My nightmare

Tochi, tochi, stop snoring! I don't get how he can sleep so soundly in this type of condition. Mummy kept on turning by my side like she was being chased in her dreams. Dad suddenly began to snore too. Four of us shared the scruffy Hausa mat we got as donations from a nearby church.

The mosquitoes seem merry this night as they sang happily to a tune, my only wish was that they just suck my blood and quit there music show. I pulled the  odd smelling wrapper across my face, i couldn't even bear the stench. I pulled it back down.

All of a sudden, the mosquitoes ceased there chant. I closed my eyes,

bam bam bam bam, bam idiot carry that you car out the way! . Then the train was  passing. What a night. The cars began to hornk, it seemed like there was an accident. The horns kept on blaring as my lovely family slept and snored but u couldnt close my eye lids. I joined my mum in the tossing and turning.

Bia this boy sleep or you go outside. I found humor in what she said, i am sleeping out side, what other outside did she mean. Oh outside the cartoon we call house!  I sighed , she grunted, now maybe she has caught the person she was chasing in her dreams. I wallowed in my  empty thoughts. I didnt know when sleep carried me to the world beyond.

Chima  wake up, my mum only needs to say it once and you jump out of the bed. If not! Ma am awake. Lets pray.

As we closed our eyes to pray, there was a thousand and one request we can ask God for  today. Like i am tired of sleeping in a cartoon under the bridge, like slippers, i dont even want shoes, maybe some clothes. If he wants to be kind please new wrapper. I am tired of that stinking wrapper we use every night.


I was still lost in my thoughts, my mum shouted Ugo are u sleeping. No ma. Then thank God today for everything he has given us.

Everything. Thus must be a joke or did she mean everything he didn't give us. 
Chimankpa!

i started my prayers rather solemnly like i have been touched by the hand of God.

Our prayers ended in 10 mintues, with my mum interceeding for everyone, and kept praying that we will never meet as accident as we cross the busy roads of lagos today.

Quickly, we packed our goods! Hell yea we were what you call professional hawkers and we deal in any whatever  that was in season, from cold drinks in hot season, gala, handkerchief, biscuits, recharge cards, pop corn, chin chin, plantain chips E. T. C.

We sold everything. But the rule is what ever you pick to sell for the day you must finish it. You cant return to the house with all left over  goods. Well the rules was not necessarily to encourage us to finish our sales. Its because they is no place to store the goods when you bring them back. Lagos rat will damage both you and the goods, well they are the landlords of our house and no matter how cheap the rent is you must make sure the environment is clean.



One this particular day, i picked handkerchiefs. I eyed the recharge cards because its lucrative and less stressful but my dear,  no one wants to buy recharge card from a ten year old. The first day i tired it one wicked woman wanted to mob me claiming i stole the cards. I ran home and never went to that neighbourhood again. 


So tochi picked the recharge card, he was 5 years older than me and his face was quiet matured. If you dared to question where he got the cards from, he would drag you to his court, question, charge and jail you. He is very quiet but if he opens his mouth then you are doomed. 
He wants to be a lawyer, a far fetched dream i say. 


My dad choose to sell drinks today, well that was his usual. My mum is the master of all trades, morning bean cake (akara), afternoon biscuits and chin chin, and night pap and bean cake. I have never seen that woman rest since i was born. She was and is always busy

As tochi rushed to the grinding store to grind the beans paste for mum's bean cake. I and dad rinsed off yesterday's sweat by the well near our house (cartoon). My mum always says cleanliness is next to godliness.. We teased her with a name hyginus.. Whenever she starts her talks about cleanliness.

Tochi came back with the beans paste and rushed to rinse off, while i helped my mum mix the bean cake. She fried the first round. We gathered round the fire and munched the akara balls. Today's own tastes specially different. We eat  akara balls every morning for the past 1 month. I was already tired of the aroma of akara balls, but today's own was different . I asked my mom for extra, she agreed. Now on a normal day my mum will yell back at you, then start lamenting how everything is costly and you want to eat down her business with the gigantic hole you call a stomach. By the time she is done with you, you will regret asking for more. But today was special.. She gave me two extra akara balls. And everyone else asked for extra. Its  definitely going to be a great day. I can literally smell it.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm. 
I was still enjoying the smell of fresh air and joshua called me... Chima oooooooooooooooo. What! I glared back at him, he was disturbing my serenity this morning. He chuckled and ran away.

This boy, i sighed and i took another breath. Determined that nothing will spoil my morning.
He  hit his ball on my head. This osina boy today no be market, you are wasting time there with you breath in.

Joshua, if i get you eh. That was how i ran of for the days business. We crossed to the other side to call our friends.
Emeka and Godswill.

Yea four of us lived at .......... Ebuta meta, under 3rd mainland bridge. 
We were bonded by fate. But the sad story was we weren't always poor. 
Yes we weren't. 
My father lost all his hard earned money in repaying a  bank loan. He was an importer, so he took loan  from bank using the house and his company as collateral, but the goods were lost at sea when the ship capsized.

So we lost everything. We were chased out of the house with only our bag of clothes.

As i and my family stood in front of our former house, some hoodlums came and snatched the bag of clothes from us.

We stood there stranded in the middle of the night, alone in the cold.

The last savings my father had was in the bag the thieves snatched. We were officially broke. 
As we walked away from the street, we met a man and his son running,

What is happening, my father asked? 
There is a shoot out in the next Street, so we ran with them and we arrived at this part of the town. 
This part of the town was filled with homeless people who lived off what they made for the day. 
My father settled in rather quickly, it marvelled me that he forgot all about the life of affluence we were coming from. 
He was nonchalant about it, making Friends and seeking for help to set up a permanent home.

