The Burial

Episode 2

“Wait,” I said; “This is police college, Ikeja”

If I wasn’t told, I would surely have figured out it was police college ikeja. I have been there several times and could easily recognise the place.

“This is the way.” Mr. Gbenro said.

I could not tell what got me amused and I burst out laughing. Grandpa was grumbling and said different things.

“Oh lord!. This man Is a confused man. He has something else on his mind and cannot just concentrate”

Mr. Gbenro truly was a confused man. How do you expect someone the government had just marked his house to be demolished, Someone who has two(2) children at the university of ibadan and whose wife is troublesome and also controls him like a toy, to be concentrated?.

We got to a point and asked how we could locate ‘Agege Motor Road’. We were directed but soon do we know the complications were not over yet, we are just starting!.

“Oh Lord, wo inu go slow ti man yi tu jawa si (look at the ‘traffic’ this man had got us into).” Grandpa muttered!.

I started laughing and crying, it was so serious,–I murmured!.

“This man(Papa) is so funny and disturbing(troublesome).”

We had to endure the ‘Go-slow’ for 2hours as a result of Mr. Gbenro’s wrong route we took.
we got to Mama’s house, came down from the car and head straight to the living-room.

We didn’t have to knock, it was our home but the footwear at the entrance were unusual, to say they were like those at the front of a mosque would be an overstatement. There were four pairs of slippers at the entrance. Two ladies sat on the sofa and another lady on a white chair beside mama who was on a wheelchair.

“Good afternoon.” We greeted.

“You’re welcome!,” they answered.

I could not, would not say anything again since we were taught not to interfere when elders’ speak. I had to just listen and observe.

“Mama, De’iji ki yin o.” (Mama,Deniji is greeting you).

They were fond of pronouncing ‘Deniji’ as if the ‘n’ were silent. Mama did not reply, her head was left hanging down her neck like christ on the cross.

“Mama, aburo yin ki yin o.” The lady beside her tried waking her up.

“Ehn?,” Mama questioned!.

“Your brother is greeting you”. The lady repeated.

She was lost again, I was and thought Grandpa would be too. Grandpa stood up and went to her side calling out.

“Mama,…….Mama!!!,” he shook and called her.

“She is asleep.” Was the chorus that came out of the three (3) women.

“Mama recently has been feeling conscious and unconscious, she hardly eats, speak and we don’t feel her liveliness anymore.” A lady explained sadly.

How can someone feel conscious and unconscious?. Was the silly thought I had.
Was that really a silly thought?. The answer kept itself safe in my thoughts.

I looked at Grandpa, hoping he would, or could say something but there was a deafening silence in the room.

“Mama!. Mama!.,your brother is here.” The lady broke the silence.

I wished at that moment, I could rise-up, walk up to the lady and strike her a slap that inflicts instant sweat. The way she hit her in the process of waking her was unbearable, I could not digest the thought, could not resist what I wanted to do but I was relieved when Papa said!.

“E rora jiwon.” (Wake her gently).

Mama was awake and a smile appeared on my cheek when she called Grandpa’s name.

“De’iji, igbawo lo de?.”(When did you arrive?).

Papa rose and walked up to her, held her hand like two love birds and said.

“It wasn’t long we arrived. I was very concerned this morning since I heard from you a long time ago, I had to tell Femi we should visit after Mass.”

I saw Mama’s head bowed and knew she was asleep again, or should I say ‘unconscious’,–I knew her eyes were shut and that was all.

“She is getting old.” Whispered Papa!.

“That’s the way we’ve been enduring. It hasn’t been nice and to feed her is difficult, not to mention bathing her.” A lady explained.

Papa tried to wake her and she became conscious, she repeated the question she earlier asked.

Grandpa repeated,. “She is getting old.”

“Do you mind we offer you water and chin-chin to eat?.”

“Yes, we do!!!.” Was the reply!.

If it were to be another day, I would have been angry in my mind,–we were rejecting the offer of my best snack but that day was different. It looked as if sadness had suddenly descended. Mama was not herself again, truly old age had set-in.

“We have to be on our way now, we would visit next sunday.” Papa said and we left the compound. I was sad but facial expression was not relevant, the world is just coming to an end for a glorious lady.

We had a ‘congestion-free’ journey back home and you can imagine our discussion. We visited Mama almost a year ago and things had suddenly changed. Does it mean people age everyday?.
She was lively the last time we paid her a visit,she wasn’t on a wheelchair,how come everything turned out to be so disbelieving in the space of some months?. It was a worrying situation we met her.

No one anticipated any bad news about her health after the visit,so it was shocking three (3) days later my Grandpa received a call,”Mama has kicked the bucket”!.

It was not nice the day they broke the news, I was in the living-room playing video game when papa called me to his office to inform me mama was gone!.

“May her soul rest in peace and may God look mercy on her,and grant fortitude to we still left in this sad world.” I prayed.

I wished she could live a hundred more,wished it was a news of birth than of death. I wished grandpa would, could say “we are going to visit the family on sunday to wish them ‘happy new birth’. ” but what he said was,”we would go console the family on sunday.”

Are we not part of the family that needs to be consoled?. What was Grandpa saying?. How did he even know this would happen to say we should pay a visit last sunday?. Did an angel appeared to him?. Has he had a promise made to Mama before they came into this world?. These were the thoughts that gave out freely on my mind.

I had thought it far and had no definite answers for those questions when I resolved, ‘he is old and the urge is always associated with old people. They would know when the time of death was close at hand,would call their children together to address them,to be united and stand strong as one like a broom,entrust the family properties to them and warn them in their dealings with one another.

May be Mama had that urge too,she must have done that before her demise. If she had,then glory be to God. Moreover,she had lived a fulfilled life at 96. Who am I to even say she had?.

The last time we visited(which was a year ago),didn’t she mentioned the dis-unity among her children and the things she’s done to unite them?. She even begged Grandpa to help out.

I didn’t need to be told,she didn’t achieve that before her death. Grandpa was the only elder left that could achieve it but would he be able to resolve the issue,promote peace,love and unity among mama’s children?. Only God can tell.