“It’s not your path! Get off it!” Like a chorus loudly repeated in a song, Tayo heard her brother’s voice from his room. “Why is he repeating the same thing? It’s midnight for God’s sake.” Tayo said to herself as she made her way to his room to check what was wrong.
As she opened his door, she was surprised to see Ayo, her brother, profoundly dropping his snoring rhythms and seemingly enjoying his sleep.
“Is this a silly prank?” As she looked around to confirm her suspicion, she noticed the sweat all over her brother’s body. “He couldn’t have poured water on himself.” She concluded he must have been sleep-talking and made her way out of her brother’s room.
But before she closed his door, she turned and gave him a funny look. “We’ll talk about this in the morning.” Like a response to her statement, Ayo gave another loud snore. Tayo quickly made her way to her room, leaving her brother to have his rest.
Tayo is a final-year student at the University of Technology. Just like every other final-year lady, she had several things to consider. The next morning, as she was at the dining table with her family, her thoughts traveled wide.
“Which one should I go for, my discipline or my talent?” As she asked herself, she remembered her parents’ view on the matter. “It’s a major decision, and I think other matters in my life depend on it.” She said to herself.
“You are very good at sports, and you should consider that part. I told you my brother in London can help you secure a good academy for training and tutoring. In no time, you’ll be one of the greatest athletes.” In contrast with parents who discourage their children from utilizing their talents while encouraging education, Tayo’s mother, Titi, has always been in support of her children’s talents, while her husband follows suit.
After Titi made the supportive statement, Dare, Tayo’s father, like every loving husband, would always find something to show his agreement with his wife’s view. “Tayo, like your mom said, you have nothing to be scared about. Don’t worry about the funds; I got you, daughter,” Dare added.
Like a jealous sibling craving attention and love, Ayo raised his eyebrows. “I’m the last born here o. Let nobody compete with me.” Ayo said. Dare and Titi burst into laughter as Tayo cuddled her brother. “No one is taking your role, my darling.”
Like a sudden wake-up call to reality, Tayo remembered her brother’s scene overnight. “Why were you talking so loud at midnight?” Ayo couldn’t hide his surprise at his sister’s question. “I actually talked, like seriously?” Ayo asked. Titi also gave Dare a look, which can be interpreted as “I told you.”
As the king of the pride and the breadwinner, Dare quickly controlled the situation. “Okay, everybody calm down. My darling wife told me she heard a noise coming from Ayo’s room, but I waved it since it wasn’t sounding serious, and of course, I didn’t want her to leave my side.” They all laughed at Dare’s statement. “I go, love o,” Tayo teased her parents.
Ayo touched his head and raised his hand like he had remembered something. “I think what happened was that I had a dream and I saw Tayo with medals and people applauding. Then later, I saw her again with a big pen with which she wrote. Suddenly, her whole writeup was leading her to a big, dark hole. That was when I saw someone shouting, 'It’s not your path!' I think I also repeated the same thing.” Tayo was amazed at her brother’s narration and even more surprised at how the dream went.
She got the message and didn’t have to ask further, but she was surprised at how her parents were looking at each other after Ayo narrated his dream. “Mom, Dad, what’s going on?” As Tayo was looking at her parents, waiting for an answer, they both looked at her and chorused, “you won’t believe this.”
“Just two days ago, your dad also sleep-talked, and we didn’t even understand what it was all about because he couldn’t remember his dream. But guess what? He said the same thing your brother just mentioned,” Titi said.
“We have even forgotten about the matter as we couldn’t get clarity on what it’s about, but now I think we all have an idea that this is a message for you,” Dare added.
Tayo nodded in agreement, but she still couldn’t get over the reality that just dawned on her. “So my clarity would end up coming from sleep talk?” She said to herself. “Mom I think we need to start talking with your brother in London.”
Like a happy parent gladly ready to help their children, Dare and Titi gave a broad smile, knowing their daughter was on a journey to becoming a great athlete.