The saying that 20 friends can't play together for twenty years has been repeatedly ringing in my brain over the years. I remember when Mum first told us the Yoruba version of it when we were younger, but I never understood it that much then.
Those times when we argue as siblings, fight and still come together to sleep together at night. Mum often becomes our referee trying to let us understand the bond between siblings. She made us know that we can’t cherish what we have until we lose them. I still didn't care to understand her then. What was there to lose?
There was a time when Mum bought us clothes for the Eid celebration. She got the three of us the same clothes and we got measured and it was sewn for us. Wearing that cloth back then wasn’t something I was pleased with. I just don't want to have three of us wear the same clothes on the same occasion.
Deep inside of me, I wished we could just wear something different and not put on “and co” 😂. To me, I see it as calling people’s attention. And they will get to know that we are siblings.
I don't know maybe it’s because of the immature quarrel we had at times then, or maybe something else. But I just don't want it. 😆. Especially with my younger sister.
I can still cope with my elder brother. But that lady. I don't want anything related to both of us at all. Back then Mum would tell me, you will like her so much, that all I was doing then was just “shakara”. I think she spoke out of experience between her and her immediate elderly brother. I still didn’t agree with her.
There were times when we had to hold hands together to cross the road on our way to school every morning and afternoon back home. Holding hands together was something we did a lot back then.
Those times I would tell my brother to hold her hands and then I would hold his second hand. So my brother will be in the middle. I never knew how much opportunity I had lost then.
With time. The proverb began to come to pass. My brother graduated from our school and I was left to hold hands with my sister alone. 😂. Tell me where I have to throw those hands.
Since my brother left. Everything was never the same as it was anymore. As we grew older we began to part ways and it began to get longer and longer. There are times it took us years before we could even see each other together in person.
Now I get to realize the purpose of having them around. Now I want us to put on the same clothes so badly. I want us to have that “and co” and let the world know we are siblings. But this hardly happens. I wish we could sit together and dine on the same plate as we had back then. But it happens once a blue moon now.
My sister and I had to cross the expressway recently when she was home. We were about to cross individually. But since she was so close to me. I held her hands with a tight grip. She looked and me and smiled. 😂.
I said, “So your hands are not yet strong?” She tried to pull it off. But I held it and we crossed together happily bringing back those memories. She became a rare gem to me just like Mum has said.
Mum said I would cry the day she would be getting married. But I still don't want to believe a whole man like me crying 😂.
If I could be allowed to relive a moment. It would be those lovely moments with my siblings when we were younger. The love we shared became less valued, the togetherness that life has come to split. I just want to have them once more. I know it’s something that can hardly happen ever again.
