Today, I was speaking with my friend about how much Dorcas' family have spent on their funeral. I don't want to talk about how much food we've consumed since we got here. Nor the size of the cow that was slaughtered. I kept trying to keep up with the numbers (the number of funds) and how much planning went into everything.
The effect didn't seem to rub off her dad, and mum, for everything seemed to flow easily with no stress. Everyone had something to eat and drink. I could see satisfaction written on all the faces here. I felt as though her dad had envisioned what he wanted to accomplish and he was doing a great job at it.
I know how much I detest the sights of plenty of food. I always felt it will go to waste since I am not much of an eater and I have spent a large portion of my life alone. For the first in my life, I saw plenty of food, and I felt satisfaction instead of fear. The reason is that the food was never leftover. It was gone right before it left the kitchen. Everyone had a plate of food or more. And the pots and plates were left lying round empty.
Most of the time, more people troop in asking for food, and in the middle of the night, my new friend, Sunday, is found preparing Semo for the new arrivals. Gosh, I didn't think it was this satisfying to feed the village. The amount of food we have consumed here can feed the average Nigerian Family for more than Four Months especially if they are not well-to-do. Yet, her parents surrendered everything to the people who came to celebrate with them.
One thing bothered me though, and it's the question I asked my friend in the morning when I was speaking with him. " do they still have money to live upon after this"? You know I am close to getting out of debt so watching this event unfold I began to worry about their finance.
What if they borrowed this money? How long would it take them to pay off? Will they still be able to feed well as a family after spending this huge amount on this celebration? My friend said they might have planned for it. When I told him, I wouldn't want anyone to be in debt even my enemies, he jokingly asked, "Do they look like people who can’t afford 800k-1M?"
Does it show on people's faces? I respond, laughing very hard. For I know you wouldn't look at my face and figure out I had once been in a huge amount of debts, and I am close to clearing it. Therefore, no matter how much I stare at my friend's parents' faces, it wouldn't be written there.
Unless I am close enough to them, I wouldn't know what they are going through. I am not planning to do that either. In their heart of hearts, they just finished the most awesome celebration for their dad. If they did this without getting in debt, I applaud them. If they are in debt because of this, now, I am worried. If they still have money to live upon after this, then, great move. If they don't, I am worried about them.
I have to be sincere with you, the preparation was top-notch. Writing this after a successful funeral, I am looking back, and I am happy I came on this journey. For I have learned a lot, and it gave me ample time to think about a lot of things. I am grateful to the universe for allowing me to be here and to learn.