I smiled seeing him happy for once.

Wrestling Match

          Today, I went to a wrestling match with my mum, Ekwefi. It was quite exciting. I could hear the drums start beating from my house and I got more eager and excited and wanted to go there at that moment, but we had to stay for dinner. As the sun sink to the big golden hills, I watched in the direction of the drums banging in the distance. I kept on waiting for Ekwefi. Finally, Ekwefi grabbed her chair and went to the match. 

          When we reached there, wrestlers have not arrived yet and drummers kept drumming. I saw that almost everyone there was standing except the few who got there early enough. I thought we would be late for the event because Ekwefi was being so slow. We went to the match and it was entertaining from start to finish. 

          At the start of the match, I was very anxious for the fight. The boys on the match arena were about fifteen or sixteen years old. There was about three boys each team. They were not the real wrestlers but they just set the scene for the real ones.

        As the match started, the crowd screamed and roared for the wrestlers as one of the wrestlers threw another on the ground. Three boys from the victorious team ran toward to cheer him on. At that moment, I saw my father, Okonkwo cheered on the wrestlers. For the first time, I smiled seeing him happy. 

glitter-graphics.com

The Feast of the New Yam

     The Feast of the New Yam was approaching. I could see that everyone in Umoufia was busy preparing for the upcoming celebration. My father Okonkwo wasn’t in that mood as everyone in the village. He never was enthusiastic with celebrations. 

        It was nearly noon on the second day of the New Yam Festival which was also a wrestling match took place. Ekwefi and I sat near the fireplace waiting for a pot of water to boil. After it boiled, Ekwefi picked up the hot pan with her bare hands. I totally surprised with her action. I asked Ekwefi if older people didn’t feel burns. She answered me when people are grown up, fire does not burn them. Suddenly, I felt twitching in my eyelid. Then, I told her is my top eyelid. Ekwefi answered, “That means you will see something.” I will see something. Maybe the wrestling match will show me something important. I guess. 

           As Nwoye;s mother asked for live coals, Ekwefi grabbed a few live coals in a pot and handed them to me. I brought to her and helped her to build a fire. I was blowing the fire trying to start but Nwoye’s mother had me grab the fan instead saying I will blow my eyes out. 

     At dinner, my father asked me to sit like a woman. He also refused to accept offer when I wanted to bring chair for him. The dinner went on normally after that. The drums continued to beat for the start of wrestling match. 

glitter-graphics.com