I came back home yesterday. Everything looked bigger. Even the piece of chicken on my plate was bigger. I got the lion share. The poor fowl met its death because of my coming. The smiles on my parents faces were also bigger. I cant forget my dads charming words on my arrival. Nwam university anata! My university child is back! So he chorused it around the house. I grew shy. I gave him an eleven months bear hug. His body seemed to wither than the last time i saw him. But the joy of my coming injected more life to his soul. I wouldve gotten a car if i had requested for it last night. Then the night and morning prayer were bigger and longer. Mum complained that i grew leaner. Her first words to me were mixture of sentence and question. Nne, i nata go. Kai, i missed that voice. I love my parents for making Igbo compulsory in the house. Later, i showed them my project work. My dad was the first to pick it. He got his glass case, bespectacled it and made a gentle preview. I hovered around him. Holding it meant a lot to him. I saw it in his enthusiastic peer. Ihe dika agaghi emewu ka nwam meru. What looks imposibble that my child accomplished, he said. I explained my topic to him. My topic gladdened me for the first time. Extended family and welfare delivery. It resonated something in him. He continued peering. My supervisor seemed to impress him. His name. He flipped to dedication page. He saw the four persons i dedicated my work to. God, Chinua Achebe, my paternal Aunt i grew up with in my hometown, and finally to the memory of my first headmaster of the missionary school i attended back in my hometown. I was tensed. Expecting his why-didnt-you-mention-our-name question. But it didnt come. Rather, he blanked. I wished i could read his thought at that moment. Just a wish. My dad is a very intelligent tortoise. He collects his todays thoughts for tomorrows words and action. Even if i err today, dad corrects me on my tomorrows err. Then it will be double. Enough evidence. But yesterday, i loved him more for not questioning. He flipped to the Acknowledgement page. I read it out myself. He seemed impressed with the anthropological terms i used to qualify his name. He nodded and proceeded. His enthusiasm never wavered. He scrutinized, flipped, noted and nodded. Really, i was glad my work wasnt dumped like a diseased work. I was glad i have a father that want to see the result and value of his efforts in academic life of his child. Even my two younger brothers also glanced through it. My tummy. They wanted to make up for my leanness in a day. Lol. I am getting really pampered. Home is good and beautiful with a happy family. Cheers.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 18:08:42 +0000
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