SHORT STORY THREAD
I awoke with a dull pain in my head. I tried opening my eyes but I closed them as quickly as I could. The lights were too bright and it didn't help that the walls were painted white. I smelled disinfectants in the air and I knew where I was immediately.

I wondered how long I had been there.And then just as I tried to force myself to sleep I heard the door open quietly. And then I felt her touch even before I knew who it was. I knew how big Mama's hand felt. I grew up with her and she had nursed me at every point whenever I was

sick. I opened my eyes and I smiled at her."Pele oko mi,bawo Lara e"? She asked. I tried replying but it was hard to talk. She kept holding my hand and soon she was singing the same song she sang to me every night while growing up. I smiled and I wondered when big Mama would

Accept that I was a grown ass 25 years old.
For the next two weeks she came everyday and I soon noticed she came at the same 4' o clock everyday and she would stay till seven and leave. I wonder how she did it, her strength amazed me and I prayed to be as agile as she was when I

Clocked seventy. Big Mama was mommy's best friend. The story had been that i had been a cranky child who was picky about who I allowed to carry me but it wasn't so with big Mama as I always nestled against her and fell asleep as soon as she reached for me. She had no child of her

Own and she soon took me as her own.I remember living in her house as much as I lived in mine. Dad had protested at first but he soon let it go when he saw how happy big Mama was whenever I was with her. When I went to university she always visited. She sent money and I never

Worried about my own mother. I loved big Mama as much as I loved my own mother and I always longed for the holidays when I would be with her. She spoilt me alot but at the same time she instilled discipline in me when necessary. It was she I told when I had my first crush

"you'll always have a lot of boys to bother you but don't lose focus, concentrate on your studies and when the time is right you will find the right man running after you..." and on and on she would go with different advice and her stories that always had a moral.

The day she told me how she had stressed and pined for a child to call her own I cried. The IVF always failed her and now she was done "mo ti gba kamu,God has his reasons for it all" she would say. I tried my best to be like a daughter to her and every party she took me to,

People would call her "Iya Desire", I loved the way she would smile and respond and her happiness warmed my heart a lot.
Hearing her sing to me now I wanted to tell her how I missed her and couldn't wait to be home with her. I missed her special "obe Ata din din" which she made w

With catfish. I wasn't able to eat yet as my jaw and some teeth were broken. The accident had been crazy and I still wondered how I survived it. I remember being in the car with big Mama that day on our way back from her Iya Abeni's son's wedding party. Her driver Saliu must

Have had one too many drinks as his speech had been slurred that evening. Give Saliu a step and he would take a dozen. But big Mama didn't have time to chide him and tell him to watch his alcohol intake that day. I on the other hand was busy as well as I was assisting with

Sharing the food. After the party and Iya Abeni had thanked us for coming, she told big Mama how she couldn't wait for it to be my turn too.Big Mama had smiled and said it would happen soon and we left.
I was still thinking about the accident when I heard big Mama say to me"Don't

forget all that I've taught you Desire, you're going to become a great woman one day and when that day comes know that I'm happy with you wherever I am ".
" wherever you are? What are you saying big Mama"? I asked her in my head as I couldn't speak. Then I heard her leave as she

closed the door as quietly as she had entered. A few hours later I heard my mom come in with my sister Anike. I know how Anike hated hospitals but she had made an effort to be here to see me ever since I've been here. I wanted to ask them why they always came alone without Big

Mama, I just hope they weren't mad at her for the accident. It wasn't her fault.
It was that silly Saliu that had driven us that night. He had started singing some fuji songs and his spirits seemed lifted. Big Mama who was too tired to complain just let him be. I tried to rest

A little too as I had been tired from all the stress of helping out at the reception.The last song I heard Saliu sing was"Egungun be kiaful..." by Obesere before I drifted off to sleep.I don't know what happened next as I found myself stuck and I heard the loud wailing of sirens,

I knew something terrible had happened but I couldn't tell what it was. When I woke up I found myself here and when big Mama started visiting I was grateful to God she was fine because I wouldn't know what to do if anything had happened to her.
Big Mama kept visiting for the

One month I was in the hospital and I felt happy each time I felt her presence and the sweet smell of her perfume. I couldn't wait to be home and when the doctor came that day and confirmed me fit enough to be home I was happy. "Her head injury is healing,and she can take liquid

Meals for now then come regularly for check up and scan at a latter date... "the doctor continued and all what he said was like music to my ears as I couldn't wait to be with big Mama. My birthday was in a few weeks and we had been planning on how to celebrate the big 25

"you are getting old oo, mu oko wale fun mi omo yii" she had teased me and I remember telling her I wasn't ready to get married yet as I wanted to be her baby forever. She had laughed and called me naughty.
I got home that day and I was expecting to see big Mama but she wasn't

there. Maybe she has gone to the market to get ingredients for her famous obe Ata dindin I thought to myself. I slept off and didn't wake up till the next morning. Then I asked Anike where big Mama was, she had looked at me with a kind of sadness in her eyes and then rushed out

When Mommy came I asked her the same question and she told me to rest. "I am done resting why are you all acting weird, where is big Mama" I asked again.
Mommy sighed deeply and then she said "Big Mama is dead". I laughed at her at first wondering thinking she was joking

I was the one with the head injury but why was mommy the one acting strange as if she was the one with a head injury? I thought as I laughed harder. I had to stop when I felt my head hurt a little and then I looked up at mom to see she was drying her eyes with her wrapper

She was tying the C.W.O wrapper from the catholic women organization. It was the last one they had bought during their last annual meeting. Big Mama had the same wrapper too. Most days when I slept over at her place I used the wrapper as cover. Everything was becoming blurry.

"big Mama can't be dead" I kept saying over and over again till I felt woozy and I passed out.
Later after I had woken up, mom was by my side and she kept singing softly while stroking my hair.
That night while I slept I dreamt of big Mama. She was smiling and waving goodbye.