A Tribute To A Woman With Ethics.

When I read through the prompt for this week, I was trying to weigh my options. Which outsider left the most mark on me? A few people crossed my mind but there was this lady who kept recurring. I used to refer to her as "Aunty Pepper''. Wondering how the name came about? This was the time in my life when I used to give people nicknames according to how they made me feel.

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As a kid, I lived a very carefree life(like every kid should) until my mom started visiting Aunty Pepper. Aunty Pepper was my church member and we visited her often after service on Sundays . As a kid, I liked her husband better because he was very calm and easy going. He never scolded me and he always had this very bright smile on. Aunty Pepper on the flip side was the opposite of her husband. She never hesitated to scold me for my littlest mistakes.

The last memory I had of aunty Pepper was when I visited her one Sunday and as we entered into her parlour, I freely climbed on her cushion and sat down with my legs wide open; ready to listen to "boring" adult gist. Aunty pepper sternly looked at my direction and said:

"Young girl, sit like a lady!"her voice alone almost made me cry, it was so threatening.

I was just five and I didn't even know what she meant by "sit like a lady". I looked to my mom for hints but I didn't get anything.

Aunty Pepper told me to stand on my feet and I obliged. She stood up, and demonstrated how a lady should sit and told me to follow suit.

After about twenty trials, I eventually could sit properly; like a lady. After the practice session, she moved into the speech session. Aunty Pepper went on and on about how sitting with my legs open was a very bad habit. Again, I was just five!.

At the time, visiting her wasn't fun as I knew that I would have to act like a fifty year old whenever I was around her. I would have to sit properly, laugh properly, chew properly, cough properly and things of that sort but eventually, I grew comfortable around her because she was one to smile with you once you did what she taught you to do.

Honestly, I learnt a lot of ethics and morals just by visiting Aunty Pepper. Sometimes I wonder how I would have turned out if I went on a two weeks vacation at her house😅.

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When I heard of her demise, I was awestruck to say the least. Aunty Pepper wasn't one to show emotions and as such, a person wouldn't know when she was happy, sad or in distress.

I had lost someone who contributed immensely to my upbringing. It was sad because I never got the opportunity to tell her thank you for all she did. During her time on earth, she had managed to positively impact the lives of a lot of people, even when they didn't see it at first.

Now, whenever I sit properly or cover my mouth with my elbow joint rather than my hands, I remember to give accolades to her. I probably would have still been a very carefree young lady if Aunty Pepper hadn't corrected me all those times. She may be gone, but her memories and impact still remain with us.

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I invite you to this month's DreemPort collaboration with @beeber and her Hive Memorial Forest community. Come and honour your loved ones

With love, wongi ✨