My day.
It's hectic to start a with house chores especially when the day happens to be Sunday when one is expected to get ready for church activities and co incidentally falls on days most Churches are having their harvest day.
Today being the 5th December,2021 is a day i will live to remember, of course every other day is special in it's unique way, may be defined by the activities that occurred that day. I was deeply sleeping at around 0430hrs when the rain storm started, it was an experience i Don pray my enemy to have. The rain storm blew off my roof's top and rain was all over my house. There was fload from outside into my room as well. It drenched virtually everything in the room, from the matress, furnitures, clothes etc.
I woke up that early morning packing things out to safer place, however some of my belongings when away with the draining water to the canals. Lucky enough my wife and children were away for a week. When it's dawn, i found out everybody in the neighborhood suffer the same calamity and it became a thing of agony to the whole community. Not only were house property destroyed, but also crops in the farms were completely washed away.
At about 800hrs, when the water receded, everyone was counting his or her loss. We're drying the whole house items with little or nothing Left to feed on. Church activities was secondary, but since it was earlier scheduled for the harvest, we managed to attend and there we sought the face of God by thanking him despite all odds and pray such calamity shouldn't befall us. Readers, that has been my day. Unforgettable day indeed.
From tragedy to excellence
Dear readers am sorry i couldn't continue with the story since three days ago due to some unavoidable reasons, am back now so follow me,
I have the conviction that my school would come out victorious in the debate competition with the additional tips i got on child abuse, child labour, Girl child, child Soldier, international year of the child that my Grandpa had explained to me, only senior class students could defeat us. I suddenly become a champion in my school and neighborhood. All the teachers knew me , i became a star and super girl. I was just ten years old in my elementary four, but i felt on top of the world.
The long vacation that we were all expecting and talking about and which caused alot of debate had gone and nobody was talking about it again. Every body was talking about the debate and the next school to be eliminated by our school. Senior students in primary five and six wants to be identified with me, i become the rising star of the moment. Even my teachers resorted not to be sending me on errands again, they said, am now a celebrity.
What became a household topic among parents and students of both primary and secondary Schools in the entire state was the debate on child abuse. Parents finds it difficult to send their children on errands again. Only adults now hawk on the streets. Artisans also feared of engaging their children for fear of been acused of child abuse and child labour.
Even before the Government enact a law against child abuse and labour in the society, the debate had wonderfully done that. Radio and Television stations produced jingles and commercials through drama sketches to portray the dangers in child abuse.
The worship centers, the Churches, mosques and other religious centers also engaged their worshippers by educating them on child abuse and child labour. It was amazing how little droplet of water could transform to ocean in a blink of eye. A special session was dedicated in the state assembly to discuss child abuse and the house passed a strong resolution urging the Government to abolish corporal punishments in schools.
It's now an offence for a teacher to whip a pupil unless the misdeed is so grievous.
Grandma television programme took place during a popular talk show on a Sunday evening. It was a time targeting most viewers to be at home watching television. Grandpa sat beside her on the left side while her friend sat on the left. The presenter introduced them and the topic for discussion. I had earlier told all my friends and neighbors about the television programme. Grandma was asked how her daughter came about the issue of child abuse that was burning like wild fire. Grandma thanked the presenter and viewers before she explained how someone suggested her to use her daughter hawk some of her goods after school hours, but she retorted by saying that her husband has warned her never to engage any child in street trading as that will constitutes child abuse, moreover the child would be too tired to concentrate on his or her school work. Moreso, the child will have Early exposure to handling money which may affects the child's concentration on studies.
Grandma was very careful and aware not to leak salient points to my debate opponents.in the forthcoming debate competition. All these were carefully rehearsed at home before going to the television station. Grandpa had earlier caution Grandma not to be carried away by the presenters trivial questions. After all their programme was not competitive, but merely advisory to parents and it won't attract any reward or award of prizes like our own debate.
What was known to the viewers at home was that grandma's friend who featured on the programme was the one who suggested that i should be engaged in street trading, even Grandpa did not know. And grandma promised her that she would not mention it in the television programme else she wouldn't have taken part for fear of public criticism. Even those who are guilty of such offence would openly criticize. Such is the irony and hypocrisy of life.
The schools Final debate came at last, it was our school and Emerlyn Glory school, Abuja. The name of my school is Brighter Tommorow school, Abuja. Interestingly, two girls represented both schools as lead speakers. My courage and confidence was developed o over time through serious practices both in school and home. Grandma and Grandpa became my trainers and audience during my sessions of rehearsals at home. It was amazing and almost unbelievable that a ten years old girl would assume a posture of an adult and be seen as such.
