Sagas

{27} Stand by me ~ P

June, 2010

The vibrant orange flame, encased in the globe of the silver lantern, gave me hope. Mesmerised by its peaceful state at such a time when all within and around me was a complete catastrophe, I wondered just how resilient fire was.

While I sat here, curled up like a ball, waiting for the moment the devil would show up, and every single noise around me had become needles that pricked my ears, making me bite down on my lips to stop myself from flinching continuously as they only reminded me of his indefinite coming. The fire in the globe danced on soulfully.

It was in a different world from mine, a world where it heard a kind of music that made it move in entrancing rhythms, not the sounds of the crickets that buzzed on or the voices of the children still out playing and screaming freely over the earsplitting generator sounds in the neighbourhood.

It didn't hear the roaring of the wind as it blew into my room through the open window or the sound of Daddy's radio as the voices of the radio presenters talked over one another, debating an issue concerning the presidential candidates for next year election.

"I would call President Saeed's actions brutal foolishness at this point. Anyone would know to stay low after the assassination attempt on his life, but what? He is already out and about and calling out Ishmael for allegedly being responsible for the attack. I mean, that is my take on it. How much more would he sacrifice before he realises this is a lost battle and the best thing to do right now is to back down?" One of the presenters said.

"Franklin, while you call it foolishness, I say it is bravery on the part of Mr. President, and I think many of our listeners would agree with me. This is a man who has gone too far and given too much to back down now-a man who is ready to go down fighting if he has to, but stepping down is out of the question. For four years, the very same person now standing behind Ishmael put him in that position and controlled his every action like a puppet. And now, just because he is no longer needed, he is about to be thrown aside and replaced with Ishmael, the vice president, a betrayal that is a slap in the face of Mr. President. I think his refusing to step down, even if it would cost him his life, is his way of standing for something for the very first time since he became president."

"There is a line between bravery and foolishness, Dayo. We all know Yakubu does not forgive, and the very moment Mr. President decided to do things his own way, his days in office were already numbered. Who is a better person fit to take over the puppet role of Mr. President if it isn't Ishmael? I believe the assassination attempt was a warning, because if Yakubu wanted the president dead, Mr. President would not have left Aso Rock alive." The presenter called Franklin, replied.

The flame did not hear the hastened footsteps of mommy and Fabian as they moved about the kitchen, preparing dinner, and I could tell there would be more food than usual tonight since Uncle Timi was coming back and mommy liked to welcome him with his favourite meals. The plates and pots clinked loudly as Fabian washed the dishes while Mommy cooked and murmured simultaneously.

The murmuring got fiercer as time went by, and soon she began yelling again, not ready to give up, trying to get me out of my room and help out in the kitchen.

"I don't understand where I went wrong with this child. I don't get how she turned out like this," she said. The sound of her voice getting louder as she left the kitchen and went into the parlour, where Daddy was. "Honey, you should say something. Help me out here. How can she be acting this way at her age? Tell her to open the door and come out of that room," Mommy said, but Daddy remained silent.

Instead of helping Mommy out, he increased the volume of the radio to hear the presenters more clearly, unbothered by the chaos all around him.

Seeing that Daddy was not going to yell at me too, mommy's angry footsteps came over to my room, and then the doorknob began to shake violently as she tried to open the locked door. She had a second key to my room, but I had left the key on the lock, so she couldn't unlock it from outside.