My Friend Matt and Hena The Whore by Adam Zameenzad

Author:Adam Zameenzad [Zameenzad, Adam]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781908628121
Publisher: Ziji Publishing
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Two

The First Rain

All day there are groups of people making a circle round Grandma Pearl and the old man. They are letting out their grief in weeping or singing or dancing, or just by talking.

The people keep changing but the groups remain.

It is the third day since Grandma Pearl and the old man lay down in the centre of the village, tired of dancing and singing and living.

Everyone is sure their Spirits are now ready to be with the Spirits of their old and young gone before them.

It is decided that all will go to their homes and find a little gift to bring and lay down by their side, so the Spirits of the gifts go along with them. For them as well as for those they go to meet.

It don’t matter if the things are old or broken. When their Spirits rise they will be whole and new again with the love of the givers, and make truly wonderful gifts.

Some bring their shawls. Mam brings Grandma Pearl’s own bread plate and puts a pearl of grain on it. Others bring little toys of clay, beads, scarves, even an old shoe.

Matt leaves his big round clock that Hena gave him and which he never parts with. Hena gives her battery radio. It don’t work but it’s still a battery radio.

I draw my best picture of a tree on my school slate and leave it next to Grandma Pearl on account she’s the Spirit of a tree, like all our family.

But the best gift is of the old man for he’s laid himself down by her side.

Everyone takes care to bring something special for him.

We make sure that his son’s picture which the white folk made is there beside him, under his grain bowl.

It’s mine and Matt’s turn to stay by Grandma and the old man.

When we get there we find Hena and Leku parked on a big stone they’ve dragged from the nearby rocks.

Hena don’t say, ‘You took your time coming, didn’t you?’

It used to get on my nerves so, but now she don’t say it I wish she did.

Leku is telling her his family has been asked by some folks they never knew or heard of to go and live with them in the country to the south of us. A rich country full of green fields and big cities. He says those people will make all the arrangements to get them there. We all feel very jealous of him but we all tell them we are very happy for him which is not a lie either.

He says they are doing so on account they share the same faith.

Matt says that’s how it should be. Hena nods her head and I agree with them though the reason don’t mean much to me.

But the talk of faith makes me remember the missionary bloke. I wonder if he is right that the Spirit of Grandma will be lost in ‘eternal darkness’, or go to ‘hell’, or worst of all, to Pasadena, California, USA.

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