SourceMy Dad, what a man he was. He was truly a wonderful man, a sort of enigma, but was too overbearing. My dad was the head of our family composed of my parents, me and my 5 siblings: Johnson, Ike, Mary, Ijeoma (named after mum), Amara, and Pat who is everyone's bae.
Most of my siblings resemble my dad in looks: tall, well-built and strikingly good looking. I wouldn't describe myself as average of height, yet in my family I appear to be a dwarf. Well, let me say that I am the least tall amongst us, and also chocolate-complexioned, like mum.
Dad always lays strong emphasis on industriousness, working for success with everything in you. He would often tell us that's how he got his law degree, and got an appointment as a judge in the state high court. He places so much empasis on purposefulness in the pursuit of goals that we sometimes see that as being overbearing and over harsh. Mum has corrected him once or twice about this,
"Liam," she would whisper quietly as if scared, " I don't think it is necessary to put such pressure on the children, after all they are performing real good in their studies."
"Please don't interrupt me, let me finish." Dad would retort calmly, annoyance clearly visible in his voice.
And he would go on to give a 12-minute lecture on the grave consequences of being led astray by social media, and all forms of electronic entertainment during examinations.
Despite all these, Dad shows us true fatherly love and care. He would often make sacrifices that shows he is committed to our success and progress. He inquires about our affairs, and also closely follows our academic activities, but in an overbearing way.
My siblings and I has each a schedule which we follow with strictness, from studying to chores to rest. Dad makes us read a lot, not just our school books but also books about personal development in all aspects of living.
As I grew to adulthood, I began to understand why dad handled us the way he did - a way one would be quick to call inhumane. I think my siblings do too. And that's what every father worth his salt does: carve the path of success for his children and help them walk that path, no matter how uncomfortable it may be for them. And that's indeed what dad did.
All my siblings at the present time - we are all married now except our last born, Pat, - talk about the indispensable part dad played in crafting our lives and future. But most of them say it with intense focus resting on their faces, as if they are recalling something unpleasant. It is quite clear my siblings haven't forgotten the dictatorial manner with which Dad raised us.
Johnson, the first son of the family, is a politician, a representative in the Senate House Of Assembly, a real heavyweight in the politics of the nation. Ike followed dad's steps and became a lawyer. Ike is also a member of the preeminent SAN in the nation, consisting of some of the best legal professionals of the nation. When people refer to Ike, they always talk about that lawyer who never loses a lawsuit and won't take up your case if you don't tell him the whole truth.
And me. Well, me. I went against Dad's plans and took up professional journalism. Dad had wanted me to read law and take over his chambers at his demise. Luckily Ike took that position, which fits him beautifully.
Mary is chief nursing officer in our nation's capital. I think this satisfied mum's desire for our family to have someone in the health sector. Mary's husband is also a renowned surgeon in the country.
Ijeoma is a computer science lecturer in one of the state universities. She often talks of being awarded a professorship. She should actually have gotten that some 2 years ago, after over-satisfying all the requirements. But you know how things go in our country, corruption and all of that.
Amara, the third daughter of the family is an entrepreneur, and of course one of the most famous entrepreneurs in the nation, because one of the important life lessons dad taught us was never to play small, or have anything to do with mediocrity. So Amara, owns a flourishing fashion company, actually the number one company of it's kind in the country, having branches all over Africa and beyond. Amara of course is the wealthiset of us all, having her networth set at over 7 Billion US dollars by Miles magazine, She also has important connections within the nation and outside it. Her husband is the nation's current minister of finance, Dr. Obi Ezenwa.
Pat, the youngest of us all is currently doing her doctorate in the UK. She is the only one among us who had her University education on a scholarship, awarded by the Government to the best performing final-year highschoolers in the country. She studied Psychology. Pat often promises mum wherever they talk on the phone that she will soon bring home a man to introduce to mum. My mum is eager to see the grandchildren of her last child before her demise, and you wouldn't blame her, she's over 70 years of age. Very recently, Pat appeared in the news for publishing a breakthrough research paper on child psychology.
It's been eight years since dad's passing. I cannot yet find words to describe the grief I felt when I was told about his death. They say it is cardiac arrest. Maybe because dad became too worrisome in his final years. I indeed miss him every day.
Dad's face never leaves my mind, but even more I will always remember the help he rendered to us that made us discover purpose in our lives, though Dad did that harsly. But today, as adults, we see more of the good he did than how overbearingly he did them.
May Dad, wherever he is now, and I am sure that's heaven, continue to rest peacefully. But even more, I wish dad was here to partake in our successes and enjoy the fruits of the seeds he had sown in our lives many years before.
P.S: This story, though fictitious, is loosely based on the real-life experiences of the family of a very close relative.
The End.
Thanks for reading.