BEHIND THE FINE FACE
EPISODE 11
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Mama’s call woke me up from sleep that morning. In that sleepy state, I had to roll over, stretch my hand to find my phone, then proceed to turn it off. I’d had a long day the day before, and I’d just begun to drift off when my phone rang.
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After a series of obviously unsuccessful attempts to reach me, Mama called Grace (my wife). “Baby, mama is on the line for you.” She stated that Uncle T is no longer alive.
Those words echoed in my head, even in my sleep. I sprung up and snatched the phone out of Grace’s hand in the blink of an eye.
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“Mama, what am I hearing? Uncle T, dead ke? How? What happened? When?” I kept firing at Mama in rapid succession.
“It’s true, my son. I am at his place as we speak. He died in his sleep.” Mama said, her voice clearly indicating that she had been crying.
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I stood there shaking like a leaf, long after I’d hung up the phone, promising Mama that Grace and I would be over within the hour.
I couldn’t believe my ears. I couldn’t believe that Uncle T was dead. “A man I spoke to just a couple of hours ago? A man who was looking forward to seeing me and Bobby tomorrow is no longer alive. How?” I asked, with my eyes fixated on Grace and my mouth still wide open in disbelief.
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Grace and I were at Uncle T’s compound moments later.
I couldn’t believe my eyes. Lying in state, right in front of my very eyes, was Uncle T, my “beloved” uncle and Bobby’s supposed savior.
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Bobby met us later that day at the morgue, where Uncle T was to be deposited. Upon the sight of Uncle T’s corpse, Bobby slumped, unconscious. It took the help of some very skilled individuals in our midst to have Bobby revived.
Bobby cried his eyes out that day. One look at him and anyone would have assumed he was “a family member.” But more than anyone in that room, I understood the pain behind every drop of tears Bobby shed.
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We all mourned Uncle T for the weeks that followed.
Bobby, more than anyone else, mourned Uncle T as though he were his favorite relative.
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All through these processes, I’d not had enough time to really process everything that had happened. Even though Uncle T’s demise had hit me hard, I didn’t really think anything strange about what had happened. I mean, the man was very old; he was going to die at some point, regardless of how healthy any of us had previously assumed he was.
Nothing about what had happened had Bobby or even Rachael linked to it in my thoughts. There was no way I could have ever assumed it was, not even in my wildest imagination.
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Grace (my wife) had gotten back from the market one day (a few months after Uncle T’s demise) with a message from an unknown “man” she’d met at a meat stand for me.
“He said I should tell you that, you are poking your nose into affairs that are none of your business, not since you broke away from it the first time, anyways. He said to tell you that, for your own good, all that avails is flight.”
“All that avails, is flight?” I asked, puzzledly looking at Grace.
Grace nodded her head in response to my question. “Baby, do you know what any of it means?” She asked.
“No, I don’t.”
“But do you have any idea what he might be trying to warn you about?” Grace asked again, with concern splattered all over her demeanor.
“No, I don’t.” I responded again, trying to give it some deep thought. “But I think it’s rubbish, babe. “I hope you didn’t pay him after he said all this nonsense, o.”
“You call this nonsense? Babe, what’s the matter with you? This man had no business talking to me if he didn’t think he had a reason to. He looked nothing like someone who needs any financial favors from me or anyone else for that matter. He…”
“Tell me, what does he look like? Who was he with? What else did he say to give you a hint that he definitely knows what he’s talking about? Because, as far as I’m concerned, babe, this man could just be another ordinary, phony human out there, prowling around, preying on the next man’s vulnerability. Most of these things they spew are basic problems they assume a lot of us suffer from. They throw these words around randomly, hoping to nail at least one person from the numerous people they will have spoken to before the day runs out.”
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Grace looked at me with a facial expression that clearly depicted “unbelieving.” From all indications, she could not believe my negligence regarding spiritual affairs.
“He said to tell you that the mighty tree that was recently uprooted in your family is just the first of a few more to follow.”
To be continued…
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Moshood Avidiime
