“Instability has been my greatest problem, I can’t stay too long doing one thing and that is because growing up, I watched my father marry five wives after my mother died. I am a product of not having stable people in my life. Mercy, out there you will meet a lot of temporary friends, who will come and go. All these will affect you psychologically… You have a great Mum who has been there for you, forget her ways of discipline but think about the fact that if something goes wrong with you, she would be there for you. I never had a woman figure who was there for me anytime I needed her. Don’t lose what you have got… People call me dull, well that’s because my mother wasn’t there to teach me ABC, my father was looking for love after she died and when he found, each one of them came to the marriage turning me to their errand boy. I never had time to study after school. I slept in class every day, because I was always tired. To make matters worse, I was named the dullest boy in school. They were right because I didn’t have my mother to help me improve my brain, but girl you have a mother who is trying to teach you the way to go and you don’t appreciate that. If it was the old me speaking, I would tell you to go to hell and know how it feels, but since I joined this family last week, I have felt the kind of happiness I haven’t felt in years. I have learnt good things so I would just calmly say this to you, it would do you good to come back home,” Tunde said sharply and it was obvious he didn’t want to cry, but he moved to a corner where other boys surrounded him. The place was dead silent. “Uncle Chuks?” “What was I going to say?” I thought silently as these kids had said more than I could say, but I knew my silence would discourage them, but then Kenneth helped me out… “I have something to say!” Kenneth said. He took the selfie stick, “Hi, Mercy… I know you pretended not to know me the day I saw you at the restaurant, but I know you know me and we have been eyeing each other since we were kids, or better still I have had something going on for you in my heart since we were young,” Kenneth said and we were all thinking about what his point was. “I am sorry for saying this ma’am,” he said referring to Favour. “You see when I was 12, I wrote this poem about you, that is how crazy I am about you. I have crushed over you since I was 11, when you newly came to this street and started attending our teenage church. It was my first attempt at writing a poem… ‘Yellow like sunshine You shine like a new ray Slim like a well sculpted piece of art Beautiful like a new born babe with no blemishes Anytime I see you My heart soars like an eaglet Who has just been taught how to fly I want to fly with you To a land where it will just be two of us.’ I had planned giving it to you in Church one Sunday, but you remember Uncle Francis the teenage teacher, he found it in my Bible… He didn’t criticize me, rather he said… “I understand how you feel about Mercy and it’s not abnormal, but now is not the time to tell her, because she won’t take you seriously. Do you know Mercy is an 100% girl?” “100%?” I had asked ignorantly. “Yes, she is still a virgin and one good thing about life is that you attract who you are.” Mercy, you have been my goal wife and because of you, I kept myself for you, hoping that when I graduate from University I will speak to you as a man, but I am afraid if this goal can still be achieved. Will those kind of friends I saw you with the other day still keep you at 100%? Because I have kept myself for you all this while…” The silence that followed his speech was loud. I thought he was through until he brought a drawing from his bag. It was a charcoal drawing of Mercy in a wedding gown walking into darkness away from Kenneth who was dressed in a wedding suit as he stood at the entrance of a small, well lit hut… “I drew this last night when I was thinking about you… I hope this speaks more than my words,” he said finally… Some of the teens that were emotional were already tearing up. I wanted to add my voice to their voices, so I took the selfie stick and said, “You were able to say no to me back then when I wanted to forcefully rip you of your virtue and that was because your mother had raised a giant in a little child, however when I put in more pressure, you couldn’t handle or stop me, you had to invite your mother to stop me. Your mother came around and saved you from my hands, but Mercy now that you have left home, when you face pressures that your strong self may not be able to withstand, who will you call to be your back up, who will you call to help you fight? No one. Mercy, your mother wants you back, we want you back and I know God wants you back!” I said. Abigael who had one of the best voices I have heard from a teenager’s lips sang this song by Hezekiah Walker… “I need you, you need me. We’re all a part of God’s body. Stand with me, agree with me. We’re all a part of God’s body. It is His will, that every need be supplied. You are important to me, I need you to survive. You are important to me, I need you to survive. I pray for you, you pray for me. I love you, I need you to survive. I won’t harm you with words from my mouth. I love you, I need you to survive. It is His will, that every need be supplied. You are important to me, I need you to survive.” And they all chorused… “We need you Mercy!” “I believe your Mum also has something to say,” Kenneth said as he moved towards Favour to give her the selfie stick, but… She shook her head in the negative. Followed was the look of disappointment on the faces of the teenagers and youths. I immediately rushed back to Favour and pulled her aside… “What’s wrong?” I forced myself to ask calmly. “What are you expecting me to say on the video? You want me to beg her? I can’t do such a thing! She is the one who has disappointed me and hurt me by running away to a boy’s place… Forget it! I can’t beg her, she is the daughter and I am her mother,” she said crying like a baby and before I could calm her down, she stormed out of the compound. To be continued.
