Chapter 11
Dada developed a strong cough one morning, he tried various cough and herbal medicines, months later the cough still did not go, instead it made his breathing difficult when he coughed. Dada this cough, I think you should see a real doctor this time instead of going to different pharmacies for drugs, I had told him one morning. He looked pale and stressed. Whenever he tried talking and the cough interfered, he would try taking his breath slowly, holding his chest and make gah gah gah sounds to enable him talk properly. Yes, y.o.u a.r.e r.i.g.h.t D.e.m.i. I s.h.o.u.l.d s.e.e D.r A.p.e.n.a t.o.m.o.r.r.o.w.
He kept repeating he would see Dr Apena whenever I told him to see a doctor and continued seeing different pharmacists for different drug prescriptions and taking various recommended cough herbals. The cough reduced one time. Dada drank hot water more and ate his food hot always. Took his Lipton without milk, ate garlic more, took Moringa or lemon grass tea and would sometimes make himself ginger tea.
I still did not like my course, but I tried reading many religious and philosophical books so I could have a good CGPA to change my course, that was my only hope to changing my course, that or taking Jamb exam again. Dada went to Life Pastoral School for Foursquare when I was still in secondary school. So he had various religious books, on important courses like Greek and Hebrew. I went to some Muslim friends and clerks on Islamic books relating to my course, like the five basic pillars of Islam, history of Prophet S.A.W and his caliphs. I also became friends with few of my course mates who were passionate about the course. I found out some of them chose the course themselves, while others like me, were given the course.
After Jupeb exams till now, I would go visit mummy time to time. She also allowed my brothers visit Dada. She let Dada pick them up from school and let them spend weeks with Dada sometimes. So whenever I was home, Dada let me go spend weeks with her too. All this time, Mummy still did not know the course I was studying, Dada and I made her think I was given Law in Unilag. She would tell her friends and neighbours whenever I came visiting that I was studying Law in the University Of Lagos, with so much pride. My church members in Foursquare also thought I was studying law. One time when I taught in the children's department, I asked some children about their future ambitions, I was shocked when some shouted they wanted to become a Lawyer like me. That grew my zeal to change my course more.
Mummy attended the word Bible church gberigbe zone, a church that broke out from CAC. The first time I attended the church, they had a big thanksgiving service, everyone rejoiced with mummy for having us back with her. After service that they, the youths told me of many good things mummy did to aid the church's growth and things she did to get us back like her monthly journey to the mountain to pray along with some pastors in the church.
All students were asked to vacate the school's hostels as a result of rumours that spread like wild fire of students that had Covid already. The school's medical centre was
already jam-packed both with students that did have covid and those with other illnesses but had some symptoms of covid that they had to transfer some students to the school's teaching hospital (Luth). I remember a case that happened in my hall, Amina Hall. I was squatting with a friend actually in block A, a girl was tested positive to covid along with her room mates in block B. The girls were later transferred to Luth. We all had to leave our hostels especially because of that incident.
We were home for months, private institutions used online means to lecture and proceed with their schooling schedules, we had not started classes yet and stayed home. Since the curfew had not been set yet that period, I thought to use the opportunity to get to see Nelson more. I used the slightest opportunity to go to his house, especially when Dada instructed me not to invite him to his house. I don't want to see that boy in my house again Demi, Dada had told me one time when I went to inform him Nelson would be coming over. But Mum wasn't against him coming over to her place, so he would come over whenever we were at her place. Since Dada allowed me to go to mummy's more often, I would give excuses to extend my stay to get to see him more. It became difficult to see him when a lockdown was imposed in the country.
My aunt who stayed with us when my parents were together, she would visit most times and she lived three houses away from mummy's. After she left our house, she gave birth to a boy. She would bring her son over to our house for me to babysit him. She was already engaged and pregnant at the time. She lost the baby and died during the time her pregnancy was due. She tried aborting the baby but she died days after aborting the baby. Her death is something my mum still hurts from because of how close they used to be.