My Life Story - Season 1 - Episode 3

5 years ago

My Life Story - Season 1 - Episode 3

I could not attend the burial because we are in the middle of our promotion examination to SSS 3.
“Tuyil you have to put this behind you and concentrate on the examination since who is dead cannot be brought back to life” Samuel was advising me.

“Yes you are right Samuel” Funmi cut in “we need you at your best to top this class again” she added jokingly
“I will try my best” I responded half paying attention so as to discard them as easily as they have come.

When the result came out, I managed to have grade Cs in the entire subject but for the first time in my career; I relinquish my award winning in all subjects to my classmates.

The ever jovial Tuyil has now withdrawn into his innermost shell. I began to reason things the way people cannot comprehend. Life seems meaningless but all the same I found solace in the word of Samuel my friend that tough times never last but tough people does. Then something happened to me which drawn me out of my shell; for the first time in my life, I fell in love.

Funmilayo has been an ever-present figure in my life, she was the one cheering me upand whenever she noticed any gloomy sign on me. We have been in the same class since primary school days.
She too, like me has lost her father but to a war (her daddy was a soldier). She can only recognize him through his old pictures.
“Tuyil you cannot afford to keep segregating yourself from the rest of the class like this” she confronted me one day while I was sitting under the huge mango tree behind our school hall.
“Funmi, it’s not my fault, all the memories kept pouring in itself” I responded dejectedly with tearful eyes.
“Do you even know my father” she demanded sitting down beside me on the grass. I was shocked because this would be the first time of hearing this from her.
“No” was my reply
“Well he is dead” she said with empty feelings.
“Eiya I am sorry to hear this” forgetting about my own worries, pitying and stroking her hair gently I consoled her. She continued “he has died before I was born, not long ago after giving birth to me, my mummy abandoned me and I can’t even recognize her though they said I am her replica.

I was flabbergasted hearing this from her because nearly everyone in the class thinks she has been living with her parents. Seeing my expression she pressed on “I have been living with my adopted parents ever since”
I now realize the fact that one tend to think he has the biggest problem until he learnt of someone else. Who can even think that gentle and gracious looking Funmi could be an adopted child? This life is not fair, this life must be cruel I concluded.

Her gentle tap woke me from my trance.
“You don’t need to pity me because it is my destiny” she concluded and get up to leave.
“Destiny again!” I exclaimed
“What is the fuss about Destiny” she demanded and I chided her question.
I held her and pleaded with glittering eyes “Will you be more than a friend to me”
“So be it” she gave me the answer almost half spoken without parting her lips.
Henceforth, I found all the joy I needed in Funmilayo as her name implies ‘give me joy’.
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Funmilayo became an integral part of my life, things began to take shape and I felt happy again except my Grandma who sometime soliloquies and more than anyone else, she needs someone to always comfort and be by her side.
I dedicated most of my time to preparation for the forthcoming senior school certificate examination. I felt the pressure to come out in flying colours to compensate for my woeful performance in the last promotion examination, to make my late Uncle proud and as the Senior prefect boy of the school I must lay a good example.

On a fateful Friday afternoon shortly before closure for the day, the Principal of the school came into our class and made the announcement that our SSCE fee is four thousand naira and the date of closure for the payment is two weeks’ time.

Immediately I got home, I called Uncle Ola at Akure and told him of the development.
“Go and meet Niyi he will sort you out” he responded

“But you said I should informed you whenever we are told to pay the money” I replied him with a pleading tone

“Yes but I don’t have money on me now” he said almost with anger
“I thought is not from your purse now” I paused and continued “ but…..”

“Little brat I don’t have time for petty trading of words” with this he end the call abruptly.
I left the phone booth and went home in tears waiting impatiently for the arrival of Uncle Niyi. When he gets home that evening I la!d the matter before him.

“He can’t be serious” he responded furiously and continue “when I told him to reserve a proportion for the boy he said it’s of no need” almost to himself.
“You mean nothing was given to the poor boy” demanded my Grandma inquisitively.
“Not really” he said and went out immediately to avoid further probing of him.

The money was eventually paid by Uncle Wole from Lagos to save the trouble.

I now know and realized that there is a great danger looming ahead on my education.
, ,

The result of the SSCE came out and I passed in flying colours. Lest I forget, I am now 17 years of age and I am just getting used to my maternal family. I chose not be going there because I felt they neglected me, but Funmilayo made me to realized that family ties cannot be broken but will only wax stronger especially if it is maternal family, I concurred to her and started visiting my maternal home since my mummy is still living there, my visitation became frequent.

She worked in the neighbouring town at a Federal Medical center, but I chose not to ask her for any financial help even though I am her only son. I felt it was cruel of her to have abandoned me at that tender age of 18 months.

She apologized to me one day after my secondary school examination result came out and we forget about the issue, at least there is no one like mother.

I was still basking in the euphoria of the success of my result one day when Uncle Niyi (remember that he is the last born of my grandma) came in one day and separated me eternally from my loved ones with a news.

“Please you have to leave with me to Lagos tomorrow” my uncle informed me half pleading.
“For what reason if I may asked” I questioned him and move further “ and you know I am about to sit for JAMB examination in some couple of days”

“Don’t worry, erm erm next year will be okay” he paused to see my reaction and continue “at least you are still young and bro Wole is critically ill and there is no one to stay with him and I promised you that it’s just going to be for a while ” he finishes his explanation.
“ Oh God! Is it not the same Uncle that refuses me of coming to spend just a month holiday with him you are talking about” I asked him recollecting the issue.

It was on holiday, grandma has travelled to Lagos to stay with the same Uncle Wole for the past two months and I was the only one at home. Grandpa has travelled to his daughter in the neighbouring town (you know those old papas are polygamous, I can’t go to my mummy since we are not on very good time. I felt that travelling to Lagos to be with Grandma would make things easy but to my amazement Uncle Wole refused blatantly.
“Don’t think like that please” Uncle Niyi pleaded with me.
At the end of it all, I agreed to go with him. We took off early in the following morning and sadly enough for me, I couldn’t bid goodbye to Funmilayo and my Mummy.
So I journey into the world, into the wild and into the modern day slavery.