Books: Our own Babies

Today on my #Fortunecity4, I will talk on people that I got connected to because of our love for Books. #Fortunecity4 is a story inspired by my story (A Dread in The Spine #ADITS). Who are your Fortunecity4?

I might not have much to say because we really began to break the ice between us in the tail end of December, but I can’t go without talking about Glory Anna Oshafi, Debbie Oyegue, Keren Adelaja.


Glory Anna Oshafi, we were course mates in UI but became friends this NYSC years. We started by wrecking havocs together online, giving savage replies, and having the same view to the same joke. Our ice began to break when we both loved Percy Jackson, and wanted to show how much of it we’ve read. Maybe we both had a reason to be friends, but didn’t follow it through. I remember how she and someone won the spelling bees for my department, while I and Olamide, a departmental mate, won the quiz competition for the department (all those excos sef refused to give me my certificate for winning). But ever since, we’ve always been drawn together by books- especially mine. She blogs about books at Reelyree.. If you want to encounter a voracious reader, who has read the oddest of book, meet her. And I love books. I love readers. That’s why having our own bookstores like Okadabooks, Buboox, Flipng and our various bookstores.

Also, Keren (Evajael), We were both excited to talk to each other the first time we had the opportunity. She because the moderator, Divepen, wanted to chat with her. Me because the lady whose story threads got close to, if not more than, 100 pages on Nairaland on just one story. One page has 32 comments. For her to have such level of committed followers was just too sweet.

She also became my friend and had remain so through books. She was gushing over my book, Grabbing The Hot Gate, and I feel she is an inspiration. She just got admission into the University; yet, she has a great command of the use of English language. She inspires me to know that I’m getting older per time and can’t just relent.
Debbie Oyegue, Debbietiyan also became a friend with me after saying she loved to criticize my book, Purified Tomorrow. That book, I felt it didn’t get enough details, so when she resonated my thoughts, I knew this is the person I want as a friend. And since then, I have always wanted to discuss plots with her. She is always excited whenever her story makes FrontPage on Nairaland, and would go to the extent of sending me an appreciation letter as if I did it. Whereas, my job is to recommend to the Admin, Mynd44. But meeting you in a short while had exposed me to the fact that I need to learn more. I must also commend your entries into the story ‘Writertain Chronicle: ‘Few and Deep’. More so, she can like to have all the books in the world in her house. I’ve seen books I’m dreaming of getting in her hands.
I read her criticism, and I saw some writing jargons that were used in the write world, and I felt this is someone that know her onions. She blogs about books at www.everythingfiction.com


These three have helped in one way or the other to Fortunecity Nigeria. Although we didn’t have the connection of a group, I can’t help but talk about them because they were connected in my books especially ‘Purified Tomorrow- one as an editor, the other as a better reader, the other as a pure reader.
Thanks guys.
Who are your #fortunecity4 ?

http://writertain.com/2018/03/15/books-our-own-baby/

For The Love of the Children
Today on Fortunecity4, I’ll be talking about three other people that made friendship a good memory in my Place of Primary Assignment (P.P.A) even while we’re serving at Osun state. They are Benjamin Victoria(itunes), Victoria (Veeka), Oluwatoni (Proof… Famzing a big rapper).

By the way, have you gotten the book, you can do so at http://writertain.com/a-dread-in-the-spine/
Now, being around these guys made teaching fun. The staffroom being overcrowded with old women, who have spent their lives in the school educating the students, whose parent were mostly negligent of their behavior could only be lightened by the presence of these three.

I’m not sure I’ve mentioned the title of the book, ‘A Dread In The Spine’ (Well, if you’ve not gotten your copy, you’re missing).
ITunes, as everyone knows is my best friend there, probably because we sit together or because we did our clearance together or because we were always competing for the first to get to school. While Toni is also a Uite. I met him when he first came to OBS (Orientation broadcasting Service, Osun) for an interview, and when he was asked to freestyle, and he performed as if he was breathing. Then, Veeka, is whom we referred to our slay mama. The children are always awed by her dressing, and she herself was always ready to go in a grand style. I have learnt so much from being around these ones and I think they are worth being referred to as the typical #Fortunecity4

Let me write a story on a typical day around them.
With the women teachers abusing themselves about their villages and towns or telling one horrendous news about the country and its people- by the way, they are very hardworking- I’ll be in the staffroom battling with my lesson note, constantly glancing at the door.