It was beyond me now, the whole thing became school and family pride. Any position less than first would almost be seen as a curse. Grandpa earlier told me that,failure is an orphan and nobody celebrate it. Grandpa had done his very best in this situation. He was told about his wife's involvement in television programme and he flew home to support his wife only to arrive and found out that his grand daughter was More involved than his wife. He had to handle the two together. Readers , thanks for following, be with me next on the debate day .
From tragedy to excellence. Vol 3
Dear readers am back again, the story continues like this,
I was very brilliant in school and examination was approaching, however shortly before the examination day, i took ill in the school, my class teacher had to rush me to the hospital and quickly informed the school principal and my grandmother. My grandmother got confused and rushed to check how i was feeling. On reaching the hospital she found me semi-concious , i could hear her intent prayers from my semi-conciousness, i was diagnosed of malaria fever. I was given medication and was asked to remain in the hospital for some time before going home. I spent two days before i was discharged. My Grandmother stood by throughout my stay. My principal and his wife also visited me in the hospital. It was my first time falling seriously ill. We began our examination on Monday and finished on Friday that same week. The following week the school closed for the long vacation. I came out the best student in our class and my grandmother was highly elated. She rewarded me with new clothes. All my friends in school talked about the places they intend to spend their holiday, but for me i can't move away from a day from Grandma, that's why she didn't enroll me in boarding school. It's unimaginable to stay away from Grandma. One of my friends asked where i intend to spend my holiday, i told her no place like home, most of them would end up Hawking goods for their relatives, my grandmother once mentioned about child abuse to her friend. I over heard them and counselled my friend about it. I have little knowledge about child abuse and my friend needed me to tell her more, she became so interested in the topic because of my proficiency. It's wrong to engage a child to labour inorder to fend for the family. Unknown to me our class teacher over heard all i was telling my friend, the next day our teacher invited me to the class podium to discuss about child abuse. I was shocked and shy, i have never face the class to talk, i know i always answer questions from my the comfort of my seat, but not now that i have to leave my security zone to the class frontage. My teacher thought the topic is very important most especially now that we're going on holidays. I complied as requested by the teacher. The little delay helped me to muster confidence, and i very well explained to the class child abuse, child labour and child trafficking. The teacher was highly impressed and urged the entire class to applaud me. The following day which was the day students assemble for the principal's address, the principal also talked about the same topic , chid abuse and child trafficking. She mentioned that we can help our parents with with domestic chores, but never in anyway are we supposed to be subjected to street Hawking as that will expose us to road hazards. The principal also attached a letter to our report sheets on chid abuse and labour and also fixed a date on parents and teachers meeting where the topic will be discussed before the holidays commences. A topic i initiated with a friend is now raging the entire community like a wild fire. Through the parents, teachers meeting, the radio stations also aired a program on it, the news papers were also not left behind. The Government had to enact a law prohibiting child's abuse and labour. The Ministry of education organized an inter schools debate through out the state on the topic. I was chosen from my school as one of the two students to represent it, i happened to be the lead speaker , I didn't fail to acknowledge the fact that my grandmother, my custodian initiated the discussion with her friend. My class teacher grilled us on the topic thoroughly. Good time was spent to train us on composure, gesture, etiquette, use of English during debate and time consciousness management among others.
Our school was on conquering spree we got to the final stage of the competition. The national television located my grandmother and invited her to a phone in programme on child abuse and child labour, it was the greatest day of her life, a milestone indeed. Her husband, my maternal grandfather whom i have never met before flew in from United kingdom where he works with United Nations to give support to his wife. My late mother was his first child and he became very fond of me at first sight. He hid hid feelings about my mother's death. I later got to know he was a trained military strategist and war specialist. I took him to be my father, at that tender age,I could still not comprehend on issues like that. Grandma and Grandpa were busy preparing for Grandma's appearance on television on child Abuse and child labour and i was busy preparing for another round of debate on the same topic. Grandpa was coopted yo appear with Grandma on the television programme. According to the programme director, Grandpas contributions to the discussion will be very Germain because of his knowledge on child-soldiers in war ravaged parts of the world where children of school age were being conscripted into the military to Carry weapons of war. I was with them at home during all the stages of their discussions and i picked some salient points that would further strengthen our points to defeat our opponents in the inter schools debate competition. My being with them is no more regarded as eavesdropping, i had become an active participant in the discussion. Infact grandpa said that preventing me from taking part in the discussion constitutes an act of child Abuse that is punishable in the United kingdom. Readers catch you up in the next vol.
