Of all the moments you have experienced and all the feeling you have ever felt, do you have a moment you want to go back to and experience again?
This question immediately brings me back to my childhood days, a cluster of memories with the same theme, the same feeling. The memories always include my family before I go into this let me set the scene.
In the dead of the night, there's no light, the only thing that act like a source of light is the moon, always looking as pretty as always and a few street light scattered scantily along the street. My family all gathered in the veranda, trying to escape the heat of the night. On the veranda a clear view of the street is seen, being that we lived upstairs. A woman frying akara (beans cake) outside the building opposite ours. We can see people standing hungrily waiting for the Akara, which took its sweet time bathing itself in the rich oil. The patrons always seem impatient, they are scared of leaving the place without a having a tasty akara in their possession, as the woman tries to appease everyone. My young eyes shifts to something with more light, my ear picks up the sound of a generator singing in agony as it supplies light in the shop, it is easier to read the sign with the aid of the light, the sign reads "Calabar Kitchen". A lot of activities is going on there as it always is. People trooping in and out trying to abate their crying stomachs.
Back on the veranda, laughing and cheering draws my back in, I could see black nylon with pieces of oil stained newspapers, big balls of deliciously looking akara widely spread in the nylon. It looks glamorous 'ironic right', but it was, in its golden brown crispy crust and shiny in that rich oil. In my hands was a hefty looking piece of bread and stuck in between was pieces of hot akara; a combo made in heaven. It was too big for those little hands, like I have bitten off more than I can chew, but this I was happy to chew. Everyone had a piece as hefty as mine, the laughing grew louder and louder and smiles grew wider and wider, their mouths were moving but I couldn't make out what they were saying, I didn't understand. What was so funny that made even my mother laughed with great gusto, losing her serious aura but something in that moment gave me a warm tingling sensation that I didn't know I could feel, I didn't understand it.
The happiness was unmatched and that wasn't the highlight of the night, at least for me it wasn't. Nights like this, sleep always seem to elude me, my little voice will ring out "daddy can you please tell me a story pleasssseee" I'll say with the softest and tenderest voice I could muster, a voice that melt men's heart that brings men to their knees. Silence ensues and I hear "Okay", instantly I am gladen and I prepare my self for the story. Only his voice is heard, he will tell a folklore/fable that always starts with 'in the days when animals could talk and the lion was the king of the jungle'. I had the best sit of the night right in my father's embrace, his deep calming voice made anything he said sound like a story, like his voice was made for this. I could hear every word reverberate from his chest and watched how each word flowed effortlessly from his mouth; it's like I had the front row tickets at my favorite artist show but the seat was warm and every word could be felt in your soul. While I sat there my little mind wondering how he never ran out of stories to tell, it's always something new every time and also how animals could talk and why they ever stopped in the first place. I would like to talk to the birds and also the lion too, I'll tell him not to be scary so that we could be friends. I was in true bliss and the only thing that threatened my happiness was the drowsy effect my father's embrace and voice seem to have. With each word my eyes would seem to get heavier and heavier and my ear will disobey my orders but one thing that remains constant was the warmth and the fullness in my little heart as I was nudged in my father's embrace.
Now that I am older I miss this moment and my mind replays this exact scene constantly and I am reminded of what warmth and happiness is. I realize that I'll never be in that position again and my father is getting old and will not be able to carry me on his lap, it will never be like that again but I know that the warmth, gentleness and love I felt that day from my father and family will always be there.
It's Abeegail.
Thanks for reading ☺️