking at Adaobi widely.

“I just want to give her the water and go back to the room,” Adaobi replied after a while. “I am very sorry madam …”.

“You should keep that to yourself,” Ugomma interrupted. “Let me have that water,” she demanded and stretched up her left hand

Adaobi was at the point of saying no because she knew Ugomma’s next line of action. But out of fear, Adaobi walked slowly to Ugomma and gave her the water.

One who sells a tortoise will be under the sun as the tortoise is under the sun. Ugomma collected the water and poured it upon Adaobi. Ugomma was wicked, not kind to the maids.

“Your services are no more needed in this house,” Ugomma said to Adaobi and left. They were sacked.

Adaobi was crying. She was the person to suffer it most as she was relieved of her job. It didn’t matter how she was been treated. What mattered was what came to her pocket. It was what she used for her family up keep and her ailing husband. Not knowing that Ugomma was deriving joy from her tears, Adaobi continued to cry while Ugomma was smiling inside.

“Rhoda,” Adaobi called. “You should help me to beg madam. This job means a lot to me. I don’t want to lose it. My husband is in the hospital.”

Ugomma came out with Adaobi’s clothes and threw them on the floor. Other maids joined Adaobi to beg Ugomma. Ugomma stood watching as they begged. She found pleasure whenever anyone was begging her. Just as she wanted them to beg more, she went into her room and brought out some money.

“You should all go to your rooms and carry your bags. I don’t want you again,” Ugomma said and paid them off.

Ugomma went back to her room thinking that the maids would turn out to beg her again. But was disappointed when she came out to see that the maids had taken their bags and left.

….. to be continued …