WHAT THE NANNY GOAT TOLD HER KIDS (CHAPTER 6) - A

 

CHAPTER 6

 

‘MAMA BEN,’ MR RANSOM HAD STARTED, wondering how he would frame his case properly, ‘please, your sister, Madam Cash …’

‘Which sister?’ the woman swiftly had responded. ‘Ah, in this market I have no sister o. My brother, sister, father and mother is my money. With my money, I pay for my transport from home and also to go back. With my money, I buy my market.’

She had handed Mr Ransom a chunk of crisp notes for the sacks of produce she got from him. Done counting and carefully putting it in the big pocket of his frayed jumper and seeing the stout woman struggling to get up from the bench, he had attempted saying something: ‘Please, don’t go yet. Is Madam Cash sick or she’s not in the business again?’

‘I’m buying and paying you people and you’re still asking of Madam Cash? I hope she didn’t give you all kopnomi to eat?’

That got Mr Ransom laughing out loud though his lips were heavy to mention to the woman here that her former partner, Madam Cash, had actually owed him and others and he was seeking ways on how they could get their money back but he decided to plod on with his chat. ‘It’s not about her buying things from us.’

‘It’s about what?’ Mama Ben asked with a bland face that made Mr Ransom wonder if she had not heard anything about the debts.

‘The last time she came …’

Mama Ben quickly interrupted the Fufu Sellers Union leader. ‘She owed you too?’ she had curiously asked.

Mr Ransom nodded in the affirmative.

‘It’s good for you all, greedy people,’ Mama Ben said, obviously gloating. ‘You people were hiding your fufu from me and keeping it for the biggest bidder in town. I’d come and give you money for what I’d go sell and make a little profit. But you’d refuse to sell and keep it for someone who’d promise to pay a bigger price but carry off your fufu on credit. I was wondering in which market she was selling her own.’ Mama Ben gave a long throaty laugh to scorn all the greedy sellers of cassava flour.

‘Please, Mama Ben. Don’t look at how long the snake is and set fire to it. Please, help us.’

‘Oh, Oga Ransom. It’s not only you who can use the proverb o. Me too can. It’s changing conditions in life that make the crayfish bend. Please, don’t expect me to forget so soon all Madam Cash and you people did to me last year.’

Mr Ransom quickly realized he could be fighting a losing battle with the appearance Mama Ben’s face had suddenly taken. He looked at the frontage and saw the suppliers were listening and peeping at them as it was their arrangement that Mr Ransom approached Mama Ben (who they said knew Madam Cash well) to help ascertain her true situation and probable way of getting their money back. Mr Ransom quickly stood up and hollered the names of the fufu suppliers within earshot to come.

As the first fellow rushed to meet them, he quickly ordered all the others to be immediately informed to meet him.

As they trooped in with the astonished Mama Ben just gazing at them; Mr Ransom still standing, gestured wildly, saying: ‘Anyhow you can – crawl, cry or rub her shins – please, start doing it so we can all beg Mama Ben to forgive us and help inform us of how we could get across to Madam Cash to get our money back.’ They all smiled initially at Mr Ransom’s antics but he quickly added: ‘This is not a laughing matter. Madam Ben is angry and accusing us of selling to Madam Cash while denying her our fufu last year. So please, you better start right away begging her.’

‘But do I lie? Everyone here last year was avoiding me like I was some rotten fufu. So if your sweet-smelling rose is now hurting you, it’s all good for you. What business has Mama Ben with that?’

They all screamed and started begging seriously.

‘When you sold your fufu in your bedrooms to Madam Cash so Mama Ben would starve and die of hunger, was I there to guarantee if she didn’t pay, I’d pay?’

‘No,’ in unison they sadly replied.

‘Did I say if she runs, I’d help take you to her house?’

‘No,’ they replied again.

‘Then you people are disturbing me o. Wait for Madam Cash. When she comes, whenever she’d come, all of you would get your money from her.’

The pleadings became overwhelming and Mama Ben not too long softened but told them she would need to get her facts right before guiding them on how to follow up.

It was almost a month before Mama Ben confidentially informed Mr Ransom that the defaulting buyer was still in business but was buying from a new and distant location. She told him the day, time and attitude they would take to recover their money from her. 

*