Sudden Lightening

                   ‘It is the sun that should reap the fruit of the sky’

    This proverbial saying was the song of daddy when we were in the village. He always said this while working. I used to ask him the meaning of his saying. Maybe I would learn from it. But he assured me that I would know it myself when I grew up. As a curious boy, I was not happy for the reply he gave me because I considered myself different from others. If I weigh how my friends rated me high when we were talking, the sky could not host the resemblance. I talked from the tongue of daddy. Though, he had not revealed the truth of the proverb for me, I pretended as if I knew it and I continued the journey of my life.

    I was seven years old in 1972 when daddy took me to primary school. It was a year of milestone to me because all my mates in the village were in primary four. Even Sanjo, the son of my daddy’s friend, was a younger brother to me, was in primary three. I didn't consider this as a challenge but for the level of my excitement, I didn't call myself dullard. I played with all heads under the heaven of our school and everyone knew me for my carefree attitude because I played too much and I didn't concentrate on my studies for almost seven week. Whenever I was at home, I played as if the night would not come. But Sanjo would not talk until he finished constructing dried sticks together to form engine.

   I always grasp toys from other children playing with me. Anyone of them that reported the issue to their parent always shed tears when I met them in the Corner of the village. I used to abuse header- the one who denigrated me. So everyone decided to call me hi-jack in the village because of my new attitude.

    I was very happy when people called me hi-jack because it made me distinct. People always used our house to direct strangers to where they were going. Our house was at the main entrance of the village. As hi-jack boy, I stayed before our house, on every day set aside for the market to hijack what people bought from the market when they were going home. I would spend little of the money got from the market toll and spent the remaining ones in school-to show my mates that I was borne with silver spoon.

  Every Monday, the second day of market always served as my festival day in the school. During the first break, when we would be given fifteen minutes to stroll out the school premises, I would go to Mama Boole where I ate like the hungry cat.

    An old woman selling fried plantain behind the half collapsed building was Mama Boole. We called her this name because of the sweetness of the fried plantain she prepared for us. I ate Boole every time until my stomach appeared like that of seven-month pregnant woman. If everyone spent fifteen minutes, I spent twenty before going back to the class. In fact, it had become my culture to add minimum of five minutes depending on the duration of the break.

   Whenever I entered the class, my classmates would have done two topics of the subjects. I won’t enter at the right time. Sometimes I tiptoed in and everyone gaped at me-expecting that I would listen to what the teacher saying. But my attitude usually prevented me to do so. I sat on the table instead of chair-blocking the view of my mates behind me. Many grudged but they could not attack me because I was the most influential boy among them.

They all depended on me in terms of everything. When we were in Mama Boole square, I led them through. If there was any disagreement between students, I beat the opponent and those I supported would vanquish. Even in the exam, I led them through in all subjects. Hardly, I scored less than sixty in all my exams. Maybe that was the reason why all of them could not rebuke me to sit on my chair.

    Daddy admired my attitude in the village. He was proud of me because I was the only child he had since the death of mummy. I was free as air and expensive as gold before him. To show the love he had for me, we ate in the same pot, drank in the same cup, slept on the same mat. He gave me his word before we slept every day. Lawon, distinct child that was the name he gave me. ‘I am very proud of you. You don’t make me think about the death of your mother any more, though you are so stubborn but you are my joy in this life.’ He always told me this before we went to bed. I kept this in my heart and lured me to sleep well. I did this until I finished primary school.

                                      ***

   I gained admission to a secondary school in the outskirts of the village. The school was very popular because of the products they had every year. As one parent child just as Sanjo, we could not afford to go private school in the city. We all claimed the fate of being original village boys due to the economy status of our parent. We went to school together and walk back home together. Strangers that haven’t seen us before would think that we were from the same lineage, he had one parent and I had one too. Our house was beside each other and he stayed with me most of the time. He took his book to our house and read there. He was two years my senior and I was two years older than him. So, he taught me many subjects I found difficult to understand.

