Wisdom from A Dying Fire

He lay still on his sickbed, almost lifeless. I guessed he must have used all of his last energy to raise his hand, and his squint eyes peered the league of friends that gathered around him. 

"Debayo, where is Debayo?" His frail and dying voice commanded silence. The silence seemed like a moment of last respect for a national veteran; maybe that was his end and his friends, somehow knowing that, just had to give it to him. 

"I'm here father." I said as I made my way through the circle. It was even strange what sort of circus his was. I wondered if he had been part of a confraternity, as most faces there were strange except for the two men that stood closest to him. I remember one very well, his name is Williams. My father would always call him Willo. The other was not as frequent in our house, but I remember he was called Brokan. 

My father's hand was different now, and his veins looked tired of performing their primary function. 

"Father, you called for me," 

"Debayo, " he said, seeming to struggle with his tongue "look at this faces..." 

He coughed. 

"They are not just my friends they are my whole body, each a part of my makeup ."

Those were his last words. 

I'm 23 today, and I think I understand what father said. 

Only I understand, the wisdom from the heart of a dying fire. 

Rest in peace, OH FATHER. 

I see your trail in the sky every night. 

A day I'd never forget

 I still cringe deep to my stomach whenever I remember my very first trip to Lagos. It was during the last holiday that I got an invitation from my cousin - Adama- to come spend the holiday with her in the prestigious City of Lagos. Adama was about my age and the last born in a family of 5 and her father was my father's younger brother, and they lived in the Mainland in Lagos. 

My dad could have decided to take me on the journey but he would be traveling just a day to journey. Knowing that I could get a bit of trouble navigating my way through, I decided to map out how the itinerary of the journey would be. From Oshodi, I'd take a bus to Mile 12, then another one to Yaba, and from there another one to Mainland. I'd wait for Adama and my uncle at the major bus stop, where the bus would drop me. 

A night to my journey, I had been very nervous that I would finally be going to Lagos after what seemed like a lifetime of waiting to see the city I've heard much more about than any other in Nigeria. I'd even be right to say I'd heard more about Lagos than I heard about Nigeria. 

Exactly 7 in the morning, I was seated in a commercial bus en route to Lagos. And at about 4hours later, we already reached the outskirts of Lagos. The roads from Akure to Lagos had been very rough, and the way our jalopy and rickety bus sped over the pot hole made sure that our bones and muscles were jerked to tiredness. By the time we reached Oshodi, I was really famished and getting what to eat was the only thing that appealed to me at this point. I got a wrap of popcorn from one of the hawkers that crammed the road at Oshodi and I descended on it almost immediately. 

In less than three hours, I was at the Bala bus stop in Mainland and was waiting for Adama and my uncle. I had been lucky to escape some crazy traffic congestions in the always busy street. 

No less than five minutes of waiting, I had been approached by more than three people who came to beg. 

As suddenly as he had come, a man, who seemed also like a beggar, had grabbed my bag and was making away through the crowd of people that was thronging to and fro. I gave a chase and caught up with him in no time. Pulling his clothe from behind, I dragged him toward me and what happened next was totally unpredictable. 

I suddenly discovered that my eyes began to turn red and I couldn't see even a ray of sunlight. Then, I felt a wetness all over my body and I smelled like rotten egg. 

I was thunderstruck by the rapid event of things that I couldn't even move a muscle. All I knew was that a huge crowd now surrounded me because of the deafening noise I heard around. 

There I stood till I felt an hand pull me up, it was my uncle. 

I had never felt so embarrassed in my life.