I woke up at 6 a.m. on Saturday, determined to finish my house chores early. By 8:30, I needed to be at my fiancé’s place so we could head to his mother’s home and help with garri production. The timing was coolI cause I had just run out of food, and I knew I wouldn’t leave empty-handed. My soon-to-be mother-in-law always gives generously, especially to me. Maybe it’s because I’m marrying her favorite son.
After getting ready, I rushed to my fiancé’s place and found him finishing breakfast. I joined him, then cleared the dishes before we set off. We took a shuttle straight to his mother’s village, where we were greeted warmly and offered food—though we were already full.
Once everyone had eaten, we headed to the farm to harvest cassava. Watching my fiancé work was impressive; he uprooted the tubers with ease while I picked ripe peppers. He even taught me how to harvest them properly, and his mother guided me, pointing out the mature ones and leaving the tougher roots for him so I wouldn’t strain myself.
When we had enough cassava, we rested in the shade, ate a quick meal, and then transported the harvest back in large sacks. Without wasting time, we started peeling. With many hands helping, the work went quickly—I washed the cassava while my fiancé’s youngest sibling arranged them for grinding.
After peeling, I took a short break while my fiancé and his brother took the cassava to be ground and pressed. It took a while, so by the time they returned, I was ready to help Mama (as I call her) gather firewood and set up the frying area. Once the ground cassava arrived, I sifted it while Mama began frying. The men rested of course.
Mama fried three batches before I took over for one. Just as I was about to continue, my fiancé jokingly (but seriously) insisted I save my energy to massage his aching muscles later. I laughed but obliged, leaving him to handle the last two batches.
Once the garri cooled, Mama divided it, giving me a portion ten times larger than my fiancé’s. "He can always come back for more," she said with a smile. Grateful, I thanked her, packed my share, and we left for home as dusk settled.
It was an exhausting but fulfilling weekend. I learned how to harvest cassava, identify mature tubers. As for the massage? Well… that’s a story for another day 🤓.
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@ritaetim
