The conversation

Uncle Travis smiled as he watched Nkom play the violin. "I never knew you play so beautifully" He said.

"Thank you sir"

Nkom is the most reserved among her siblings. It's is difficult to see her speak. She smiles more often. If she has to, she giggles. She has passion for playing instruments.

She and Ogar shared this trait. Ramses disappeared again and came back perplexed. He had a newspaper on his left hand.

"Time has passed and still no trace of the plane"

"Which one?"

"The Malaysian 747 plane that went missing sometime ago"

"Oh.." uncle Travis responded. "Hmmmmn" uncle Travis remembered that they had looked for a crash sight but had found none. No trace, no hint, nothing at all.

"I wonder what might have happened to it" Ramses said.

"Maybe it was hijacked" Minka suggested

"By who? Terrorists?" Ramses challenged. "Because no terrorists group has come out to own up to hijacking that plane. When a plane is hijacked, words goes out. It's been months and still no trace of the plane.

"Maybe aliens tooks over the plane?" Minka suggested.

"Oh that's what you mean?"

"Yes. Maybe"

"You believe in aliens?"

"Ahhhh... I don't know what to think. Right. I have seen a few movies like Roswell, wall-e among others but ..but.. I mean the plane didn't cross the Bermuda triangle. If it did, we would have known. Forty minutes into the flight which was to last for about six hours, the plane, which was set to land in Beijing,diverted from that route and flew towards the direction off the southern Indian Ocean" Minka replied.

Ramses smiled. "So many theories. What would we call this one, the Minka-alien theory?"

Minka shrugged her shoulders in indifference and as anticipated, Nkom smiled.

Prayers have been held in respect to the happening. People have called on the government of Malaysia not to relent in their investigation. A lot of mishaps are occuring allover the world. Ogar would most likely school in Nigeria to reduce the risk of being a casualty. Nigeria had its own challenges but uncle Travis thought that it could not be compared those ones which are prevalent in other parts of the world.

"Hmmmmn...It is quite disheartening. Whenever I hear this and the one news of the airplane the Russians shot down, thinking it was a military plane, I remember Tambu Ojong's, son Tambu Ojong junior"

"Yes uncle. The one that schools in Malaysia?"Minka asked.

"Exactly"

"Uncle, It's natural but I personally believe that if something wants to happen to someone, no matter where they are it would happen" Ramses replied.

"That is true. It is true...but in some cases you can reduce the risk of being a casualty" Uncle Travis said.

Ramses smiled.

"Uncle I understand you but what will you say about a country like ours. Yes. Let's take Nigeria for example. We have had alot of challenges. Now the northern part of this country is facing terrorism. The residents there never envisaged that they will have to suffer so much. Many are indigenes, where will they go?

There is hardly any place for them elsewhere. If they go to other places they will likely be refugees. So their men become vigilantes and they stand up to defend their community"

"Yes o. I heard the soldiers are not always there to protect them. Shooting can start from the morning and last for hours and yet with all the loud sounds nobody will come to their aid"Minka added.

"Nigeria is bleeding and the world is watching. It's a haemorrhage... Will it ever stop?" Ramses wondered out loud.

"The Nigerian government should take action"

"Concern" Scoffed uncle Travis

"I hope they will. The fees paid by our people to them, overseasis so high. The casualties from Nigeria in that boat accident, what happened to them? Other countries respond and take measures to make the country better, to ensure that the citizens have the best, whereas the government here is looking in the other direction when Nigerians are suffering"

"Na Wa o! Where are we safe then?" Minka asked. "In our country terrorism is on the rise. Outside it, our people still suffer"

"Many have died unfortunately. So many die in the desert because they cannot cope.

"When it comes to things that interest the government then they swing into action" uncle Travis said. He could not tell the difference between democracy and military rule in Nigeria.

Uncle Travis sat still as he pondered to those times when as a youth, he will see people venturing bout to protest against the military government at the time met their Waterloo.

While some are shot and killed immediately, some others were arrested and taken away. There were those who were injured and live with the scars till this day. His father is one of them. He limped till his death. This put fears in the hearts of so many. So many folks that knew his father. He knew that it somehow this must have been one of the reasons why he and his peers avoided protest groups. Now when he looks back he wonders if it would have made a difference.

Maybe the country will not have deteriorated to this level of the have fought. When noone stands up to challenge the happenings. Looting, press and freedom of speech control, genocides and tribal cleansing have shaken the foundations of the country.

Even drug trafficking became a new means of livelihood for many. Shamefully it was reportedly introduced by one of the military heads of state.

"While their children school abroad, we the subjects school at home and are taught by teachers and lecturers in schools with dilapidated structures, in need of renovation, which it never gets. The lectures are rendered with old books, as points of references. I wonder how we are expected to compete with our contemporaries in other parts of the world." Minka commented.

Nkom said nothing. She excused herself and came back holding a pink ball of wool and a crocheting pin. She sat on her mother's rocking chair and began to crotchet away. One of the items he had got from Sheila was a sweater she crocheted for him. It was gray, ash and black. She made it for one of his birthdays.

He wore that sweater on very cold nights, when he was in the army. Especially when they had to sleep in the forest on preparation for an operation the next day. It was his lucky charm. It reminded him of her and gave him a reason to always survive after each operation.

He had a home, that home was Sheila. Although she had not been replying his letters and he could not reach her through her phone, he knew that one day they will be together. He must search for that sweater. It has in its threads so many memories.