Nothing sets my teeth on edge faster than looking into my eyes and lying to me. Especially when it was done by someone who should know better.
Source
I bit the insides of my lower lip to prevent myself from replying the middle aged man standing before Mimi and I.
“Honestly Mimi, by Wednesday latest, we should get the pump fixed.….”
It was Monday afternoon and we were just returning from a hectic day at school when we ran into the landlord of her compound.
My caretaker had informed us 3 days ago about the general fumigation which he planned to carry out so I asked Mimi, one of my girlfriends, if I could stay with her till it was okay to return home.
I picked a few useful things and went over to her place after church service the day before. Later that evening, I told Mimi I wanted to take a shower.
“My dear, there's no water o. If you use the water there now, we would have to fetch tomorrow morning before going to class, and you know that's almost impossible. Classes begin at 8 tomorrow”
I looked up at the well equipped bathroom and wondered how there could be no water in it.
“But why? Didn't you check for water before renting the apartment?”
Mimi sighed wistfully.
“Treasure, I'm tired of the water situation. The water pump spoiled about 4 months after I moved in and since then, I have had to source for water by myself. Initially I used to take a bucket of paint and get water two compounds away, but I developed serious body pains….”
“You mean you fetch water two compounds away and carry it up 2 flights of stairs?”
She nodded. I opened my mouth in wonder.
“What is your landlord saying about this?”
Mimi tried a half smile “He keeps saying he will get it fixed. That's why I have to pay the guy that maintains this compound to fetch for me. And I pay 600 naira everytime he has to do so”
I shook my head and stared at Mimi. It was then a saying my mother was fond of came to mind, If one does not open up to say, people hardly know what they are going through.
That night, I could hardly sleep because I felt itchy all over. I had to get up at midnight to pour out two sachets of water in a bucket and rinse my body with it before I could get a peaceful sleep.
It was the next afternoon that we saw the landlord hurrying out with his family. Mimi said he didn't live in the compound so I asked her to stop him.
“...Every other person is also managing….” I was already getting impatient.
“Is there no generator for situations like this?” I suddenly blurted out. Mimi turned to me as the landlord squinted then frowned with unrecognition.
“Who is this one?” He asked Mimi.
“She's my friend. She came to stay with me for a while”
“Welcome o” from his accent, I was tempted to think he had been to the western part of Nigeria, or was probably from there.
I decided to try my luck and muttered “Welcome indeed” in Yoruba just loud enough for him to hear. His reaction would have warmed my heart on any other day but today, I was extremely pissed.
“Ahnahn, Omo iya mi!” He exclaimed. I faked a smile as he hailed me in Yoruba. Mimi shook her head at the drama unfolding before her.
“Please sir,” I began again in Yoruba, “this girl here is suffering. I've stayed for just 2 days and I can't wait to return home because the situation is unfavorable”
The man cast a glance at Mimi as if to check if she could understand us.
“Don't talk like that my child, the truth is that to fix that pump is really expensive and I don't have the money now….”
“Then why don't you tell her?” Then something occurred to me, “but wait sir, didn't your tenants pay the maintenance fee? You could use that to get the pump fixed. Mimi has to travel all the way from the other compound to her flat upstairs. That's not fair”
He fell silent for some time before taking his phone out and dialing a number.
“You will see water this evening” he said and walked away. Mimi turned to me with her brows raised.
“What was all that Yoruba speaking about?”
“You heard him, you'll see water this evening” I said smiling. She was going to insist that I tell her what happened but I ran upstairs threatening to use up all the water to take a shower.
It worked like magic, she forgot everything else and ran after me.