‘Corper… Big man’, Mrs Ishola, one short, dark motherly teacher, would call from her seat, which was placed opposite ours. I’ll turn to her with her eyes staring intently at me.
‘Ma?’
‘What of Mummy Gold?’ She would ask and point at Itunes’ seat. Normally, she doesn’t wear glasses, but this time you would see one on her face because she was also working, anticipating 8am, first period’s bell.
‘She should be here soon’.

As if she was at the door, waiting for Mrs. Ishola’s question, she would hurry into the staffroom, courteously bending the knees of her small frame fair body, and greeting everyone in the staffroom. They would abandon their discussions, greet her, ask about her welfare and her baby, and return to their works.
She would drop her bag on the seat, and hit my arm. ‘Serious chaid’.

Like a gentleman, I’d take her high five, and continue what I was doing. She too, like the remaining teachers, would soon try to engrossed in the work.
‘Ehen Akin, do you know that my Oga hasn’t returned from that meeting’, she would say, and we would start our discussions that would go like that of gentle people or so. We always like to pretend to be gentle early in the morning.

Suddenly, she would turn to me and tickle me in the ribs. Being sensitive, I would shake, and open my hand. She would laugh and giggle.
‘Oh! God! I didn’t know you were ticklish. God! You’re ticklish. I know Toni is ticklish, but not you’.
Then, we would start arguing, with me telling her how she got that because she caught me by surprise.

At that moment Victoria would enter, probably wearing a very long yellow skirt, and a jean tucked into the skirt. When I say long skirt, it’s not the skirt that would describe a typical person referred to as SU. Her beautiful long skirt is one that has these beautiful pleating at the side that would reveal her gold leg chain, and her white boots. She would greet everyone in English, and they would reply her. Suddenly, most of the women would returned to speaking Yoruba, but instead of abusing one another, they would start talking about Victoria’s golden Gallas hair, and begin to cite examples of things that she had done wrong. One of them would even have the effrontery to come to meet her.

‘You need to set example for this kids?’
Veeka would only laugh and smile at the woman, ‘I’m doing it the best way I can’.
The woman, unrelenting and unsatisfied, would come to her front, gesturing and telling how dressing modestly was the best thing. On a normal sense, the dress was modest. But most of them are not comfortable with the hair. Immediately the woman leaves, the other women would keep talking.
Irritated, Itunes would turn to me, and say without trying to lower her voice,’ but Akin, why do they like doting on her, and why can’t they tell her in English?’

‘That’s one problem language is causing’, I would say.
Within a few minutes, Toni would stroll in just as the bell for the first period would ring. Toni lived at Ogooluwa, which cost him N150 naira per day.
‘Principal’, Toni would hail me as he tries to dust a seat.
‘As in’, Victoria would say, ‘I got to the attendance book, and saw he came to school around 7:10’.
‘Don’t mind Jide, he just like to teach. He is a fish. And tomorrow, I will first him’, Itunes would say.

Then, we would keep working on our lesson notes, sharing jokes from the previous day. Then, we would start laughing at people’s tweet and Savage responses. We have another great person, Eric, but since I’m doing three, I chose the top three.
‘Toni, can you guess what happened today?’ Itunes would say, looking up suddenly.

‘What?’ everyone would say, focused on her.
‘Jide too is ticklish’.
Everyone would laugh, and the topic would change again.
‘Veeka, when is your class?’
‘I don’t have a class today’.
‘And you wasted a hundred naira to this place from estate. You’re trying’.
‘I have to do some works with the children’.
‘What about you, Toni?’

‘No class. I want to do some something with my students’.
I knew Itunes only came around to make notes. She is such a teacher that would spend her time reading the notes through and through, correcting every mistake. She is as good as that.
‘You? Itunes’, Veeka would ask.
‘She doesn’t have a class’, I would say.
‘I want to mark the notes of the students’.

Glancing at the bottom of her desk, I would see notes from two classes under her desk. In each classes, there are more than a 100 people. She would go through each note and ensure their spelling were correct. The permanent teachers, weary from working too long, and the fact they are receiving half salary, would try to work harder. Many of their half salaries were more than the pay of each of these guys. Yet, they spend up to one third of their monthly allowance on teaching when the school is not paying them, and not providing accommodation. Instead, they’ve demanded punctuality and dedication from them. These guys inspired me. They are always after the future, these children.

Most times during tests, we have to water down the level of our tests to meet the standard of what the children in the class of the N-Power and permanent staffs are teaching. I don’t wish to berate these sets, I just want to show how effective these guys are.
These guys are inspiration to me. The thought of them wake me daily, and make me get ready to expend my money on the transportation to school, close to four thousand naira four hundred, spent per month. They come around for the love of the students, while I go there daily because I teach the usage of English Language, and it is a daily class. I go because it is my duty. They come out because they love the children. And that’s why I am writing to you and about you guys, you’re have made me a better teacher, and made me love teaching.

