Source: Meta AI
It's closing time, I am going home. Tell the world I'm going home. Tell the people to set us free, to see my mum and to see my dad. I am going. I am going home. Tola's last song before she died of cancer. Fast forward to my days with her, Tola. Tola was a dark-skinned girl, beautiful and calm. We used to do things together, cook together and eat together. But one day, she complained of pains and began to bleed out. I advised her to see the doctor, which she did. She ran different tests and was diagnosed with cervical cancer with metastasis in that region.
When she was in my abode, she said to me, "Phamzy, I am going soon." I told her to get on her way home because time was not on her side and I don't entertain night movements. "Phamzy, I will miss you... I will miss you." I replied, "Sure, I will miss you." She continued to mutter a lot of words before she stood up. Upon standing up, she felt dizzy and said she wanted to rest a bit. "Not bad," I replied, "shebi you be strong woman?" That was a way of telling her to take a rest.
Then the thought of her wanting to see the doc flashed in, and I asked, "How is your health? And you should not tell me that you have not seen the doctor," in a father's voice. For a while, she was dormant. Then she said, "I have cancer!" I tried to break it down. I replied, "I didn't quite hear you, you have what!!!" She said, "Considering the cost of treatment, I can't fight it." It all made sense to me... "Tola, how!!!!" There was a moment of brief silence. She was my girlfriend and I could no longer process everything! I began to cry and I was also fidgeting. "I love you Tola... Why!" As if the creator targeted me this time around... The true meaning of "life is short" became glaring, a term which Tola had been saying when troubles arose. She called troubles "hustles of life."
"How is mum and dad? Have they heard?" She said yes. I saw her mum as my mum and her dad as my dad... I called them to know about their feelings.
Soon, she slept... I didn't try to wake her up. Who am I to do that? I googled the meaning of cervical cancer and I could hardly sleep. I was not happy.
Very early in the morning, mum called and told me to make her feel happy and they would be at my place that morning to carry her belongings for a doctor's visit. I had a lecture that morning which I declined. I was always online chatting with her, trying to make her happy.
During the semester break, we went to different places. She had a list of places in Nigeria that she was keen to visit, so we planned it in such a way that it didn't have to affect her appointment with the doc. Chemo was expensive though. The people in my vicinity see cancer as a disease of the rich.
Our first visit to Badagry, Lagos, was activated. We went to a beautiful palace in Badagry. This was the palace of the Akran of Badagry. We went to greet the king and we were entertained by his maids and servants. There we learnt about the creation of the town of Badagry in the 1720s as a result of war. This war was said to be between the Fon people of Badagry and Pepo refugees. The town was a landscape of slave trade between the white and the Americas. Other forms of trades also occurred there. Soon we left the palace for the famous Black Heritage Museum.
At the Black Heritage Museum, she wanted to see the chains and rods that were used to capture people, and there was a moment of emotional interaction. She said to me, "If I go, continue to explore and write of me too. You have been a good man." I said to her that I am not close to being a good man. I had this funny way of saying this. She said this rather ponderously, "Phamzy, yes you are a good man..." There was a brief moment of silence and we burst into laughter. Soon we saw the pictures of the brutal and emotional way the white treated the black slaves and she expressed her displeasure.
Hmmm! At the museum we were shown some of the devices used to prevent enslaved people from speaking or eating. These materials were known as mouth locks, mouth guards, or iron muzzles. These brutal artifacts of the transatlantic slave trade are displayed in this local museum, serving as somber reminders of the historical atrocities committed in Badagry, Nigeria.
There was also a place titled "Point of No Return". It was like saying, once you are here, then you are gone. Tola said that her mum used to tell stories of how people were captured for slavery, and this really correlated with what the museum worker said. Additionally, the worker, Mr. Hodego, mentioned that the location of the island is Gberefu Island. At this place, slaves were loaded onto ships. He explained that there was a pattern of arrangement in the ship.
Tola was empathetic...
Hmmm! She screamed "Na wa O!" as if the torture was not enough.
Other places we visited include the Lagos rail station, which was under construction at that time. Hmm! We also visited Banana Island, Snake Island, Murtala Airport, and many more.
A week later, we went to Ekiti State to see the warm spring. We took pictures. During our stay at Ikogosi Warm Spring, she described the spring as a marriage. This is because the hot water and cold water meet to form warm water. These were the good moments, and very many more.
To cut the long story short, a series of negative events occurred. Her ovary was removed, there was edema in her extremities, and then her sad departure. But her song mimicked an important singer and it means a lot to me. Should you want to visit Badagry, Nigeria, or know more about the museum, check it out on Wikipedia. Thanks for visiting.
Pamilerin.