Christmas again?

To me, it felt very differently pleasant. Like how you feel when your favorite football team lifts the trophy. A sweet cocktail of joy and pride.

Families worked hard to make it a happy time. Out in the streets, shops and businesses were well decorated with graphics and fancy lightbulbs. Children would want to get into less trouble or miss out on “Xmas goodies” from their parents. As kids, we just had to behave.

In the late nineties, it used to be my family taking a trip down to the village to celebrate and spend a couple of weeks with relatives and other people we had not seen in twelve months.

The village

This is where you see beautiful houses built by working class or businesspeople that live and make money in the urban regions. In the village, few relatives live and work there. Some roads were tarred, some were not. Electricity was not frequent, and few boreholes existed, human population was low in the village anyway.

Today na today

I packed my clothes in travelling bags. While we waited for my father to return so we could begin the trip to the village, my siblings and I chatted about families to visit, events to attend and persons to be wary of.

Then my father returned. We threw our bags of clothes in the car boot and our trip began.

It was getting dark already as we approached our location. Personally, I liked it whenever we arrived the village at night.

Next day

“Nna, bia, you must be the son of Simbo, o kwa ya?” the elderly man peered into my face.

“yes,” I slowly put my face down with a little frown. I wondered if he was one of the persons to avoid in the village. He didn’t look dangerous anyway. But why would this man choose to single me out of other children my age, gallivanting up and down the street?

He shifted his body frame, smiled and placed his hand on my right shoulder, His head tilted to the side.

“You are now growing tall like your father. Tell him that Ichie Nnadi asked of him. I will see him at the Umunna meeting anyway.”

“Okay sir,” I said. He had nice looking shoes.

“You were a little boy last time I saw you,” he leaned back and studied my face for a moment, “I hope to be able to recognize you when I see you again,” He smiled.

“Yes sir,” I just couldn’t wait to leave.

Ichie Nnadi dipped two fingers into his breast pocket and said” merry Christmas”. He stuffed something into my fist, and walked away.

I glimpsed at my hand, and went home a happy boy.

Back home

“Ahh!”, my father seemed excited, after I recounted my encounter with Ichie Nnadi.

“Ichie was the man that helped me when I was a young man learning trade. ahh! He helped me so much,” He adjusted in his seat, “Clear the table. Get me cold water. That 2 storey building you see just before you get to ahia nkwo belongs to his first son.”

As I returned with the glass of water, It kind of flashed through my mind to check the blessing I had received earlier that day. So, I quietly went into another room, where I gave myself a complete police frisk.

Then I remembered that I had changed my shorts. The shorts I had on that morning was on a pile of clothes on the bed. Eagerly, I went straight for the pockets and felt it again.

I smiled. I just couldn’t believe this. Carefully, I counted the money again.

Ichie gave me six naira notes!

That was enough to buy a Walkman or some clothes or a cheap game console, I thought. My friends would want to come to my house everyday to play video games. They would beg me to allow them play contra. I would decide when they come and go home. In fact, I would make them help me do some house chores. A new king in the making.

I smiled to myself.

"Bia, who gave you that money?"

With her hands folded, she leaned on the door frame. I didn’t even hear her enter the room. She was looking straight at me.

My dreams were over. I couldn’t stop silently blaming myself, for not waiting till evening to count my new riches.

Now, there was no smart way to make some of the notes disappear. Her eyes were fixed on me.

“Ichie Nnadi,” I mumbled. Of course, I knew how this was going to end.

“I hope you told your father about it”

“Yes Ma”

“hmm,” She straightened up and gestured for me to come close.

I did. And she opened her palm.

“Mummy you take my money every year!” I fought the urge the cry.

“Well, you know I always keep them for you,” She said, as she deftly tucked the money under the folds of her wrapper.

“ehm… y-you will give it back to me when school resumes?”

“When you pay me back for eating all my food this year,” She left the room.

?

At night, I laid in my bed, with my hands folded under my head.

I needed a plan. I had to meet more generous people like Ichie Nnadi. As a matter of fact, I needed to at least buy that game console.

Would a bicycle be better?

No, that would cost a lot more money. Besides I couldn’t even ride one.

I made a mental list of house chores to do the following day. The dirty car body needed washing. For sure, the hot weather would dry my washed clothes in much less time. The intimidating village masquerades would be out from noon.

Through my window, I could see the fireworks in the sky.

"The boy is good," I muttered to myself.

I finally had a plan.

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