Donigspain - S01 E67

Story 2 years ago

Donigspain - S01 E67

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 67

One week after school resumed

our first year results were

published on the departmental

notice board. Everyone rushed to

have a glance at their score. I too

went to look at the official

assessment of my first year’s

performance. God on my side, my

result was impressive even

though I knew there will always

be room for improvement. The

top five students in the

2007/2008 academic session of

the department in the 2007

admission set were, in no

particular order, Zubi (De Smart

Opportunist), Kenny U (Nwa Aba),

Jude (Brain Box), Lovina (De

Unserious Genius) and Spain

(‘place tag here’). Over twelve

students out of a total of twenty-

three attained the 3.5 and above

in their Grade Point in that first

year result. The news of our

exploit soon swept the entire

department. Both the academic

and the non-academic staff of

the department were pleased

with our performance as it was

one of the highest they had

recorded in recent times. I knew

this was not a time to grow

complacent. The result meant

there is going to be stronger

competition in the next academic

session but the problem was that

I kept attracting females without

repelling same. These girls do not

want to leave and it’s not in my

character to quit relationships

without a significant reason. I

know some guys do it but I just

can’t wake up one morning and

then tell someone who had

banked her emotion on me that

I’m calling it quit. My conscience

won’t let me rest. So I simply left

everything in the hands of time

to settle as I also took a decision

not to allow my unholy affairs

interfere with my academics.

.

On the other hand, Zubi was

there giving me a tough time

over Chinasa. He wanted me to

hands off her so he can

comfortably go in. He believed

Chinasa was supposed to be a

‘chop, clean mouth and pass to a

bro’ operation.

.

”Guy, wetin dey worry you sef?

Why you dey act like dis na?

Commot your hand na make I fit

chop my own,” Zubi had

complained as we sat in the

school canteen eating ‘okpa’

with Mountain Dew drink.

”See me see trouble o! I hold

you? If you want the girl then

walk up to her and tell her. If she

agree na your luck,” I replied

him.

”See the yeye tin wey you dey

talk as if the girl go gree when

you still dey form good person

for am. I don’t like this kain tin

you dey do and no be say you no

get serious girlfriend,” He

quarreled.

”Mr. man if you want Nasa then

walk to her and tell her. No dey

disturb me. What if she be your

sister? You sef think am,” I tried

to make him see reasons.

”, you dey reason like this and

you still dey Bleep am since.

Thunder fire you and that your

useless self-righteousness. If Joe

no pass am to you how you for

take chop am. You better pass

that girl if you no wan make

Ifeoma hear about this,” Zubi

threatened jokingly.

We finished our meals, paid and

then left the canteen in order to

meet up with a lecture on

Physical Meteorology and

Atmospheric Composition (GEM

243).

.

I had a nightmare on Friday

night, December 11, 2009. It was

a short dream. I dreamt where

my grandmother died and her

corpse was carried away from

the house by a white Mercedes

Benz ambulance. I woke up

sweating profusely immediately

the ambulance left our house to

the morgue. I said a quick prayer

and also decided I would call my

parents in the morning and tell

them of the nightmare. Uche and

I had planned to go to the

market that Saturday morning to

buy foodstuffs which we would

stock our house with. Just as we

were walking back home I

remembered that I was yet to call

my parents and inform them

about the dream that I had the

previous night.

”Guy, the kain dream I dream last

night eh,” I had said to Uche

who immediately turned to hear

more about the dream. We were

right in front of FIN Bank which

is in Enugu road, Agbani. My

phone rang as I made to

continue telling Uche the dream.

I looked at the screen and saw

‘Daddy’.

”Thank God sey my dad don call

sef. Make I kuku use the

opportunity to inform am of the

dream,” I said before picking up

the call.

”Hello, daddy good morning,” I

had greeted.

”Good morning my son. Biko,

jide obi gi aka (please be strong)

over the news am about to tell

you,” my dad said from the other

end of the phone.

”No problem, what is it?” I asked

impatiently.

”Hmmm, your grandmother is

dead. She died about an hour

ago,” were the exact words he

said as he broke the sad news of

my grandmother’s untimely

demise.

”Hmmm, nawao,” was all I could

mutter as the news left me

stunned. My dad was

encouraging me to stay strong

from the other end of the phone.

”Daddy I’m okay. I’m just

wondering because I dreamt of

her death last night. She was

even carried away to the morgue

by a white Mercedes ambulance

in that dream and I was planning

to call you when I get home

because we went to buy some

things from the market,” I said

as I narrated the dream to my

dad.

My dad confirmed that it

happened exactly as I had

dreamt. He said my grandmother

had during her final hours in the

night consistently called my name

requesting to know where I was

and how I was doing. He said

she kept on imploring them to

tell me that it shall be well with

me. She called only my name even

when she could no longer

recognize the family members

present. I was really touched. My

heart was broken but the

problem was that I could not

shed tears. The death of a close

relative hardly caused me to shed

tears even though my heart

would be in pieces. The only

death I remembered shedding

tears for was that of my younger

brother who died just three days

after his birth. He died when I

was five years old but I cried for

his death fifteen years later on a

certain lonely day when I was

thinking over the great

responsibility his death had

caused me to carry. I am now

more of a living investment; hope

personified. My greatest fear in

life is turning out a failure

because I would not just have

failed myself but also the hopes

of other persons. The multiplier

effect will be too grievous for me

to bear. I plan to write a book on

the ‘Burden of Being the Only

Son’ someday.

.

The death of my grandmother

brought about certain

readjustment in my maternal

extended family as it

automatically meant my mum will

now assume the role of ‘Mother

of the Family’ since she was her

first daughter. My dad on the

other hand was expected to

contribute a large percentage of

the projected expenses for a

befitting burial because he

married an ‘Ada’ (first daughter).

Majority of my parents’ hustle at

that time was channeled towards

giving my grandmother a

befitting burial as demanded by

both tradition (‘Eze nwanyi’ i.e.

Mouthpiece of the Women) and

religion (‘Ezinne’ i.e. Christian

Mother in the Methodist church).

This was the situation we found

ourselves. My school went for the

Christmas break early that year. I

travelled back to Aba on the 16th

of December 2009. It was this

return journey that led to the

entrance of a certain girl named

Comfort into my life.