There are some mysteries in every African household that science may never fully explain. One of them is the plastic bag collection.
You come home with groceries, and before you can even throw the bag away, your mother has already rescued it.
“Don’t throw that one away.”
You think she needs it for something important. Maybe she has a plan. Maybe there is an urgent household situation that requires a plastic bag.
No.
She simply adds it to the collection.
And that collection has a system of its own.
There is a small plastic bag containing three smaller plastic bags. Inside one of those bags are bags from the provision shop, the market, the pharmacy and possibly a bag that has been in the house since 2014.
Then there is the main bag.
The main bag is usually much bigger and is responsible for storing the rest of the bags. It hangs somewhere in the kitchen, under the sink, behind a door or beside the refrigerator, looking innocent.
But touch it.
Immediately, your mother will know.
“Who took the bags?”
Because apparently, those bags are not household waste. They are an investment portfolio.
And you cannot simply use one.
If you need a plastic bag to pack something, you must first ask yourself whether the bag is strong enough. Your mother will inspect it, stretch it, look at the handles and possibly hold it up to the light.
“Take this one.”
She will hand you a bag that looks like it has already survived three elections.
The funny thing is that our mothers genuinely believe every plastic bag has a future purpose.
“This one can be used for rubbish.”
“This one can be used to keep clothes.”
“This one is good for travelling.”
“This one can be used to carry something.”
And somehow, she is always right.
The day you finally throw away a bag because you think it is useless is the exact day she will need that particular bag.
“Where is the small black one?”
“What small black one?”
“The one I kept there.”
There are approximately 47 small black bags in the house. Somehow, she knows exactly which one you have thrown away.
Perhaps this is why our mothers keep plastic bags inside other plastic bags. It is not hoarding.
It is preparedness.
They grew up knowing that something that looks useless today may become extremely useful tomorrow. A good plastic bag does not retire. It is reassigned.
So, the next time you see your mother carefully folding a plastic bag and placing it inside another plastic bag, don’t laugh.
She is not confused.
She is building the household emergency fund.
And if you dare throw the collection away, just know that you will be the one buying new bags when she asks, “So where are all the bags I kept?”