The Sun blazed mercilessly over Oke-Orogun village as it headed home, searing further the already dusty red earth. Sweat poured down Olamide's brows as rivulets of water—he had worked under the scorching heat for too long, carrying cocoa sacks from the plantation to the storehouse like a beast of burden. The unfair treatment by the master's young son, Adekunle, as he barked out one order after the other, didn't allow him any form of rest.
He was just fourteen years old but he never got an education, never been within the four walls of a school, because his impoverished old mother could not afford one, his' was a pair of hands calloused from hard labour, sun-up to sun-down, his back was a criss-cross of scars which spoke in volumes, the adversity-ridden journey of his life.
At the closure of the day's work, he knelt down by the well to splash some cool water on his face and elbows, tracing the birthmark while he did that. It was a jagged crescent, etched deeply into his skin like a primordial symbol. It sat on his right elbow, bold and unmistakable.
Suddenly a sharp intake of breath as the silence was abruptly interrupted by a voice, from behind him.
"Olorun mi o (My God)! That mark…” Baba Tope, the master’s younger brother, shuddered in fear and stumbled forward, transfixed by the birthmark. "Where did you get that mark?"
Olamide frowned. "It has always been there, since I was born. My mother told me so!
Baba Tope's hands trembled. "Your mother?... Who is your mother.....?" His voice broke. After that, without further utterance he turned, running with the speed of a demented man towards the main house.
A few moments later, the plantation owner himself stomped in, each of his steps vibrating heavy dust beneath. His eyes were wild and desperate, affixed upon Olamide's arm. He grabbed the boy's wrist, breathing heavily.
"Olorun awon omo ogun o, (the great warrior)! The mark of the Adagbon blood!" he whispered, fingers tracing the crescent as if touching upon an ancient relic. His body trembled. "Who did you say was your mother?"
Olamide was puzzled. "Omolola from Oke-Isheri—"
"Take me to her now! A strangled sob tore from the man's throat. Take me to her!
Olamide's heart raced. "I... I don't understand."
At dusk that same day, the plantation owner, Baba Adagbon, his younger brother, Baba Tope, Olamide and some elders set out for the old woman’s at Oke-Isheri. She was frail now, her hair like cotton, her back bent like a yam tendril. But he would recognize her anywhere, she was his maid back then.
"Omawunmi.....heee....Omawunmi......it was you! The plantation owner exclaimed, beating his chest in pain.
"Baba Adagbon? The old woman was so shocked to see them.
"Mama, do you know these people? Olamide asked puzzled, his heart pounding.
"Yes my son, it's a long story..... She was sharply interrupted by Baba Adagbon, the plantation owner.
"You were stolen a few days after you were born! Wrenched from your mother's arms and separated from your twin brother. Your mother mourned until the gods took her home. What I never knew was who could cause us so much pain.
"A twin brother?..... How?... I don't understand what is happening here." He reeled from the revelations
"But Mama, you said I was found as a crying infant near the Ogun River, twelve years ago. You named me Olamide because you believed the gods had finally blessed you with a child. So what they are saying, it can't be the truth........his voice trailed off, in the confusion.
His mother's silence was heavy as tears streamed down her eyes.
"I just wanted a child to love and to call mine." She said slowly.
"And you decided to steal my own.......Ah Omawunmi o...... What did I ever do to you? We showed you nothing but kindness. May the gods judge you! Baba Adagbon fumed with anger. "For every pain you caused me and my entire household, the gods of our Land will surely judge you."
Then turned to Olamide;
"Omo mi (my child)! My son! The blood of warriors runs in your veins!" The tears ran down the master's cheek, once held in fear, now devastated by emotion. I thought I would never see you again! The oracle told us you would return, and here you are!"
He continued. "Jagunjagun (the warrior) is your name at birth because you were born with the birthmark of Adagbon, the great warriors of our Land. Adekunle is your twin brother, the junior."
Olamide staggered under the weight of the revelation, the truth that the woman he had loved all his life as his mother was involved in the theft of a baby twelve years ago. But whatever she had done, she was the woman whose soft hands had nurtured him through the years, the woman who had loved him like her own. He wouldn't judge her, whatever she did, she had her reasons.
*She remains his mother forever."
Yet the moment he looked into the tearful eyes of his father, it stirred something deep within him, this man who had known pain and heartbreak, at his child's disappearance all those years ago. He loved him with a love he never knew he possessed.
The river may wander, but it never forgets its path to the source
Baba Tope laid a firm hand upon his shoulder. "Omo mi, The gods have spoken and they have led you all the way back home."
All images generated by AI.
