Only your love is final

DAD'S PRAYER

We walked outside and we waited for Jasmine to bring the implements so we can go together, Ezra was back and was about to enter the house when my father stopped him, "Ezra come back here my friend, you think sey I be mugu abi? You still go play that match abi?" my father came standing in front of the door, " Good evening sir" my brother replied carefreely and sat on the corridor pulling his boots, My father was not  literate but he was endowed with natural wisdom, he expresses himself in pigin or our native language. My mum who was literate would always convince him  to learn English but learning English was not what he was interested in as long as it didn't fetch money. he always proudly said, " the person with big dreams is more powerful than the one with all the fact" I really wonder where he read that from, my mum always replied him whenever he made the statement, "unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow ". English was a very challenging problem to my Dad, It most of the time stopped him from voicing out or expressing himself in public because most people will laugh at the scattered grammar.    Dad ordered Ezra to give him boots and the football but Ezra refused angrily, Dad tried snatching them but Ezra withdrew angrily, " leave me alone, wetin sef? wetin I do you? You told me to work at the pharmacy since I didn't make my papers and I happily did in other to bring money,  Abeg this is the only thing I can do for myself. Thank you " Ezra for the last time, give me that ball and that shoe, you dey try me for my own house, eh? You don grow to dey challenge my authority for my domain, eh?"                                                                  "Dad, abeg just free me, nobody dey challenge your authority abi na power, see nah you dey do yourself but I no go give you the boot? I'm down with all this shits happening, I don't care what you guys think again" looking straight into my father's eyes.                                                                                               My dad was very strict so apparently no one questioned him, Ezra's display was getting out of hand and if Dad should attack it won't go well, but the truth was that I have never seen my brother this angry and bold before, he was always in rage since he didn't make his papers but obeyed my parents sheepishly, he talked to no one or even expressed whatever he felt, he just punished himself inside, everyone including my mom was against him, blabby Jasmine was no even helping at all, " may God deliver you, Look at the way you are taking to Dad, your own father, can you imagine?"                                                                                                                         Finally he gave my Dad the ball and the boots, not because he was scared or anything, my mum started her usual, saying her son just wanted her dead, he dropped them and walked out, My father took and burnt them instantly, I was sad and I felt my brother's pain not that what he did was a right way of approaching my Dad but I saw a teenager in pain, I could see that he was badly hurt but who hurt him and what hurt him was something I was yet to discover.                                       It was dark  and I was busy with my school year book magazine I used the touch because there was no light, electricity here was another problem. we only had light once a day either in morning or at night. I was watching it and smiling. I'm done and dusted with secondary school now, I needed to have next plan, apart from my dreams. All in my brain right now was the desire to succeed.  Everyone was asleep, immediately after the night devotion they all went to sleep, except me,  my eyes was becoming heavy so I jumped on the bed and shut my eyes to sleep, I heard some footsteps coming, who is that I asked from the inside. I opened my eyes slightly and I saw father's shadow starring, it was dark so I couldn't really describe his facials. He walked to the dressing table and sat on the chair,                                                                                                                                      "I just sit dey look because your favor follow me wherever I go, when I come this Kaduna I no get anything, I no get plenti but this pikins wey you give me be my one in a billion, baba God, thank you. Baba God as you give me the girls na so you carry Ezra give me, this boy no dey make me happy, he no dey smile, he no dey act like person wey even know you, he dey go church two four seven yet even idol worshipper beta pass am, he too dey act like person wey no dey use brain work, I sabi this place for bible well well, 'I looked to the hills , where my help go come?' who go help me if not God?, I no get money, I no rich but the thing wey I get now na only you" he said, raising his hand, " and you never fail me, no be on top Ezra's head you go do am, Abeg open the eyes of this my son, devil no go use this boy disgrace me." he stands, "chai, this children no put this net, the mosquito wey dey this our area dey kill, if they fall sick now, money for malaria medicine bi wetin I no get now" he moves and tucks the edges of bed in, " This children go be vessels of honor, they go go the places wey I no go, when they call ten people na thousands go fellow come, the offices wey I no fit enter because I no get education, God go give me money make I educate you and you go educate millions, as I talk am so e go be in Jesus name, Amen."   He prayed while leaving, I also followed in saying 'amen' because to me the prayer was really touching. The best way to focus on your dream is never put a question mark where God had put a full stop, I just had to really fulfill God's purpose and make papa proud.