Ice Cream by Jones R. Ayuwo
Vanilla:
My friends always wonder why I leave school immediately after the school over bell is rung; maybe I hate their company, maybe I’m proud and do not like to linger around boring people much longer than I have to… I wish they knew, I wish they understood that attending Kpokpovwe Grammer School was the singular joy in my task weary life, it definitely was much better than selling rice and dodo to rude university boys in their hostel, much much better, at worst, Mr Ituen would flog me for not wearing any socks and that would be that, much much better than having older boys abuse you for the size of food you dish and few minutes after collecting their food abuse an eleven year old for not having change! Change! They’re the ones that should change! With their insulting tongues, condescending looks and impatient manners. And when they abuse, and when they insult, and when they chastise, I turn to mama for support, she knows I’m eleven, she knows there’s no change, and yet she shouts! Tears well up in my eyes and… I scream!!!
My friends always wonder why I leave school immediately after the school over bell is rung; maybe I hate their company, maybe I’m proud and do not like to linger around boring people much longer than I have to… I wish they knew, I wish they understood that attending Kpokpovwe Grammer School was the singular joy in my task weary life, it definitely was much better than selling rice and dodo to rude university boys in their hostel, much much better, at worst, Mr Ituen would flog me for not wearing any socks and that would be that, much much better than having older boys abuse you for the size of food you dish and few minutes after collecting their food abuse an eleven year old for not having change! Change! They’re the ones that should change! With their insulting tongues, condescending looks and impatient manners. And when they abuse, and when they insult, and when they chastise, I turn to mama for support, she knows I’m eleven, she knows there’s no change, and yet she shouts! Tears well up in my eyes and… I scream!!!
Crème Brule:
Mum, is extremely hard working, mum is really really hard working, from very early in the morning till very late in the night, every day since I can remember, she’s always working her nails off, working her back off, working herself off, for me, for my sisters and for daddy, because she loves all of us so immensely, she loves us and she loves daddy so she works herself off for us. But mummy works extremely hard, she is really really hard working, from very early in the morning till very late in the night… sometimes too late in the night when daddy isn’t home, you can hear her working in her room, but the work must be painful because she screams and gasps and moans and there is another voice… and when mummy screams…. I shut my eyes and I scream!
Mum, is extremely hard working, mum is really really hard working, from very early in the morning till very late in the night, every day since I can remember, she’s always working her nails off, working her back off, working herself off, for me, for my sisters and for daddy, because she loves all of us so immensely, she loves us and she loves daddy so she works herself off for us. But mummy works extremely hard, she is really really hard working, from very early in the morning till very late in the night… sometimes too late in the night when daddy isn’t home, you can hear her working in her room, but the work must be painful because she screams and gasps and moans and there is another voice… and when mummy screams…. I shut my eyes and I scream!
Caramel:
Dad always has too much to drink, I do not know whether it is out of frustration that he has to always come home to five useless girls, including mama, or the fact that he is no good at the office, I can tell from over hearing Jibola and Ife when they think no one is listening… But he always comes back too drunk to be happy, but drunk enough to be angry at everything… I mean everything! Today it is my fault that nepa brought light just when he was staring at the bulb, and it is a ploy by my evil bewitched mind to make him blind, and of course it is supported by my wicked mother! He pulls out his belt… he lashes out… I scream!
Dad always has too much to drink, I do not know whether it is out of frustration that he has to always come home to five useless girls, including mama, or the fact that he is no good at the office, I can tell from over hearing Jibola and Ife when they think no one is listening… But he always comes back too drunk to be happy, but drunk enough to be angry at everything… I mean everything! Today it is my fault that nepa brought light just when he was staring at the bulb, and it is a ploy by my evil bewitched mind to make him blind, and of course it is supported by my wicked mother! He pulls out his belt… he lashes out… I scream!
Strawberry:
Dad is not always angry though, sometimes he is worse, sometimes he is too drunk, sometimes you can smell his whole day in his breath when he comes close, sometimes he comes really close, too close, sometimes he loosens his belt, sometimes his zip is not where it is supposed to be, sometimes Daddy is hard! And all the time when daddy smells like his whole day, when Daddy’s zip is not up, when daddy is hard… I scream!
Dad is not always angry though, sometimes he is worse, sometimes he is too drunk, sometimes you can smell his whole day in his breath when he comes close, sometimes he comes really close, too close, sometimes he loosens his belt, sometimes his zip is not where it is supposed to be, sometimes Daddy is hard! And all the time when daddy smells like his whole day, when Daddy’s zip is not up, when daddy is hard… I scream!
Blueberry:
Stanley Solayemi strode casually into the shop, there’s something about Stanley, I really like Stanley, Stanley is big, Stanley is strong, Stanley is fair, Stanley is clean and unlike the other boys, Stanley smells nice, I like Stanley. Stanley Solayemi walked up to me in his usual flippantly charming way and asked “Do you sell Ice cream?”
“Yes, every night when daddy comes home”.
Stanley Solayemi strode casually into the shop, there’s something about Stanley, I really like Stanley, Stanley is big, Stanley is strong, Stanley is fair, Stanley is clean and unlike the other boys, Stanley smells nice, I like Stanley. Stanley Solayemi walked up to me in his usual flippantly charming way and asked “Do you sell Ice cream?”
“Yes, every night when daddy comes home”.
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