Everyone has their different opinions about life. For me, I felt as though life were a bed of roses, I guess that's what you get for being born with a silver spoon in your mouth.
At about 7 years of age, there were moments when I walked up to my parents.
"Daddy, I want to drink coke." My little subtle voice was enough to permeate the hardest of minds.
"It's late already, the local stores around have closed."
I started crying, all because of a drink. Some might say It's because I was a child, but nope, I was just an over-pampered boy who had no knowledge about what life really is.
"Alright let's make tea for him" my Dad turned to my mum who just sat on chair watching the both of us like she were in a cinema.
"Go ahead, you're the man of the house." My mum said, teasing my Dad— she was fond of that.
I was eventually given the tea and as soon as the sun poked it's head through the clouds the next morning, my siblings set out to buy the drink.
All these stopped after about four years passed by when my Dad had kicked the bucket, and I was left with my mum.
A certain day, I got picked up from school in my mum's car, I sat in the passengers seat.
"Have you eaten?" She asked, staring deeply into my eyes
"Ummmm... Not really, I just ate a little." I indecisively replied.
We drove all the way to a popular restaurant "Mr Biggs." I was somewhat surprised when she stopped in its parking space.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"To eat." she kept a straight face while we both headed towards the entrance.
I instinctively knew we were there solely because of me. I was always given a locally made rice prepared with palm oil called "oil rice" as my school lunch. It was a meal most Nigerian parents cook during financial constraints.
We ate variety of stuffs which I hadn't tasted in a while before we got back home...
"Have you washed the dishes in the kitchen?" She suddenly yelled at me after a long rest.
"No i haven't. we just got back and I'm just waking up from the sleep."
"Go and wash those dishes, right now!!" She stamped her feet on the floor pointing towards the kitchen, I could see the rage in her eyes, and feel the anger in her voice.
I felt this rush of sadness that seemed to wipe those innocent smiles off my face. One moment there was sympathy, and laughter; the next moment there was a palpable rage which enclosed the house.
At home, I usually had this feel of uncertainty about what was to happen next, just like the unpredictable turbulent waves of the blue seas.
Sometimes she'll sit right beside me in the living room. But fully aware of the turbulence that was about shake the peaceful ambience of the atmosphere, I would stand to leave.
"Where are you going?" She'll ask.
"To my room, I need to sleep." I calmly replied, trying to evade anything that could provoke that momentary spark of anger.
"Why is it when I sat close to you, you remembered you suddenly need to sleep?"
"Nothing" I said.
"Hmm..Okay, you can go" I sensed the calmness in her voice this time around, perhaps she knew I was running from the potential turbulence she could easily bring to the home.
I went into the room where I laid on the bed staring at the white ceiling above me, reminiscing about the good old days with Dad— days where I could ask for whatever I wanted, Days where I could complain about my dissatisfaction, Day when home was free from the turbulence offsetting the peaceful environment.
"We all have to start managing, you know things aren't easy anymore." I heard her say in the kitchen the next day while preparing dinner on a cool evening.
"You know I'm the only one training you, and your siblings who are in the university." She added. That's why sometimes I get frustrated at the slightest of things.
"I know." I didn't know what else to say.
I sat on the dining table waiting for dinner. She was cooking a sweet delicacy mixed with a lot of spices and of course, lots of fried chicken — my favourite!
I felt a little bit happy at that moment, I guess it was because I she was unusually calm or perhaps it was just the food.
"Maybe they've paid her salary for the month": I thought to myself while shaking my skinny legs like an eager puppy waiting for a taste of milk.
"Have they paid your salary?" I couldn't contain the question in my thoughts anymore.
"Focus on your books, what's a little boy like you doing with salary?" this time, her jovial accent sounded quite pronounced.
At this point I realized that the turbulence that seized our home wasn't permanent, it was just a phase mixed with moments of laughter and smiles. I guess I figured out that life was just like a wave, the bad moments come and go, and so do the good.
I did discover that... Life wasn't a bed of roses, so I endured the turbulence each time it came, till I grew and escaped that phase.
