Spindled slumber, p.5
Sozaboy, page 5
“Two weeks like that, then we stop. By that time all those sozas done become like woman. If no be for man like myself I think we all for don shame. But when they see me, they were all prouding because the officers were saying what fine man I am, what fine man I am. And myself I was prouding because they were saying what fine man I am. I know that I will bring back Hitla and the salt to Dukana.”
You can see that Zaza is enjoying himself plenty as he is talking. Looking at Duzia, Bom and Terr Kole as if to say ‘I think you see that I am tough man.’ Then he continued:
“So now we all came down from that ship. Everything in that place was new for we eye. I never see beautiful place like that town, I am telling you. Tall tall building. Long long motor. White people. Everything. Them call the place Burma. Oh, Burma, I cannot forget Burma. But not the white people, tall building and long long motor interest me. At all at all. I am looking for Hitla everywhere. I said to myself, where is this foolish man who have make it difficult to chop in Dukana? Where is this foolish man who is holding all ships and cannot allow ship to come to Dukana? I want to see him. I want to hold am, I want to tell am that he is very very very stupid man and then I will beat ’im helele. That is what I was telling myself. Then they put us in lorry to take us away to another place. Already, we were all very hungry. Many people in that lorry were crying because of no chop. But not myself. I was thinking of how I will return to Dukana with the head of that Hitla. Then everybody will come out of the house and they will be shouting, ‘Zaza! Zaza! Welcome, Zaza, our son, our brave son.’ And how I will be prouding like man who just marry young beautiful wife.
“The lorry was moving very fast and after some time I cannot see anything again. Only all those people in the lorry who were crying and crying because of no chop. I no worry. But this no chop na waya oh.
“After some time now the lorry stopped. Then we all came down. Then they begin to divide us again. Some people will travel again, that is what they said. All those boys wey come from Egwanga with me were no longer with me. As they were going away, they were shouting to me. They were crying and saying ‘Goodbye, Zaza’, ‘Goodbye, Zaza’. I was smiling and prouding. It was very wonderful thing. Forest everywhere. And Hitla plenty for that forest. You kill Hitla today, tomorrow one hundred Hitla appear. You cut him leg today, tomorrow he get twenty legs. Haba. Hitla na strong man, I am telling you. But na we strong pass am. Gun sef they no give we. Na when they think say Hitla dey hide for one corner of the forest that they will send us to see whether Hitla is there at all. Then we will begin to walk small small with our belly to that part of the forest. No gun in our hand oh. Only the white people get gun and they were behind us. Na we only go fit catch Hitla with our hand. Without gun the white people no fit fight. Because Hitla is their brother and him get gun, they must fight him with gun. But we cannot get gun because Hitla no be we brother. So we will go slowly to the place where Hitla is. But Hitla cannot be seen in the forest. Because Hitla is very clever man. If you look for him on the ground, na lie. Hitla is not on the ground. He is on top of tree like monkey. Na on top of the tree that Hitla is staying and sleeping. Na there Hitla dey cook and chop. So if you want Hitla you must look on top of the tree. Then if so therefore you begin to look on top of the tree only, you will not find Hitla at all. Because now he is not on top of the tree. He have big big hole in the ground like rabbit, and he is sleeping there like rabbit too. It is inside this hole that he is cooking and chopping and shitting. Even he is sleeping and bathing there. It is his house. Every white man was calling him bastard. We too call him bastard. I don’t know what he was calling us. Every day we were fighting and cutting him but still he will come again. The more we kill him the more he comes. Praps that is why they call him bastard. We were fighting and cutting him for two years and then he will still come again after we have killed him.
“I am telling you this thing wondered me plenty. How can you fight porson, kill him and then the porson will return again? If you kill him twenty times he will return twenty one times. If you cut his hand, his hand will appear again tomorrow. God in Heaven. So, however, we were fighting and fighting. With gun, without gun. Some time, as I have said before, no food, some time, no water. Even sef you have to put your urine inside water bottle and after some time you will drink the urine because of no water. Tufia! What man picken have seen only God can know.”
