Birth of A Man
“Clara waka fast with that box, your papa just call say your mama don born.”
“Eeeeeeh, Aunty E wetin mama Clara born?”
Mama Bright, The woman wey get mini mart opposite papa Clara house con dey ask.
Like say she don make am, aunty E carry hand go up.
“Full current”
Clara hear am as she dey come out, she con tight face.
” Aunty E what do you mean by full current? He’s just a boy, I don’t like it when you call boys full current. Are girls half current or what?”
Aunty E and Mama Bright burst laugh while Clara just dey tight face.
“You this small pikin, your mouth too sharp. Nor be so, but wait first.”
Aunty E con kneel down for ground.
“God thank you say my mama only son don get son. Baba I say thank you say you not allow my papa lineage end like that”.
Clara be wan hiss because of the first statement. Aunty E con get up.
“Clara, nor be say we dey look down on girls o, oya con sit down make I tell you wetin happen”.
“Mama Bright con arrange chairs for them close to her AC”.
She dey like am wen Aunty E dey around because she dey give her beta advice wella”.
“When we dey village everybody dey go farm.
My papa, your grand papa get 6 girls and he nor dey too happy.
Nor be say e not like girls o, but e better say make e get boys to help am with the farm.
You know say farm work go easy pass for boys and na only that work my papa get.
Clara just dey look her aunty for eye dey nod as she dey tell the story.
“Our papa nor mind, he employ labourers make den follow am work for farm.
E con get one day, one bad day. Your grandmama dey carry your papa for inside belle that time, while I dey 8 years.
The labourers wen my papa get for farm dey fight con injure am, he con die.”
Aunty E commot hanky from her wrapper take clean her tears. The story shock Clara and Mama Bright because den never hear am before.
“After we do burial, our uncle con sell half of our papa land while he con collect the rest by force. One day my mama go quarrel because hunger wan finish us, she con enta labour. Na so she take born your papa.
Your papa birth cause serious happiness for my mama. E be like say God wipe all our troubles. Life hard well well, but your papa dey enta everybody eye. He nor give us stress at all.
When your papa dey 16 years, e dey work for mechanic workshop. One engineer wey dey come village every Christmas like hin work well well. E con say he wan see our mama”.
Mama Ehis and Clara just dey nod in shock.
“Long story short, na so e take give my brother one big contract, so all of us park commot for village. He con still sponsor my brother.
We happy that day ehn, my mama just dey dance.”
Clara and Mama Bright con dey smile as Aunty E get up and start to dey dance.
“Clara, na so your papa take build all these houses before he even marry your mama.”
Aunty E con sit down face Clara.
“My baby nor be say you be half current or anything like that. This story just make me get respect for African Man. Den too dey try abeg, Men wey dey carry their family for head.
Your grandpapa nor live long but he make sure say he work hard for hin family. He nor force my elder sisters make then marry, school nor too common that time if not we for go far. And your papa hustle well well for all of us, na suffer then born am, but he nor stress us. E con be like say your grandpapa come life again. He dey focused and honest. I sabi respect African Man because of these two men; your papa and my papa”.
Clara just dey smile dey look Aunty E.
“Aunty E, I see your point now, bu….” Phone con ring
“Dad just sent a message saying we should hurry up”.
Aunty E con get up sharp.
“Oya, oya make we dey go, mama Bright, I still dey around, we go gist later”.
“Okay ma, make una bring our baby fast o and greet mama Clara for me”.