I almost forgot to mention: that time after you’ve done all the pleasantries and stay glued expectant
(that’s the rule o) was a nerve-wracking moment. You were as nervous as a cat. ‘Cos some people
could be so unresponsive and callous that they would make you fidgety and sweaty as you get their
stern message so loudly in not even a spoken word: you ain’t welcome here. There was no time to
waste, hence the next rule is: walk away as fast as possible. As you walked away in embarrassment,
some even followed you with their piercing, unappealing, rolling eye-pencilled eyeballs, and you
wondered what they were saying in their stony, numb and impervious mind. You didn’t care anyway,
next destination on your mind.
Olumide and I were a good combination. While I had the strategy masterplan, he was the operations
marshal. He seemed to have a knack for identifying spots with the best delicacies. Beyond jollof rice
that was usually in abundance, he had a talent for sniffing out stuff like pepper soup, edikang ikong
and 3-course servings. God! He was such a good company. While I was a bit on the shy side, he was
more aggressive. Ko l’ojuti rara!
Once our mission under a canopy was accomplished, which we usually expedited especially where
the day was young, we quickly moved on to the next place, and by the time we were fortunate to be
well received in 3 or 4 locations (sometimes more if you had more ‘space’!), our day was made. We
returned to the room, excitedly overfed. More exciting was the savings on feeding we made for the
day. The story does however not end here, the most interesting part of the story is when we
converged in our halls of residence to compare notes with our other friends and share experiences.
All of us had moved in different directions; remember, this was one big, multi-site party!
Back in the hall, come and hear stories! This is when you know that indeed, it is the boy who has not
explored another man’s farm that boasts that his father’s farm is the biggest. The revelations will
crack you up. Watch out for the concluding part.

#ParentingonmyMind

#NostalgicMemories