From tragedy to excellence. Vol 2
My readers we are continuing from where i stopped, enjoy reading.
On the eight day of my delivery, a naming ceremony was stranger, my father and one from his brothers managed to attend the ceremony, my grandmother said, my father was in tears throughout the occasion. When the clergy asked of the name he wanted to give me, he responded with an ocean of tears. Another round of weeping and sobbing resumed. It took some time for calmness to be restored. Finally my father gathered himself together before he found his voice and in a scarsely audible voice read the name from paper he slipped into the hand of the clergy man. I was named, Myra Hauwa Frank. My father's name is Frank. The name given amidst tears would identify me in my journey of life. A newborn baby always comes into the world crying. I did. It was usual and good. What became unusual was the cry of people around me instead of rejoicing. The people were crying for different reasons, my Father was crying because he lost his wife during childbirth, grandma was crying because she lost her daughter and others were crying because it is mundane to share grief. I cried to announce to let people know my arrival into this wonderful world. Indeed a situational irony has occurred. While i was crying to announce my entrance into the world, people around were crying to mourn the exit of my mother from this world.
There is always an exception to every rule, circumstances may produced situations that can change the line of events. The new course may not necessarily be acceptable, but must be contained for certain reasons. A child's place is with her mother in her father's house. That's naturally her ancestral home in a patrilocal society as ours.
However, my mother's death changed all that I my Early life. I was never destined to Live in my father's house from the day my grandma took me from the hospital to her home. The turn of events changed and i became one of their own. I lived all my life with them devoid of any rejection. I grew up surrounded by love and loved ones. All the love my grandma had for my mother was automatically transferred to me, it's as if she had given birth to my mother all over again.
Each moment grandma called me and it happens many times a day , the name sounds in her mouth as if i was very far away from her glare and she was pleading i should never keep distance from her again. M.Y.R.A. perhaps that's her way of appealing to God that this one must not die. And i did not die at least during her life time with me.
I happened to be my grandma's eyes and ears in our neighborhood. I was smart and intelligence. I could execute many errands in a short time without grouse. Even in her business place, the whole world knew grandma had MYRA. My name suddenly became her genetic name, MAMA MYRA. It was as if MYRA was her direct and only child. I was a lovely kid. I was the strongest amongst my peers both in my neighborhood and grandma's business place. I feared no one even the boys dreaded me.
Many times grandma received reports that i had beaten up their sons and daughters on the street when playing, their parents will escort them to grandma for pacification. Grandma will apologize and warn me against doing that again. The business place of my grandma became our second home, i am always there to assist her whenever am back from school. What i detest most is cheating and insults from people most especially my peers or bullies who feels they can override me because of my gender and age.
Nobody told me my story and i continued to live my life like any other child in the community. In the school, i was exceptional, i was a darling to all my teachers. Grandma always made sure i do my assignments every day before dusk even if it means disrupting my play with my friends. I can grumble in protest, but dared not disobey her.
One day i forgot to do my homework, grandma didn't hesitate to punish me to show that life is all about carrot and stick. Stick for discipline and carrot for reward whenever i deserved. My existence in her life nearly compensated her for the loss of my mother her beloved daughter. As far as she believes her daughter wasn't dead as long as i was alive and living with her. I started schooling early, i began my nursery at the age of three, when i was six i moved to primary one. Grandma always take me to school every morning. The school is situated close to her shop some few streets apart. Grandma also always dutifully cones around to pick me up at closing time that's around 4pm. From the school straight to the shop where we stayed till dusk. Life couldn't be better than the way i was treated by grandma even the King in his palace would envy me. Grandma is the name every body called my grandmother and i joined them to be calling her the name. For me it's just a mere name. I never knew she assumed that name when i entered her life through the tragic death of my mother. Readers catch you up in Vol. 3 enjoy your day.
From tragedy to excellence.
