Maid Job for a Shepherd Girl (part 2)

You probably read the part one, that was a short story and a bit weird. Right?

Now here comes part 2!

 It was during rain season and it was such good weather with plenty of pasture for the animals we had and it was a late morning, when I come home from the maqal that I left nearby to drink water and some milk after the butter was produced.

I entered the hut after I drank the water from the metal barrels  we used to store  water I saw grandma's keys hanging inside the hut, I shivered with excitements because this key was a treasure for me that I was  hunting in my whole life  especially when I was padlocked however grandma never took it off from her neck, we called it (granny's necklace) she only took it off when she was bathing and she only bathed what I think was once in months because she didn't like going to the village to collect water especially during dry seasons but we bathed a lot during the rain seasons, I always wanted to get this key once because not only that I was padlocked but also this key opens the sugar that we had and this sugar was the only sweet thing we ever ate in nomad. No candies, no biscuits, no lollipops or other sweets it's the only sugar and we used to steal whenever we see an unsecured sugar at home.

I made so many tricks and tactics to get this key off of granny's neck however I failed every time I tried, for example, I used to ask grandma to let me open the container we called Joog, it's exactly like the aluminum milk can however it had door hasp latch lock this container is usually used for storing butter however granny had couple the little one for the butter and the large  one for the valuable things such as sugar,money, gold  and  other values.

Sometimes I used to brainstorm ways  to get this key, sometimes I thought that it was possible  to prepare a knife before the bedtime and wait till granny fall sleep then sneak and cut the  string off in the middle of the night, then free myself from the chain, run away and never return, but I was sure it was never going to be possible because grandma never fall slept when everyone finally fall slept like dead after the long day  of exhaustion we all fall slept like we dead as soon as we lay down on that tiny mat but granny was different the only time we thought she was sleeping was when her eyes were closed but her  mind was awake she can hear if a goat snorts or if the herds make any  motions and she was always yelling to alert the hungry Hyenas that she is aware of his disturbance, (Waryaa hoy) she would say whenever the goats snort to alert that there is a predator   or if the herds make stampede movement inside their pens  she would get  up in the middle of the night, walk circling the herd pens to make sure whatever is bothering to the animal  goes away and still yelling waryaa hoy, or if we the girls made movements when we were sleeping her sides she would spank us and Hey stop it. Sometimes she woke us up in the early mornings and told us that the herds didn't rest last night because there are too many ticks and chiggers in them and we had to kill those ticks and chiggers.  So if she never fall sleep. How am I going to get this key by cutting the string off of her neck and stealing the key. I was sure this was a dumb  idea so I never tried otherwise I'll put myself in risk of more terrible punishments since I  dared to get a weapon and attempt to steal the treasure.

I grabbed the string opened the Joog and stole what seemed like one cup of sugar put it into my pockets and then there was some amount of Somali Shillings, Puntland region Shillings  in there so I stole half of it probably  $20-$30 something, hid it in my armpit  then I left pretending that I went back to the maqal but when I reached the maqal I crawled, crawled and crawled until I crawled enough distance then stood behind huge bushes that were above my height,   I stood and run as fast as I could headed to the nearest  village where I wanted to ride the first truck departing early morning tomorrow, somehow I over stayed with a family in outskirt of the village because I was sure as soon as grandma find out that I stole money the first place she'll be  searching  is this village so I must stay away from the village, I stayed with this family few days and I even shared some of the Shillings with the kids I don't like to have something that the people I'm with don't have,  I told them to keep this as a secret and when you get the chance to go to the village buy candies I knew the kids loved lollipops so did I. However the smallest couldn't keep the promise and she blew the whistle which their mother told them to give the money back and I got it back except the one that I gave to the oldest I suppose she was her sister or his sister but she wasn't a sibling to the kids she was their babysitter.

After few days the lady of the house kept going to the village and I  suspect she went to report my whereabouts,  I had to leave before it was too late, I headed to another kilometer away village which I took a truck to  Burao the second largest city in Somaliland region after the capital city. The problem was that I didn't know how to count or how to use money, I never used money before, I never learned math and couldn't count plus this Puntland Shillings were rare in my region we used a different kind of Shillings. So  whenever I buy something I couldn't count and give what they owe me  instead I handed the whole shillings and told them take what is yours and I took what they give me back. I believe  half of the money was pocketed as I remembered I gave a tailor  lady all the Shillings I had and asked her to sew me a dira that I bought on the way  a large gown worn by Somali women and I told her take what you owe  me  and return the rest however  she didn't look the money but put it into a drawer and she didn't  return anything. I couldn't leave empty handed while I knew the lady pocketed all of my money so I asked her  to give what is mine back again, this time, she didn't count or even look at it,  she just opened the drawer grabbed few Shillings and handed it to me. Or perhaps she was just like me! Who knows.

