EPISODE FOUR
‘Ose!
Where is daddy?’ Ituah asked, throwing
both arms apart.
‘Sister,
I wonder why you seem to do everything late these days. Anyways, they’ve left!’
‘Left;
left to where?’ I quickly cut in before Ituah could respond as I had become suspicious
from his tone.
‘Well,
I think Uncle Stanley mentioned Kaduna.’
Ituah
jumped up and sat on the floor; her arms folded assuming the position of
someone mourning a loss.
‘Ose,
Uncle Stanley? What are you talking about; I seem to be the only one in the
dark here. You know you can tell me anything, right. I’m only here to help.’ I
confessed my confusion.
‘Well,
Uncle Stanley came earlier this morning and said that there is a man who cures
stroke in Kaduna; he said the results are usually faster than that seen in the
hospital but sister refused even when mummy begged her to agree with Uncle
Stanley. Then, she said…’
‘Shut
up!’ Ituah cut in. Her voice was literally loud enough to make her brother take
two steps backwards.
‘Wasn’t
it you who told me that you saw Charles on your way back from the gym and that
you were sure you he was going to the
gym? What did I tell you afterwards? Ehn? Didn’t I tell you I would be back
with Charles? Why did you let them leave without letting me know?’ she asked
now moving close to the young man. He took more steps backwards to be sure he
was maintaining a safe distance.
This
is nothing strange in a Nigerian setting…
‘Ituah
calm down’ I said, almost bursting out in
laughter.
‘Charles,
just leave me alone. Ose needs a dirty slap’
Now,
this is also not strange in Nigeria—it’s at the point where you start begging
someone not to be angry that the intensity of their anger rises.
After
much persuasion, I left their house with many thoughts on my mind. Now, they
are heading towards Kaduna to a traditional bone setter who is also a stroke
healer, I really felt like laughing about the whole situation but in the real
sense, it’s not funny. Many people come down with more severe deformities just
from not receiving adequate care and going to the traditional healers. They
don’t use x-rays or any other types of scans, they have no idea what is going
on inside the body, and how can people trust them so much with their little
knowledge never ceases to amaze me. Your body is not just a machine; you have
blood running through your vessels! Your body should only be released for care
first to you and then to a trusted member of the healthcare team.
People
come down with many more complications after their treatment sessions with
these guys and their ills (which weigh more than their benefits) cannot be
overemphasized!
As
I got to our gate, I thought I could figure out the next thing that would
happen—mum would complain and complain about
how I shouldn’t be dating Ituah as her prophet has warned. It’s either she
sensed it in her spirit or she had a dream, but
for me, I knew this is all about her bias
on how I should marry someone in my field.
As
I entered the house, she gave me her usual look when she was about to accuse
me.
‘Charles,
they even called me this time.’ She said her voice sounding like she was going
to cry.
‘So,
you went to see her again, is that right?’
I
froze! Who called my mum? My normal response would have been laughter but it
wasn’t coming this time. Been there, yeah?
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