I was abandoned as soon as i was given birth to. Every single person there was gripped and shocked by the sudden death of my mom after the delivery. For as far as they care, it's the little newborn baby that took the life of her mother as such she didn't deserve to live so she cannot kill more of the family members. Nevertheless, in the midst of grief, one person amongst them remembered the dead woman gave birth to a child. It was my grandmother, the mother of the dead and the grandmother of the new born innocent baby. The grandmother took the baby home from the hospital and began an era of training a new born baby, a baby who arrived the world in a tragic circumstance. As i was growing up, i was not aware of my calamitous background. A brilliant, intelligent young girl. I was resolute in getting married to the first man that de-flowered me. In the end, the first man disappointed me. Thus i have my personal encounter with grief...
I later promised not to marry any other person and i entered into a word of loneliness and abandonment. A lot of questions disturbed my fragile mind. Questions infact more questions than answers.
Finally, answers came to nail all the questions in one moment i expected. The translucent barrier disappeared and the way was clear and through. Nature and life have their own suspense too. As a mortal human being, life can play tricks and pranks. A missing person and s dead person will ultimately meet one day, it's a matter of time. A broken pot can be discarded, but not so for a broken Heart. It needs mending and healing.
In every disappointment, there's always a blessing according to one popular adage. This story comes in Volumes and it goes like this,
VOL. 1. MY BIRTH.
The right person to tell the story of my birth would have been my mother, but she gave up the ghost after she gave birth to me. It therefore behold on my grandmother to tell me the tragic incidence of my birth.
When my mother labourer for three days, a medical consultant advised she should be operated upon as it became clear she could not safely deliver me. The proposal was seriously objected. The word operation was forbidden for pregnant women in our tradition, my people dreaded it like a pandemic.
Her determination and efforts to prove the consultant wrong produced 50-50 success. She made the last push with all the strength in her. I came out of her accompanied by her last breath. She never opened her eyes to see the bundle of joy that brought so much pain to her in the last three days and the past nine months. The doctors battled their best to revive her, but she couldn't make it, she had gone to the world beyond.
My mother feared the operation would result in death, little did she know she will still die without the operation. What is to happen must happen. The doctor had the big task of breaking the sad news to my father and grandmother who were outside the theater waiting for the good news of the safe delivery. The atmosphere immediately changed soured. The sorrow of the death surpassed the joy of life. The waiting room suddenly became a wailing room. Even non relatives and passerbys joined My father and grandmother and all those that came in expressing their profound grief. Tears flows non stop as if it's abundance could replace the monumental loss of my mother.
The grief was too much for my father to bear alone and too much to share with my grandmother. He sent for hi brothers to join him in the hospital. They came and their wailings overtook all activities in the hospital. They hospital management carefully eased them out. They all left to mourn the dead and neglected me for a while.
The tragedy of my mother's death is the first of it's kind in the family in recent time. No woman has died during child birth as far as anybody could recollect in the family. My mother broke the record and i came to the world a cause celebre. An embodiment of the family tragedy.
In the midst of confusion and wailing, my grandmother was the first to get back herself to composure. My mother's death was actually a personal loss to her. She reasoned that if i could survive my fragile childhood, i would be a source of comfort and joy to her. My father on his part after he might have endured for some years could remarry. My grandmother quickly decided to go back to the hospital and bring me home. The Doctors and nurses in the hospital were so keen to get to be relieved of the baby that brought so much disruption to their operations. My performed the formalities and settled the bills and took me home. Women are naturally blessed with the ability to get over tremendous shock easily in this kind of circumstance especially because there was a baby to take care of. After all it would still have been her responsibility to take care of the new born and the nursing mother unfortunately my mother's breast milk won't be there for for me. Her last child was ten years old. My mother was twenty five years old when she died. Grandmother was fifty one years old at the time. She's still relatively young enough to nurse a newborn baby and eventually her first grandchild. A grand daughter that meant different things to different people. In my paternal side, they saw me as the devil's incarnate, a wicked child who sent her mother to the grave on arrival. In my grandmother's side, i was received with mixed feelings, sympathy and love. Sympathy for my Dead mother and love for seeing me as her replacement in their midst.
Readers please catch me up in my next VOL. Thanks for following.
