Mama Chinedu has warned her children, Chinedu and Chibuike several times about playing ball with other kids on the street.
Mama Chinedu works in the biggest markets in Lagos state which is three hours away from home and she gets home as late as 11:00 pm.
Since she is a widow who had lost her husband a few years ago, she makes sure that her children has everything available in the house so they would not step out of the house before she gets back at night.
“Chinedu, I’ve dropped two thousand Naira note for you and Chibuike. You both should buy Rice and Beans when you get back from school and cook it before I get back home. Make sure to stay inside and not play ball with the street boys,” this is how Mama Chinedu drops money for her children before leaving the house as early as 5:00 am.
The boys got ready for school, tidied the house and had Bread and Tea which is their usual breakfast before going to school.
Just as Chinedu and Chibuike were getting back from school, they met Salam, Demola and other street boys playing football.
“Chinedu and Chibuike, we’re waiting for the two of you,” Samad, one of the most playful boys on the street and their best footballer said to them.
Samad is the one who gets to approve any other street boy who wishes to come play football with them.
Chibuike and Chinedu didn’t bother to go home to take off their uniforms. With their white socks and new sandals which their mum just bought for them, they began to play football with their pairs.
The match was getting interesting and Chibuike took off his sweaty school shirt but had his singlet on.
“Chinedu, play the penalty. Make sure that Lanre doesn’t catch the ball,” Samad screamed as Chinedu was just about to play the ball, his sandals got cut.
Goal!!!! Samad and his team members jubilated while Chinedu and Chibuike mourned about Chinedu’s spoilt sandal.
Immediately, they packed their bags to go home and find a solution to how they can fix the sandal. On their way home, they stopped by Obinna’s shop to buy raw Rice and Beans to cook before their mum gets back.
“Chinedu, I can’t find the money that mummy gave us this morning,” in hurry, Chibuike checked Chinedu’s bag and his but the money was nowhere to be found then the two of them started to wail at Obinna’s shop.
There was no way they will cook the Rice and Beans their mum asked them to cook and they will be punished by their mum.
The two boys got home and started crying in the house.
“Shut up, Chibuike. Ain’t you the one who rushed to join Samad and others to play football? I was about to go home,” Chinedu said because he’s the eldest and if anything happens, he gets the most blame.
Knocks on the door
The boys went silent for sometime because they weren’t expecting any visitor and they both wondered who was knocking on the door.
“Who is that?” Chinedu boldly asks.
“It’s me, Grandma. Come and open the door for me, my son,” the boys have never been this happy in their lives. That gave them hope that Grandma will save them from the soup they got themselves in.
“Why are you boys looking worried? Have you had lunch?” Gradma asks while she brought out some goodies she got for them from the village.
“It’s not that, Grandma. Chinedu and I are in soup. We lost the money we were to use to buy Rice and Beans and Chinedu cut his sandal while playing ball,” Chibuike, the younger one who is very scared about their mum punishing them speaks out.
Grandma laughs at what’s making the boys bothered. She brought out some money from her bag and gave the boys to get the Rice and Beans which their mother has ordered them to buy before leaving the house in the morning.
This even gave the boys more chance to another round of football with Samad and others because Grandma was kind and wouldn’t complain unlike their mum.
Also, Chinedu took his sandal to Asobata, the only cobbler in the area to get it fixed. At last, the boys had their mind at rest because Grandma saved them from the hot pot of soup and when their mother got home, she didn’t notice if anything happened to Chinedu’s sandal nor knew that the boys lost some money she gave to them.
