“What are you saying, Reggie?”
She beams at me. “I guess you’re feeling better now.”
I shrink back in disbelief as she stands akimbo, staring at me. “Is that why you’ve brought me here, to pacify me?”
“Tim, whenever you’re upset, the best cure is to distract you, and I’ve just done that. In any case, our people say that looking at red palm nuts is a good drug for rage. Besides, after selling these remaining twenty-five sacks, we might eventually afford a medical specialist at the Metropolitan Fertility Hospital.”
I smile. “Naughty woman!”
She bursts out laughing, dabbing my huge beard with her soft fingers. “You should go and have a bath and get some sleep.”
“Reggie, I regret all the ridiculous things I’ve done when all the time you’re the one quietly making our dream happen.”
“Don’t worry, Tim; we’re in this problem together. Of course, it’s much easier to sell palm nuts than borrow God’s testicles.”
I hug her, and we’re both laughing and laughing and laughing.
Jekwu Anyaegbuna graduated from the University of East Anglia with an MA in Creative Writing. He was the winner of a Commonwealth Short Story Prize in 2012 and is a contributor of Granta Magazine. He lives in England and you can follow him on Twitter.
‘What seems to be an easy path usually is the most difficult to navigate.’ ~Unknown
An interesting read!
I commend you for this beautiful piece. It was funny and entertaining, yet informative.
I like that you highlighted Tim’s negligence of a possible solution, all because of money, only to patronize a ‘holy service’ offering little or no assistance towards his aspirations. This is the stark reality of many men in Africa who believe in supernatural healing than their scientific counterpart. Running campaigns for awareness for men’s health while making provision of access to finance, will go a long way to solve these simple issues.
At the point I read that Tim had chimpanzee balls for a meal, I reclined and thought, “how many more animals to go?” Lol.
I await your next short story. Well done!
Wow! A beautifully crafted master piece. Bravo!