Dayo stayed in his office throughout the morning and as he was preparing to go out for his midday break, he heard an approaching noise of chattering pupils. He looked through the window to see them entering the main gallery exhibition hall. They were all neatly dressed for the occasion and they were a delight to behold. Since he knew that any moment from that time Mr Alade would come to invite him, he decided to stay in the office. After about half an hour, he was invited to join the pupils in the gallery. He promptly responded by going without any delay.
The events of the day were very colourful. Mr Alade opened the activities by giving a brief speech about the gallery from its first owner till the time of its new owner, Mr Dayo Balogun. He also spoke about the various collections in the gallery and their current value.
He advised the pupils to face their studies and to aspire to become like the owner of the gallery who, though a young man, has achieved so much as a result of hardwork and dedication. After Mr Alade's speech, the pupils were asked to introduce themselves one after the other. Dayo watched the whole events with amusement. Unknown to him, however, Keji, the intelligent little boy he met at Phunky‘s place whom she had told him was her nephew was also a pupil of this school. When he saw him among his school mates, he smiled and waved at him and the boy waved back; he too was surprised to see him. when it came to the boy's turn to introduce himself, Dayo almost fainted with shock when the boy introduced himself as Morenikeji Balogun. "M-o-r-e-n-i-k-e-j-i. B-a-l-o-g-u-n"
Dayo kept on repeating the name of the boys together with the surname. All the events of the previous day raced through his head. He remembered how he had been attracted to the boy.
He remembered how he had drawn the conclusion that the boy was his son when he learnt of his age. He remembered how Phunky had spiritedly changed the story and claimed that the boy was her sister's child. He remembered all these and also remembered that long ago before their separation she had told him that she was the only child of her parents. He couldn't understand why he believed her when she claimed that the boy was her nephew. Whatever the case may be, he would like to see how Titi would explain the coincidence of surname. He told himself that if she insisted, they would have to resort to DNA test to prove the paternity of the boy, Keji.
"Excuse me, sir" , Mr Alade's voice startled him. Dayo had been lost in his thought. He had forgotten where he wasnlde didn't know that the introduction had finished and he had been called
upon to address the pupils.
"Excuse me, sir, it's your turn to give your address“, Mr Alade said again. "Oh! l'm sorry. I didn‘t know you called my name. l was busy thinking about something very important". Dayo looked at the children with a smile and said:
”Dear children, I am happy to welcome you all here today on behalf of myself and all the staff of Queen's Gallery. We are particularly gratetul to your school authorities for choosing our gallery as the spot for your annual excursion. I am aware that you have been shown round the gallery and you've seen our numerous collections of African art designs and rare artifacts from various parts of the world.
Dear children, l want to talk to you about two things that are very important for your success in life. These are the type of education you have and the kinds of friends you keep. You have often been told that Education gives you the opportunity of having a good life. It breaks the chains of backwardness and makes you a respectable person in the society. I must however let you know that Education may or may not make you rich or very wealthy; but it enriches your mind, your personality and thus brings happiness. It is the best protection against the challenges of old age, and a good preparation for that time when you will be lonely and there is no one around you. No matter how many we are in our family, no matter how many friends we have, we will one day be too weak to move about and all of those who are supposed to keep our company are either at school or at work. Beloved children, at such moments of loneliness which can cause a lot of mental damage to people, your education will assist you. Your ability to read will assist you to fight boredom.
You may read newspapers, magazmes or religious books. You may watch exciting programmes on the television such as news,broadcasts, lively discussions and movies. This is a time when we learn to live within our minds because there is nobody around us and it is education that furnishes our minds for us so that we are able to live inside a mind with attractive and interesting pictures on the walls.
When you have had a good education, you also need a good friend. Your friend is the mirror of who you are. Your friend is someone who is never tired of being with you... he Speaks with you...he disagrees with you when you are wrong... he supports you when you are right. . .he takes the time to prevent you from doing what is bad even if you will be angry with him . . . he comforts you and makes your worries his concern . . . he does a favour but expects no favour in return. . . he knows your weaknesses and accepts you with them... he is always at your side. . . to help and to strengthen you. . he is the brother of your soul. . . forever good and kind. . .and he is first and foremost in your heart and mind as you are in his own. . .and now and then, he turns to God. . . and says a prayer for you. Such a friend, dear children, will surely help you to succeed in life. Thank you”.
A very loud applause greeted Dayo's speech. He smiled at the children and lovingly waved at them. After a while, he took excuse to return to his office. He first thought of calling Phunky on her mobile phone but later kicked against the idea. He would take her by surprise and see how she would react! He smiled at himself as he imagined what would be the likely expression on her face. He would see her on his way home today. "Phunky Ojo, get ready for a shocker", he said firmly as he picked his car keys and moved towards the entrance of the gallery.
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