Ulog #2 - My Little Haven
Hi, Steemheads. This is my second #ulog post. Like y’all know, Ulog is all about you, me and the things we do. Today, I'm going to talk about the things I do with my spare time. My life at the moment is basically school, work, writing, books and food. Oh yes, FOOD. Hahaha. I love food like that though I don't eat it as much. My digestive system wouldn't let me. I try.
I'm reading four books at the moment. You guessed right. I'm combining all four of them, from last week through to this week. Have two in hard copy and two in soft. I didn't do any serious reading for almost two months, so I'm kind of energised. The books are:
Lipstick on His Collar by Dawn Atkins - a Harlequin romance.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - fine literally prose. One of my favourites.
Chesapeake Blue by Nora Roberts - Number four of the Chesapeake Bay Saga, Seth's story.
Midnight Bayou by Nora Roberts.
I had to take the picture, couldn't resist. It's a story of a seventeen year old poor girl married into riches but despised by her mother-in-law and her husband's twin. On the new year's eve, when the husband was away, his brother came home drunk, raped and murdered her. Their mother helped him cover it up and threw her body into the bayou, then told lies of how she ran away with another man. The gave up her new born baby to the grand parents and cut her out of the will. Two centuries later, the house was still standing and the her ghost walking the hallways. No one lived there till the arrival of Declan, her reincarnation.
I'll have to do a proper review on it. Nora Roberts knows how to weave a story into perfection.
When I'm not reading, I'm writing. Some of them are just scribbles while the others are more serious writings. I'll share two of the scribbles. The first is just a random musing of what happened to my day (not today by the way). The second is a food story.
Enjoy!
Late afternoon; kid brother just came back from school. I waited for the usual ''afternoon Sis' - nothing. I looked at his frowned face and smiled. Teenagers! I scolded him last night. Who he epp? His greeting is always mumbled anyway.
'Open your mouth and greet or keep it to yourself,' I've told him several times.
I'm not bothered. He'll soon come holding bread, telling me he wants to eat. I'm counting on it.
I checked time, stood and grabbed my tooth brush. He eyed me and said nothing. I brushed, showered quickly and dressed. Still nothing. I nodded, folding clothes and dumping them inside my bag.
He's in for a long thing, I mused.
Few minutes later, I was on my way.
The bus was almost full. I got in and paid. The interior was hot. A child was crying.
'Oya drink am,' the mother said in pidgin, holding a reddish liquid.
'It's hot. That child is uncomfortable,' I muttered.
She didn't hear me.
The bus was moving. My phone rang. My sister was calling.
'Iputabago?Are you on your way?' she asked in Igbo.
'Ano m na moto, I'm in the bus,' I answered.
She dropped.
Someone tapped my shoulder. I turned. It was a guy I exchanged pleasantries with earlier.
'Give me your number. There's something I want to ask you on the phone,' he said.
I frowned. Is that how to ask for something politely. And what is this thing he can't ask me right away?
'No,' I said.
He waited for a few minutes then tapped me again.
'What did you say? I didn't get you right.'
'I said no,' I repeated.
'Okay.'
I shrugged and told the driver to drop me. Maybe he didn't realise he was a stranger.
My niece saw me first.
'Aunt!' she screamed and rushed into my open arms.
Her two brothers followed.
Group hug.
They were dragging me down.
'Let's go in,' I said to them.
My sis was grinning from ear to ear.
''evening Sis,' I saluted.
'Your hair is fiiiiinne,' she told me.
I laughed.
I dropped my bag. We began to gist and gossip about life and people.
'What's for dinner,' I asked her.
'I have soup,' she replied.
I frowned. Swallow?
'Which soup?'
'Oha.'
Now, we're getting somewhere.
Here is the food story. The characters are rice, stew and meat. I don't know what I was thinking about the day I wrote it. Anyway, happy reading.
Uju stared blankly at her plate. The food didn't appeal to her. She had been eating the same thing for the past three days. Medication had messed up her digestive system and she was stuck. She studied the blue dahlia used as design on the fine China and wondered what it meant. Her eyes shifted to the content and she scowled. Realising she didn't have a spoon with her, she stood to go get one.
Rice let out a sigh of relief.
"Is she gone?" Stew whispered.
"Your breath stinks, you oily thing," Rice replied, covering her nose.
"Is she gone?"
"Of course she's gone. I won't be talking if she's here."
"What do you think will happen to us now?"
"Could you turn your face to the other side?"
"Y'all should stop this nonsense," Meat quipped. "I want to say my last prayers in peace."
"Talk to your Mama with some respect, you ungrateful child," Stew barked.
Rice glared at him. She couldn't for the life of her understand why she married him. Maybe, because of his muscled thighs. But Stew was getting older, slicker and above all, stinky. The only thing that seemed to stay with him was his ability to stain things.
"We have to figure out something, otherwise we are dead," Rice said.
"What do you suggest? She will soon be back. We don't have much time."
"My white teeth is my only defence mechanism. I'll bare them and hope they scare her off, for all our sakes. You," she faced Rice. "Try not to stick together. If she must kill us, we mustn't make it easy for her."
"And what will I be doing?" Meat queried.
"Just get stuck in her teeth," Stew waved him off. "That's the much you can do."
"Ready."
Uju opened and closed her mouth. The food she left few minutes ago had changed. The stew had become watery and the rice too white. Rice and stew had never been her favourite and it just got worse.
She grabbed the fork in fury and began to pound the plate and its content.
"My leg is gone!" Stew screamed and grabbed what was left of it. "Thanks for your wonderful idea!"
Rice watched in horror. Before she could talk, the fork landed on her stomach.
"I'm going to lose my baby," she cried.
Uju snatched the plate and emptied the content inside the toilet.
"She's going to flush us down," Meat gasped. "Mama, please do something."
But she didn't do anything. The last thing heard was their screams and Uju's hysteric laughter.
Another thing I do is appreciate art works. Since I can't draw - I really wish I can - what else to do but to admire those with talent.
This is a drawing of me done by a friend of mine. His name is signed on it. He isn't on steemit yet. I'm trying to convert him but he's making me a bad missionary ahaha. This was done during his starting days. He draws better now. Find him on instagram @c.azuakor-art-gallery. He draws and delivers. Nigeria only for now.
What are your thoughts?