On No he didn't! 
Most times during the day he gazed into nothingness, lost of the happenings around him. 
After his numerous thoughts, he would warn us of how money is no man's property.

So on this special morning, we hurried off to our morning sales!

Buy handkerchief, buy your white handkerchief i screamed on top of my voice, handkerchief #50.

Joshua  scremed buy your mentol, petol for your cough and catrrah. E de clear throat kai kai. 
I teased him! That he sounds like mentol advert man.

Sales was good this morning and Joshua said the same too. The traffic jam helped our sales. Godswill said a tanker spoilt on the major road leading to the mainland. 
Its disaster for commuters heading to work this morning but more sales for me, because the weather was exceedingly hot, and it was barely 8:30am.

I saw my dad, at the other part of the bridge, he also seemed to be having good sales.

Yes about school, I was one of the best students in my class. I was in class 5a. School was fun and rosy. It was a rich man's school but towards the end of our stay there. Anita came to school and started gossiping about how we would lose our house and my dads company if we don't pay up the loan we own the bank(Anita's father was the bank manager at wema bank).

That when i fully understood my families predicament. All the students in my class began to treat me like an outcast (poor person).

So i didnt get the grand leaving school parade, but i was jeered out of school, guess my brother had a hard time too, because Anita brother was in  his class too. I guess they are from a family  of gossipers.

Alright back  to my special morning. Sales was great and when it was 12,we went home for lunch.we eat the left over from my mom morning akara sales drank water and went back to hawking. 

Today seemed like a miracle, by 3o'clock i had made sales of about 600Naira.i was excited. 
Joshua was excited about his sales too he insisted we go to tell his father.

We were standing by the road side while i and Joshua was counting his money when suddenly Joshua dad pushed me out of the way. A car feel brake and ran through his legs. I stood up, dusted my self, was furious that he had pushed me. As i turned and looked at him, Joshua was holding his dads legs and they were bleeding.

This man wont be able to walk again, he was trying to save this boy. 
A young passerby said pointing at me. 
What my heart sunk. 


Joshua will never forgive me for this. Tears flowed freely from my eyes. 
We were Both struggling to fed ourselves, how then will we take care of a crippled man. 
What will we do. 


What of  the man driving the car, someone asked form behind me. 
Oh he is dead, a woman exclaimed. 

We were nothing but poor  hawkers struggling to make enough money to eat, how then do we manage this. As my thoughts wandered. I felt responsible for this man condition. I was helpless too, what can i do to help.

Chima wake up, its time to go to school my mums voice woke me! 
What! i woke to my room, with the A. C chilling my veins. I pulled the covers the bedsheets had a smell of lavender as opposed to the stenching wrapper in my dreams. 
Oh my oh my! It was a dream.

But i was worried, what if the dream happens. I rushed to my dads room to meet him humming to a fine tune. He saw my face and knew i wasnt as excited as he was this morning.

What is it my boy he asked. 
I had a dream 
He chuckled, a dream.! 
Do you want to tell me about it. 
Yes! As i narrated the dream. My dad nodded and paused at different occasions givng me warry glances.

At the end i asked my dad if he took loan from any bank. He said no, i aksed about his business if it was going fine.

My mum and brother laughed at my questions, i didnt know when they entered the room. 
My dad finally said what did you learn ftom the dream.

I pondered without finding the right words to express it, my mum hushed my thoughts and insisted i dressed for school.

When i got to school, i stared at Anita and stalked her closely behind as she gossiped with her girlfriends. I didnt know what i was hoping to hear. Maybe a clue as to if my dream were true.

Though i wished my dreams to come  to pass, but definitely not this type of dream. 
I was worried sick as to the outcome of today, while joshua my best friend called from behind.

Hey man!  How was the weekend.

I looked back and smiled, it was good up until yesterday night. Should i tell Joshua about my dream. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Did i believe in this dream so much that it made me worried. 

Why are you sitting behind the gossip girls, he asked 

oh! I stood up and went to our seat. 

You seem strange this morning, he asked. 
You have no idea. My friend i replied.  

Chima to the principal's office, Mrs essien said as she entered the class. 
I felt sad, maybe after all my dreams will come to pass. As i approached the principal office i could hear my heart beat. It felt like the contents if my stomach was being flushed back into my mouth.

I hesitated as i knocked weakly in the door. Come in, the principal voice echoed through the door.

Good morning i greeted him. A tall huge man sat across him, he wore dark glasses, the suits were so oversized i could could see the extra cloth by his side hanging loose, good morning i greeted.

Welcome and sit down!

I sat down my face was so pale, and sickened. 
Cheer up he principal voice startled me as i was about to drift into my thoughts.

You have been chosen as the winner of the cowbell national mathematics competition. This is Mr. Adebayo he came from Abuja to congratulate you.

I was excited, i greeted him cheerfully. 
The principal urged me to go back to the class. On Monday i was to dressed up properly for the photoshoot.

I was excited but there was still impending doom lurking around. I went back into the class and told Joshua, he was the happiest.

When my mum came to pick us after school i told her, she was so excited, she called my dad. My dad closed work early, came home and drove us to a nice Chinese restaurant. 

Well i guess we are not going broke anytime soon. 

But even if we are,  i am going to save up money to avert it. This nightmare became my driving force to success.

But i made my dad promise, to take me to visit the homeless persons  living under the 3rd mainland bridge.