Fiolina wins fight for attention over Probox but divides family

Two weeks ago, I arrived at home from school to find my mother and Fiolina quarrelling. ILLUSTRATION| JOHN NYAGAH

What you need to know:

  • My mother reminded her that the land where we built our house belonged to our father. Fiolina did not answer her.
  • Shortly after, my mother left, angry and spitting out words: “Ningefanya Dre vile unafanya Sospeter wewe haungekuwa na bwana sasa.”
  • She did not come to our house again.

When baby Sospeter, whom Branton still calls Probox, was born, my mother, my sisters Caro and Yunia were regulars at my home. Indeed they had shifts and a clear timetable on who would come which day and at what time. As such, my house was always full, and in as much as their presence had a negative micro-economic effect on my wallet, Fiolina got much help as this lessened the burden of raising our new baby.

But soon, I started hearing complaints which I initially ignored as I considered them women affairs. True men never get involved in such. At some point, however, I noted that the relationship between Fiolina and my sister Yunia was very cold. Not that the two have ever really been friends! Just that in this case, you could always feel the tension when they were together.

I asked Fiolina why. “Sorry to say but your sister is a thief,” she said. “I think she came here to steal my things, not to help with my baby....”

A few days later, Yunia stopped coming. Caro continued to come until a few weeks ago, when she too, suddenly stopped coming. “It’s a long story” was all she said when I asked her what was wrong. Later she told me: “Fiolina is not as good as many people think,” she said.

Two weeks ago, I arrived at home from school to find my mother and Fiolina quarrelling.

“Andrea ni mtoto wangu,” my mother was saying. “Na huyu Sospeter ni mjukuu wangu.” Fiolina, on her part, reminded her that we have moved from their compound and we could now make our own decisions.

My mother reminded her that the land where we built our house belonged to our father. Fiolina did not answer her. Shortly after, my mother left, angry and spitting out words: “Ningefanya Dre vile unafanya Sospeter wewe haungekuwa na bwana sasa.” She did not come to our house again. Henceforth, I had to go to school late and come back home early to help Fiolina with house chores, as she still refused to accept a house girl. “Najua kuna fisi hapa na siwezi mletea nyama,” she said when I challenged her to accept a house girl.

My mother would later ask me to go see her. “Mimi ukiniangalia naweza iba?” she asked me when I went to see her. She enumerated many charges against my wife – the way she holds the baby badly and insufficient sun exposure for Sospeter... I told my mother that I would speak to Fiolina.

 “Ningekuwa wewe ningeanza kutafuta bibi mwingine,” she said. When I asked her why, she told me that unless I get another woman who would not threaten me but fully submit to me, I will die early.

“Huyu atakuuwa na stress ndio akule pension yako,” was her conclusion.

THINGS WERE ELEPHANT

I went home ready to talk to Fiolina, but on seeing her face, I did not need a calculator to know that things were elephant. I decided not to raise the matter, but instead made myself available to be ordered here and there. 

Two weeks ago, I received a call from my aunt Albina, requesting to visit the baby.

“I looked for you a wife and you can’t tell me when you get a baby,” she was complaining. For those of you who remember Senje Albina, she is a sister to my father, and the one who introduced Fiolina to me — and I did the rest. Enemies of development claim that she seduced Fiolina for me. Those are good for nothings who have never won a woman’s heart.

I allowed Senje Albina to come and she arrived last Friday evening, and spent most of the evening with Fiolina in the kitchen. They talked and laughed until very late. Last Saturday, I was woken up by noise in the compound.

“Usimpe mtoto uji,” said Fiolina. “He is still on inclusive breast feeding.”

“This is a boy not a girl,” said my auntie. “Boys need proper food,” she said as she tried to make him take the porridge. Senje only stopped when Fiolina became uncontrollably noisy.

“Utaua mto wangu wewe mama!”

After breakfast, Senje took the baby outside, and unclothed him, exposing the baby to the sun

“Huyu mtoto haoti jua,” Fiolina shouted.

“Mnataka mtoto akuwe na diarrhoea?” Senje said. Fiolina was not amused.

When the sun got too hot, they walked back to the house. Senje asked for her bag from which she removed a concoction of leaves tucked away in nylon bags. “Niwashieni jiko,” she asked.

We asked her what she wanted to do. “Message,” she said. She meant massage. Senje Albina warmed the leaves, which she used to rub Sospeter’s body, starting with the back then legs — the baby let out a loud cry. This attracted Fiolina who was in the bedroom. “Stop it!” she said, on seeing what Senje Albina was doing.

But this time round Senje held her ground, and continued. “Hii ni lazima mtoto afanyiwe,” she said, as she continued massaging different parts of the boy’s body using the hot leaves, as the boy cried loudly. Fiolina could only watch.

As soon as she finished and washed the baby, Sospeter went to sleep. He slept for a very longtime, the longest he has ever slept! As the boy slept, Senje started showing Fiolina the things she should do. In our bedroom were so many drugs, that Fiolina had been buying.

“Mtaua mtoto na madawa,” she said on seeing them, and advised Fiolina which ones to use and which ones not to use.

It was about 2pm when Sospeter woke up. Senje then took the baby and started to throw him up playfully and catching him mid-air. The boy was very happy and kept laughing loudly every time he was thrown up. Fiolina could not stand this.

“Kama unataka kuua mtoto go kill another one,” she said. “Sio huyu wangu.” The baby, who had been laughing, started crying when the mother took him away.

“Mtoto wangu hakuwa analia hivi,” said Fiolina. Senje said he was hungry. “Hiyo ni njaa, na maziwa yako haitamtosha,” she said, then walked to the kitchen as Fiolina breastfed the baby, who kept on crying.

Senje Albina came back to the sitting room. She had prepared some soft bananas for the baby. “Mtoto ako na njaa kama baba yake,” she said as she took the baby from Fiolina and tried to feed him. But Fiolina would hear none of that. 

“Hiyo ndizi utakula mwenywe,” Fiolina said. “Hakuna kitu unajua ya watoto.” This did not go down well with my aunt. “Nimelea watoto saba wewe Fionila,” she said. “Ni nini utaniambia kuhusu watoto.”

“Hizo zilikuwa siku zenu,” Fiolina answered. “Bindu bichenjanga”. Fiolina grabbed the food from Senje and went with it away.

When she returned, Senje gave her the baby, packed her things ready to leave. I tried to convince her to stay but her mind was made up. Fiolina never said anything. And with that, she left, but not before she asked me to pay her Sh1,000 for the massage. I only had Sh500 which I gave her. With no house girl around and no relative allowed, it looks like my problems will continue!

 

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