AFTER HIS DEMISE.

Walking down the streets of my little home town here in Nigeria, the smell of the heavy rain filled the air. I loved that weird smell.... Especially the one after the first rainfall. It was the first rain of the year. Everywere was quiet with little drops of rain drizzling after the heavy downpour. Cool breeze blew gently from the East, I felt a swift shock of happiness, the evening was beautiful just like any other. But today was different for me. I continue walking down the street happily with a broad smile on my face until a very horrible smell pierced through my nose. I paused for a moment to detect were it was coming from, a garbage just beside the road as usual. Just how sweet it smells after rainfalls, that's exactly how bad dirt smell too. It immediately gave my face a frown with irritation, and my hands straight to my nose. It reminded me of so many things. I turned and looked at the three bedroom flat at the extreme end of the street. There was my father lying in the heat of the earth. A deep pain pierced through my heart. 

When daddy was alive, this never happened. He worked with the Nigerian environmental waste management board. Who ever littered that dirt wrongly dose not matter, the whole neighborhood takes responsibility of cleaning that site. "If we see, we should talk" He would always say. A no nonsense man I would say. 

I could remember vividly the day i ceased being happy. It was my my twenty first birthday. I woke up earlier that day. I head for the bathroom to empty my urinary bladder. My dad was already awake seated on the sofa in the sitting room. It was unusual of him. I staggered into the sitting room and sat beside him. The television was on with an early morning sports briefing. We were both quiet. Somehow, I didn't greet him that morning. A gentle stir of a glass of coffee he held on his hand made a crispy sound. He barely knew how old I was. We talk for some moments before he left for work earlier than ever that morning. Since he wasn't at home, I had to take my little sister to school that day. 

The road was busy as usual, everyone is rushing, the traffic was heavy, I could see the federal road safety officers taking a strick decision on traffic offenders. Even with the small mass land area of my home town, the population was still large, though not compared to that of places like Lagos. A faded horn blew to get our attention, a taxi driver stopped whining down his glasses. An old man of about fifty to sixty years of age. He smiled exposing his cola stained teeth. Without saying a word, we both jumped into the taxi and he drove off. A rickety dirty taxi I must say. We got to her school as early as supposed. I could see the students on their neatly ironed uniforms looking very smart. It reminded me of my secondary school days. I was looking smarter that this I guess, even though I wore a bigger Sizes of trousers and shirts we normally call fela, I had won so many laurels. Well, that was a long time ago. I graduated at sixteen, got a degree at twenty. On that day, I was twenty one. I would say I was lucky pursuing education . 

I tapped the taxi driver to remind him I was stopping at the next junction. "I know" was his reply with a dead smile. With an emergency break, he stopped. I jerked forward and then back to balance. I was beginning to get scared especially to that very sight of his overgrown beard. He drove off with a tricky stunt. "Drama everyday". I thought. He turned loud his car radio volume to the legendary song of Bob Marley. 

Turning to head home for a long rest ahead of my birthday party preparation tonight, I got paused by a firmly wild ghost before me. The large white eyes, the tick fat pink lips, with a tall long legs like an athlete, I knew is was Marimo. She was very charming. She was standing right before me with a hand on my shoulder. A reason why she gave me that look? Last night was red. I could remember paying Marimo a short visit. She lives in the neighborhood, a house not too far from mine. She had forcefully dragged me into her room. I was not going to say no neither was I going to say yes. I was trying to get rid of her lips from mine, but it wasn't working. I overpowered her and freed myself from her body. But unfortunately, her rapper fell off. "Marimo the witch" I thought. Who can overcome the sight of a tall beautiful well curved woman? She came closer to me with a warm breath. I was sweating profusely. With a hand on my chest, she continue bitting my lips. Marimo drew me gently to her bed. I could smell the heat of desire from her body. With a blink of an eye, Marimo was Eve before the arrival of the serpent, Lying on her back quietly on the bed. I moved step after step slowly and without a second thought, I ran out of the room.

"Hey....." Marimo tapped my shoulder heavily bringing me back to life. We have been close friends since childhood, a relationship? No, I was not ready. Well she was the opposite. We took a walk up north. She was going to come for my birthday tonight.

My dad came back that evening with a loaded Car booth. We organized a short party with little invitation. Everyone was eating and making merryment. Marimo was around too. She looked charming as usual. I was with my friends taking a couple of beer and soft drink. I don't take alcohol, so I was handed the soft drinks and a plate of goat meat pepper soup each. Everywhere was looking beautiful, the dancers got themselves a stage and dances to the music. I was sitting, enjoying every moment before a group of people rushed someone into my father's car and drove as fast as they can. My sister came to tell me daddy slumpped and fell on the ground. I took to my heels and got into my friend's car and drove to the hospital. My mother was already there. Her eyes were filled with fear and sorrow. The doctors rushed my father into the emergency room. I moved closer to my mom and held her hands tightly. We sat quietly hoping and praying for a positive result. Few minutes later, the doctor came out with a soft look on his face. " we may be able to save his life" He said. My mother and I rushed into the room and saw my father on a life support machine. After a quiet time around him, a noise emerged from the life support machine. The line was straight. I knew what that meant. The doctor rushed in and placed two fingers beneath his nose and neck, then took a deep breath. My mother rushed and held the doctor tightly. " is he dead?" she asked. He was silent for a while. "I left him alive, but like I said earlier, we may be able to save his life, maybe we were unable to." He said. "Am sorry about his demise ma'am" he added. 

My mother collapsed to the groud. I couldn't move a step. I felt life leaving me gradually. I watched as they took my father into the mortuary fully covered. Yes, he was lifeless.

My dad was buried after a month right in front of his house. I watched as the coffin is been covered completely with sand. With a kneel on the ground, I Picked up a dry mud and break it gently into the grave.