IN LOVING MEMORY - 5

 

Hello Thursday!

I hope your night was as restful as mine. This morning, I did not feel like getting up from my bed, all thanks to the early morning Harmattan breeze. It was so cool that all I wanted was to just stay wrapped in my blanket and keep sleeping for as long as I could sleep. I had to remind myself that my goals were too big to be achieved only in my dreamland and so, if I must move, I have to get up first.

I recall with fondness and an inevitable dose of nostalgia my mother’s thoughtfulness and understanding.

I had my nursery and primary education at St. Luke’s (Cathedral) Anglican Private School, Jos where my mother taught (being a teacher’s child is a whole experience on its own). The day preceding my graduation from the school, I was in school with my classmates for rehearsals. After the rehearsals, we all wandered into various childish discussions when one of my classmates just made a remark that really hit me. He said “I know Deborah will wear gown tomorrow”. (You may be wondering why I found that statement so annoying, chill, I will tell you).

My background did not allow for birthday parties or all such social functions where children would have to dress casual and classy (winks) as such, my clothes were majorly Sunday dresses. Now, I am talking about those legendary heavy gowns that had belts and came with matching hats and purse (Hehehe, if you know, you know).

While those dresses were the real deal as at then and I had a good number of them, I immediately did a mental scan through my box and I concluded that I did not have anything “different” to wear to my graduation. Even though I hated to admit it, my classmate was right! I always wore gowns to school functions and I did not plan on looking any different to the graduation.

With the little confidence I had left, I excused myself from the class and walked very fast to my mummy’s class so I don’t start crying on the road to the class (I was a cry-baby). I got to her class and began to cry as I narrated what had happened. I clearly told her what I wanted to wear to the graduation – a Jean skirt! I did not forget to state specifically that I was tired of wearing those dresses (To tell you how badly I wanted a change).

My mum’s reaction was very typical of her. She began to scold the discontent, ungrateful and covetous spirit out of me as she started telling me how there were people who did not have clothes to wear, she schooled me on how much those dresses were worth and the stress she always went through to go to the market to get them for me. On a normal day, this was enough to shut me up but I had made up my young mind that I would rather not attend the graduation than wear a gown again! I began to cry as she said if I could not be grateful for what I had, then there would be no graduation for me.

My tears seemed to do little as she said “if you like carry your face, that is when I will send you even more. You know me!”.  Oh how frustrated I was! I could not come to terms with the thoughts of not attending my graduation, yet, putting on a gown "as usual" did not sound like a comforting option .

Later that day, daddy came to pick us from school and she told him she was going to buy some things from Terminus market (Now, I miss Jos! My Jos readers, is terminus market still as busy as it used to be?). While we were in the car waiting for her to keep shopping, I kept fighting my tears as the thoughts of not being at my graduation kept rushing through my mind.

After a very long wait (mummy had a very high taste for quality and she could frustrate the sellers with her negotiation skills, so she usually stayed long in the market), she returned with a nylon bag that she placed on my legs and asked me to open.

My mother surprised me with a pair of new shoes, a top and my JEAN SKIRT (now, my eyes are teary). I was elated, my dream had come true and I was going for my graduation in a Jean! My joy knew no bounds.

Mummy never really had an issue with knowing our sizes so it was no wonder when the clothes and shoes were a perfect fit for me.

I am not sure if I slept that night (sleep usually flies away when I am super excited), but I am sure that I could not wait for daybreak so I could shine in my new clothes and prove that I could wear something other than my “legendary dresses”.

My mummy was a joy-giver, she had a way of putting smiles on people’s faces not minding your relationship with her.

These are legible scribbles straight from my heart – my “heart-writing”.