Then Zaza stopped talking and looked at all of us as we were listening to him. Bom’s mouth was open, listening. Zaza began to smile.
“I am telling all you useless people, useless young man in Dukana walking about with small loin cloth talking nonsense and fighting with your mother because she have not prepared chop for you in time, I am telling you that you are all very very stupid because you do not know that life is very hard and young man must struggle hard if he will succeed in life.”
I know that Zaza is saying this one now because of myself, Mene. As he is saying it, he is looking at me. He cannot talk like that to Kole and Bom and Duzia because they old pass am. But he can speak to me anyhow and tell me that I am very very stupid. Myself, very very stupid? Nonsense. Even sef, this Zaza is not better man. He have no work and no wife. No shoe and no shirt. He cannot be prouding for man like myself who is apprentice driver. Is it because he have fine voice and he cut his hair fine and he put fine scent and that type of thing? Is that why he can call me very very stupid? Even sef the man is chopping from his mother’s kitchen like all those young men he is talking about. Is it because he have fought in the war before? Praps. Or he think that other people cannot fight?
Even, as I see how Kole and Duzia and Bom are respecting this man, allowing him to talk and they cannot talk even one word to him, just listening to him with their mouth open like mumu, respecting Zaza with his fat belly, I am telling you I was very angry. Very very angry. I think I begin to jealous the man small. Small small. As I was thinking all this one for myself in my mind, Zaza have begun to speak again.
“So everyday I fight this Hitla man. Without stop. Others were lying there with gun and those without gun. But not Zaza from Dukana. I fight for three years in the forest of Burma. Haba. You can hear the gun in the night making Gbagam! Gbaga gbaga gbagam!! Kijijim!! Kikijijigim! As gun sound na so man dey die. Man picken wey him mama happy when dem born am. Even after some time, Hitla begin to bring aeroplane. And if you see how that aeroplane was shitting proper bomb, heavy heavy bomb, I am telling you, you will surprise plenty. As the aeroplane shit, na so porson dey die. Forest dey burn, ground dey spoil.
“But myself, I cannot die. I know that I must conquer Hitla. That I must bring his head to Dukana. That I will not allow him to stop my mother from eating salt. That after I have conquered him then I will marry his sister and bring her to Dukana as my wife. And then the people of Dukana will see that I am their own son and they will be prouding of me as I will be prouding of myself.
“For all that time that we were in Burma, each time that Hitla see me, he will begin to run and hide. He have gun, myself no gun. Still he will be hiding. On top of tree like monkey. Behind bush like bad spirit. Inside hole like rabbit. Shitting and eating and sleeping, even dying inside hole. Sometimes when I go to look for him he have just run from the hole leaving all his thing there. Book and pen and everything. Even when Hitla is fighting he is also reading and writing. Writing plenty. This man sef! The day I will catch am ehn, ’e go shit for him trouser. So I continued to pursue him from corner to corner. Wherever they talk that Hitla dey, na there Zaza will go.
“All this time I was thinking of Dukana. How are my people now? Are they thinking of me? Are they chopping well now? All this one I am fighting Hitla, can Hitla still stop ship that is bringing salt to Dukana? Do those my people in Dukana know that myself Zaza and all these white people we are fighting Hitla so that salt will reach Dukana? I don’t think they know. Because if they know they will be praying for me. Some time they are praying and I do not know. Praps that is why they have not killed me yet. If people in Dukana were not praying for me some time Hitla will have kill me already. So I continue to turn this thing for my mind. And when I think how all the people will gratulate me when the war don finish and Hitla done die, I begin to proud of myself small small again.
“But suppose I die sef, what will happen? Will they take my body to Dukana so that they can bury me well? Nonsense. How can brave man like myself die? Brave man cannot die in war. Only all these stupid people wey dey fear, dey shit in their trousers. Useless people. Only them fit die in war. So I must capture Hitla. I tell you, I fight am like lion with wound. And everybody was respecting me.
