I DON'T WANT THIS MATTRESS

 

Adeladius Makwega – MBAGALA

 

Mwanakwetu bought a mattress for one simple reason: to sleep safely and comfortably.

 

He was tired of sleeping on old sacks, woven mats and traditional sleeping mats. He felt it was time to move up in life. He saved his money, worked hard, and eventually managed to buy himself a good-quality mattress—a mattress unlike anything he had ever slept on in his entire life.

 

According to the stories passed down in his family, none of his grandfathers, fathers, uncles, aunts, or even his younger maternal relatives had ever slept on a mattress.

Things were slightly better on his mother’s side of the family. They were cattle keepers, and from time to time they slept on cowhides with the hair still attached. At least that offered a little comfort.

 

But on his father’s side, things were different. They were rice farmers, and woven mats and traditional sleeping mats served as their beds. A mattress, to them, was something you heard about—not something you actually slept on!

 

And so, Mwanakwetu decided to break the family taboo.

He bought a mattress.

But don't think it was an easy decision!

 

Before buying it, Mwanakwetu had to consult a diviner. He had to perform traditional rituals. He had to offer sacrifices. Among the Pogoro people, they call this “kupeta mashi.”

 

After going through these rituals several times, he finally succeeded in getting himself a mattress.

 

And just like that, Mwanakwetu officially became a man with a mattress!

 

He was proud.

He felt as though he had entered a completely new chapter of life.

But then...

It turned out that the mattress had a life of its own!

Indeed, since he started sleeping on that mattress, not even twelve months have passed, yet his sleep has turned into a nightmare.

 

During the day, he struggles.

At night, instead of sleeping peacefully, he tosses and turns.

Deep in his mind, he began to wonder:

 

“So this is why my ancestors, on both my mother’s and father’s sides, chose to sleep on woven mats, traditional sleeping mats and animal hides on their rope beds? Could it be that sleeping on a mattress is actually a problem?”

That was when the arguments began.

 

Some people defended the mattress.

One person said:

“You know, we learned to sleep on mattresses during the sisal-growing era. But in our tradition, we were used to animal hides, cotton, banana leaves and rice straw. Those were perfectly fine to sleep on.”

Another person replied:

 

“What is troubling you people is simply backward thinking! A mattress is far better than animal hides, woven mats and traditional sleeping mats.”

 

But Mwanakwetu's problem was not the size of the mattress.

It wasn't too small.

It wasn't because it was a five-by-five mattress.

The problem was the mattress itself!

 

Whenever he lay down, the mattress sank on one side.

And that was where the trouble began.

Instead of Mwanakwetu sleeping peacefully, going to bed had now become a daily struggle.

 

He explained:

“You can't sleep properly when you feel as if you are on the side of a mountain and about to fall off. If the mattress were going to sink, it should sink all over! But this one sinks only on one side—and unfortunately, the very part where I sleep has sunk the most.”

The months kept passing.

One.

Two.

Three...

Then nine.

Ten.

 

And now, a dozen months are approaching!

Our neighbor continues to ask himself:

“How long is this going to continue?”

Before making his final decision, he is asking for advice.

What should he do?

Should he cut the mattress open?

Should he take it to a mattress repairer?

Should he simply throw it away?

Or...

Should he return to the way his ancestors lived—with animal hides, woven mats and traditional sleeping mats?

That is where Mwanakwetu finds himself without an answer.

 

He left the mats and traditional sleeping arrangements believing that the mattress would give him luxurious sleep.

 

Instead, he has discovered that the mattress came with a heavy burden of pain!

He says:

 

“Today it is my finger that hurts, tomorrow it is my shoulder, the day after it is my neck, and the next day it is my arm. Is this mattress really safe? What if it ends up causing me even bigger problems?”

Mwanakwetu, are you there?

If you are, please give us your answer.

What should be done with this mattress?

You bought it so that you could sleep comfortably, but now you have become a slave to your own mattress!

And that leaves us with one question:

Should a mattress be a friend of sleep—or an enemy of sleep?

For today, Mwanakwetu says he will stop here.

He is waiting anxiously for your advice.

 

Because before this mattress even completes its dozen months, he is already exhausted.

And perhaps tomorrow he will wake up with only one thing to say:

“I DON'T WANT THIS MATTRESS!”

Wishing you a wonderful day.

Email: makwadeladius@gmail.com

Phone: 0717649257