Tuesday 12 April 2016

I Am Not Odejimi - My Evolution


I couldn't have gotten any answer better than myself. At this point, frustration became a close ally than a foe. Some days, I will sit just at home and go to the farm. And some other days I will just go to the palm wine shop and while away my time there. I am not even a palm wine lover but as you know, a villager has no option that was my case.

Many times would I come home half drunk and just want to sleep and then the nagging just starts. Will you just continue this way? And then the most irritating statement follows. "Why can't you just be like Odejimi?"

I've been keeping calm so I don't talk back. And in the African culture, talking back at your parents is a huge disrespect.

"My son! He shouted. You know Ajoke? Where is she now. What is she doing? Where does she reside now? What about her parents?" Of course I won't give answers because the questionnaire will give answers.

"She has elevated. Her parents now have the second largest building in this small community that we are in. Why don't you just be like her"

To think of it, it wasn't my fault. It's not like I haven't tried looking for job around corners. I've done and redone all I know is the necessity. I'm just yet to be called and notified. No one is saying anything. This I have explained and reestablished to my folks. Oh yeah! Folks. That's what I call them now. Quite a good number of years in the city did a little refining on me.

They feel I am not doing enough. Change is a constant thing and it's inevitable to all humans. After all, they've done their best by imposing on me to study Mechanical engineering. They feel the only way to succeed in life or rather have those luxuries is to study Mechanical engineering. And be like Odejimi. Each time, Odejimi became a case study used more often than a practical lecturer would have.

They succeeded that's because I never had a mind of my own. My father did all he could and I followed what he said.

It hurts me that I couldn't stand my ground and whenever I did, there was this sudden fear of the unknown. I respect my father so much and I wouldn't want to disrespect him in any form. I remember when he said I should go for that course, I told him I would rather do another thing. That another thing was what I don't know. And since I didn't know what it was, I had no option that to concur to his. I wouldn't have been a good lawyer. That's for sure cos I won't have enough evidence to prove my client innocent.

Having my views projected out while growing as a teenager was difficult. Naturally, I am a very gentle and easy going dude and wouldn't look for someone's trouble. I guess that's the attribute ladies saw in me that they would always flock around me.
Being the only child, I was catered for well enough at least to their standard. To where and what they could afford in their own seamless way. I never lacked in my own small world of fame.

That became a little barrier for me. A little barrier because I could understand sometimes whenever I needed some major materials, I know their situation. So I wouldn't want to bother them at all. Rather, it added one more bar to my motivation.
Probably, if I was the son of the rich, I would have stood my ground firmly always and anytime. That's just few out of the many teenage difficulties I faced.

I set out for the day as I would always do and was not in any mood to go job hunting. My most detested place in the village became my favourite.
I'm not doing all this because I'm the first person on earth to experience such delay. But for my aging mother. She's lying down there all day and my eyes can't stop the tears that would channel out. She has done more than enough for me till she couldn't do anymore.
And now that it's my time to do exceedingly for her, it's just not working.

"What a wicked world" I would always say gasping out the gas. Does palm wine have gas? Well it did in my own time.

Where I was seated was where I saw a hug car moving towards the palm store slowly. The gallops and hiccups on the road made it look like the car was on a festival dance. Myself and other palm wine colleagues even made jest of the situation.
The level at which my eyes were diminishing were astonishing. I never knew the moving animal had stopped as the occupants got out. I only saw a lady whose hand was at an angle of 45 degrees with a black and huge bag at the intersection. She didn't alight from the usual driver's place but this time the opposite.

It was none of my business as I stood myself up and went home to sleep. I passed through the back side so as to avoid any form of interrogation which has now become a norm.

The surprising part of this is....

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