After it rained, the air was filled with the smell of dust and water. The women gathered around the oil lamps. The fire burning from the aluminium cover of the bottle that once housed a tonic syrup before it’s present fuel content, struggled to remain as the illuminating source in the stall as the breeze blew at it. Cold descended and inhabited the stall.The little children clasped their wrappers around their small bodies and shivered. Adeyemi gazed at the wooly lumps of the sky, they were dark with shades of deep ash. A young boy among the children carried his tray and walked out of the shed they were all staying into the dark market.
“ it is better if we all leave now o, before it starts raining again” someone said among the women.
Adeyemi shook his head and picked up his bag. He walked slowly with his eyes trained on the asphalt road. The vehicles were driving on high speed, throwing sprays of mudwater at the drenched pedestrians.
maybe nature has gone mad , he thought. Everything is so strange including this rain at this time in december .
As if the clowds listened to his heart, it rumbled and the wind began to race through the street again, taking with it:papers, plastic food bags and dust. The festive air was still present, but faint like a distant cry. The new year would soon emerge like a yellow chick, discarding the shell of the previous year , but that would happen a day away.
The leather shoe Adeyemi wore sucked in water as he wade through the erosion across the edge of the asphalt. He stood for a while before he walked across the road, splashing water on his trouser as he did.
He was weighed down with fatigue when he got to his flat. He slid his key into the lock and opened it slowly. The smell of his room welcomed him, the smell of ??? soap and starch spray. His designing job always returned with him to his house. Cloths and cloths of customers kept feeding the pile on the board.The cloths in his bag would add up to the loads on his laundry board. He sat on his bed with his hand over his forehead, casting a shadow over his left eye and fell asleep.
And then………………….
??? ?????? ????? ???? ??’? ???? ??????? ??? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ?? ??? ?????, ??????? ??????? ?? ????? ?????? ?? ??? ?????.
??? ????? ??? ?????? ???? ?????, ????? ??? ???? ???? ? ?????? ?? ????. ??? ????? ??? ?????? ?? ? ???? ???? ??? ??? ????? ?????? ?????? ?? ??? ????? ????. ??????? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ??? ???. ??? ???????? ???????? ?? ??? ???? ?? ??? ?????? ????? ??? ??? ???? . ??? ?????? ?? ????? ????? ??? ???? ??? ?? ???? ?? ??? ??? ???? ????. ??? ?????? ???? ???????? ???? ?????.
??? ????? ??? ? ????? ??????? , ?? ??????? ??????? ??? ????? ?? ??? ??? ???? ? ???????? ?????????, ??? ?????? ??? ??????.
??? ??????????? ?? ??? ??????????? ?????? ??? ???? ??? ???? ?? ? ?????? ????? ?? ???????. ?? ?????? ???? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ???? ?? ??? ?????. ?? ?? ???????? ??????? ??? ??????? ?? ??? ??????, ?? ?????? ???? ??? ??????? ?? ???. ?? ???????? ??? ?? ??? ???? ??? ?????. ??? ??????? ??? ????????? ?? ????? ?? ??? ????? ?? ?????. ??? ????? ???? ??? ??? ?? ??’? ????, ??????? ???? ???? ?????.
??? ????? ????? ?? ????? ??? ???? ???? ?????? ?? ????? ?? ???, ? ???? ????????? ?? ????????? ???? ?? ?????? ?????? ????????? ?? ???. ?? ???? ???? ? ????????, ? ???? ?? ? ?????? ???????, ? ?????? ?? ??? ?????? , ? ???????? ???? , ? ???? ?? ??????? ????.
?? ??? ??????????? ???? ???? ????. ?? ????? ?? ????. ?? ??? ??????? ?? ???????. ?? ???? ?? ??? ???? ??. ?? ??? ???? ??? ?????.
???? ????? ? ????? ???? ?? ??? ????? ?? ????? ???????. ???? ????? ? ???? ?? ?? ????? , ???? ????? ? ???? ?? ??? ????? ????? ???? ????? ? ???????
?? ??? ???? ?? ??? ??????? , ???? ? ????? ?????? ?? ???: “???’? ???? ??? ???? ??? ????, ??? ??? ??? ?????? ?????? ?? ??? ???????? ?? ???”
