Ikorodu is technically the last known bus stop from my place which was still a tripple goal kicks away. I can remember taking that path in the evening time every single day except for Fridays' when we get the opportunity to see the real sun painting on the walls of the street. With coolers in our hands, we bounce and jog all the way home especially when we are few minutes late against the time that the big clock in the sitting room has given to us through the ordination of mother; the spokesperson of our ceremonial dad, lyrics of eventful songs bouncing on our lips, some that we frightfully sing and some similar ones that we chew.
There are some few times however that we get sober in our minds, single thoughts on individual minds, little little thoughts that would eventually make a ball of stories to be treated down the valley, on our way to the farm on saturdays. On such occasions, my eardrum gets thinner and this permits me the trouble of hearing the whistling of the wind, rhythmically orchestrating the poem:
"Twinkle Twinkle Little star,
How I wonder what you are,
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky."
As important as the robe is to the Pope, devotion to the new convert and the Bible to the evangelist, so is such moment to me, at least once in a weak, I bet that is the only song that will penetrate the gate across the bridge and create an database connection with the ones we've loved and lost.
There were two Tobis' in our class then, there was no much difference between them except their attributes, the first one is Tobi the NFA boss while the other is Tobi the life changer. Even without attending the Parents Teacher's Association meeting, each parents that has a child in our class then knew the two Tobi's and that is where the problem lies. If you come back home late, just tell your parents that you had some tributes with the latter Tobi, that itself would give you a vest of seriousness in the face of your parents. But let them ask you why you came late and you could not give a definite reply, you are done for because automatically, their conclusion would be that you have started walking with the former Tobi.
There were many reasons for us to hold unto life, the greatest reason however was the fact that giving up on our life would have been a total disappointment to the people who have banked on us. Basically our parents. It must be noted that the other tunnel leads to the tall tree that harbours a special meetings of gossipers at its leg while it's head is the event centre for the forces that have been on set right from our birth. They were the ones that would take the first rumour of our material to the whole place, they wanted us dead from the onset but mother was a christian, father, a Muslim. Come to think of it, he met his best friend right from his childhood, his own father was an herbalist and he passed his own powers to his child.
Come to think of it, He expanded his own capacity by dinning with the devil who happens to be the breadwinner of the mothers of the world, those that ties two hundred yards of rapper and it does not even reach their kneels, to them it's speciality, to me, life's just been unfair with them; nothing much. Anyway, they were simply desperate to get us off this world, I think the future is very bright and that happens to be a threat for them, especially their kingdom.
But my father's friend will never cease to tell my father that the child of the hand will never die in the front of the hand, that the child of the leg will never die in front of the leg, that the front gate of the deceased has never experienced peace right from the time the owner of the world has created it, he claimed that nothing shall befall us no matter what the case may be. Beautiful enough, father believes in his ability to swing evil over little children like us but mother has never believed in such powers, to her the name of the true living God is the arsenal of power, the righteous runs in there and finds divine shield. Apart from the trinity; The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit, there is no other possesor of power, the father had given the power of the heaven and earth to the son, the son according to her died and was risen on the third day then he ascended to heaven, on getting there, he sent the Holy Spirit to the disciples.
Though I have always wanted to ask her that if the power of the heaven and the earth was given to the son, why then did he have to die? Who killed him? My mother responded by telling me that the devil used Judas. Well, the devil must have owned the earth then, I responded but she scolded me and rebuked me from bringing such a topic up again.
Since then, she got unhappy with me and I knew it. She came back one day and informed me that I would be following her to the church on Sunday. Who was I not to follow her, I did, seeing the opportunity to get an answer to my question. On getting to the church, during Sunday school, I asked the pastor the same question I asked mother, I knew mother's face would have lightened up with anger and she would definitely beat me to death with her eyes, therefore I didn't make any attempt to look at her. The pastor breath in and out:
"For the fulfilment of the prophesy" He responded.
I knew from there that even the pastor was confused about what he was teaching, but the word of God is suprerior, who dare challenge it, it's not that I am trying to say that these people followed Christ digmatically really, but I was not feeling anything power from his response. Anyway, that was the week I started having a rosary on my neck.
The pastor had talked my mum into believing that the kingdom of hell was starting to establish a branch in my heart. Well, that does not stop me from eating the ram of Ileya, and taking from the remaining palm wine used to feed Obatala, then crown it up with Christmas chicken.
I am Joel Akeusola Ifatoki, the son of AkinKUNMI. [1977]
Artwork By: Cecil Edwin Frans Skotnes
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