Wanda’s tale by Ritkatmwa Gwan

"Body Image" Episode 6

The events of a few years ago had defined the young woman Wanda had become. 

These weren’t exciting days, Anty Billy, Mummy’s sister was back and she wasn’t a fan of Wanda’s; in her eyes Wanda was the ‘ugly duckling’.  Their conversations never ended well, there was always a sour taste in her mouth afterwards.

“ My dear, how are you? so you’re now entering University, you’re all grown up” “yes ma” was all Wanda could say and a quiet “thank you ma” followed.  Wanda always wondered why aunty Bilkis had so much power over her…

This woman in her mid…”wait Oh is anty Billy in her 40’s or 50’s” well it all didn’t matter because she was “self-made” as she liked to call it, slim and light complexioned you’d think she had albinism I mean the years of “Tura” had paid off except for the not so light knuckles… “Did I mention she was single and loving every moment of it”

“Wanda, you need to loose weight, how will you get the boys with all this…?” Mind you this was the year 2000 and there was a craze for being slim. “yes ma”…

Wanda had two sisters, both slim, light complexioned like mumsy and they were tall for her standard. “you’re a pretty girl but you need to be slimmer, boys don’t like fat girls, stop eating everything put in your path”..”so she was still talking?” her thoughts were always lost with anty Billy.  She hated being at anty Billy’s, the countless men, the loud parties, the “meetings” it was all too worrying. “If dad were alive all this wouldn’t be happening to me”. She needed to mount courage to call mummy’s bluff, she needed to say what was wrong. 

This was her first time back in almost 4 years, she had always made excuses to avoid coming back and daddy gladly supported her, now she had to face her demons; Uncle Tam was one of them.  The girl’s father had died only recently, she was heart broken he wouldn’t get to walk her down the aisle, she knew she was his favourite (at least she looked exactly like him if that was any consolation) she wanted to pursue Public Health like him, but it didn’t seem feasible now. 

Jolting her back to reality was an all so familiar voice, “Wanda Wanda, kin yi girma” (you are all grown) Uncle Tamandu liked  speaking hausa even though he knew they couldn’t speak it well enough. Her fear was becoming evident (at least she taught it was) and it became all so clear she wasn’t quite ready to face the demons, at least not today… 

Was she angry? afraid? she seemed more confused. With the corner of her eye she caught Charis chating away with him…How can everyone be so clueless, this man was slime, no the thing under slime, no, the thing that grows under the thing under slime…Arghhhrrr, “count to 10 Wanda, count, she told herself…it was a technique she saw in a movie..”1, 2, 3, ….5, 6..” it seemed to work but rather than calm down just then a nauseating feeling overtook her and she needed to get out of there.  

“what was he doing here?”