The Unnamed Princess

“Yes ma” babe said

“Good, here is your food” she said pushing a plate towards her. It had some rice and sauce with no meat.

“Ah no take these to the table” she said giving her two breakable plates with enough rice soup and huge slices of meat.”

She carried the plates and followed her to the living room where she placed the food on the table. A man was sitting on a chair reading a big news paper, turning the pages.

She quickly put the food down and was about to leave when ma’am pulled her back.

“Have you greeted you patron” she screamed babe princess clapped her hands three times and said “mbeh”

“Esther, Esther, you must be patient with this girl, she will learn with time” he said waving her away.

She hurried to her food and started eating. She was sitting in a corner of the kitchen. She heard the laughter coming form the parlor and wished she were there too. She slept that night on the cold floor; Bamenda was very cold, for the first time in her life she wished for death not life, survival was becoming more and more difficult for her. She was used to living in a community now she had to learn how to live as an individual.

“You have to get up at cock crow” ma said before going to bed “carry water to fill all containers, warm water for my daughter’s baths, serve their breakfast, clean their shoes, before you can go to school. After school you will wash the dishes and the floor, is it understood” she asked looking at her.

“Yes ma'am but what about the other children, if I do all the work what will they do?” she asked

“You seem to think you are like these children, they are not your class. First this is their house. But, you have to work for your up keep and education. Is it clear?”

“Yes mother, but what about school?”

“You will go to school. But, you must finish my housework before going to school of not you will stay at home for that day.”

From that day hence babe princess slept with one eye only. She got up as early as possible, and did the dishes, fetched water, cleaned the other children’s’ shoes and did other additional chores. The when she went to the bath to bathe Ma’am complained that she was wasting too much time and asked the driver to go drop the others in school. She always went late to school and stayed outside the first two periods working punishment.

Babe princess loved her new teacher. She was a missionary a small slender lady who was very kind to all the children and she heard pupils whispering that it was because she had no child of her own.

Babe princes felt so sorry for her, how come other women had as many as ten children while others had none. Her only problem with the new teacher was that she spoke through her nose, she kept saying swiri swiri all the time and the pupils responded “yes ma’am yes ma’am and at break time she shared out biscuits to children like her who had no lunch. Her biscuits were so delicious.

One day babe princess hid half of her biscuit to give Mary Anne, she was the only person who was kind to her but unfortunately ma’am saw it and trashed her severely saying she had started stealing. She beat her with everything, her slippers, the cooking spoon, a Cain until her body was swollen all over.

Sir came and saw her whimpering in kitchen in a pool of tears and urine shock his head and said to his wife

“If she dies, be prepared to go and tell her people what happened” and left

Babe princess looked at madam’s pimple on the chin and shock her head. That was the sign of a witch. Or what nature of a woman could be so wicked to bewitching and transforming her husband to a weakling. She decided to run away but did not know how or where to go to. Sir was a clerk for the missionaries that is why they were living in the mission area. It was a hill with very beautiful gardens, big airy houses, beautiful flowers and many dogs, she had to find a way out.

The next day in school her teacher noticed that she was very very sad. She called her to the headmaster’s office and asked what the problem was. She told them about her ordeal.

“Don’t worry, I will come over and see them this evening and if they are in accord you can come and live with me” her teacher said “its unheard of to hear that you sleep on the cold floor in a pantry while there are empty beds in my home.

“Don’t tell anybody what I said, I will handle it”

Babe princess went back to class filled with mixed feelings. She did not know whether to laugh or to cry. She would happily leave that house to a better house but the thought of having a white mother scared her. Her skin was very pale like an albino and people said that they smelt like pork meat. She was afraid that she would soon start talking Swiri swiri like her.

When her teacher came that evening to see sir and madam with her husband Babe Princess hid in the corridor eaves dropping their conversation

“You can’t cope with her, she is a village girl, and she is very dirty and unkempt”

“Not to worry ma’am, I am just pleading because I don’t have a child of my own. I need a child in my house and since she is a very bright pupil, I would like to adopt and bring her up as my own” she heard her say and smiled

“What about my children, Anne and Elizabeth, they are well brought up girls, well cultured” she insisted

“You can provide for them ma’am, she is from a very big family let me help her out”

“I think it s a very good suggestion you can take her away. I will inform her parents about the change” Sir said and got up from his seat. Babe princess rushed back to her room and sat on the mat just as ma’am and sir entered.

“You can’t do this let them take one of our own.” she pleaded

“I am afraid you can kill the girl one day look at her, a sorry sight…come daughter” he said puling her. She pulled her plastic bag from the wall, smiled at Ma’am and followed sir out. They entered the parlor and Mrs. white rushed towards her

“Oh my little daughter, I am so happy to have you as my own” she said embracing her

She smelt nice like nice coconut rice and her body was warm just like Annah’s, she felt a mother touch after a long while

“You have a big room waiting for you with a big bed, many dresses and dolls and story books” she said leading her out

“I told you people I was a princess but you did not belief me now look at me,” she said, “a room to myself with many beautiful toys and story books”

“And a maid to take care of you” Mrs. White added

“Did you hear that…and all the rest… thank God for your mercy… to think I finally had my crown.

She said and rushed into the car; she sat in the back seat and waved at the others until they got out of sight. Ma’am was standing like an inflated balloon ready to burst out but Mary Anne waved back another as they left the lower quarters where black clerks lived to the hill top where the whites lived in houses which were much bigger, more beautiful and the flowers more well kempt. For the first time after a very long hard life she smiled from ear to ear, her jaw muscles relaxed and she felt no twitching, no restrictions just joy. But how did all these start? Babe princess tired to figure out as she took a long walk down memory lane.

Chapter One

... to be continued.

(The Unnamed Princess)

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