THE MESSY JOURNEY EPISODE FOUR - SIX
A TRUE LIFE STORY
The main reason I was able to leave Joke, aside my parents counsellings and prayers was because of the exposure of her witchcraft practice. Then, I was in s.s two and I had a little sister after me, her name is Boluwatife.
One fateful day, my sister went to plait her hair, so it happened to be that it was our King's daughter that made the hair. Young girls do go to her to make their hair because of her friendliness. Little girls loved her. Little did they know that, the friendliness was her own strategy to attract more people into their dark world. I thank God my sister was not a glutton, coupled with the trainings we receive at home. Infact, it was God that disengaged the plans of the wicked.
Later that day, when my sister Bolu came back home, we were all in the kitchen assisting my mum, and in no time, the food was ready. My sister called me out and told me someone gave her witch to eat and by eating it, she will be initiated. I was puzzled at what she uttered, so I asked for further clarification, she said the King's daughter gave her walnut to eat so that she can be given a black bird and told her not to tell anyone, if not her neck will pain her till she dies. This was so scary, but as God may have it, she brought the walnut home not minding the threat of the King's daughter. At that point, I was shivering, that was an unusual speech, different from the ones I have always heard. I was scared to my bones, I ran to my mum and told her what Bolu said, and she informed my dad immediately.
That evening, we all rushed down to the lady's house. My dad, as a minister of the gospel; an evangelist, confronted her prayerfully. She didn't deny it, she confessed that they were many involved in the witchcraft. She said my sister was meant to be the last one, she even mentioned their driver in the witchcraft world who happened to be my friend then. *The boy that came first when we were in primary two and I came sixth after teaching him and my mum dealt with me and said never in my life should I teach him anything again.* as she kept talking I was shivering. The car they felt was comfortable for them to use for their night journeys was my dad's car that broke down long ago without tyres, laying starked there. She said once the boy enters it and they all enter too, they can drive anywhere in the world with it.
Everybody listened with apt interest and awed at the same time. As she listed their names, Joke's name was not left out, infact, the revealing part that shocked me was that Joke was the next in command after their leader. I felt chills run through my spine, rubles of sweat on a very chilled evening was very abnormal, but I was obviously sweating. Guilt and fear gripped my whole body. Unknown to anyone, I already had sex with Joke in j.s.s three, my parents were unaware. I cried my eyes red hot. I regretted having anything to do with her. I called on God at that instance because, I was already entrapped. My dad conducted deliverance for the twelve of them; twelve young girls and boys.
That was how I knew about Joke and forgot about her. I really wished it never happened between us, but who can turn back the hands of time? I thought I had escaped, but that one time sex gave way for people that were like her to have access into my life. I had to nurse a dangerous ringworm for seven years from just a bite from Anuoluwapo at the food canteen. And it continued, despite every effort to pull out, I kept sinking deeper. I was so shy to tell anyone because I was scared of how my parents will react. The fear of that alone made me bottle up my pain, guilt, fears and worries. Then, one day...........
Tbc........
Note: The only cure for sin is to confess it immediately. Because in an attempt to cover up a sin, another sin is multiplied.
Are we reading at all????? Or I should stop posting it??♂️
EPISODE 5&6
THE MESSY JOURNEY EPISODE FIVE
A TRUE LIFE STORY
After the flog and public disgrace by my principal, the next day, she called me to her office and admonished me like a mother would do. She is a very strict, disciplined and loving woman, a deeper life member; a strong one at that. The heavy but few words she spoke that day still remained evergreen in my heart. She said " Ifelouwa, just a minute pleasure can cause you the rest of your life and put you into everlasting bondage".
That statement shocked me that day, she was the first person aside my parents that preached to me. I made up my mind never to engage in anything involving girls. I kept rolling in my new found celibacy without knowing what I was doing, I broke up with all the girls. One month gone, I never spoke to any girl, two months gone, I never spoke to any girl still, third month came and strolled by, still alone in my new world of contentment. I was so happy I was regaining my sanity. Just then, I grabbed what I left again. One beautiful morning, I prepared for school and expected the best from my team at school during our sports display. I saw this beautiful girl. I lost concentration and kept tracing her every move with my eyes.
My team won in the football match and the 100 metre relay race. It boosted my morale to approach her which I did. I never knew I had a rival. We were two of us that went after her. Rukky is so beautiful ; but nothing upstairs, what I call "BIMBO". She was the first girl that got me distracted, even from my academics. That was the Genesis of my second position with so many red pen. My dad was aware of the relationship, coupled with my result. This triggered a lot of sentiment which resulted to the disgrace at the assembly ground.
My mum gave me the beating of a lifetime in one day, I still can't forget that day. I didn't go home immediately, I hung around till evening and sneaked into the house, but luck was not on my side that day, my mum descended on me like a mighty wall of Jericho. Who would I have told? What would I have said? Because of a girl that wasn't even close to average in academics, I lost concentration, I lost my first position. It still didn't change the way people saw me. The love and likeness was still there, enjoined with my loyal behaviour. I was always available to assist the teachers, especially the corpers that were posted to my school then. They all loved me regardless. They visited my parents and became close acquaintance with my family.
