Donkey and Me

My donkey has laid an egg. I carefully took the egg onto my shaky palms and slowly paced towards the bedroom. I placed the thing on my bed and looked for more cushioning. Soon, I had found some pretty lace that had been removed from an old frock and some cotton and some satin ribbon. I made a nest out of these for my egg. Because it looked shabby, I wiped its face with a cotton ball dipped in Dettol. Now it looked like an Easter egg with lots of colorful freckles.

"Oh what a pretty thing!” I exclaimed.

I slowly caressed my egg until it fell asleep. I covered half of its body with old lace and trotted back to my kitchen garden where my donkey lay in pain.

"How are you feeling boi?” I ask him even though she's a female who'd just given birth. I've a peculiar habit of addressing loved ones in masculine. He brays lightly and shows me his pearly whites. I give him a sly grin too. I pat his head gently and bring him fodder from a nearby shed. I fetch a pail of clear cool water from my well and water my donkey.

I bend down and rest my knees on the earth beside my donkey and speak to him in a low tone. "Bebe, for years I have been waiting for a child from you, but I just love you so much that the thought of a man touching you.. I can't take it well. I know it was too much to ask of you… You're just a child. Naive and still new to this world. Yet, you've given me your very first child. I know I have been hard you, not letting you out of your stay and keeping you locked in. I know I don't allow you to play with the other donkeys, your friends. I know your heart longs to talk to them and play hide and seek with them. I find myself wholly responsible for ruining your childhood. You're just 16 now, and a baby to take care of, may sound very scary to you sweetie, but don't you worry, your Mama is by your side. I promise to guide and help you in every step you take. You're the only one I have. I'm scared too. But together we shall raise your baby and raise it into a beautiful donkey"

My donkey brays again but with vigor. "He-heh, goodie boiii koochikoochi, I lub jhuuu doll" I get a hair detangler and brush my donkey's soft hairs and pay detailed attention to its tail and hooves. "You will be bathed tomorrow dearie" I say…And leave him be.

It is a sunny afternoon. I cook up some broccoli broth and paired it with grilled tuna and some pea purée to go with it. Even though the food looked delicious and my mouth watered, I wouldn't eat more than one morsel. The tuna just wouldn't budge into my throat. I placed my spoons and forks aside and covered my food with another plate. I water my plants, my daisies and dahlias, my pansies and Hibiscuses. I sing a song as I do so.

"I don't know how and what I feel, is it glee?

But my heart just wants to flee…

My baby gave a baby this morning,

Instead of happiness why do I feel myself drowning?

What will the neighbors say?

Will all the young men, from me now keep at bay?

Even the stupid horses at the sight of me neigh...

Oh what have I done?

My donkey shouldn't have had that kind of fun!

I must reprimand!

But she looks so grand...

Oh, my poor heart, calm down...

Don't be such a clown.

Stay with her; make sure she's eaten,

Don't allow her to be beaten

Wash her up,

Water her many waters a cup.

Make her feel she's home,

She's not just any gnome.

She must be sound and safe,

I might name the child Raphe.

I finish singing my little song and sigh. I remove my shoes and lay silently on the soft green grass. I look up at the sky and see white clouds passing by. The wispy cloud is Cirrus. The puffy one is cumulus. The layered cloud is stratus… The one with the anvil head... I begin spotting different types of clouds as they race across the blue sky. I fold my arms and sleep on one of my sides.

I wake up, walk back home. My eyes are burning. They’ve turned rose-red. I’m angry at her being so careless. How could she have had no thought of me while committing such discomfort? I walk briskly down to her, I see that she’s hungry and her tongue is all dried out because of the heat. The pail of water is empty, maybe all of it vaporized. I rush in towards her and kick the pail onto her hind legs. She dodges most of it, but is still hit. I close up with her and think of letting her on the loose, I untie the rope around her neck and shoo her away from the house. She reluctantly lingers around the front door. I pay no heed to her. I let children throw pebbles and stones at her. I wouldn’t give her even my leftovers but dump them in the garbage. Three days now, she hadn’t anywhere to go. She was growing lean while I was growing mean. Her ribs started to show within a week. Unable to witness this view, I stopped stepping out of the house. I completely tried to forget about her. As for her egg I had put it outside for the hawks to devour. One morning, I had to go out to buy some groceries, every day I have a sneak-peek, and my donkey was there. Today, she wasn’t. I quickly put on my outdoor shoes and looked for her. But, all my efforts go in vain. Tears start building up at the corner of my eyes and trickle down like rain on a barren land. The pain of losing her was just too much that I…jerked myself to wake up.

I opened my eyes which were wet, my palms all sweaty and my forehead beaded with perspiration. I sit down and inhale sharply. I wake up, walk back home. My eyes are burning. They’ve turned rose-red .I’m angry at her for being so careless. How could she have had no thought of me while committing such discomfort? I walk briskly down to her, I see that she’s hungry and her tongue is all dried out because of the heat. The pail of water is empty, maybe all of it vaporized.

I kneel down and hold her face and cry. I flush all my pain out. Sobbing, I spoke to her in a meek voice “I love you”

I shiver and tell her that I’m sorry for being such a bad mother. Then, I tend to all her needs. I wait until she falls asleep and then follow up on the egg. I walk into the bedroom where the egg lay.

An Asian Koel (cuckoo) has perched solemnly on my egg. When I go nearer to it, it flutters and flies away.

In its place, near my donkey’s egg is another egg.