A Tale From The Ghetto 2

 Enjoy the part 1 here: A Tales From The Ghetto 1

 

The Weight of Pride

After crying his heart out on the street as he sat there not knowing what to do, he came to the conclusion that he couldn't do it alone. It hit him hard. He reflected on his life and all he thought was that he had been useless — if he hadn't picked that cash, he wouldn't have taken the direction life had dealt him, and if he had gone to school and acquired an education or professional skills, he wouldn't have taken such a drastic decision. He looked around at the poor people passing by; no one even bothered to ask him what was wrong because everyone had their own problems. And there he knew that due to poor mentality, if anyone of them had picked the cash, they too would have been greedy with their decision because they had never seen such an amount before.

---

The Landlord's Call

As he stood up to head to his father's house to beg for help, his phone rang again. When he saw the caller, he sighed because it compounded his trouble even more.

"Good day, baba landlord," he greeted his landlord. He could hear the man breathing hard, and that meant he was keeping his temper in check.

"E no go be good day for you oh." *(It won't be a good day for you.)*

"Baba, wetin I do na, abeg no vex oh," *(Baba, what did I do? Please don't be angry,)* Kola tried to calm him.

"I dey vex, and I dey vex like a mad dog oh, I fit bite you sef if I see you," *(I'm angry, and I'm angry like a mad dog. I could even bite you if I see you,)* his landlord Mr. Ade replied.

"Baba, no vex abeg, matter big oh, I knew say I dey owe you six month rent na," *(Baba, please don't be angry, the situation is serious. I know I owe you six months' rent,)* Kola replied.

"See eh, where you dey sef? Your children them dey cry say hungry dey beat them oh, na my wife try feed them. My house no be charity organisation oh, Kola." *(Look, where are you? Your children are crying that hunger is beating them. It's my wife trying to feed them. My house is not a charity organisation, Kola.)*

"Baba, my wife done born, and them say na quadruplets. I no even know wetin e mean." *(Baba, my wife just delivered, and they say it's quadruplets. I don't even know what it means.)*

There was a long intake of breath as Mr. Ade sighed. "Oboy, you too young for this wahala na, I go pity you for now — abeg find money." *(Boy, you're too young for this trouble. I'll take pity on you for now — please find the money.)*

"Baba, thank you oh, I go do my best sha." *(Baba, thank you. I'll do my best.)*

"Just find money, I go tell my wife to look after your children. Try hurry come back oh." *(Just find the money. I'll tell my wife to look after your children. Try to hurry back.)*

"Thank you, baba."

Kola sighed as he put his phone back into his pocket. He had been so engrossed in his trouble that he had forgotten about his rent repayment. He closed his eyes, swallowing his pride, as he took the first step toward his father's house.

---

Shelly's Secret

Shelly wasn't having a good morning as she hurried to the bathroom for the tenth time to empty her stomach, the nausea excruciating. To make matters worse, she hadn't eaten anything yet, but still even a sip of water was calling for trouble. She had met Kola at one of her father's construction sites. She had seen how handsome he was, and the muscle around his biceps had made her giddy. She had cornered him under the excuse that she needed to ease herself, slipping away from her father who was inspecting the construction of one of his numerous houses. She had talked to Kola and they had exchanged numbers. He had told her he was married with kids, but that never deterred her. She had told him she didn't care, and so they had been seeing each other — and now the results were staring at her.

She watched her mother sitting patiently on her bed as she came out of the bathroom again.

"Shelly, hmm, na belle you carry so oh." *(Shelly, hmm, you're pregnant, aren't you.)*

"Yes, mama," she replied.

"You're our only child, so we go appreciate a grandchild, but we no expect you to get belle till you marry na," *(You're our only child, so we would appreciate a grandchild, but we didn't expect you to get pregnant before marriage,)* her mother said with a hint of anger in her voice.

"Sorry, mama, na mistake." *(Sorry, mama, it was a mistake,)* Shelly said, looking downcast.

"Na who give you belle?" *(Who got you pregnant?)* her mother asked.

"Na Kola," she replied. *(It's Kola.)*

"Na who be Kola? Him get money?" *(Who is Kola? Does he have money?)*

"No, mama, him no get money." *(No, mama, he doesn't have money.)*

"So where you meet him na?" *(So where did you meet him?)*

"Na for one of papa's site oh." *(It was at one of papa's sites.)*

"Ewo, this girl done kill me oh, so na labourer eh?" *(Goodness, this girl has killed me. So he's a labourer?)*

"Yes, mama, but na good man." *(Yes, mama, but he's a good man.)*

"You done ruin me oh. Wetin I go talk now na — why you go get belle like this? Him go marry you?" *(You've ruined me. What do I say now — why did you get pregnant like this? Will he marry you?)*

"Him done already marry," she said in a small voice. *(He's already married.)*

"Eh... My pikin done disgrace me oh — a married man. Oh, Shelly oh." *(My child has disgraced me — a married man. Oh, Shelly.)*

---

The Sharp Guy

At that moment, there was a knock on the door and her father, Mr. Bola, entered. He was an imposing man with shoulders built like a bull. He had that easy-going manner and always thought first before acting. He saw opportunity in every situation and had earned the nickname *the sharp guy*.

