The woman looked up quickly.
“Lara, what happened to you? You look very weak.”
Lara held her stomach.
“Please, ma. I haven’t eaten since yesterday. Can you give me a little food?”
The woman froze. Her eyes filled with pity. For a moment, she looked like she wanted to run inside and bring something, but then fear appeared on her face.
She sighed deeply.
“My daughter, I wish I could help you.”
Lara waited quietly.
“But your mother-in-law is a troublesome woman,” the woman lowered her voice. “If I give you food and she hears about it, she will come here and fight me.”
She paused sadly.
“The last time I gave you clothes, she came here and returned them. She insulted me in front of everyone.”
Tears gathered in her eyes.
“I am very sorry.”
Lara slowly nodded.
“I understand, ma.”
Her voice was very soft. She wiped her tears and turned away again.
The ghost watched the scene helplessly. His heart was breaking.
Lara continued walking. Her steps were now even slower. The sun had become hotter. Sweat ran down her face and neck.
Soon she saw some villagers coming back from the farm, carrying firewood. Her heart lifted slightly.
Maybe someone would help her.
She walked toward them.
“Please,” she called weakly.
The villagers stopped.
“Do you have a little food I can eat? Maybe roasted yam?”
They looked at one another. Some of them looked away.
One man cleared his throat.
“We don’t have food.”
Another person quickly said, “We are in a hurry.”
And just like that, they walked away.
Lara stood there alone. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Her legs finally gave way. She slowly sat down on the ground beside the road. The basin slipped from her hands.
She covered her face and cried.
The ghost stood not far away, watching her. He could not bear the pain anymore.
Slowly, he stepped backward. His body began to change. His ghostly form started glowing. Within seconds, he transformed into a woman.
The woman was holding a plate of food, rice and stew. The smell filled the air.
She walked closer.
“Lara.”
Lara slowly lifted her head. She saw the strange woman standing there.
The woman stretched out the plate.
“Take this food.”
Lara did not even think twice. She jumped up quickly. Her hunger had taken over her senses. She dropped her basin and grabbed the plate.
Then she began to eat fast, very fast. She did not even look up. She ate like someone who had not seen food in many days.
Meanwhile, the strange woman stood there watching her. Tears quietly rolled down her cheeks.
Lara kept eating spoon after spoon. Her breathing was heavy as she swallowed the food.
Finally, she finished everything.
Not a single grain remained on the plate.
She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Then she looked up at the woman for the first time.
“Thank you.”
Her voice was calmer now, but she looked closely at the woman’s face.
“I haven’t seen you in this village before.”
She frowned slightly.
“And how did you know I needed food?”
Then she noticed the tears on the woman’s face.
Lara looked surprised.
“Are you crying because of me?”
The woman sighed deeply. Her eyes were filled with pain.
Then she asked quietly, “Why don’t you go back to your people?”
Lara looked confused.
“My people?”
“Yes,” the woman said gently. “Go back to your family.”
Lara lowered her head. She sighed heavily.
“I can’t.”
The woman looked at her carefully.
Lara continued speaking slowly.
“The tradition here says the first child of every male child from this village must be born in the village.”
She held her stomach again.
“My late husband is from this village.”
She swallowed.
“So the elders say I cannot leave.”
Her voice became sadder.
“They said if the baby is not born in the father’s family house, the child will die.”
She looked up again.
“You are from here, right? You should know this tradition.”
The woman remained silent. Tears filled her eyes again.
“But the suffering is too much for you,” the woman said softly. “You are heavily pregnant. You need care.”
Her voice became urgent.
“Please, go home to your people. Just run.”
But Lara suddenly stood up quickly. Fear filled her face.
“Oh no, my mother-in-law will be waiting.”
She picked up the empty basin from the ground.
“Thank you for the food,” she said gratefully.
Then she hurried down the farm road again.
The woman stood there watching her disappear into the distance.
Slowly, her body began to glow again. Within seconds, she transformed back into the ghost of Lara’s late husband.
He looked at the road where Lara had gone. His face was full of sorrow. Tears rolled down his face.
Then suddenly, he disappeared into the air.
The sun had already begun to move slowly down in the sky when a woman came rushing into Mama Tade’s compound. Her breathing was fast, and she kept looking behind her as if she had run a long distance.
Mama Tade was sitting outside on a low wooden chair, sorting dry pepper into a small bowl. When she saw the woman hurrying inside, she frowned.
“Why are you running like someone is chasing you?” she asked sharply.
The woman bent slightly, trying to catch her breath.
“Mama Tade, I just heard something,” she said quickly.
Mama Tade dropped the pepper bowl on the ground and stared at her.
“What did you hear?” she demanded.
The woman wiped sweat from her forehead.
“My little daughter just came back from the road that leads to the farm. She said she saw your daughter-in-law Lara sitting by the roadside eating food.”
Mama Tade’s eyes widened immediately. Her face changed from confusion to anger in seconds.
“I’m thinking maybe it was that same woman who gave her clothes the other day.”
Before she could finish talking, Mama Tade stood up suddenly. Her chair fell behind her with a loud sound.
“What?” she shouted.
She quickly grabbed her wrapper and tied it tightly around her waist. Her face was burning with anger.
Without saying another word, she marched out of the compound like a storm.
The woman who brought the message stood there silently, already regretting coming.
Mama Tade walked fast through the dusty path of the village until she reached the small hut where the woman lived. She saw the woman outside spreading cassava on a mat to dry.
Mama Tade did not greet her.
Instead, she rushed forward, grabbed the woman’s shirt roughly, and pulled her up.
“How dare you?” Mama Tade shouted loudly. “How dare you give my daughter-in-law food?”
The woman looked shocked and frightened. Her hands trembled.
“What? What are you talking about?” she asked in confusion.
But Mama Tade was too angry to listen.
Mama Tade tightened her grip on the woman’s shirt and shook her hard.
“Did Lara tell you she is hungry? Did she tell you I don’t take care of her? Are you trying to make people think I am wicked?” she thundered loudly.
People passing by stopped to watch.
The poor woman looked more confused with every word.
“Mama, please calm down,” she said nervously. “I don’t understand what you mean. I didn’t give Lara any food.”
Mama Tade’s eyes burned with suspicion.
“Then who gave her the food she was eating on her way to the farm?” she demanded angrily.
The woman shook her head quickly.
“I swear I don’t know. It wasn’t me. I didn’t even see her today.”
Mama Tade stared at her for a few seconds, trying to see if she was lying.
The woman’s face showed only fear and confusion.
Slowly, Mama Tade released her shirt. The woman stepped back and adjusted her clothes, still shaking.
Mama Tade turned around angrily and began to walk away. As she walked down the path, she kept talking loudly so that everyone nearby could hear her.
“You people in this village should learn to mind your business,” she shouted. “Nobody should interfere in my family matters.”
The villagers looked at one another but said nothing.
They had all seen how Mama Tade treated Lara, but nobody wanted trouble with her.
Mama Tade finally returned to her compound, still boiling with anger inside. She sat down again, but her mind was not peaceful.
One question kept repeating in her head.
If that woman did not give Lara food, then who did?
Evening slowly came, and the sky began to turn dark. It was already past 7:00 p.m. when Lara finally returned from the farm. Her body was covered in dust, and her clothes were wet with sweat. The basin on her head was full of firewood.
Her steps were slow and painful because the long walk had drained the little strength she had left.
When she entered the compound, the place was quiet. She gently lowered the basin from her head and poured the firewood onto the ground. The wood fell with a heavy sound.
