A nation without the majority of the youth is already dead, literally. The second sound of the cock crowing brought her back to reality and she switched on the side-lamp and took a look at the wall-clock, it was already few minutes past six. She got out of bed and wore her slip-on. She opened her door and tapped on the door leading to Sophia’s room. There was no response, she knocked persistently, yet no response. She quietly pushed open the door, turning the door knob to let herself in. The white bedspread lay all around the bed in a careless manner. The edge of the bedspread was beginning to touch the floor. Sophia lay in bed unaware that her mother was right there with her. She stooped to pick the edge of the bedspread and tried arranging it on the bed a little. She shook her head on how careless her daughter could sleep. This was one of the reasons she had forbidden her from staying on campus but she objected to it, insisting that it would help her to focus on her studies when
They said their prayers, did a lot of cleaning up because the day was on a Saturday. They worked round the clock tirelessly, it was around 1 o’clock that they had finished, very exhausted. They quickly refreshed again and got ready for the late afternoon event. Driving through the streets of Lagos was fun to justice once more; sitting beside him was the love of his life, Sharon. The rest of the family members were seated at the back of the car. Chief James Coker, his wife, Nma and Mirabel had taken Justice and Sharon out in order to conceal the fact that they were planning a surprise party for them. They went to the malls to pick one or two things. However, they had a stop at their local parish where they met with the parish priest who gave them his own blessings once more after their marriage. It was already 3pm by the time they were through with the outing. Chief had to suggest that they should start going home knowing that everything must have been set by then. Meanwhile, as the
She had longed for him all these years, hoping that he would return to her, that he would tell her how much he actually loved her. She was beginning to love him, but suddenly, he vanished into thin air. What is love as he claimed if you can’t stand up to what you love? If you cannot love unconditionally? She was still lost in the climax of her ocean of thoughts when he walked in unannounced admiring her. Immediately, she felt his presence and she started. ‘My love, how are you fairing? Do you know that am so elated seeing you? I mean, am over the moon.’ He said smiling and embracing her. ‘Please, don’t touch me.’ She said glaring at him. ‘Why? You are still the same old you dear. How can I make you understand? It’s really not what you are thinking. I still do love you. A moment did not pass by without me thinking of you. I actually did come to see you but I found out that the police were after me. I lay low for some months in another state handling some of my father’s businesses.
What was she actually going to do with him now that he had suggested that they would be going to meet his parents? Was she really ready for a relationship with him, no matter the nature be it marriage or casual relationship? From the look of things, he really wanted more from her. She could guess that he wanted a lasting relationship. What her children thought of the whole thing really mattered to her. She felt that she would go with whatever decision they had to take. She started hearing footsteps approaching her and she felt it could be her daughters that were coming to her. She turned around and saw them. She couldn’t believe her eyes. If she hadn’t left the house together with Sophia and having known the clothing she wore before, she wouldn’t have been able to differentiate between the two of them. They were incredibly unidentifiable. He took the pleasure of walking behind them. Mirabel was the first to speak. ‘Mum, here we are.’ She said gesticulating with her hands wide open.
She believed that her gorgeous looks and Jenkins’s love for her would do the trick. She shouldn’t have to do anything at all. She considered herself not like the other women who fight for their love by becoming mischievous. She was observing Chief Coker and Nma discussing some tables away and she could see his gaze at her every couple of minutes and some smile escaping from the corner of his mouth spontaneously. She felt so stupid for even asking Nma to enquire from her husband. What the heck, the deed had been done, she only had to wait for her feedback. While she waited, she remembered that she had left her precious gifts with their father, so she went to join them. Her mind’s eye could not help but take her down memory lane. It was mid-September, the rains were beginning to fall with great intensity, she felt so cold in that weather. She hadn’t enough clothes on her, she had exhausted all that she had. She needed a number of heavy clothing to ward away cold because her pregnancy h
The bus drove down the streets of Aguda in full speed. The shouts of the commuters brought back his senses. He sighed derogatorily because his thoughts were being disturbed. ‘Driver, why are you in so much a hurry?’ One of the commuters asked, tapping the driver at the shoulder as he was sitting directly behind the driver. ‘Haven’t you come across the slogan that says; there is no hurry in life? I beg you in the name of God; I’m not ready to die yet!’ The driver remained adamant and continued his driving. In a bid to remove his attention from the waggling commuters, he pushed his face out from his side of the window and blotted with his fingers on his nose as support. ‘This driver is everything but civilized. See the way he is even behaving rudely as if he is only carrying animals here instead of human beings,’ another commuter retorted. Instantly, there was uproar from the rest of the commuters as each was trying his or her best to be heard simultaneously. Justice, on the
‘Wow! That was close. If mother had demanded for money from me, I would have been in for it,’ he smiled as he had gotten a positive response for his worries. ‘JT, your food is served,’ his mother called. He walked towards the table, sat down and prayed before savouring the food. He smiled at each spoon he put into his mouth and relished the food that had so much great taste. He praised his mother’s cooking prowess. The birds were chirping in the neighbourhood. From one mango tree to another they made their nests. They hopped on top of all the trees from a mango tree to an orange tree and then to the hibiscus flower in front of Justice’s house. They tended to the flower with their constant hopping as Justice would do during his leisure. Apart from designing buildings as an architect, he also had another thing that turns him on, a hobby he wouldn’t dare let go even if he wanted; tending to the flowers. He lazily opened his eyes as the morning ushered in a new dawn. He made to
He knocked and there was no answer. He knocked persistently. ‘O boy, let it not be that I’m a bit late,’ he thought. Just at that instance, he could see a security man advancing towards him. ‘Who is there?’ The guard asked. ‘JT,’ he answered. ‘Whom do you wish to see?’ He asked. ‘Please, I want to meet with Prince.’ ‘Prince?’ The guard asked in confusion. ‘JT on realizing that he could not be granted entrance rephrased his statement. ‘I mean, I want to meet with the chairman.’ He knew that Prince would definitely be with the chairman. The security man opened the gate and ushered him in. JT walked towards the main building and never imagined that looking at the building from the outside, one would bet that the exterior is just as good as the interior. But on the contrary, the interior seemed much more sophisticated than the exterior itself. This artistic irony seemed to impress him more. The flowers! Yes, the flowers caught his attention. There were beautiful l