One good turn deserves another
It's a dull summer morning for Johnny who lost both of his parents in a car crash some couple of years ago. The whole world deemed to have collapsed on him because there were many things he's now missing due to the sudden death of his parents. Things like, school, decent home to live, good food, health care, clothing and parental love. He lives with his paternal uncle in a different City from where he was born and lived with his late parents. His sudden relocation to a new settlement did not only affect Johnny psychologically, but nearly took his childhood away from him as a result of the way the uncle's wife maltreated him. She hardly gives Johnny food even when she knew he needs it. Johnny practically does all the house chores while her kids relaxes and watch Johnny on daily basis. When Johnny made an attempt to tell the uncle about his travails, the uncle punishes him the more. His uncle is a kind of man that worships his wife. He believes and does virtually everything she instruct him to do. When Johnny saw he couldn't cope with the ill treatment he was constantly subjected to, he decided to runaway from the uncle's house to a far away town atleast to where he could be without his oppressors. The first few days of his exile was a living hell, no small ratio of food as he was used to be fed in his uncle's house, but he believes he would be fine in a matter of some days. Young Johnny became very hungry and looking pale and tattered. All the houses he visited begging for food were not welcoming. Johnny was exhausted and gasping for breath. He used his last ounce of strength to strode to Mrs. Brown's semi detached flat. Mrs. Brown is a good hearted woman who lives with her aged husband and two little kids, a boy and a girl. She works as a store keeper in one company. She's nice and lively. Immediately Johnny tapped at her door bell unlike other apartments owners, she hurriedly came to the door to meet the collapsing ill looking boy. She asked Johnny his name and why he's at her house, he muttered his name to her and was mentioning FOOD when he eventually collapsed. Mrs. Brown called the husband Mr. Brown to come and he helped to pick the motionless body of the boy inside. After performing some first aid treatment on him he got revived. After he revived Mrs. Brown fed him with a Big Chicken Meal and a jug of Milk. He passed the night there and the following morning Brown's family packaged some food for Johnny and he tearfully Left. F Forward..... After about 15yts Mrs. Brown took ill and was diagnosed of kidney disease and urgently needed to be donated a kidney, the wose of all she was O- blood group, a very rare blood group. Time was elapsing and no donor could turn up to save her life. One of her children put up the last advertisement looking for a donor of 0- at the last minutes when hope was almost dashed, one man appeared and his group marched Mrs. Brown's, without delayed the two were wheeled to the theater and they came out successful. Mrs. Brown was happy and surprised how from nowhere her donor came, she felt she was highly indebted to such a rare Noble gesture. She was crying and thanking the Donor and saying, if not for you, i would have long been forgotten. And he also replied her saying, if not for you, i would have been Long forgotten. He reminded Mrs. Brown he was the little boy she helped sometimes ago and When he was living her house that day he prayed to God to give him what he will reciprocate the good gesture Mrs. Brown showed him. And when he saw the advertisement, he knew it was Mrs. Brown and was elated now opportunity presented itself for him to pay back and he said, one good turn deserves another.
'The GUILTY are always AFRAID'
This is a short story of three thieves, Two big and one small. They lived in a village where stealing is a Taboo and when caught is met with capital punishment. The villagers have high respect for the king. They present the best out of their yields to the king. If you are a farmer after harvest, one is expected to take the best of his yield as a gift to the most revered king . The King normally organizes festival for people to bring their best yields and the best amongst the best will be selected by panel of judges and after selection the one's that top the selection will be rewarded by the king with traditional titles and some will be given money and the overall will be allowed to choose from king's Daughters to marry. That fateful year one farmer reared his Cow so deligently to present to the king and after the festival, the king was very excited with the Cow. It was so big that it measured almost a caterpillar size. People from far and near came to see the cow, it became a tourist site. The King so much Loved the Cow. This Story is a fiction, characters used are not real. In that region, everything that belongs to the king is unique. Unique in it enormous size and Beauty. And anyone who steals from the king, DEATH is The penalty. The king owns a mighty cow almost twice size of a full grown elephant. One day the three thieves conceived a plan and connived to steal the king's Cow and took it out of the village to a far away bush where nobody could see them and decided to kill the Cow. After killing the cow, they shared the meat into three portions since they were three. But Two portions were the same size and bigger than the remaining one portion. And from all indication the smaller portion was meant for the smaller person amongst them and it didn't go down well with him in his mind. He was nursing a plan on how he can get an equal portion with them, he suddenly came up with a plan. The smaller person told the two that the king will know who stole his cow, the two guys nearly jumped out of their skin in fear and they asked the smaller one, 'how would the king gets to know the people that stole his cows? after all they took the cow out of the town in the dead night and they were quite aware nobody saw them. The smaller person answered them , 'The person who will be given the smaller portion is going to be the person that will expose them. The two greedy thieves grudgingly said okay !! " Let's join all the meat together and share again. LESSON: Don't cheat.
@Frankyreal