Udo is a middle age man in his mid
twenties, brown in complexion and
slim, always longing for things that
always elude him: being free from
oppression, to love and being loved,
material ideolology.
Udo was the only son in the family
of five, "when will I av a brother,"
Udo would ask his mum when he
was 9-11year old but his mum, a
fair and sanctimonous woman,
brought up in catholic teachings will
pat his shoulder telling him those
words she always respond with
"don't worry God's time is the
best." Udo would cry all
night,praying and asking God for a
brother but time wound up and
Udo realised that that's God wish- to
be the only son. Udo grew up
amongst his younger sisters, they
showed him love but sometimes the
love has limitations, sometimes they
wont share their things with him,
"who want," Ada would ask but
when he raised his finger up she
would snub him and instead give it
to the other girls who still have
theirs with them. When Udo turned
12 he started asking for a bicylcle so
he could ride around the house just
like how his age mates does, 'mama
buy me bicyco' he would ask his
mum in a broken english but mum
will instead scold him to go tell his
dad, knowing that he couldn't
because he was brought up to fear
instead of respect his elders. Udo
throughout his teenage years never
get the bike because his nefarous
and avaricious dad had never added
that to his would-do list. Udo lost
almost everything about teenage
life- the wholeness of being a
teenager: folklores, bicycle
riding,playing with other kids of his
age. Mum always tell him that the
patient dog eats the fattest bone,but
how come I haven't seen even the
thinnest bone, he would ask
himself.
Life never smiled at him and he
never smiled at life, the struggle of
adjusting into a normal adolsecent
life troubled him when he clocked
19. He couldn't communicate
without fear, as if the other recipient
will smack him down with a wood.
It took time for him to kind of
readjust but life at home keep
getting worst, his dad always look at
him as a bad boy just because he
hangs around and play football with
friends in the evening, his dad never
think positively about him- he takes
hard drugs, his friends are cultist, all
this he will pour out when he came
back from his beer parlor.
Udo started thinking about what the
future holds for him growing up
being hated by his father and living a
quasi house arrest life, he was never
allowed to go look for a vocational
job or even a paying work where he
could earn but always forced to stick
around the family business when
the university is on holiday or forced
to go on holiday by industrial action
of the universities, albeit going to his
father workshop is not the problem,
the problem is that he was never
payed or given some kind of
allowance to take care of himself,
the only option he has was to buy a
bread and mineral in the afternoon
and save the remaining 165 Naira
for himself whilst his father eat good
foods and live a good life.
Udo is now 24, denied the liberty
and freedom to move around-he
don't dare come bak home by
8:30pm else he will go look for an
uncompleted building to go sleep in
as he has done in the past, he was
never given the opportunity to own
or learn how to ride a bicycle, can't
ride a motorcyle even when his
father has two Jincheng motorcyle
he abandoned in his lot, he don't
know his medical state as he
consume sugary drinks all day long,
Udo has been mentally traumatise
anytime he thinks about his ugly
past and his yet to come future
encounters.
Wat advice do you have for Udo?