  Since I started walking with Sanjo, I forgot my former attitudes in primary school. He was a self- motivated boy right from infancy. He always called me to farm so that we would spend the money got from the decayed kola we picked from the farm. But I wondered in my mind why he did all this to me and thwarted me with my former businesses in primary school. I couldn’t bear this in mind, so I just asked him one day when we were going to farm. ‘Sanjo please wait, I want to ask you a question.’ I said. He waited for me and listened as if he wanted to know what ran in my heart. ‘Ok, I’m listening.’ He replied.

   ‘I don’t know why you are doing this to me. I never saw someone like you before. You changed my attitude abruptly like that.’ I said.

Sanjo sat on the trunk and lowered his head. He took a stick from the ground and chased insect going on their trails. I wondered how he did this and refused to answer me. Ok he wanted to think before giving reply to the query. He had forgotten that I asked him question. He would answer me if I ask again.

  ‘Sanjo, are you with me? I am talking to you,’ I asserted.

‘I heard all you said but you have to change that mulish behavior. There are many things you don’t know in life. If you are favored, powerful than your friends, you don’t oppress others and if you are fortunate to get what you want from God, it doesn't mean you are pious than your friends. God raised us high in different ways. The one you have, I don’t have and you don’t have the one I have too.’

  I had a triumphant smile from the corner of my mouth. I didn't want to show him. He might think that what he said cajoled me. The spirit of my former attitude remained in my blood.

   ‘I don’t care of whatever your efforts alter in my life. I just want to change myself.’ I murmured.

Sanjo spoke well. The advice he gave me touched my heart. I could not move from where I stood. He could not change his position on the trunk too. He thought I was nagged for what he said because of my somber attitude. Therefore, he felt bad and eager to go home. I heeded to the advice immediately and showed him-so that he would be happy.

    ‘Thank you for the piece of advice. I really appreciate it.’ I declared.

Sanjo leaped from the tree and smiled triumphantly. ‘Nice’ he replied.

    We decided to go home. When we were going, no one else on the trail to the farm and there was no sound from anywhere except the sinister noise. I was scared by the atmospheric condition. Sanjo’s heart beat heavily. He could not lead the way and afraid of staying at the back. I was not surprised for his behavior because he grew up with timid mind.

   We didn't see anyone when we were coming because that day was assigned to welcome the White man coming from London. This came to my mind so I started walking faster than before. I was enthusiastic to see the White man. I didn't want anyone recount the scene of his arrival for me. The distance between Sanjo and me longer every minute I took a step.

     ‘Please wait for me!’ he said but I pretended not to hear him. But when he became anxious to meet me, I lowered my speed.

     ‘You have to walk faster, today is the D-day we are meeting the White man from London.’ I said in a loud voice and it echoed everywhere around us.’

‘The White man is a mortal, so we don’t need to run because we are all mortals-nothing different. Sanjo said.

‘OK, you have started again with your stupid idea that all humans are mortal and all mortals are humans, definitely all humans are equal right! Is that not what you are saying? I said.

 He walked dangling like a man who just abseiled from the mountain. I waited for him. He was panting for the little walk he had so far. He stopped walking and declined at my shoulder.

    ‘Always try to get what I am saying. I told you that all humans are equal,’ Sanjo said.

I accepted his view and we walked together to the village. We got to the village early before 6:oo p.m and we saw crowd when we appeared from the outskirts. They were before our house. We were amazed. I didn't know that Sanjo would be triggered by throng before our house because I have never seen him like this before. We ran to the crowd and stood in front-looking at the White man.

   The White man was an orator. We all kept quiet while delivering his speech. He talked with cool voice and everyone heard him clearly with his simple spoken English. Nonetheless, the there was an interpreter who translated his English to our dialect for those not understand English.

‘I am here in this village not to harm you. We are all human being and created the same. We should not categories ourselves superior to others because of the race or tribe.’ The White man said.

Everyone shook their head in approval and listened to White man speech. I was so curious to hear what the White man was saying. His dressing was fascinating as I wished to have one type of it. I looked at my cloth but it was incomparable with his. I didn't know that Sanjo had the same mind like mind.

‘This is a special human being. I wish to be like him,’ Sanjo murmured.

The crowd turned to his direction but White man cautioned people for attentiveness.

‘What I am really saying in essence is that we need a child who is highly intelligent and creative from this village. We just built a factory in Leko and we need a native of this village who can help us with what we are doing. Eh…eh actually we are taking raw material from this village. Therefore, we need to show appreciation by making you be one of the beneficiaries of our company.’