After I got off the truck I wandered into  the huge city with different kind of buildings some brick buildings, some corrugated iron sheet building, some other kind we called bus which was the building's style was similar to the city buses that was usually built from collected Large Nido milk cans, oil tins and roofed with old clothes sewn together with a huge needle, and woven grass, some were huts like the one we used in nomad made of woven dried grass, sticks, and more  the streets were dusty and crowded especially around the markets where people go  for grocery every morning and afternoons. The air was filled with the smell of fried meat the butchers fry leftovers before they return home and sell the fried meat, I bought lunch that day and spent the last Shillings I was happy that I come to the city of my dream, I hated herding and I hated nomad so much I wanted to live in  a city like Burao, I wanted to be like those girls who dressed  nicely and ate  tasty foods.

I walked, walked and walked around the city and finally before the sunset I intruded into a thorn branches compound of a family and asked them water which the Madam of the house  told me to stay with them and the next day next door lady a small shop owner  told Madam to pass the little girl to me  I need a maid, a tiny helping hands for free. I went to her home and stayed three days, the reason I wanted to stay with the shop owner was that I wanted candy,gum and so many sweets in her shop, unfortunately, there was no way I could get. I tried to push her daughter to go in the shop however she was not allowed only her mother older brother took turn the shop. But then there was a phone call one morning which was handed to me. Hello I said there was this strange voice that I never heard  a male voice, the caller told me that he is a relative, told me his offspring which is close relatives of my mother's and he told me that my family is in the city looking for me.  Fear snapped in my veins. I remembered that I could not lift my legs or speak to the caller I stood there still holding the phone for a while absent minded, couldn't believe what he said. How did they came all this way and then find me from this huge city full of thousand people? Because the moment I arrived I thought they would never find me in this huge city, unlike the small villages where there were up to fifteen  huts and it was easy for them to find me however now I was in a huge city. Small world. Is not it?

He told me that they were coming for me and told me to stay there until they come to me I felt my stomach twist tighter and tighter and my hands shaking. I told him OK I'll wait them then as soon as I hanged up the phone I started to think of ways to escape from this lady  because now she knew that my family is on their way  she won't let me leave so I had to keep an eye on her and as soon as I lost her sight  I disappeared, I walked few blocks and came to a small hut lived by an elder woman alone at the time whom I shall call Shamis  after we talked for a while she suggested me to go to a friend of hers the next morning, to work  for her and take my money she also told me to tell everyone that she is my mother. We stayed together all day we started building another small hut made of sticks and clothes she didn't have collected milk cans and oil tins so the hut she built for me to sleep tonight, while we were building the hut there came a tall mid-30s guy he was wearing  a sarong (macawiis), a nice ironed shirt, some fancy sandals, a gap on his shoulders that Somali men carry as fashion style,  a dark sunglasses and a walking cane used by mostly men whether they're old or middle aged its part of the fashion.

When the guy saw us building the hut he turned to us and come , sat under the shade of the  old hut, let me introduce you to my daughter Halima who visited me from nomad today. Shamis said and  as he watched me the whole time admiring and  making jokes of my body. Oh, look at these tiny blooming breasts he would said. I thought he was blind at first because I never saw someone wearing sunglasses I only seen people wearing eyeglasses for medical purposes but this was my first time to see someone wearing glasses for no medical reasons, I whispered on Shamis's ear. How can he see my breast if he is blind? They burst out laugh and told me that the dude is not blind but those glasses are worn  for  fashions. they both knew each other because the dude was a watchman for a foreign firm owned building next to Shamis's hut.

As Shamis was aware  that the dude liked me after she introduced him to me  and really wanted the dude and I have some private conversations she made tea in that evening, poured it into a flask,  handed  me the flask and mug  and told me to bring the tea to him, I knew the guy will flirt with me as I was too young for  marriage or date also things such as date and marriage were unspeakable to me so I was nervous  fortunately the guy was praying the evening salat  in the front gate and the door was open so I put the flask and mug down and left, the next morning before Shamis and I went to my future boss's house a goat wandered into Shamis's home  I chased it away and saw the dude sitting in front of the house, he called me multiple time however I ignored  after that day he didn't bother me.

