Ifeanyi was adamant on having my brain, I was disillusioned!
"How can I swap my brain with that of Ifeanyi, my precious brain? Ifeanyi is asking for way too much and I think that was very selfish of him to have asked us to swap our brains" I kept wondering throughout that day in school.
When I got home, I was so enveloped with this thoughts of mine that I couldn't even have my lunch, I just keep nit-picking at every grain of rice deep in thoughts.
I was in a new world where there are torrents of giant-rocks traveling at breath taking pace all charging towards my direction to strike me down. I have got to stay alive; I have got to solved this riddle just like every other riddles and puzzled game have unraveled in the past. I can't partake in this selfish game of yours Ifeanyi, if this would cost me our friendship so be it; after all, I can always pick new friends!
I was jolted back to planet earth from my foray to the galaxy of stars and meteorite by my mum caring voice,
"Ola wake up, it is not okay for you to sleep with your school uniform on, and your lunch why are you not eating it?" She kept bombarding me with series of questions stroking my head, feeling my pulse, piercing through my eyes like I'm going to fall sick again!
"Is it headache, your temperature is rising. No it can't be, I think these are symptoms of malaria fever, Ola don't fall sick o, you know I have got to go to the market so as to fend for you and your young ones, and you know if I don't work for a day; chances are we are all going to starve to death o. So take this Phensic tablets and gulp it down with this glass of water oya kia kia!" She commanded like a lieutenant of the "Amazon Warrior"
"Mummy I'm fine, I just had a long day at school that's all." I can not afford to fall sick, let alone throw my mum into her usual panic mode, I have got to do my best as the man of the house to keep her safe and reassured, so I forced a giant grin on my face and told her, "Yeah, I had a slight headache, but I didn't realized I was fast asleep not until I heard your voice jolting me back to life. I don't think I need any drug but let me change my school uniform so it doesn't get rumpled as advised ma"
"If you are not sick thank God! but looking through your eyes you are hiding something from me, I'm your mum I carried you in my belly for eight-months so I know you from when you were "tin-ti-ni" like this... " demonstrating with her little finger's. "...What's the problem Ola, talk to your mum. Did someone offended you at school? Your Teacher abi... Oh it was about your school fees, don't worry I'm on it, by next week Monday you will have it. Okay?" That's my mum, she was the best thing that has ever happened to me throughout my years and still is.
Our Mothers' are our vessels, our guiding angel. Mother's love knows no bound; they are our source of inspiration in times of sorrow and darkness, their love always shine through. The sacrifices for us to live, for us to be happy and contented are innumerable, incomparable and infinite. My mum is my joy! My mum is my everything in this world; without her motherly love and sacrifices; where would I be?
So I told her my experienced with my best buddy, Ifeanyi at shool that fateful day, what he wanted from me.
"Can you imagine mum, Ifeanyi said we should swap brains?" I said this with every hatred in the world that I never imagined deep inside of me. And my mum sensed the disgust and irked in my voice and she embraced me so tight that I could feel the pain in her heart. I was so lost and confused...
"Why is mummy hugging me this tight yet she won't let go, and she's here crying yet laughing concurrently?" I was so numbed in my own thoughts that I thought I finally heard my mum saying something to me. Actually she was talking to me. She was not just talking to me. She was counseling me again about life. About helping people. Being my brother's keeper....
"... Ola mi owon, life is all about give and take. Ifeanyi is your friend, he loves you like a brother and he will do anything for you of that I'm sure, you have got to help him out academically so he can also get good grades in school just like you!" My mum kissed my forehead and waved me goodbye. She was off to the market, to fend for us as usual.
She didn't even waited for my response, she never bothered asking me how I feel, she only said "Life is all about give and take" and "I must help Ifeanyi to get good grades just like me?" Just like that. Damn!
So I finally realized there is no any other option for me, according to my mum analogy than to help my best buddy to achieved good grades in school too. Not like I'm going to just yank out my brain and gifted it to him, and he doing same. I have got to figure out the "How" since mummy had already told me the "Why."
So I walked up to Ifeanyi the next morning, this was our conversation...
Me: Morning Ronaldo, how many goal did you score at training yesterday?
Ifeanyi: Not much, just 2-goals; but the coach told me I can do better with more dedication and discipline"
Me: Yes, the coach is right! I know you are a very talented soccer player, but I noticed you don't like training much and you don't listen enough to "coachee"advised, if you really want to be the best player in the world you have got to earn it, not thinking you should just have it. Don't come and ask for my brain because there's nothing wrong with yours, you just have to start working at it.
Ifeanyi: How can you help me out Ola, I want to know book like you though my passion is soccer but I want to be able to write well, so I can stop asking you to assist me with my love letters to Evelyn. There are words deep inside of me, that I really want to say and write about but I just can't put them into writing hence my coming to you for us to swap brain.
Me: You are my buddy, and I want you to know you can always come to me anytime when you are stuck with words, especially that love letter to Evelyn, she need to see the true you and the only way that can be is for you to speak and write well, we can do this together! Let's meet after school for 2 hours weekdays before your soccer academy class so we can start comparing notes and sharing knowledge!
Ifeanyi: Ola, that's why I love you best! The prof! Thank you my personal person.
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