I innocently gifted them with farm produce whenever it's available. I never knew I was opening way for myself then. I was always first on their mind when it comes to debates and other competitions, within and outside the school. I never disappointed their expectations as well. Despite all I did, I was still very brilliant. I received many awards from NATIONAL UNION OF TEACHERS in my local government, from the corpers and the school itself for coming first in one competition or another. I always made them proud. This made me really famous in school and in my hometown. I drastically reduced my bits on my anchors with girls and focused more on my upcoming West African Examination Council.
The tutors and preparation got me standing all night with my book on my hands and my legs in water. I had a separate room from my siblings, I didn't know why it was that way, but I enjoyed a bit of privacy, especially during my exam periods. My grandmother always had my back in most things. There were times I offended my mum and was denied my dinner, grandma was my saving grace those nights..... Hahahahaha, she will sneak me into her room and bring a plate full of locally made jollof rice filled with tiny fishes from under her ancient bed and ask me to finish it all........
Oh! God, you needed to see me devour this palatable delicacy, sweating and sniffing in my runny nose, all because of the saving meal of grandma. I settled the meal with a very cool water from her water pot. The next morning, I will act all tired, pretending to be really to avoid doing anything. Despite how I acted, my mum knew when it was real and when it wasn't real. Some mornings she will make me feel all peppered with errands on a supposed empty stomach. I will find all way possible to transfer aggression on my little sister who will innocently avoid me, but I always had my way with Bolu, making her cry so hard by either knocking her head, twisting her ear or kicking her legs. I wouldn't mind more threats from my mum, what mattered was that I got my revenge on my innocent sister. Life kept on happening the way it came. I could vividly recall.........
THE MESSY JOURNEY EPISODE SIX
A TRUE LIFE STORY
In my family, we are just a regular Nigerian family, from a Yoruba clan. There were some responsibilities entitled to everyone which I couldn't run from. I had no options than to adhere and do as I was told. Among my mother's children, I am the sixth child on count of seven children. Among my father's children, I am the seventh child on count of eight children.
No doubt my mum was a disciplinarian, and despite how strict my mum was with regards to our academics, we still assisted her in her business by Hawking commodities around the community.
While in primary school, I always followed my siblings to hawk. It's either we were Hawking pepper, moi-moi, crayfish, onions, vegetables, okra, fish, plantain, groundnut, kpomo, yam,.... Just name it. We were well known in the community and other neighbouring villages, all in a bid to make ends meet for mum. There was practically nothing I did not hawk on my head. When I got to secondary school, my steps extended to the neighbouring villages and the distance could cover 60km, wandering to and fro for buyers. With my tiring legs from a long walk, coupled with a good or bad sales outcome, depending on how the day turns out to be, I toogled home happy or sad or either grumbling.
The worst part of it was that, my mum never wanted to hear a NO for an answer, she expected that we never came home with the goods, rather with the money. But when it turns out the other way round, it doesn't go down well. In fact, any mistake we make for the rest of the day will be used against us in the court of mum's own law. We had time to hawk moi-moi in the morning from 6: 00am to 7: 30am before going to school. We would have had our bath and worn our uniforms before going for the compulsory morning Hawking. It was a norm, no objection about this. Most of the times, I went late to school, and I get flogged and beaten for coming late. All these happened on a regular basis, but it never changed how brilliant I was and still am.
That responsibility sticked, it shaped my daily activities. After school hours was another section of Hawking, the treks to hawk fish and the remains of the morning moi-moi was way too much for my soft legs, but with time, it got me so tired, coupled with certain talk downs from customers that seem to feel they are better than others. Let me share one reoccurring event then.
Some of the days i go Hawking, a customer will have me follow them to their homes as far as a forty minutes sluggish walk, greeting all and sundry on their way home, and end up saying the fish was small or the price wasn't okay for the size of the fish, so they won't buy.
With so much pain, hate and teary eyes, I will ask for help to lift my tray, then I walk away slowly, disappointed and feeling angry at the same time, expecting a change of mind from the customer, while I look back and forth... I lost that money. I had to hustle more before going back home.
There were other scenarios that played out. Almost everyday, when I go out to hawk before or after school, children of my age make fun of me. They sing and call me omo Eleja- fish seller ; omo elepa- groundnut seller ; omo oloole- moi - moi seller, depending on what I hawked that day. This always got me angry. In that angered frame of mind, I will drop my tray of fresh smoked fishes to fight, but after the fight, half of my fish will be gone.
In my world of regret, fear and anger, I will cook up lies to tell my mum, which she never believed. I still got punished for the missing fish. It could be that I won't get to eat any fish in my soup for a whole week. You know that pain of seeing heads of fishes in my siblings' soup and I got nothing. My life and that of my siblings revolved around a limited and already programmed lifestyle for how long only God knows. There was no time to grow spiritually, we more like Sunday capsules, the only day we rested. No intimate time with our parents who were near but seem far
Note: No matter how busy you are, never be too busy for your children. A child you don't create time for will create time for something else.
TBC