?? ?????? ?? ??? ????????? ????? ??? ??? ??????? ??? ??? ??????? ?? ??????. ?? ??????? ?? ??? ??????? ?? ??? ????? ???? ??? ????? ????. ?? ??? ?????? ?? ?? ????? ???????? ?? ??? ???????? ????. ?? ??? ???? ?? ?????? ???:
“ ????? ?? ?? ????, ???? ?? ??? ?? ?? ?????????, ???? ?? ???? ?? ?? ???? ??? ??? ??????”
?? ?????? ?? ???? ??? ??? ????? ??? ?? ????? ????. ?? ????? ?? ??? ?????? ?????? ???. ?? ??? ????????? ?? ????? ?? ?? ???? ?? ??? ??? ???? ?? ?? ?????. ?? ??? ???????? ???? ??? ???? ?? ?????? ??. ??? ????? ???? ?? ????, ???? ???????? ?? ??? ?????.
“ ???’? ?? ???? ?? ??? ??? ?? ????? ?????, ???? ??? ?? ???? ????? , ??? ?????? ?? ????? ???? ???? ??? ???? , ???? ??? ????? ???? ??? ????? ????, ????? ?? ?? ???? “
??? ????? ???????? ?? ????? ?? ???? ????, ??????? ??????? ?? ??? ?????? ???? ?? ??? ?????????.
“??? ??? ? ????? ?? ????. ??? ??? ? ??? ?? ???? “ ?? ?????? ???.
“ I ????? ????? ???. ?????? ??? ???? ???????? I ??? ?? ???? ???? ????, ????? ??? ???? ???? ?? ????? ??? ??? . “
??? ????? ?????? ?????, ???? ?? ????????.
“ ???? ???”
???? ???? ?? ????? ??????? ?????.
“ ??’? ?????. ?? ????? : ?????? ?? ?? ???. ?????? ???????? ???? ???? ??? ????? ?? ??? ??? ????, ?????? ??? ??? ???????? ?? ???? ????. ??? ???? ????? ???? ??? ???????? ??? ? ?????? ?? ???????”
“ ???? ??? ????? ?? ??? ??? ????, ???????? ???? ???????? ???? ???????? ???? ?????? ?? ????? ?? ??? ?????????? ?? ???? ????. ?? ??? ??? ??? ???? ???? ??’? ????? ????????? ??? ????? ?? ????? ???????????”
“ ???? ?????? ??? ????? ???? ?? ??? ??? ???? ??? ?? ?????????? ?? ????? ????? ????? ?? ?????? ???? ??? ????? ????. ???????? ??? ????? ???? ?????. ???’? ?????? ???? ????. ????? ??? ????? ?? ??????? ??? ??????? ?? ???? ????? ??? ???? ??????. ???? ??????? ????? ???? ?? ????? ??? ????? ???? ???, ????? ??????? ????? ????? ??? ?? ??????! ???’? ?????? ??? ????? ????? ???? ?????. ??? ????? ????? ???? ????? ??? ?????? ?? ?? ????? ??????, ????? ???? ???? ??? ??? ?? ?? ???? ??? ??? ?????? ??? ???? ??? ??? ???? ???? ???? ???? ??? ??? ?? ????? ???????”
“ ???? ??? ??? ?????? ?? ????? ????? ???? ????? ????? ?????? ???????? ??? ?????? ??? ???? ?????”
??????? ??? ???? ?? ??? ??? ?????????. ?? ??? ?? ??? ???? ??? ??????. ???? ??? ?? ??? ?? ?????? ????? :
“???? ?? ??? ???????? ?? ???? ??????”
“ ? ??????? ??? ???? ???????” ??? ????? ???????. “ ????? ??? ?? ?? ????? ?? : ???. ??? ????? ?? ??? ???? ??? ????? ?? ???? ??? ???? ?????? “
???? ???? , ??? ????? ?????? ??? ??? ????? ?????? . ????? ??? ? ?????? ???? ?? ??? ????? . ? ????? ???? ??? ???? ?? ??? ????? ??? ?????. ??? ????? ???????. ??????? ????? ?? ??? ???? ??? ?????? ?? ??? ?????? . ?? ??????? ??? ???? ?????? ?? ??? ?????? ??? ?????? ??? ?????? ?? ??? ??? ????.
Just like Adeyemi, we all arrived in the new city — 2021. Let us all try to spend each day with fruitfulness. Let us all respect each day and let us all remember to say the latin word: laus dao.
graduate. He lives in Ore, Odigbo, Ondo state and wrote in via victoroladejo95@gmail.com
