Must Read: Loss Of Dignity

Episode 7 years ago

Must Read: Loss Of Dignity

The next day was saturday, Emeka woke up with a saw in his
heart, he was sick, love sick. His eyes were bugged and reddish
like he had contracted the apollo virus. It seemed he had been
crying all Night. He went into the bathroom to wash his face only
then did he realised how sick he looked after seeing his reflection
on a mirror hanged on the wall. He took out his toothbrush from
a rubber-like container and pasted close-up on it. He washed
his mouth and then headed straight to his parents room for the
usual morning greetings, it was a tradition in their house. On
getting there, he greeted his parents in igbo dialet and they
responded. His mother noticed his unusual looks and
immediately knew something was wrong.
“chidi, are you okay?” she asked.
“i’m fine ma.” he lied.
“..but you don’t look fine” Mr. Chukwuemeka added.



Before Emeka could reply his father, his mother cuts in.
“come closer lemme examine you” she commanded.
Emeka moved closer to her, when he got to her stance, he
squatted, she used her hands to open one of his eyes and then
used her wrist to touch the surface of his skin close to the neck
region, her plan was to observe the degree of heat on his body.
Emeka’s eyes were already getting back to normal but his body
was a living hell.
“chineke!” she exclaimed.


N:B: Chineke means “GOD in igbo language”
Mr Chukwuemeka was shooked as he quickly inquired what was
wrong. Very unlikely from a police officer.
“chidi is not feeling fine” i think he has fever, it’s not serious
though, i’ll go to mama Nkiruka’s pharmacy to buy him fever
pills, she added.
Emeka stood up and started to walk away, his father cut him
short by asking where he was going.
“i’m off to do my morning chores” he said.
“No! No! No! No! Don’t worry about that, i’ll take care of them”
his mother said shouting.
Both his parents loved Emeka so much, moreso his kid sister. It
took them several years after they had conceived Chidi before
they could born little Chiwe. Chiwe was 2years old and she had
just started Nursery school. They loved both Chidi(Emeka) and
Chiwe and they would trade them for nothing.


Emeka obeyed his parents and walked back to his room, few
minutes later his mother brought him a pack of rice filled with
assorted meat which she bought from a roadside buka as she
had not yet cook that early morning, also with her was the fever
medicine she bought from Mama Nkiruka’s Chemist just opposite
their house.


She sat there with Emeka watching him as he ate, he could not
finish the whole content of the food, his mother tried to persuade
him to finish the last pieces of meat but her plea fell into deaf
ears. She had no other option than to give him the medicine.


Emeka dropped the tablet into his mouth and gulped a huge
chunk of water to swallow it down. He made to sleep and few
hours later he sighted Amaka from a close range.

Emeka woke up from sleep looking strong and agile, Every
symptom of illness had suddenly disappeared. He looked at the
wallclock located at one extreme of his room and it reads
1:25pm. He breath a sigh of relief and walked majestically to see
his mother.
“oh! you’re awake” she asked an obvious question.
“yes mama, and i feel much better now.”
she confirmed it herself and saw him fit again.
“your food is in the kitchen” she informed him.
“alright mama, but i’ll be going to the field when i’m done eating.
“no problem, just made sure you come home on time, remember
you need to pack your things together because we’ll be leaving
first thing tomorrow morning.
“okay.” he agreed. Atleast he still had few hours to gallivant
about the city of enugu.


He sprinted out of the house with full force to see his next door
neighbour Chinedu devouring a plate of Eba.
N:B: Eba is a food made from garri.
Chinedu was not only stubborn but also a glutton, he could eat
anything practically eatable, his excuse for loving food so much
was that “life is a jungle, you need to eat to keep up with the
pace of struggle.
“ffo! I hail ooO” Emeka praised him.
N:B: FFO means “for food only” (it is used to refer to people who
eats alot)
“chiboy, how far naw?” he asked in pidgin english.
“you dey mad? na me you dey call boy, abi you nor know say i
reach to born you” emeka said jokingly.
“i’diot, how your life naw, i bin think say you don die ooo”
chinedu said trying to change the topic.
“you no well! why you say so?” emeka inquired.
“as i no gree see you since morning wetin you say make i think”
he lamented.


“Nna forget that thing jor, i bin dey sick this morning” emeka
blurted.
“really! wetin hapun?” he said suprised.
Emeka began to narrate the whole issue at stake, he told Chinedu
about his father’s immediate transfer and relocation. For the first
time he wished his father wasen’t working for the government.
Emeka had managed to build a world but it’s as though they were
crumbling before his eyes. Chinedu literally wept even though
tears didn’t fell from his eyes. The last time he cried was the day
he was born. Emeka was the only friend he had because everyone
seemed to distance away from him because of his disrespectful
attitude. He was not a bad guy like most people claimed, his
self-esteem was always his setback. People only needed an iota
of understand to know his real personality.
Emeka and Chinedu had been through the good, bad and ugly.
They had had several misunderstandings but instead of bringing
them apart, it only drew them closer.
Emeka suggested they go to Catholic football field before they
start weeping like new born babies. The field was at the outskirt
of the city, people called it Catholic football field because of a
Catholic church situated there.
Chinedu had already lost appetite to continue eating, he went to
his “ghana must go” bag and brought out his football wears and
off they went, after treking for roughly fourteen minutes, they
finally got to the field.



The place was filled to the brim, both Chinede and Emeka
seemed to be oblivious that a street football competition was
holding there that afternoon. They knew they had to do
something unless they were not going to play in the match
because neither of them are from the two streets participating.
Chinedu being the stubborn guy head the lead to the spot where
people were gathered to choose players while Emeka walked
behind him. He did his trick as usual and they were both featured
in the match. Emeka and Chinedu were playing for the same side,
the match had gone into the extra time of the second half, both
teams were playing a 3-3 tie as Chinedu had helped his team
scored two of the goals. It was remaining two minutes for the
match to come to a halt, then the ball magically found its way to
Chinedu’s foot, him being a very skillful player dribbled four
players including the last defender, Emeka was some inches
ahead of him, it remained one goal for Chinedu to score a hat-
trick and his teams will become the winner of the one thousand
naira bet which they didn’t contribute in, instead he passed the
ball to Emeka, he wanted Emeka to score the last goal which he
envisage as a souvenir to remember him, suddenly the
unexpected happened.


Emeka sighted Amaka from a close range, she had just come out
from the catholic church close to the field where she went for
choir practice. Emeka was so excited to see her as he kicked the
ball anti-clockwise and ran towards her a fast as his legs could
carry him.