    I was happy to hear this from the White man. Despite the fact that I enrolled in school late, I was given double promotion three twice when I entered secondary school. This made Sanjo and me to be in the same class now. I wish he could choose me for all the performances I had in school. I moved forward near the man so that he could see me. I turned my head around in order to let people see that I was among them, because they would see me in case they want to choose the child going with White man. I saw Daddy too. He was looking for me. Suddenly, we saw each other. He placed his right hand on his chest and robbed it towards the top of his stomach. This meant that I should not worry.

 ‘I think you can look for the best child in this village that can represent you.’ The White man said.

People glanced around. I was expecting them to choose me. Their eyes skipped me off. The place was quiet. Linger from the back lingered to children sitting in the front. Unexpectedly, a voice came from the back.

 ‘Yes it is him Sanjo…that boy in red tattered cloth,’ said the voice.

     I looked back and felt surprised. It was Mama Boole who called Sanjo. I gave her a witchery eye as if I should conjure power and buried her alive in the earth.  I thought other people would not support her but they turned Sanjo’s name to song:

‘Sanjo…o Sanjo…o sanjo…O!

Child shaking the heart of the forest

You are the day that label fate of moonlight

Moon that define the fate of darkness

You make dark-dawn wears garment of daylight

Turned our debris to gold on the soul of village

Our village bears the garment of the city in your age

We all thump to your height…’ crowd sang.

I ran to Daddy because the song was like pestle on my eardrum. I was disappointed.

    ‘Daddy, this people cannot choose me, why Sanjo? I was the best in school in terms of grades I have every term. They chose Sanjo because of his veiled knowledge you call creativity? Am I not creative enough? I was promoted from JSS one to JSS three because of incredible scores I had in first term and second term. Has our society changed from looking at the grades?’ I lamented.

     ‘I don’t think we should judge only with grades. There are some creative minds that don’t have incredible grades as you are but they are intelligent.’ Daddy said.

    I was somewhere far from the people. I didn't get myself, so I was bewailed psychologically for what happened. I didn't know that life has changed it garment. There is no more room for someone like me again. Society claimed creativity but not only grade. Therefore, Sanjo might have prophesied this in mind before. He struggled hard to get grades but only few subjects he achieved this aim. I thought I was brilliant than him but intelligence brought out creativity for him. He achieved his aim now. The sky has turned to his side and left vast earth. The sun had reaped the fruit of the sky. This might be the meaning of Daddy’s proverb but I would confirm from him.

    I wander around maybe there might be something that would captivate my mind. I didn't see anybody. I lowered by head in distress. I turned around to where Daddy sat on the bench in front of our veranda. He didn't give me give me cheered looked. ‘I didn't have anybody to relate with.’  I thought in my mind. So I dashed to the veranda and sat beside Daddy. I said nothing to him. I believed he would talk if I didn't say anything.

   ‘You can remember the proverb I told you when you were young that it is the sun that should reap the fruit of the sky. This means that the sky should not look at how hugeness of the earth before giving it rain but should consider the special work the sun gives the sky. Therefore, our society should not be justified only with performances but creativity- what you have that is different from other. Sanjo is like sudden lightening that people never expect before but its influence cannot be erased just a twinkle of an eye. Your behavior will determine what people say about you and not how vast you appear. I should not be sentimental, you are my child.’

   I was baffled for what happened to me. But I had to believe what Daddy told me. He had never lied to me before. At least, he praised me when I was promoted twice to different class; he was very just in everything he said. Society changed at times I had accepted my fate.

    ‘My sudden lightening is coming.’ I retorted to myself.

   Now I gave myself hope. I didn't talk to anybody but  \my mind had bitter taste as chief I just took bitter leaf. It was the incidence that made it so. I raised my head up again in order to erase the feeling from my mind. I stood up from the bench and went to the street where people adored Sanjo and rained bequest in different range to him. I saw happiness in Sanjo’s eyes but his reactions towards the nomination seemed not to leave us. ‘We shall meet again,’ he said. He entered the car with White man and waved to us as engine started to step on the throat of the road. We waved back to him. Everyone departed.

   

                                                                              THE END…