“After some time, they said that I have fought very well and they asked me to go on leave. Leave? Will I go back to Dukana when I have not yet catch Hitla? I am telling you, this leave did not please me at all. So I tell them I cannot go. Then our big man called me. He say, ‘Look my friend. All this kaji jim, kaji jim that you are hearing here can make you deaf. All this running that you are running here can make you lame. All this hunting that you are hunting here can kill you. And all this starving that you are starving can make you to die. And it you die do you think you can help us to kill Hitla? Instead, Hitla will kill you first because he is a very strong man. So therefore do not say that you will not go on leave. Go on leave and stay there for two weeks. Then you can return again and begin to look for Hitla. Some time during your leave, you can find one nice girl who will make you happy.’ That is what our big man said.
“Even sef there was plenty sense in everything he said. Plenty sense. When I turned the thing for my mind, I know that there is plenty sense in what he said. I come happy. Even what made me happy pass is that one about nice girl who will make me happy. It is by that time that I begin to remember that I have not married and even I have not sleep with woman since I came to this Burma. So I do not please with myself again. Which kain war that will stop a man from sleeping with woman? Is it not during war that somebody will sleep with plenty women? Especially brave man like myself?
“That is why I went on leave. And lo and behold, no sooner I get to the town than I find wife to marry. Ha! Zaza, son of Mina, God don butter your bread. Zaza, child of Dukana, your strong head don bring you better. Marry wife without money. Ha! ha! I was laughing and prouding and enjoying my life with my new wife. Oh, it was jolly jolly. Zaza! You na man!”
As Zaza was knacking this tory you can see that he was enjoying himself proper. He was looking at Terr Kole and Duzia and Bom. And he saw that they were happy and prouding of him as Dukana man. Because in Dukana if your son goes out and brings something good, then you will begin to proud because he have made your name to go far place. As Zaza is son of Dukana, every Dukana man must to be proud because Zaza have married woman from far country before before. Zaza was looking at me now to see whether I myself will be prouding because of him. But I don’t think I was prouding plenty. So he put his hand inside the fold of his loin cloth and bring out one foto. Then he showed me the foto.
God in Heaven! This Zaza is not very useless man after all, you know. Look at him sitting inside the foto wearing long trouser and coat and his hand passing round the neck of one beautiful white woman who wear better dress and shoe and who was smiling and looking at Zaza as Zaza was looking at her straight for him eyes. Chei, this Zaza man na waya oh. Na waya oh.
Zaza was looking at me as I was looking at the foto. He was prouding when he saw as I was looking. Before I can open my mouth, Zaza have begun to answer the very question wey I bin wan ask am.
“Oh yes, I fuck am well well.”
Terr Kole, Duzia and Bom begin to laugh. But na Duzia laugh pass all the others. Duzia was laughing with his body shaking. He was shouting ‘fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck’ and laughing, rolling on the ground. ‘Zaza you fucking dog, God punish you,’ he said.
“I agree,” Bom replied, laughing.
Zaza was laughing too, small small.
“Oh yes, I fuck am to nonsense. Not two weeks I spend there. Two months. Three months. The woman no gree me go. She say I am the best fucker in the world. From soza to fucker. Like everything I want to do I must do it well well. That is my life. Anyway, after some time I have to return to look for Hitla. I get am, and I kill am. But when I return to look for my wife, she have died. Only the foto of her that I get. That is why I cannot marry any woman again. I cannot forget that my first wife. I cannot at all, I am telling you.”
“But why did you not bring one long hair from that woman’s yarse?” Duzia asked.
Zaza begin to laugh small, smiling big and laughing. Zaza was prouding plenty. He shake his head like to say: ‘This Duzia, you are stupid man. Talking useless things every time.’ Zaza did not answer the question that Duzia asked.
It was Terr Kole who spoke next. He said:
“Now, Zaza, I hear another war have started. Are you going to fight again?”
“Me? Fight again?” Zaza begin to laugh one small laugh from him belly. “No, Terr Kole. I will not fight again. I have fought the important fight before. I cannot fight again. Even this war you are hearing about now is like children playing. They don’t have better gun, nothing. And no woman to marry sef. Let the young people like Mene here go and fight. I cannot fight again. I have killed my own Hitla. Let Mene them go and fight.”
