Waterleaf for Yemisi
Before I change my mind or lose my nerve--
My auntie—more accurately, she’s actually my mother’s father’s uncle’s (uncle but he’s younger than my grand dad) wife, so she’s more like my mum’s auntie actually—turned 70 last October. She’s always been someone I would describe as young at heart, and that was long before the past three years living with her.
She’s an old person no doubt, but she’s more like the old people’s young person, so she’s—and I use this knowing exactly how it sounds—HIP. Living with her, I’ve learned a lot, or at least she believes I have. How to properly host guests, how to take care of a woman and how to survive when I’m left home alone for days on end. She’s also learned a lot from me too, like how to connect a bluetooth devwise, how to order stuff from Amazon and how to… I can’t think of a third thing but its definitely there.
She recently started a garden. She’s always had plants in the compound but they were more for aesthetic pleasure; these new additions, however, are to cook with, tomatoes and the likes. However, the one I think she’s most proud of, is her waterleaf plants. A little over two weeks ago while we were watering them one morning, she said to me while beaming, “you know I used them to cook the soup we ate last night.”
I, admittedly, did not know that. I don’t think I even ate the soup she was talking about; I was fasting. However, the smile on her face, caused by these little green alien looking things—let’s be real, either we’re the aliens or the plants are—made me think; the small joys we find in little moments day to day, are some of life’s most precious gifts.
She left home for a trip a few days ago, and I’ve been the one watering them now. Their leaves are so soft and bright and succulent—how can you tell when something is succulent without sucking on them because it feels like such a throwaway word. Maybe when I get my own place, I’ll start a garden too.
(This is where I should attach pics of the garden but I’ll take them later?)
I call this a B.S. (Key is below)