Bassey and three of his siblings were born and brought up in the city. The last time they visited the village was about ten years ago, and Bassey was about 4 years old. By then, Grandma was hale and hearty, though she was old.
It was another holiday, and Bassey, the eldest of his siblings, insisted that he wanted to spend his holiday in the village with his grandma. His parents welcomed the idea, so they decided to make proper arrangements for his journey.
On that fateful day, Bassey had arranged his belongings, and every other things were in place. Michael ran out to meet him and gave him a piece of paper. “What’s this?” he asked. As he tried to unfold the piece of paper.
“It’s a letter for my granny”. He chuckled. “Give it to her and don’t forget to tell her that I love her” he ran back to the house. Everyone laughed as Bassey folded the paper back into his breast pocket.
While he waited for a cab to arrive, his mom emphasised what she expected him to do immediately he got to the village. “The two loaves of bread are for your grandma while the other one is for your uncle”
“Okay, mummy”, he responded.
“Also, ensure that you visit your two aunties and give them their gifts respectively. Immediately you get to the village, give me a call,” she added.
A few minutes later, the cab they ordered arrived, and immediately, Bassey left, waving at his mom.
It was a journey of four to five hours, but the nature of the road took the journey to about seven hours. He got to the village at night. Immediately he arrived, he took out his mobile phone to check the time; it was 9:12 pm.
Everywhere was already quiet and dark. Life in the village is the direct opposite of what can be obtained in the city. His Uncle Effiong was already awaiting his arrival; he helped him pick up his bag and took them in.
“Good evening, uncle”, he greeted.
“Evening, my boy”, his uncle responded. He has been calling him my boy right from when he was a baby, and he maintains the name even when Bassey had grown up.
“What happened that you got to arrive this late? Since morning, your mom informed me that you left,” he asked, putting Bassey’s bag in the corner of his room.
“Nothing really happened o, just that there was an accident on the road involving two trucks which eventually made us spend time on the road”
“Anyways”, his uncle cut in, we thank God for mercies on the journey”
“How about grandma?” he asked
“She has gone to bed”, he responded “You’ll see her tomorrow morning”
Bassey took off his clothes, went to the bathroom, freshened up and went to bed. He slept off immediately.
Early in the morning the following day, Bassey was awake; he came out and discovered that lots had changed in the environment. There had been some slight government presence in the village as the road had been newly tarred and some new houses springing up. One purple house stood adjacent, and he was told that it was a new government school.
Meanwhile, Bassey was patiently expecting to see his grandma after many years. His uncle had left earlier for the market to meet up with his customer. Bassey’s cousins, nephews and nieces all surrounded him, asking questions about life in the city. Not long after, his uncle arrived from the market. Bassey followed him and was ushered into a room to see his grandmother.
He could not recognise her; he has become so old that she could no longer see. At first, Bassey was afraid, but he called out, “Grandma.” Surprisingly, the woman was able to recognise him. “Is that Bassey, my grandchild”? She struggled to say it.
“Yes, ma’am”, he replied. He moved closer to her and embraced her. The woman held him close to herself and asked about her parents and other siblings. It was a memorable day for Bassey and the last opportunity to relate with his grandmother