“Yes,” said Duzia,” the young men should go and fight now. It is their time.”
“Mene, I think you hear what these men are saying?” Bom asked me.
“Oh yes. I am sure he have heard you,” replied Terr Kole. And after that, I said goodbye to them and went away.
As I was walking away that evening, I was thinking plenty of things. How Zaza was prouding in Dukana, carrying picture of fine woman, in his loin cloth. And Terr Kole, Duzia and Bom looking at him prouding as he was knacking the tory of all the things he did at Burma. But can all those things be true? Sometimes. Then I remembered as he was saying ‘I have killed my own Hitla. Let Mene them go and fight.’ And then I remember what Agnes told me for the African Upwine Bar: ‘when trouble come, I like strong, brave man who can fight and defend me!’
So all these things were turning in my head, turning, turning as I was walking away, slowly slowly leaving Terr Kole, Terr Zaza, Duzia and Bom in the playground. I begin to confuse. I remember that tall man and the short man who were chopping ngwongwo in the African Upwine Bar at Diobu. The tall man was saying ‘it is good thing to fight. If somebody take your thing byforce, if ’e want byforce you to do something wey you no like to do, then you fit fight am.’ All these things can confuse porson.
And as I am walking to see Agnes, I begin to glad. I think it is good thing to fight after all. If porson will marry better woman after the fight. Oh yes, it must be good thing to fight. And not just fight with hand and leg oh, but better fight with gun. And not just for Dukana but for Burma.
By the time I get to the house of Agnes him mama, my brain don begin clear small small. I was glad by now. Even, when I think that I will see Agnes again I begin to glad more than. My man begin to stand up like snake wey no get house.
Lomber Four
It was beautiful new moon for Dukana. You can see all the plantain and banana as they are standing straight and tall inside the moon. No wind at all. And the people are beating drum and dancing in another part of the town. True, true, these Dukana people no get sense at all. How can they be dancing, singing and jollying when there is trouble for the country? If they no take time something will happen for this town and when that thing will happen it is because they cannot think as other people are thinking. In Pitakwa and Diobu New York, everybody is talking about the trouble, preparing about the trouble, making money whether na transport or trade. But in Dukana Pastor Barika is saying the world will soon end. And Chief Birabee is only chopping money from people, no plan. And Zaza is going about, no shoe and big loin cloth for him waist and no shirt with foto of white woman prouding and insulting young men. I think to myself, if trouble begin proper, Dukana go see pepper.
Agnes sweet like tomato. I am telling you. If Agnes was not living in Dukana, I will have gone to Pitakwa to look at the motor since. But because she is in Dukana, I must stay here so I can be able to see her always. And I see her plenty. In the morning, in the afternoon and for night. I must always pass in front of their house. And when I am passing there I must talk loud or laugh plenty or make any type of noise which will make her know that I am passing. And sometimes she will appear and greet me. Sometimes I will see her as she is working or hear her as she is singing. And I will say to myself ‘Chei! this girl fine oh.’ In short, I like the girl very much and I will like her to be my wife. I don’t think I can return to Pitakwa again. Whether whether.
You know as we people in Dukana dey make our thing. If you like a girl you cannot show it to everybody openly. It is not as they used to do in the cinema, those white people, kissing every time. No. In fact, if you love a girl in Dukana then you must beat her small small. That will show that you love her. But I don’t think Agnes is just like those stupid Dukana girls. Even, she can discuss anything you like. She is a clever girl. Very clever girl. I must marry her. That is what I tell myself every time.
One day, when I meet Agnes for road, I tell her that I want to marry her. She did not even reply me. Then I asked her what is the matter that she does not want to reply to my word. Then she laughed. She laughed plenty. And she said, “You foolish man. All your friends are making soza, you want to stay here and marry with that your thing standing like snake wey no get house.”
Hei, this Agnes sef. What kain girl be dis? Everytime she will be talking careless talk. So I told her she doesn’t know me. I am better than any soza sef, only I must first get my driving licence. She laughed again.
