My First Love

My first love was kind when she wants to and to whom she wants to, but I always get the full dose. She was so generous to her friends and family, strangers and even animals. She is the best cook I've ever known, I can boldly say she is better than my mom, way better. She took care of me, looked after me more times than my parents have. I was always by her side and she by mine, day and night. We had the strongest bond in the family.

And her name was Maryam, late Maryam, my grandma. And we were inseparable until she passed away on February 2018.

Time wasn't her friend, you see grandma was so old that not one knew her actual age not even her children, she is the eldest among her siblings and her younger ones are also so old, so there is no one that could know her actual age.

But what they usually used to estimate her age is the age of her children and the Nigerian civil war. At that time she already have given birth to five children, my dad is the sixth.

The first child (a son) with her first husband was 14 years distance from the second her second child (a daughter) from her second husband (my grandfather). I remember the story she used to tell us about how they used to hide inside a digged hole to escape the risk of being hit by a bullet or some explosives. So they would crawl into a hole and stay inside day and night, she being six months pregnant with my dad. They have been like that till the end of the war. It was a sad story. A war is not something anyone deserve to experience.

She is didn't go to to school but I learn about our Nigerian heroes like Nnamdi Azikwe, Tafawa balewa, The Sardauna(Caliphate) of sokoto, Abacha etcetera, right before I was taught in school. She told me how children were force out of their parents homes and taken to schools and how some including her use to hide or hid by their parents inside a well from the English people just so she will not be taken. Hahaha...It was a funny story.

I loved that old lady even though my mom had a different experience with her when and my dad got married. But I don't want to share that story. I prefer to share the good part of the story.

Because whatever misunderstanding she and mom had, it all ended when I came around. She became my best tough guardian. As a child I was allowed to do whatever I want and no one would dare touch me. Because if you do, You're gonna be taking it up with the old Granny.

My dad was very strict and very harsh. And when she came down with illness from hypertension and old age, I was scared shitless of not having anyone around me who would have my back, I was afraid I would be lonely when she left. Because she was a very strong woman and no one has ever showed me so much love than she did.

She was born a princess from a royal Fulani family in Kano state. I guess that is why she can't eat anything lowly, have you ever seen a one hundred years old woman with full strong teeth all intact and can eat any meet from morning till the next day without having a running stomach, that is my grandma. She also love animals, there was a time when she had two dogs, lots of poultry; chickens, guinea fowls,ducks, turkeys and pigeons, and a cow and a heard of sheeps and tons of cats in her room raising all in in thesame house. Yeah....our house was like domestic Zoo. She was such a healthy and strong old woman.

She died at estimates of a hundred years old from old age. She was a strong, generous, courageous, dauntless and friendly woman. And I miss her so much, May her soul rest in Peace. Ameen.

Heyyy... Fellas.

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