15th January 1966

15TH January 1966

We finished our morning devotions early that day. Mom had slept at the prime minister’s place the previous night. She was their cook. it was dad’s one-year death anniversary. I had prepared Abigail my younger sister for school. Belinda my elder sister had gone to the bank to withdraw our house rent. I dropped off Abigail at school, and I went to my carpentry business.

” Why na now you come to work ?” Mr. Smart; my Boss asked. “Oga na my sister I go drop for school she been de waste time”, “Your salary no go complete if you no come early next time oo. Better respect yourself”, MR Smart said, as I joined the others to work.

Alisson! Alisson! Bayo had run into our shop screaming as if he was running from someone. Bayo was my best friend and our neighbour.

“You didn’t hear the news?”, Bayo asked. “No our radio is bad”, I answered. “A coup has happened and the prime minister has been killed”. “Jesus!, Abigail! I have to go and pick her up from school”.

My boss gave me his car keys and I sped off to Abigail’s school. There was a stampede in the school. I hurried into her classroom and I carried her and ran into the car. I went home dropped her at Bayo’s place I went to the prime minister’s house.

There were people mourning, and there were people wrapped in white clothes in the house. I tried to find mum but I couldn’t find her. I saw Mrs. Buba; the head cook crying at a corner. I met her and asked if she knew my mother’s whereabouts. She remained taciturn, her eyes spoke words she couldn’t gather the courage to tell me. My mother had been killed alongside the prime minister and others. She pointed at the corpse nearest to me. I went and removed the clothing covering the corpse it was my mother’s lifeless body.

My world was tumbling. Some minutes later I was told that Belinda had died during a stampede in the bank. I lost the rail.

I regained consciousness an hour later. No one seemed to care about me. They were busy mourning. Responsibility had fallen on my shoulder. I was now responsible for my little sister. I was no longer the” lazy Alisson” as my boss called me. It is now twenty years since that incident. I am now a CEO in a furniture company and Abigail is in law school. 15th January 1966 isn’t just a day for where my parents and sister died. It is the day my life was tilted on the right path.