Kaisha is my pretty little niece. She is a playful and intelligent girl. Normally, during the long holidays, children from their various families migrate to other places. The essence is for all of the grandchildren to integrate and spend time with themselves in different places, apart from the mandatory Christmas reunion.
This time, it was the turn of the people in Warri to migrate to Lagos. They all looked forward to this trip because it was a convergence of about six families. I call it an uptown trip because they have uncles, aunties, family friends, who are ever ready to take them out. They have lots of places to visit and toys to play with. Their schedule is usually made of visits, shopping and sight seeing. The five weeks long holiday is capped up with a big party in our president’s house. It is funtime for children
The kids had been picking up beer corks since their arrival. They call them counters because the items are used for counting numbers. They were visibly thrilled to see a huge quantity of it in a particular place. They had seen few at various places and at different times
Everyone had a nylon bag to keep her own. The younger ones made it their favourite pastime because they thought it would no longer be available. But the more they picked, the more it was available. Kaisha had packed full a nylon bag the first day. Her siblings packed as much as they could. It became a contest of some sort. About the fifth day, every one lost their guard. The intensity with which they rushed and picked had waned. When I told them that they would get tired of picking, no one believed me.
Kaisha had brought her counters earlier, set them out with precision to the envy of her siblings. The sitting room was filled with it, as she had carefully separated her own from theirs. She had an idea of what she wanted to do. When she was satisfied with the arrangement, she called to tell me that she wanted to build a house for me. Her counters had numbered up to 300.
She came to the kitchen where I was preparing lunch and said, “Mummy, I have so many counters. And can I build a house for you?”
“With what, my dear?”
Her eyes lit up in sheer delight. She responded. “I want to build a new house with all my counters for you. But it is only two of us that will live in it. I don’t want these people (referring to her siblings) to live with us.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Mummy, it is because they stole my counters.”
“How?”
“We went out and all picked counters. Then I came in with and kept my own here. I don’t know who took them.” She began to cry.
“Where did you keep it?” I asked her.
“Mummy,” Joseph interrupted. “It was yesterday that we picked counters and I kept my own in my bag and Kaisha kept her own in that basket in that room (he pointed towards the third room). And this morning, she didn’t see it again.”
“Yes naa,” I said, “that’s what we are saying. Who took her counters because I saw them earlier?” I queried.
“No, I saw it but it is not as much as it was before,” Kaisha said, as tears poured down her chubby cheeks.
“Then, who took her counters?” I roared.
The younger one, Zulu, was not moved. Apparently, he had no clues about the missing counters. Instead, he offered to cede part of his own to her sister. Others tried to proffer solutions on how to get more.
Kamsi was laughing. I asked again. No one seemed to know what happened. I knew someone was playing games but I couldn’t make out exactly who it was.
All of them had laboured to pick their lot in the last one week of their arrival. They played with the counters but were determined to take it back home. It was that important. So, the loss of some of Kaisha’s pack was unbearable. I understood her plight.
“Now, mummy, I wanted to draw your head with my counters,” she informed me when she had calmed down.
“Ahhh, how do you mean, Madam Kash?” Everyone has a nickname. She is Madam Kash.
“Eehhhn naa. I wanted to draw you, my mummy, my daddy and grandpa. And now, they are not complete again.” She pulled out the remainder of her counters. She still had so much by my estimation. Yet she was sulking. To make her happy, I went into my room to bring out a good chunk of what I had picked earlier, knowing that the need to fill in the missing link would arise, someday. And it did serve the purpose. She was happy when I handed her the stuff.
“Oh, mummy, thank you, thank you,” she said several times. It was a surprise because none of them knew I had something like that.
“Don’t tell anyone I made it up for you,” I warned her. She nodded.
“Ok, let me draw only your head and your mouth and your eyes.” She sat beside me trying to form a sketch of a human head.
“So, where is my ear and eyes?” I joked. She was busy adding up any part I asked for. It was so engaging and amusing to her, especially as we both counted the people she would sketch from the bunch. For me, it was a reminder of my childhood days. At some point, she remembered that the hair was left out. She made fun of grandpa’s grey hair.
At the end, she heaved a sigh of relief, as if she was a task with a huge reward. This time, the other kids had slept off. Their usual style is to doze off when not actively engaged. And so they did.
Kaisha has successfully, and with all sense of duty, accomplished her mission. She had made a lovely sketch of me.
“Mummy Lagos, this is you. See your head, your nose, your eyes, your moth and your teeth.” She laughed, as she conducted me round the sketch of beer corks in different colours and brands.
It was fun. Kaisha had unknowingly put up an installation of artwork, using her counters. I took pictures of her project and shared it on our family Whatsaap. Her siblings woke up and cheered her for the feat.
Of course, they all took their bags of counters to their different destinations.
The lesson therein is: Parents, encourage your wards in whatever they do. Every big dream starts from small beginnings.
