So guys, there is a new column on my blog, and I've called it, 'A piece of Chisimdi.' Here, I'll be sharing with you unabashedly, my life experiences. I don't know yet what I want to achieve with this but I hope we find out in time.
The very first piece of me is below. I hope it makes sense to you.
“Why are you gambling with your life?”
When I did not reply, she asked again, angrier this time, “Why are you gambling with your life? Come back home,” The line went dead in my ears.
Give it up to my mum to put a dramatic twist to everything. It was her on the phone complaining that it had been almost a week of my completing the one-year compulsory national service and I was still not home. Apparently, that was gambling with my life. Please do not try to understand it; you will fail.
From as far back as my memory started storing memories (see rhythms na), my mum has always wanted me near. She’ll tell me how far to go when escorting visiting school friends and 'how far' is near enough to hear her voice when she called. She’d call my phone ceaselessly when she got back from work, and I was out with friends or most probably Gabbey, my elder brother. My mother just seeks me out anytime I'm not in sight or in smell (I should totally do this comedy thing). That wasn't a major problem. It worked because I was an indoor person myself.
When I got into the University, it took a little over forever to find a church and to completely fit in as I was running home every weekend. I didn’t stay longer than a day or two after exams or the end of a semester. The thing is, there wasn’t much waiting for me at home. In fact, there was a lot not waiting for me. We almost only had the basic stuff and no luxuries, but it was my peace and my happiness.
You can try now to imagine my mother’s dismay that I was done with NYSC and almost a week later, I was still ‘gambling with my life.’ Do I blame her? Poor mother. How would she know that things were quite different now? I had met people, and been to places, and met a person, and had found happiness and peace away from home; home away from Home.
I’m home now though, have been for a while and it has been, oh well, home. At first, I was sad and heartbroken when I got back, but in time, I found the happiness and peace this place brings again. The order has been; sleep, wake, press phone, eat, press phone, sleep, bath, press phone, eat, press phone and press phone. Then repeat the order. I had been resting, post NYSC rest, and have only just woken up. Woken up to the reality that I just turned 23 and I’m very very far from where I thought I’d be.
I’m very unemployed but very alive though. I should probably be counting my blessings right?
1 Comments
Yeah, you should. I totally enjoyed reading and I can relate, but in my todo list, pressing laptop and watching movies is part of the routine. We will get something soon, just hang in there.
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