Oh! Veeka and Eric passed out of the scheme and had been replaced by Azeezat, who is a photo freak like Veeka. Interestingly, she is also spending almost the same amount as Veeka. I remember the time Eric and Veeka would leave school, they assumed the students wouldn’t miss them. And it was surprising when the students came with gifts to wish them farewell.
God bless you my #Fortunecity4

The Ones That Taught Me First Love

I’m starting this throwback series called the #Fortunecity4. After writing my book, A Dread in the Spine, I saw how four friends were really connected and how little things brought back strange memories. I’m hoping to compile a book on the little things that really spur deep things in us. If you like to be a part of this memory thing, just write about the events that happened between three people and you at the same time(you can use anything jare, only pictures or even videos) and use the hashtag #Fortunecity4 and #ADITSmemory ( A Dread In The Spine memory). Let’s share memories and smile or cry or make a call we haven’t made in a long time.

I’ll be posting these stories every Thursday on my website, as well as my social media handles. Mine will be Thursdays, yours do not necessarily have to be that day (but what if it is on Thursday too- how sweet).

By the way, have you downloaded my story, A Dread in The Spine, it’s available at Okadabooks and Smashwords (and its numerous affiliates) You can follow this link:

http://writertain.com/2018/03/01/the-ones-that-taught-me-first-love/

To my story
I met these three at different times, but I started understanding the concept of love from them. Although the lesson didn’t last for long, it was resounding.

We just got to Ikorodu then, 9-9 to be precise. I met Oluwole in church. That day, he was trying to leave the church premise, and his Aunt kept shouting,’ Wole, Wole si bi yii’ i.e. Wole get inside. I was awed by the name, and also by this handsome boy. Before long, Wole and I became friends, and through him I became friend with Eugene.

I think some school terms later, a young round little girl came to our school, and she became a competition for I, Junior, and Ahmed, all of whom I have no contact with till today. Her name was easy to remember, Olawunmi Olaniyi.

Wole loved to play and build castles in the sky with his imaginations, while Eugene was a guy that just didn’t get it the way people wanted, but still loved God even at a tender age. Olawunmi was the girl that made boys in my class stand on their toe academically.

Let me tell you story about a day around them.
I slightly opened my bag to show a classmate a card I bought for a special girl. He was awed and brought it out and began to show the world that I bought love card for Olawunmi. The rancor was too much that she heard about it, and was awed. She told me to bring it.

However, at the close of the day, she returned it with a fear that her parents would see it. At the age of ten, I took the card to a stream and prayed over it that if God wanted her to be my wife, he should let the card float. Owing to the fact the stream wasn’t flowing, or should I say the side of the stream wasn’t flowing, the paper refused to move. So, I shoved it and saw it float away. Well, the prayer didn’t have the two of us love one another or get another chance to declare our love, but the last time we had a little conversation over the net, I wrote a long message full of blunders, telling her how much it was good to have learnt how the heart rejoices on the sight of love.

After that I went home, and headed for Wole’s house, which was a street away. At Wole’s place, I came to understand what a best friend means. We ate together, and I can remember that I learnt my first checkers from him. He won me 19-1, with me winning the last one. I learnt my first steps to boxing from his brothers, and loved books because of his dad, who had a lot of encyclopedia that were calling on to me. Then, when I wrote my first book, his brothers believed it was publishable, and they gave me my first sets of encouragement as a writer.
During our play, we would head to Eugene’s house. He is someone that I learnt a lot from. Eugene, even when angry, always refrained from foul words. At my tender age, I always felt drawn to such humanity that lived in the heart of a young boy, who believed that we don’t need to defame others to feel good.

For Oluwole, I might have not given a story as I might have written like others (the other throwbacks), but I can’t forget the guy, who became my best friend, whose life and family member were really a source of encouragement to my growth.
And how will I forget the girl that made me first learn to love. I remember the days we read and wrote together. The days it was only me, her, and Junior playing together because we could be called upon anytime to represent the school. And I wrote my first story, a story I heard from Uncle Kingsley of Foursquare Gospel Church, Destiny and the seven mountains because of her. I think she loved to read a lot that time.

While Eugene taught me to love God. I remember trying to avoid certain foul words because of him.
These guys taught me love, and are the ones that made my Fortunecity Four Friends for today.

Wow...

judette:
Wow...

Thanks