They Said It Carries Blessings
I used to pride myself with the fact that I had never seen a dead body before. The time that I almost saw one was when my father died. He had an accident on his bike, the bike which he used for his business, to ply that Incompleted road the government had been constructing for six years. They said it happened in the middle of the night, his bike was hit head-on by one of those local trucks that didn't have headlights. I could imagine his body mangled up covered with sores and cuts. I didn't go for his burial, I didn't cry for him.
My father drank too much with the little money he made, rather than going for his burial, I chose to go to school. That was 3 years ago, I have since dropped out of school. I dropped out because I hated the place. I hated the teachers telling us we would not make it, I hated it when they called us animals whenever we made noise, maybe we would have been quiet if only they took the chance to teach us well. The main reason I dropped out was because the teachers were as wretched and as poor as our parents with all the years they spent in school, learning. Then they still have the mouth to tell us we can't make it when they have also not made it, I was twelve then.
Now, I support mother with the little money I make on the streets, every political campaign that needed numbers could feed us for a day, and an election that needed rigging could feed us for a week. Whenever those were not available, I settled for every pocket that was not protected. There is a reason my friend, Kunle calls me "impossible", because that is what my victims say everytime I strike. I've never been suspected, I have never been caught.
******
His name was Dada, he was eleven years old and he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, I heard his father is a senator. He was born out of wedlock and he lived with his mother. One of those families that a rich man could not just keep his thing in his trousers. I see his father whenever he comes to visit. With his big car and hidden plate number. I think even Dada's mother felt some kind of pride to be associated with such a man. Dada never thought much of myself and Kunle because of his heritage and family, we thought more of him than he did of us even though he was younger. Being wealthy kind of made up for the age difference. I knew the only reason we could have a boy like that in our midst was because of luck and just maybe, he would be our ticket out of this life when he became older.
I do not know why he decided to follow us to swim 2 weeks ago. Normally, he would refuse if we decided to invite him to swim with us. He would follow us to steal and we would share our loots together, regardless if he participated or not. He doesn't totally push us away, but he kept us at arms length. Maybe deep inside his naive and playful exterior, he knew we were from different worlds. He approached us and said he wanted to swim too and we agreed, maybe finally, he would fully trust us.
It was around four in the afternoon and because it rained in the morning, the level of the river was higher than normal. The currents were strong, raging back and forth in a dramatic manner, then slowly dying just to rise again. There was no sun that day, the sky was grey and white, which brought the gloom of darkness without the dark. The environment was unusually chilly, I felt chilly. Kunle and Dada didn't. My mother used to tell me that this stream was a spirit, that God sent a spirit into this stream so it could take blessings from other places and with the current, bring the blessings to my area. I do not believe in God, I believe if God existed I would have been born in another family. I believe if God even does exist, then he does not care about me. Why would I care about him if he does not care about me?
"Wouldn't it be too dangerous to swim?" I pointed out to Kunle
"Impossible, why do you talk like this, remember the last time we came, it was even raining", Kunle said. "Moreover, we brought this boy here to swim with us, and swim, we shall" he added. Dada said nothing, maybe he shared my fear but he didn't want to seem like a privileged kid. He thought the only way to gain our respect was to do what we did, to scrap with us the way we did one another.
We all took off our clothes, leaving our underwear, ready to swim. Kunle and I wore tights, Dada wore stripped boxers, probably fake tommy Hilfigers. Kunle ran barefoot, stepping on sharp rocks and those green growth Dada called ferns without care, he dipped a foot to feel the temperature and dove in. Dada followed him, avoiding the rock and the ferns alike. I followed. Soon we were all inside the water, I could hear screams of excitement from both of them and I made a few of my own. We swam, Dada, who just started learning was practicing strokes while Kunle and I raced, and then it hit us.
Current so huge it swept me off balance and carried me into the river, I could only scream as I tried to regain control of my weight against the constantly changing weight of the water, amidst the struggle, I could see Dada trying to keep his head above the water as I was doing. I could not hear what he was saying, but I assume he was crying for help. I tried to fight the current. I tried till I was out.
My father drank too much with the little money he made, rather than going for his burial, I chose to go to school. That was 3 years ago, I have since dropped out of school. I dropped out because I hated the place. I hated the teachers telling us we would not make it, I hated it when they called us animals whenever we made noise, maybe we would have been quiet if only they took the chance to teach us well. The main reason I dropped out was because the teachers were as wretched and as poor as our parents with all the years they spent in school, learning. Then they still have the mouth to tell us we can't make it when they have also not made it, I was twelve then.
Now, I support mother with the little money I make on the streets, every political campaign that needed numbers could feed us for a day, and an election that needed rigging could feed us for a week. Whenever those were not available, I settled for every pocket that was not protected. There is a reason my friend, Kunle calls me "impossible", because that is what my victims say everytime I strike. I've never been suspected, I have never been caught.
******
His name was Dada, he was eleven years old and he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, I heard his father is a senator. He was born out of wedlock and he lived with his mother. One of those families that a rich man could not just keep his thing in his trousers. I see his father whenever he comes to visit. With his big car and hidden plate number. I think even Dada's mother felt some kind of pride to be associated with such a man. Dada never thought much of myself and Kunle because of his heritage and family, we thought more of him than he did of us even though he was younger. Being wealthy kind of made up for the age difference. I knew the only reason we could have a boy like that in our midst was because of luck and just maybe, he would be our ticket out of this life when he became older.
I do not know why he decided to follow us to swim 2 weeks ago. Normally, he would refuse if we decided to invite him to swim with us. He would follow us to steal and we would share our loots together, regardless if he participated or not. He doesn't totally push us away, but he kept us at arms length. Maybe deep inside his naive and playful exterior, he knew we were from different worlds. He approached us and said he wanted to swim too and we agreed, maybe finally, he would fully trust us.
