Prieto parked the bicycle inside the parlour, to one side at the extreme ends of the house. He arranged the old chairs properly, since they were pushed aside for the passage of the bicycle. He went outside the house, to assist his mother at the backyard. His mother held a big plastic bowl, big enough to pour the whole harvested pepper into it. A big plastic baff, with large compartment. She brought it near the pepper bag. Prieto asked her "mummy what are you doing?", she replied that she is trying to pour the pepper in the plastic, so it can be washed and dried. Without delay, Prieto moved closer to her, taking the bag up to turn it content upside down for a pour, into the plastic. His mother held the plastic, close to the mouth of the bag. As Prieto let out the pepper into it. " Everything", his mother said. Prieto emptied the whole bag into the big baff.
His mother beckoned him, to carry the baff with her close to where the water reservoir is. They both lifted the weight of the pepper inside the container, to where the spice will be washed. The water in the reservoir was from the Onoku river, Neku always fetch the water back once it used, and he always ensure that their mother never complained about that. That was the water they moved the heavy container to, so as to pour enough water, into it for proper rinsing. Prieto left the rinsing for his mother to do, while he stood beside her.
Watching how she wobbled the pepper in the water together, with themselves to let off dirt, with her hands. Using the both hands, because the pepper was quite much. As his mother kept washing, and scrubbing the spice in the waters, his junior brother Neku walked to where they are. " Well done mummy! greeting his mother. "good evening sir; greeting his brother. How are you?", Prieto said. "Where are you coming from?" Prieto questioned him. "Am coming from sister Awunli's place, Neku said. "Is that where you always go to hide yourself everyday?", Prieto pestered! ... No Neku said. "I only go there when I feel I needed to be there, and there are still other places I go around the village premises. "Okay! Prieto answered. Neku stayed with them a while, before one of his friend in the village, came to the house calling out for him from the entrance.
He left his brother and mother, to see who among his friends it was. Neku responded while walking to the frontage of the house, " yes! "who is it?". It me Chike, his friend answered. The two of them went out again. Prieto only heard him say, "uncle pls help me tell mummy am coming". As he left the house with his friend. Their mother said "did anyone call me now?" Prieto said no. It's Neku, I think his friend came checking on him, so he is going out with him and he said, "I should tell you is coming back". Their mother did not say anything, she only kept working on the spices in the baff of water. Prieto stayed there with her, waiting for her to finish the first phase of the rinsing, so he can help her turn away the water for the second practice.
It's seems his mother won't finish with the rinsing sooner, Prieto went and take a small wooden stool, from mama Ejima's kitchen and sat on it, while waiting for his mother as she kept working on the spices. In the meantime, Prieto's mother requested for a cup of water to drink, Prieto went inside the house to get it for her. "Mummy take the water, her it is". His mother collected the cup in his hand carefully, so that pepper seeds don't stain it. When Prieto's mother finished drinking, he asked his mother "if the bare hands she is using, to wash the soiled dirt of the pepper, won't burn her hand in it effect as pepper always does?".
His mother told him not to worry, that she has the remedy to the pepperish effect. "Besides that, I am already used to it". She told him. Really! Prieto lamented, "is there a way someone can get use to pepper burning effect?". My goodness! Mummy what kind of idea is that?" Questioning his mother. "Never mind my son". His mother said. " Our perception to things like this as villagers, don't blend with the city life methods". Since we are not equipped! Prieto's mother told him. Wao! "You are not even scared of the aftermath effect", Prieto said in a low tone.
Prieto wasn't sitting on the small wooden stool at this time, he stood looking and sympathizing with his mother. Thinking to himself, that is this how his mother endures pain? He folds his arms to his chest, and wonder how painful her mother's struggle through life must have been, because he knew that, what she was doing is very unpalatable.
Anyway, Prieto greeted his mother well done. He went back and sit on the wooden stool he kept, while waiting on his mother. His mother called him, to help her let off the dirty waters from the plastic baff. They both carried the baff, this time the weight had gone heavier, than when they first brought it to the waters. They strived with it weight, lifting it to the back of the kitchen where there are banana plantation and fair bushes.
They turn the water off the container slowly, till it remained the spices. The peppers had gone cleaned. They carried it again to the reservoir, for another water to finish up the process. His mother's method this time, shows she won't be doing much again to the spices, than to just carry it again to let off the water, for complete cleansing.
They lifted the baff again, to pour out the waters in it. Finally the job was done. It's almost getting closer to dark night before they finished up the process. His mother told him to go inside, so she could serve him some food to eat.