At the first night with Shamis her husband arrived after dark. we were sitting next to the fire pit since Shamis had no kitchen cooking beans for dinner she told her husband the same lies she told the watchman he tried to ask me about the family's place of current residence since I couldn't respond Shamis answered the question instead and her husband didn't suspect anything, after we ate the beans I slept in the new hut however it was scary that night, the hut was blank in the lower party because she didn't have enough clothes or metals to fill in,  I curled myself into a ball size,  buried myself under  a  bed sheet that I used as a   blanket, I was scared of the wild dogs howling everywhere, the hyenas and every wild animal comes into the city at night where they seek food. I was sure I'll the be meal for the wild dogs or the hyenas, I was ready to scream if anything touches me as the howling of the wild dogs came closer and closer I got  scared even more  and I didn't make any motion in the whole night until the sun rose above the horizon, that morning the local girls were visiting us as the rumors spread, they  asked Shamis to allow them to play with me which she rejected, she came from nomad yesterday and she needs to rest. Shamis told the girls as they left.

Shamis and I went to my new boss's house at the late morning, Shamis knocked on the door of a brick building which seemed very nice after the door was opened we entered as  Shamis and the lady agreed to hire me as a maid as Halima the Shamis's daughter. Shamis said her goodbyes I didn't really want her to leave me however she was not my family there was no reason for me to cling or run after her.

I spent a week with the  new boss who had four kids one was under  a year and her oldest daughter was probably ten years old. I didn't do any work that the real maids do I only did what was told to do so. She told me to go back to your mother because I didn't do my job instead I played with her daughter which caused her losing the track of her daily duties as the oldest kid in the household. I went back to Shamis excited, she let me  stay with her, however, she no longer claimed me to be her daughter so the fake Halima no longer exists, I stayed with Shamis for a short time but she kicked me out after I stole few shillings and when she demanded me to give it back I denied claiming I didn't take it, days before she kicked me out we visited a neighbor who told me that they're marexan tribe same tribe as my father's. Why don't you come to us? they asked Shamis isn't marexan but we're and we're your tribes that make us families so come to us. Since I'm not worried about the next place to go I left Shamis and went straight to the marexan family.

The marexan family were a married couple with two years old son, a 20 something  girl called Sucad and a teen boy who were relatives, this family were the worst I ever stayed with,  I went to them in the late evening, slept with them in that night but the next morning Sucad told me her uncle wanted me for some questions, when I went to him sitting in the compound the first question he asked me  was if I'm circumcised. It was frightening but then few days later there came a dude, the teenage boy Ridwan's older brother whom I don't even know his name, he was broad shouldered with big muscle as if he was a gym boy, he was a construction worker maybe that gave him all these muscles except the big belly. When he found out where I came from he said, this girl came from the west he meant west of Somaliland region and she drank camel milk Ridwan must marry her he said. I was like what? Ridwan have no job and can't afford wedding or family livings, he must be kidding I told myself and  of course I drank camel milk, so what. Cause most nomad camel owners  drink camel milk.

As time passed couple weeks probably their secret plan was coming out  they bought me a dira but didn't give it to me, they told me that they'll sew it for me  and buy me a googarad some kind of underwear for the diras however I wasn't aware of their secret plans until one evening Sucad and I went to a neighbor to buy eggs, Sucad  was chatting with another Najma when  a woman Sirad Najma's sister-in-law  sneaked to me. I'm marexan she told me. why don't you come to me? This family are midgo a small tribe that faces much prejudice and discrimination, I told  Sirad they said they were marexan, they laid she said. I couldn't trust both of them either do I care if they're marexan or not, I didn't say anything I went back with Sucad after we came home I sat back of the corrugated iron sheet which the married couple used to sleep there were Sucad and another relative girl who visited I eavesdropped during that time I  overheard Sucad telling the other  that they plan Ridman's older brother to marry me. I don't know what was the whole plan however I knew  without my family's approval the marriage won't be valid and I was sure my family wouldn't marry me off because they were hoping that my mother will  make visa for me and bring me to abroad.

