"I am so sorry that you had to witness something so horrible Timi, but you have to understand that revenge won't do anything for you. It won't bring your brother back and it won't make you feel better. And once you take a life, you're never be yourself again."
"I stopped being myself the day Ayo was killed." Timi said coldly.
"Now, tell me uncle, will you help me? Will you teach what you know so I can avenge my brother?"
"I'm sorry Timi but I can't. I can't willingly turn you into a killer, a revenge-craving monster. I can't ruin your life, your future. What kind of Uncle would that make me?"
Timi started pacing back and forth, his blood boiling. In an attempt to release his anger, he kicked some of his uncle's equipment.
"Timi!" Uncle Kayode protested.
"What? What? Why won't you help me? Why won't you understand?"
"What if you get hurt, or worse, killed when you try to get your revenge?"
"That's why I came to you, Uncle. You fought in more than fifteen wars and you came back alive everytime. If you teach me, then I'm sure I'll be successful and I'm sure I won't get killed"
"Well, I wouldn't say fifteen wars but still I can't Timi, I just can't" Uncle Kayode said and started to walk out of the garage when Timi ran to him, fell on his knees and held his uncle's feet.
"This is the only thing that would give me peace. Ayo was my shield, my protector and I failed him. But he... He never failed me"
Timi remembered another time that Ayo had been there to rescue him. It was many years ago. Timi was seven years old and Ayo was almost eleven. Most of the chores in the house was done by Ayo as he was the oldest. Timi did little jobs and Titi, their little sister was still a baby. Since Ayo had so many chores, Timi decided to help him with one; fetching water from the well.
As Timi got to the well, he was the only one there and it was a deep well. As he tried to pull the pail filled with water out of the well, he slipped and fell in. He couldn't swim and was slowly drowning and screaming for help. Meanwhile, Ayo had been looking everywhere for him. He searched everywhere but couldn't find him so he went back home. Later, Ayo noticed that one of their buckets was gone and so was their fetching pail and he figured out that Timi must have gone to the well, but why wasn't he back yet? Ayo was worried and ran as quickly as he could to the well to find his brother. As he arrived at the well, he saw Timi's bucket but not Timi. But then, he realized that someone was in the well and looked in and saw his brother struggling for his life.
"Hang on Timi, I'm coming" he screamed hysterically.
And so he grabbed the rope of the fetching pail and lowered it into the well and told Timi to grab on. Timi tied the rope around his arm and held on as Ayo started to pull him up. As Timi got closer to Ayo's reach, the rope of the pail started to break apart and Ayo was terrified because if the rope were to snap and Timi falls back in, he might not survive it.
Ayo began to pull even faster and the rope continued to rip slowly. Ayo reached out for Timi whose hand was just mere fingertips away and as he was about to reach him, the rope snapped in two and Timi found himself falling back in. But Ayo reached out and caught his hand and pulled him out of the well. Timi was shivering and Ayo took off his shirt and wrapped it around Timi and carried him home.
"It's okay, it's okay. Don't cry, I've got you. I'll always be here for you" Ayo told him.
"He wasn't even angry at me. He took me home, covered me in warm blankets and made hot tea for me and he never once scolded me for going to the well on my own". Timi told Uncle Kayode.
"I would have been dead if it wasn't for him and now he's gone and I couldn't save him. But I can avenge him, if you help me"
Again, Uncle Kayode was moved by Timi's story and love for his brother but he still refused to teach him, saying that revenge was a bad idea and would lead to only more pain, death, destruction, suffering and trauma.
Timi snapped and raised his voice at his uncle. "Fine, if you won't help me, I'll look for someone else who will. I'll learn how to shoot on the streets. I'll even join a gang if I have to and if I get hurt or die in the process, it will be on your conscience because you could have taught me in a safe environment but refused" Timi stormed out of the garage, grabbed his backpack and was about to leave when he uncle said behind him. "Wait!"
He sighed, already regretting what he was about to do. "Fine, I'll train you" He said unenthusiastically.
"I'll teach you to fight, shoot and...'kill' but it will be on my terms."
"Yes , anything" Timi said happily.
"First, you will not condemn my teaching methods. Secondly, your mother can't find out about this so you'll make sure you do well in school, get A's in your classes and be involved in extracurricular activities so she won't be suspicious and lastly, try and keep an open mind that this vengeance you seek may not be what you need to find peace"
"Ok, uncle. I agree to all of your conditions. When do we start?"
"We'll start when it's time to start. For now, let's have dinner".
Timi went to bed with a look of victory in his face. He couldn't wait to start his training and finally fulfill his promise.
"Soon, brother. Soon and I'll avenge you and you'll finally be able to rest"
Uncle Kayode was in his room and stood in front of a picture of Timi's father, his brother.
"Forgive me Seyi, for doing this but I promise to teach him well so he is successful and doesn't die. His desire for revenge is strong and there was nothing I could do to convince him otherwise"
Uncle Kayode then went outside to a spot in his farm. He grabbed a shovel and started to dig. He dug and dug for almost thirty minutes until his shovel struck a big metal box in the ground. He took the box out of the ground and carried it into his garage. It was very heavy. He opened it and it was filled with guns, bullets, grenades, knives and all sorts of weapons. Uncle Kayode had buried them many years ago hoping to never need them again but now he needed them once more.
He picked up a gun and stared at it. The sound of war planes, guns going off, bombs exploding, people screaming and his comrades wailing as they died echoed in his head reminding him of the horrors of war and the nightmares that come with it.
"Here we go again." He said and slammed the box shut.