He wished me a good day after Lighting up the car. We reached home late in the evening, I found so many people on our homestead. I knew there was a celebration. But on looking at people, they were staring at me as if I was the superstar of a certain movie.
My mother was the first one to appear before me, she was still crying, I asked her what was wrong but she could not pronounce the words. I started crying asking where my dad was. I went to our house. On arrival I found my father lying on the floor. I called him three times but he did not respond. I tried touching him but he was not getting up. I cried but nothing changed. Instead I was taken away by some people.
From there I did not see my Father until the last day when so many people were in our compound, I knew it was a burial ceremony. I was with my mother; my dad was wooden like a box with a translucent mirror. Only the upper face was visible. He was buried within a few hours; many people were in the compound. The days were long without seeing my father; I was told he went to the place of no return. Whenever I remember my father I become so emotional. I was the firstborn of our family of three children, two men and a girl. Our life turned a new page,all the relatives went back to their homes, and we remained struggling. My mother was hard-working; she used to make sure we got food. She would rather stay hungry but for us to eat something. Days started to be longer and nights shorter. I used to pity my mother; she could wake up very early in the morning and come back late in the evening. I was the one to cook for our two siblings.
I used to miss school on several occasions. I used to care for our children. They were still young and they couldn't be left alone. Days passed, they became bigger hence they were enrolled in one of the public schools in the town. My mother had a big burden of paying school fees for his three children. I was sent home for school fees in most cases . Not once but Almost every week, I would almost give up if not for my mother encouraging me with her words as I can vividly remember some words.
"My son, you are my hope, don't get tired. Just work hard and leave the teat for God." Her words always gave me a reason to work hard in class despite the challenges.
I used to pass my Exams . I used to be top in the class, God had blessed me with the brain to capture information and retrieve it whenever it was required. My teachers liked me so much, so most of the time they would spare me for school for school fees. I was known by the whole school for two things; number one I was known as a bright pupil, and second, having a huge balance of School fees.😌