It was around four in the afternoon and because it rained in the morning, the level of the river was higher than normal. The currents were strong, raging back and forth in a dramatic manner, then slowly dying just to rise again. There was no sun that day, the sky was grey and white, which brought the gloom of darkness without the dark. The environment was unusually chilly, I felt chilly. Kunle and Dada didn't. My mother used to tell me that this stream was a spirit, that God sent a spirit into this stream so it could take blessings from other places and with the current, bring the blessings to my area. I do not believe in God, I believe if God existed I would have been born in another family. I believe if God even does exist, then he does not care about me. Why would I care about him if he does not care about me?
"Wouldn't it be too dangerous to swim?" I pointed out to Kunle
"Impossible, why do you talk like this, remember the last time we came, it was even raining", Kunle said. "Moreover, we brought this boy here to swim with us, and swim, we shall" he added. Dada said nothing, maybe he shared my fear but he didn't want to seem like a privileged kid. He thought the only way to gain our respect was to do what we did, to scrap with us the way we did one another.
We all took off our clothes, leaving our underwear, ready to swim. Kunle and I wore tights, Dada wore stripped boxers, probably fake tommy Hilfigers. Kunle ran barefoot, stepping on sharp rocks and those green growth Dada called ferns without care, he dipped a foot to feel the temperature and dove in. Dada followed him, avoiding the rock and the ferns alike. I followed. Soon we were all inside the water, I could hear screams of excitement from both of them and I made a few of my own. We swam, Dada, who just started learning was practicing strokes while Kunle and I raced, and then it hit us.
Current so huge it swept me off balance and carried me into the river, I could only scream as I tried to regain control of my weight against the constantly changing weight of the water, amidst the struggle, I could see Dada trying to keep his head above the water as I was doing. I could not hear what he was saying, but I assume he was crying for help. I tried to fight the current. I tried till I was out.
******
I woke up at shore, luckily, a fisherman found me. He looked at me with intent as I came around. I felt pain in my chest, he must have been hitting my chest to get the water out of my throat. I felt very thirsty, very ironic, since I almost died in water. Kunle is also looking at me, he said he was not caught in the deep part of the river when the current hit.
The fisherman asked if we were the only people there, Kunle nodded. I looked around, I did not see Dada. I wanted to talk but I couldn't. Did he forget we came here with a ten year old boy that was jovial and almost disrespectful when he spoke to us? The boy who didn't call us "Boda" like other children of his age would call people of my age. The fisherman packed his tools and left us there in silence. I tried to find words and I asked if he remembered Dada came with us. Kunle looked at me, a look that said the worst. A look that told me Dada is dead.
"Impossible, we cannot have a senator's son dying on our watch" he said.
I saw the sense in what he said. We both went back home with our minds stoned with shock and ready to deny any sighting of us together. Luckily, because of the rain, there was not much movement.
The fisherman asked if we were the only people there, Kunle nodded. I looked around, I did not see Dada. I wanted to talk but I couldn't. Did he forget we came here with a ten year old boy that was jovial and almost disrespectful when he spoke to us? The boy who didn't call us "Boda" like other children of his age would call people of my age. The fisherman packed his tools and left us there in silence. I tried to find words and I asked if he remembered Dada came with us. Kunle looked at me, a look that said the worst. A look that told me Dada is dead.
"Impossible, we cannot have a senator's son dying on our watch" he said.
I saw the sense in what he said. We both went back home with our minds stoned with shock and ready to deny any sighting of us together. Luckily, because of the rain, there was not much movement.
*****
An alarm was raised by the boy's mother when she her son didn't come home for dinner. Search parties were sent, people were questioned. Kunle and I followed search parties to reduce suspicion. We joined different search parties because the secrets we shared was too dark, I avoided his eyes when we were being addressed on what and where to look. We searched, and as I knew we would. We found nothing.
Days passed and I started thinking maybe he was alive. Mother never said the spirit in the water killed people, she said it carried blessings. Maybe the spirit carried him to safety where he ended up in another place and he is trying to find his way back. I have not prayed since I was a little child but I prayed. Earnestly for days, I prayed. The search was still on, units were combing every corner of the streets. Some said he was kidnapped, others said he ran away, I wanted to believe them.
Days passed and I started thinking maybe he was alive. Mother never said the spirit in the water killed people, she said it carried blessings. Maybe the spirit carried him to safety where he ended up in another place and he is trying to find his way back. I have not prayed since I was a little child but I prayed. Earnestly for days, I prayed. The search was still on, units were combing every corner of the streets. Some said he was kidnapped, others said he ran away, I wanted to believe them.
****
Two days ago, I heard they found Dada. He was found floating in the river in which we all swam. Dead. I had not talked to Kunle since that day but I knew he would be as cold as I was. It was not as if we did not know he drowned that day, we just hung on to the hope that our reality was a trick. I hear his mother cries everyday now, the senator broke ties with them because nothing bound them anymore.
Mama has started noticing my unusual silence, my loss of interest in dreams. I still see him, I do not see him dead and bloated, I rather see him smiling and looking at me. A look that told me he trusted me with his life, that I would never hurt him. I see him now, in my dreams even while I am awake. I mostly see him in the dark. With that same boyish smile that means no harm.
I still have not seen a dead body, but I seem to be responsible for one.
Mama has started noticing my unusual silence, my loss of interest in dreams. I still see him, I do not see him dead and bloated, I rather see him smiling and looking at me. A look that told me he trusted me with his life, that I would never hurt him. I see him now, in my dreams even while I am awake. I mostly see him in the dark. With that same boyish smile that means no harm.
I still have not seen a dead body, but I seem to be responsible for one.
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