one day my desire to be with mama a

one day my desire to be with mama and my natural childish curiosity drove me to secretly follow her. once a month she left our camp and went away by herself for the afternoon. i said to her, "i'm so determined to know what you do, mom-what is this thing you do every month? she told me to mind my own business; a child in Africa has no right meddling in parents' affairs. and, as usual, she told me to stay home and has no right the younger children. but then she walked away, i hurried behind her at a distance, hiding behind bushes to stay out of sight. she met with five other woman, who had traveled long distances also. together they sat under a huge, beautiful tree for several hours during our siesta, when the sun was too hot to do much else. During that time the animals and family were all resting, so they could spare a little time for themselves. Their black heads gathered close in the distance like ants, and watched as they ate popcorn and drank tea. what they talked about,i still don't know, as i was to far away to hear. eventually i decided to risk revealing myself, mainly because i wanted of their food. i walked up meekly and stood next to my mother.