We were new to the neighborhood but there were just some names that we keep hearing from our neighbors.
“Who is Pa. Agbongbe?” I was forced to ask my new friend in the vicinity, Bola.
Before she could give me a response, her mom chimed in, “Oh, he’s an old man who plays around like kids. Just imagine, how will an old man in his early sixties have about five bicycles and even give them names? That’s not all. He sings lullaby for them and act like he loves them than his own children”.
I burst into laughter but it seemed normal to me. An old man in his early sixties can have about five bicycles and take care of them so well.
As luck would have it, Pa. Agbongbe passed by but I had already gone inside to do the dishes.
“Bisola!! Come outside. Come and see your crush,” Bola yelled.
I didn’t even remember telling her that I had a crush but I left the dishes and ran outside to see my supposed crush.
On getting outside, it was an old man driving a bicycle, with about eight transparent kegs hung on the sides of the bicycle and the funniest part is the front of the bicycle. There was a huge cardboard written Pa. Agbongbe’s first born. That was humorous and I mistakenly burst into laughter. Immediately, Pa. Agbongbe looked into my eyes.
No be today oh. They are talking my matter oh. Because of my five beautiful children finer than all of you he sang and then, I confirmed that Pa. Agbongbe was truly delusional just like Bola’s mum said and everyone in the neighborhood.
I ran to the corner of the house and screamed Pa. Agbongbe. He looked at the back and smiled. To me, aside from being delusional, there was nothing more wrong with him. Maybe that was his way of having fun which people have failed to understand.
I traced his bicycle rail and finally saw with my eyes what everyone said.
I sighted five clean bicycles and at the front, they all had a cardboard from the first to the last born just as the owner calls them. I repeated this process and everyday after school, I’m a few minutes away from Pa. Agbongbe’s house staring at him and enjoying his lifestyle.
In one way or the other, I influenced Bola and we both go there after school.
“Come here! I always see you look at me every evening with that your pink uniform. Do you like bicycles?” He asked.
On that day, Bola and I moved very close to him just to read what was written at the edge of his bicycles when he approached me. I thought he was harsh or may beat me. To my surprise, he was so welcoming. He welcomed Bola and I. He bought me my favorite biscuits, Coaster biscuits with a long bottle of Pepsi.
“So what were you girls staring at?” He asked.
“This,” I pointed to the writings on the edge of the bicycles.
Life is too short. Live it like it will be your last, he wrote.
Eventually, we knew what Pa. Agbongbe wrote on the edges of the bicycle. Suddenly, I saw my mum and Bola’s mum calling our names from afar. We girls began to tremble and all Pa. Agbongbe’s effort to calm us down was futile.
“What have you done to my kids? What is this? Why did you give them Pepsi? What did you put inside?” My mum asked so many questions that can’t even be answered at a time.
Our mothers dragged us home but that wasn’t the end. The next day, we still went to Pa. Agbongbe for coaster biscuits and a bottle of Pepsi. Gradually, he taught us how to ride bicycles. My not so cool with it mum started getting cool with it and even allowed my brothers to follow me.
“Mummy, Pa. Agbongbe is cool oh. He’s normal unlike what you people see him as,” my brother said to my not so cool mum.
Gradually, Pa. Agbongbe started to have more kids around him and parents started getting cool with it. At first, he was segregated in the neighborhood and seen as someone delusional but eventually, everyone started getting used to the delusional man.
As Pa. Agbongbe’s favorite, I had the opportunity to ride his bicycle around and that spread to other kids as well. That’s how almost every kid in the neighborhood learnt how to ride bicycle and every evening, we all go to the meeting point, Pa. Agbongbe’s house.
Life became more fun with Pa. Agbongbe coaster biscuits and botte of Pepsi. The segregated Pa. Agbongbe finally became a man whom every parent want their kids to play with.
Sadly, we lost Pa. Agbongbe five years ago but till today, there are kids in the neighborhood who uses and rides his bicycles just to honor his memory.