After I heard this I tiptoed and run to  Sirad,  Najma and I went back to get my old clothes they didn't give me the new dira. I spent another week with Sirad who lived with her in-laws her husband was working from sun rise to sunset and was never at home I didn't leave the house and nobody asked me to come to them, however, most of the neighbors wanted me and even asked Sirad and her in-laws to give me to them but one day everything changed about the neighbors. Sirad's teenage brother and sister-in-law asked me to play with them by chasing them around with a knife, I didn't know that the knives were dangerous things we only used it for cutting plants, slaughtering animals, carving things  and many more purposes, however, I have never seen knives used for people and don't forget that I have never watched T.V. at first I was hesitant but as they wouldn't leave me alone I did as they asked, I chased them around with the knife as they run and screamed as loud as they could to let the whole neighbors hear them it went 20 minutes and then I was blamed for it, it wasn't me who took the knife, it wasn't me who asked to chase with a knife yet everybody blamed me not the kids, after that day no neighbor wanted me. I'm sure this was mastered by the adults especially Sirad's mother-in-law because same week she took me to her oldest daughter Milgo's home, Milgo was a butcher like her mother they sat next to each other  in the market and she had two boys her youngest boy was six months old and the other was a year and half. Milgo went to the market in the morning and  returned  in the afternoon, I was alone with the boys all day feeding, cleaning and taking care of them for free of charge.

I hated babysitting I wouldn't mind washing dishes and clothes, sweeping the ground to clean  thorn or animal feces or any dirty but I couldn't do crying babies every day anyway one morning Milgo told me to take some shillings and buy sugar, butter and loose black tea in a nearby shop, after I bought the things I bought a lollipop and hid it from her but when she finished slaughtering and butchering the goat and preparing for  the market she counted the  money and noticed that there are   missing shillings, she asked me if I bought anything else besides  what she ordered me to buy.No, I replied then she went to the shop and asked them as the shopkeeper told her I bought a lollipop she told me to return and give her money back. I was angry I mean I babysit her two kids all day starving and tired, she doesn't pay me for doing it yet she can't give me the treat as a thank you. What a greedy. I know I was wrong because I didn't ask her cause I knew she wouldn't permit  me so there was no point of  asking, that day when she returned I left her sneaked out and went back to her mother I didn't know where else to go.

After I left Milgo I stayed with her mother and didn't transfer to another because the neighbors feared I might chase their kids with knives. except Sucad as one  morning, I was told to pull a wheelbarrow full of the slaughtered goat's intestine and unwanted body parts trying to throw it onto the trash yard. Sucad saw me and she chased me pleading to come back to them since  I didn't want to I tilted the wheelbarrow and dropped the dirty near the foreign firm owned building which was located on a very clean and beautiful ground. Weeks based and one late morning Sirad and I were washing clothes when  two stranger ladies came to Sirad who was still sitting and washing clothes while I fetch clean water the ladies asked Sirad water and Sirad had to wait for me to bring the water as I took little longer because the water pool was almost empty and it was above my height as I climbed couple concrete bricks to reach the bottom. When  I finally brought the water Sirad told me get some water for these ladies as I was to turn around to get a cup for them one of the ladies pulled my hair violently and threw me onto the ground I was scared because their faces were  unfamiliar and they didn't say anything about being my relatives all they asked was water when the lady knocked me on the ground granny and another unfamiliar face of woman appeared  out of thin air I was frightened even more as my eyes caught grandma I was sure I'll be dead. because I was away from home in months  and I spent all of the shillings I stole so I had to face the punishment for both stealing the money and running away from them, but for now there was no way I could run away again I was laying on the ground couple women surrounding me, later I found out why the lady beat me because she heard Sirad calling me wood because I was slow and took time to fill the Jerry can as I struggled to reach the bottom of the water pool  I heard her telling grandma and other lady about what Sirad called me I was angry to Sirad myself because I was the one doing the  hard work I washed clothes, I put the cleaned clothes onto the rope to air dry, I took the dirty water away and filled the Jerry can whenever it emptied. How can she call me wood when I did everything.

Granny and her two  cousins and one niece the one who beat me took me to a confectionery house where we ate some sweets and drinks then we headed to the house of Kaltun the one who hid with grandma behind a tree pole before I was beaten, Kaltun urged granny to give my mother a call and tell her my situation this is when mother told grandma to move to the city. This was a victory  for me. No more damn  nomad as granny left me with Kaltun to stay until she moves to the town.