3
——— ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ———
Breakfast Is Ready
It was dawn already, with glass buildings standing tall and birds soaring high. Trees swayed, vehicles honked, planes flew, ships sailed, pedestrians yelled, cocks crowed, dogs barked, babies cried, children laughed, bells rang, lights flashed, businesses ran, music played, as the yellow Sun rose and set.
It was the start of a perfect Sunday, and Segun was expectant of what the day would bring. Lagos—the city of skyscrapers, satellite televisions, fancy cars, extravagant yacht parties, tall iroko trees, and high-spirited immigrants—stretched endlessly until one could see mountains beyond the clouds.
Segun was unusually awake, laying on his bed, belly flat, before his MacBook. He browsed through old photos on his laptop, wearing an unpretentious smile and a grateful heart. ‘Is that Rasheed?’ his mother called out.
‘Mom, why don’t you ever knock before coming in? That’s why there’s a door. You have to knock! What if I’m naked, or I’m with someone? Would you just barged in like that?’
‘You’re my son. Why should I knock?’ She sat on the bed and embraced him affectionately with a superb smile.
‘What do you want from me this time, mom? Whenever you come around like this, you always want something, so what is it that you want from me?’
‘I came to see you. My handsomest son. Can’t I come to see you anymore? So much time since we’ve had a mother-to-son talk, and I’ve missed our earlier morning conversations a lot. We rarely see and we live in the same house.’ She tightened her arms around him. ‘Mom, stop all these. I’m not a child anymore. I’m all grown up now. I’m no longer eighteen. You need to start treating me as a grown man that I am.’ He broke the embrace, and her smile instantly faded away.
‘Before I forget, how was your test yesterday?’
‘I don’t want to talk about it.’
‘Why is that? Was it okay?’
‘It was okay, mom!’
‘I hope you did your best. If I haven’t told you this before, I’m so proud of you. You’ll soon be getting married, moving out of here, and starting your own happy. Someday you’ll have your own children and see my world through your own eyes. I’m so happy for you.’ She clamped her eyes shut to keep the tears from flowing.
Segun didn’t respond.
His eyes were locked on his laptop’s screen.
‘You are no longer a baby. You’re all grown up as you said, so you should learn to tidy up your room and organize your clothes.’ She rose up and began to tidy up his room. ‘Why do you continue ordering these Domino’s Pizza every night? Our chefs cook amazing meals round the clock. You should learn to eat good food. Look at how skinny you are, because you choose to have pizza and stone-cold ice-cream all day.’
Segun still didn’t respond.
He gave his laptop all his concentration.
‘And you should stop playing video games late at night with Rasheed. The sound effects are so loud that it keeps your father and I awake too. You need to start getting some quality sleep. Look, you’re already developing eye bags due to inadequate sleep. Sleep makes people smarter and refreshed, ready for a new day. That’s why Almighty Allah gave it to us.’ She gripped a remote control on his bed, and turned off the television.
‘You have too many clothes. You need to send some to the orphanage. Lawal, the mailman can help you do it. Look how huge your closet is, yet it can’t contain all your clothes and shoes.’ She gathered some clothes from the bed and forced them into the outpouring closet.
‘You have outgrown most of these clothes and they don’t fit you anymore. Give them out to the motherless or the less privilege. They need it. They’ll appreciate it and pray for you. You are no longer a boy, you know. You’re a grown man now, so act like it. Start acting your age. You should start putting on suits and not these hoodies. You’ll look more handsome.’
‘Mom, I always look handsome, even in rags. Just go away and stop bothering me. Can’t you see I’m busy here?’ Segun yelled. ‘Stop going through my things. I’ve told you this several times but you won’t listen.’ He rose to his feet and snatched his towel from her hands. ‘I’m so sorry, son.’ She felt downcast as she inched slowly towards the exit.
‘Mom, hold on. I’m the one who’s sorry. I’m the one to apologize. I shouldn’t have yelled at you that way. It was mean and I’m sorry.’ He ran after her as an afterthought. ‘Here, you can fold my towel. What’s mine is yours,’ he handed the green towel to her. ‘I don’t want you to feel bad,’ he continued.
‘Breakfast is ready. Your father wants you to eat with us. Mallam Hassan called him last night. I think he wants to talk to you about something.’ She smiled, handing the folded towel to him. ‘I made breakfast myself. Are you going to eat with us?’ she continued. ‘Yes, mom,’ Segun responded in a low-spirit, warming up for what was about to come next.
‘Lagos Through His Eyes’ is available for purchase on Kobo, Barnes and Noble and iBooks for just $0.99!