Chapter 2: From Small Pikin to Wahala
My mama marry one big oga for Abuja. Their love strong well well, and last last, she waka enter church with everybody happy for am.
I still remember the day. Mama wear one wine red lace, gele high reach sky. Aso-ebi full everywhere, party rice smell dey for air. Me I just dey look people dey dance, dey happy say finally, she don find peace.
Na so dem carry me go new house.
New environment, new people. Na Garki side, plenty light and water. No be like our old face-me-I-face-you. Big gate, two security men, dogs dey bark for backyard. Dem carry me go my own room—pink bedsheet, cartoon wallpaper. I just dey smile anyhow.
She marry when I still dey three years, small pikin wey no even sabi her old life.
I dey always ask, "Mama, why dem dey call me 'visitor'?" She go just laugh, rub my head, "You go soon understand."
Na for Okoli family I grow. My step papa love my mama, so e treat me like im own pikin.
Every Saturday, he go buy suya for junction, call us make we sit down watch Arsenal match. We dey chop kilishi for Garki, watch Arsenal for big plasma TV. Even when I fall sick, na him carry me go clinic, buy ice-cream for me. No difference between me and im own blood.
I truly see am as my papa, and im pikin as my brother.
Tobi na the kind brother wey go fight for you for school, or buy gala and La Casera for road. He go call me 'small madam', dey tease me say my head big. I follow am up and down, no worry.
When we small, my brother treat me like gold. But as we dey grow, we just dey far from each other.
E dey pain me.
Sometimes I go dey peep im room, dey wish say he go call me make we gist like before. But e get as e be, as everybody dey busy, new friends enter.
Later, I hear say even blood brothers and sisters dey grow apart as dem dey old.
My neighbor Aunty Sade talk am once: “E good make pikin get plenty siblings, but no be every time una go dey close.”
Sometimes, e dey pain me for body, but na so life be—things no dey always go as you want.
If na Yoruba movie, dem go say, "Aiye o le." But I learn say I fit manage, no let am break my heart.
E take me time before I accept say I don move from im small sister to just person wey dey house. Then, wahala wey I no expect land.
Na this kain wahala wey elders dey pray against for family. Nobody dey expect am. Before I blink, everything scatter.