Conversations in the kitchen on Sunday mornings

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Leroy over heard the conversations in the kitchen on Sunday mornings. The kitchen cabinet met. He could not work out if they were describing a recipe or talking about Africans and Africa through the sweet aroma of sizzling plantain. He heard strange sounding words interwoven into a story that he often times heard on the NEWS and Panorama: a world affairs programme. He heard the live version as to what was really happening and how it was affecting Africans.

“Lumumba, who was arrested by Army Chief of Staff Colonel Mobutu,” said Mr Appiah.

“But by then he was in the pay of the CIA”, said Leroy’s father Mr Marriott.

“Ahhhh heee but Mobutu handed him over to Tshombe in Katangaaaa  where heeeee was murdered,” chanted Mr Appiah.

“Yes and now they have arrested The African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela.” They all agreed that this was a terrible thing.

“Him nah come out of jail, him finished,” said his father Mr Marriot.

“Eii, Hie,   they are going to kill him in there that’s what they were making for, for so long”, replied Mrs Wilson another lodger and bus conductress.

“Everybody is happy now. Nelson Mandela is as good as dead” the kitchen committee had all agreed and shook their heads while stacking up the fried eggs.

The silenced aggrieved voices gave space for the sizzle of the frying.  Leroy loved the foreign sounding names and words he would memorise them and recite them in his lonely hours and in the playground at school. They went on and on most animatedly as the sausages sizzled, in the frying pan. Propaganda, Killings the chopping up into little pieces was a new language with new phrases.

On exit from the kitchen a plume of smoke belched through the open door. The blue cloud was of the smell of burnt plantains. Mr Aappiah the first out seeing Leroy on bended knees with his toy soldiers would reach into his pocket to produce a Kola nut. The kindly Mr. Appiah would often slip Leroy a couple of Kola nuts. He mimed a bite and then he chewed one as he passed a whole Kola nut to Leroy. Leroy watched the ritual and followed his actions.  The Kola Nut was very awkward as they were not completely round and could not be used as marbles. So Leroy did what he did and chewed them.  Leroy chewed as the bitter taste caused his face to contort in a deep grimace. Once Mr Appiah was out of sight Leroy then spat the bitter substance out and attempted to cleanse his tongue.

 Mr. Appiah scurried to his room and his library of books. He had always maintained the voice of reason as he was studying law by night as he worked on the underground and collected train tickets by day.