Mber months

Have you ever heard about the "mber months"?. Well it's kind of a popular word among Christians in Nigeria. 

Mber months are the months ending with mber including October although October is not spelt "Octomber".

Now Nigerians believe that lots of mishaps are  supposed to happen during the span of the mber months.  People pray the most during this ,are more scared of travelling and doing things like going out late even a little bit late. The first time I heard about this ideology, I was twelve years old  ,slightly chubby and newly experiencing puberty ,small budding breasts and hair in my pubic areas that felt really weird, I was washing the dishes in the kitchen sweating profusely. I was beginning to sweat a lot those days. Mother and her friend, the mother of my best friend ,Kemi were discussing in the living room and well I was listening ,it was impossible not to,  their voices were so loud. "Did you hear that Mama Ruth's husband died?"

"Who is Mama Ruth?"

"That  busty lady that lives next to Mama Joshua"

"Oh I remember that pretty woman,with three beautiful children like this"

"Yes"

"What killed him?"

"He came back from work and was complaining of headache oooo"

"Oh my God that handsome man"

Mummy always thought everyone was handsome and pretty and beautiful and fine,I didn't think Jerry's father was handsome. I felt sorry for Jerry though,I knew that was a thoughtless thing to think of then.

"God will save us in these mber months o"

I was curious, mber months?

"My husband is travelling on Monday, I am so scared "

"What is he travelling for?"

Kemi's mother asked, alarmed.

"Work, it is compulsory"

"Pray well my Friend, I am going to a night vigil tonight . Maybe you should follow me" 

Later  that night I asked Mummy what mber months were and she explained ,just like I have explained. Maybe that was why I always failed my first term  exams every single class from Jss1- Jss 3. Over the years as I grew older ,I came in contact with more people who believed in the same ideology. 

  Now not everybody believes in mber months some people don't just care. Like my father, mummy collected a special prayer water from our  spitting pastor in church , he was always spitting while talking. I always dreaded walking past him ,he was surely going to call me to pray for me and I would surely end up drenched in his spittle.  Well mummy offered the prayer water to my dad ,but he refused it,just like he refused mummy's plea not to go on the trip. The next day , Dad took off. His car got crushed by a trailer. The next Sunday that evening we were all sitting in black on our old long sofa with rips that exposed the yellow dirty foam underneath,my little five year old sister ,Joke and my mother.      Everywhere was quiet and gloomy, Dad had just been buried the day before,the crash of the Dana airplane was announced. In church that day ,aside our family and demise of our father , the plane crash was the trending news. The women of Revival House liked to gossip about tragic incidents. They shared news about trending incidents like it was a news about Kim Khadarsian or something. The pity and the " sorries" they all had on their faces and told me when talking to me, infuriated me.  Well everyone talked about the Dana plane crash. They suggested it was the "mber months'' I don't think so ,I think it is negligence. 

  It was dad's car tyre, it was too old, I don't read enough. I don't want to believe in it ,it will make me scared and restrict my life just like mum's. Ever since that year ,she fasted from September until the 24th of December and resumes on the 26th.  She never went out during the mber months,she was always in her room. She developed some sort of agoraphobia whenever the "mber" months came. She encouraged me to fast and stay indoors too ,I listened at first ,I only went out when necessary,like buying groceries ,going to school, going to work. But I don't want to listen to her anymore. What you believe me in  is what haunts you.