"Why my two fine girls dey hide na? Wetin happen?" *(Why are my two fine girls hiding? What happened?)*

"My husband, na our daughter dey ruin us oh," *(My husband, it's our daughter ruining us,)* his wife replied.

"Wetin sweet Shelly done do again na?" *(What has sweet Shelly done again?)*

"She done carry belle." *(She's pregnant.)*

"Hmm, it was bound to happen. But I no dey vex — na who give you belle, Shelly?" *(Hmm, it was bound to happen. But I'm not angry — who got you pregnant, Shelly?)*

"Na Kola, papa." *(It's Kola, papa.)*

"Kola — that young man on my site?"

"Yes, papa."

"You know the boy?" his wife asked him.

"Of course I do, I know everyone on my site oh." He turned to Shelly. "But Kola done married na — him no tell you?" *(But Kola is already married — didn't he tell you?)*

"Him tell me." *(He told me.)*

"Of course. That young man dey honest sha. I go ask him if him go marry you." *(Of course. That young man is honest. I'll ask him if he'll marry you.)*

Shelly couldn't believe her ears. She had thought her father would come blazing at Kola, and she had lied when she called Kola to warn him that her father was coming with an army to arrest him.

"Thank you, papa," she said.

"Nothing to it. I no fit see you born out of wedlock na — e no good." *(It's nothing. I can't have you give birth out of wedlock — it's not right.)*

---

The Father's Gate

Kola arrived at his father's house for the first time in ten years. He stood at the entrance of the compound, looking at the house he had grown up in. He could see that it had changed drastically — modern architecture all over the building. As a construction worker, he knew it must have cost millions to do such a renovation from what used to be a two-room apartment. Coming here, he had almost doubted himself, thinking his parents had relocated, until asking people around confirmed that the house actually belonged to a man named Kolawole — a well-respected elder known for helping the community develop.

A Mother's Arms

She frowned, not recognising the young man standing in front of her — until he smiled. He had that smile she was used to, the one that made his right eye wrinkle.

"KOLA!" She exclaimed as she threw her arms around his neck, and then she wept. "Oh my Kola, you done break my heart." *(Oh my Kola, you've broken my heart.)*

"Sorry, mama," Kola said, weeping too. "I be fool, mama — forgive me." *(I was a fool, mama — forgive me.)*

She was still holding him and he could feel her hot tears on his chest. He felt her shake her head. He was surprised to see that he had grown taller than her — his mum was a tall woman, but he guessed age had done a number on her, though in a beautiful way.

"There's nothing to forgive oh, my boy — na me dey sorry pass." *(There's nothing to forgive, my boy — I'm the one who is more sorry.)*

"Oh, mama, you done open my eyes more." *(Oh, mama, you've opened my eyes even more.)*

"My boy, I done miss you scatter." *(My boy, I've missed you terribly.)*

"What of papa?" he asked her.

---

The Prodigal's Return

Before she could answer, a deep voice — still strong in spite of his age — called out.

"Bisola!"

"Yes, Kolawole!"

She turned to find her husband standing behind her. When Kola saw his father, he prostrated on the ground.

"Papa, please forgive me — I dey sorry for my trouble." *(Papa, please forgive me — I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused.)*

"Kola!" His father exclaimed, going down on one knee and tugging him to rise. "My boy, welcome home."

"Papa, no vex for me, I dey sorry." *(Papa, don't be angry with me, I'm sorry.)*

"Silly boy, I no dey vex for you — in fact, I'm happy to see you." *(Silly boy, I'm not angry with you — in fact, I'm happy to see you.)*

"Papa, you dey right always. I want to go to school." *(Papa, you're always right. I want to go to school.)*

His father laughed, a twinkle in his eyes as he looked at his son. "Wetin change your mind na?" *(What changed your mind?)*

"Papa, life done show me shege pro-max. I done suffer, and I done reason say if I go school, I for fit face life and e no go deal me bad card." *(Papa, life has shown me serious suffering at its worst. I've been through hardship, and I've thought about it — if I had gone to school, I would have been better equipped to face life and it wouldn't have dealt me such bad cards.)*

"You still dey young, so you go still go school." *(You're still young, so you can still go to school.)*

---

Confessions

"But papa, I get big wahala oh." *(But papa, I have serious problems.)*

"Wetin happen?" *(What happened?)*

"My wife done born quadruplets, and I still get four other pikin for house oh. My rent done blow, and eh... my... eh..." *(My wife just delivered quadruplets, and I already have four other children at home. My rent has run out, and eh... my... eh...)*

"Say it, my boy — no worry, papa go cover you." *(Say it, my boy — don't worry, papa will take care of you.)*

"My girlfriend sef get belle for me," Kola said. *(My girlfriend is also pregnant for me.)*

His father was quiet for a moment, then a slow smile spread across his face as he looked at his son.

"See my boy — as you small so, you done give us plenty grandchild." *(Look at my boy — young as you are, you've already given us plenty of grandchildren.)*