Baba Ruka was hot in his days. A great stud too. I can't tell if it was his wealth or Ibadan background that got the women melting in his hands.
By the time I was five years old, my father was already tired of my mother. My mum was no longer the 'oyoyo' that captivated his heart. The third wife too had passed on after a brief illness, leaving behind her only child. The house had become very volatile. One man, two wives and fourteen children from three women. Something had to give.
Iya Ruka was the first casualty, and consequently, her four children too. My mother packed out of the house. She left the man; he was needed by the mother of nine and his new lover.
My mother was very enterprising, rather than stay and 'contest' for the heart of the man, she decided to focus her energies on her business and raising the four of us.
Her business boomed, her shop was a mecca to retailers of consumables. She had a shop at Mile 12.
Did I miss my Dad when we moved out? Yes, I did. He really liked me but the affection didn't count for much since he couldn't keep the marriage with my Mum. He had a habit of coming to check on me in school, a habit which made my mother very uncomfortable. If you don't like oil stains on your fingers, there was no point attempting to finger the yam inside the palm oil. Baba Ruka was guilty.
Baba Ruka was not just guilty, there were numerous reasons testifying for his guilt. He wouldn't provide but will frustrate Mama Ruka's efforts to make ends meet, Baba Ruka was also guilty of woman battering; even as a child I was not ignorant. I recall vividly the funny disfiguring bruises on my mother's face as a little child. Sometimes in the middle of the night, sometimes in broad daylight, my mum took it all; oh! Except for the times she got fed up, found her feet and finally fought back. At those times, you would also see my dad with scars and as a child I think I still preferred him with a scar though; don't get me wrong I love my dad. I just hate the times he beats my mum whose only crime at that time would have been "over talking".