₦airaland Forum

A full nine month has passed. Awele, the priced-jewel of Kilanko Village, married to Akinlabi, a renowned farmer and hunter, is expecting her first child. So glorious was the day she was solemnized: kings, chiefs, merchants and the highly influential from far and nearby villages graced the occasion. So much to drink and eat, variety of songs and dancing steps were on parade to make the solemnization one to remember for generations.

Akinlabi, known for his hard-work and relentlessness, has been preparing for this day: he would work on his farm daily alongside some hired labourers (almost eight acres of land in measurement), plant various climate friendly fruit crops and tuber crops and dash straight to the market for sale of his farm produces whenever they are harvested. Akinlabi's farm produces are the most soughted after in Ayegbami Community Market because of their freshness, relatively low prices and his customer friendly gestures. So many a times has these cause various uproars and envy from other farmers but in all, Akinlabi has come out clean and vindicated. To complement his farming know-how, Akinlabi also indulges himself in animal hunting. So skillful and successful was his hunting that, with the aid of his well-positioned traps and ever-ready locally made barrel, on one single hunt, Akinlabi killed three antelopes, two kangaroos and four grasshoppers!

Aside his farming and hunting successes, Akinlabi is a lover of music. Hanging on the wall of his room is an ancient talking drum passed unto him by his father, Akingbola. Akingbola, in his days, was a fantastic and talented drummer. No ceremony would be regarded as fun-packed if Akingbola didn't play. His playing skills didn't go unnoticed by the king of the time, Oba Orimogunje. On one of Orimogunje's festivities, Akingbola played so well that the Oba handed one of his beautiful daughters, Omolabake, to Akingbola to wife. So good was Akingbola with his drumming skills that other neighbouring villages do invite him for child's dedications, house warming, chieftaincy coronation and so on. It was this same drum that Akinlabi also plays whenever there is an occasion - be it far or near.

Awele on her part is a pretty young damsel, full of life and buzzing with excitement. Her hair so black like the back of every compound's cooking pot. Her eyes perfectly set on her skull such that your heart can't but melt if your eyes meet with hers. Her set of teeth is as white as snow and her mammalian glands scream daily for life. She's got the touch of elegance and style, whatever she does becomes the trend among the village girls - her dress, walking steps and her dancing steps. The latter is one thing that made her outshine every other girl, who has successfully imitated her way of life - some for obsession while others purely out of jealousy.

It's an understatement to say that she was the best dancer there is in Kilanko Village. She, despite her tender age, has spearheaded so many dancing groups' competitions with so many trophies and awards as testimony. It was on one of her dancing competitions that Akinlabi saw her...and immediately fell in love, not without stiff competitions though from other famous and wealthy men who were also trying to make their presence known to the jewel. It was Akinlabi's physical appearance and his deep-rich baritone voice however, that got Awele's attention...and affection. Akinlabi is ebony-skinned, tall, massively built, and strong and, surprisingly, humble. It's also a well-known fact that majority of all the young damsels of Kilanko Village wants Akinlabi to be their husband. To go with all these mouth-watering attributes, Akinlabi is everyone's favourite: an exemplary son to the mothers and the favourite of the old fathers of the land. To Awele, Akinlabi is the kind of man every girl should have: a man so hardworking, famous, honourable and humble. And to whet her appetite, Akinlabi would come out every night with his drum, go to Awele's compound and starts praising Awele's beauty. So irresistible was the feeling that Awele would sneak out of her compound to go meet Akinlabi under the blissful moon every night. This continued until they eventually tied the knot, much to the joy and fulfillment of dream to Awele.

Awele was about her normal morning chores when, suddenly, the grip of the baby within becomes unbearable. "I think it is time" was a scream from one of the maids of Awele, who rushed out for to call Mama Eewe, a renowned midwife, known for her expertise at child delivery. In fact, Mama Eewe has become the most trusted midwife in the whole of the land as she'd helped delivered virtually all of Oba Orimogunje's princes and princesses. Quickly, Mama Eewe came along with her apparatus and some maids to help during the child delivery. Like a wild fire, news that Awele is labouring has gotten to Akinlabi, who, uncharacteristically, was hanging out with his friends that day playing aayo olopon. At the point of victory, Akinlabi abandoned his game and dashed home to see his wife give birth to his first child. Soon, Akinlabi's voice was heard thirty meters away from home, screaming with a voice mixed with both joy and uncertainty:

"I'm going to be a father...my wife is labouring...I'm going to be a father."

This shout of excitement attracted hundreds of villagers, who accompanied him home while some carried him shoulder-high singing and dancing in anticipation of the unborn child,

"Baba ikoko kaabo, se daada lo de, a ti n reti re, kaabo."

The villagers continued this melodious symphony until they arrive Akinlabi's Compound, where people were seen anticipating the expectant cry of a baby. The tension was so high that Akinlabi himself lost all wit to fear and despair as all he could see was the never-ending movement of maids from one position to another with various materials with them - some with clothes, others with oil and still others with soaps and water. At this point, various thoughts begin to crawl into his mind. Just last week, Omolara, the wife of Ajadi, Akinlabi's friend, died at child birth, along with the baby. Also, Agbeke, a childhood friend of Awele, also died at child birth, though her baby survived. Aside this child mortality fear, Akinlabi also thought about the amount of money already spent on preparation and invitations. The tragic feeling of losing a baby gripped his heart as Awele's labour lingers still, almost two hours. Little by little, Akinlabi began to think about the girls he would have married instead of Awele: Amope, the daughter of his father's friend - a tall-dark-sizzling damsel who at that time, was every guy's favourite; Adebimpe, the charming daughter of the wealthiest man in Kilanko Village, raised in opulence and splendour, she particularly took special interest in Akinlabi as she often summon him to make grace her occasion whenever there is one and Bolatito, the girl she grew up with. Out these three girls, it was Bolatito that struck much feeling of regret into Akinlabi heart as they lived closely to each other's house while they were younger, would go to the stream together, eat together and would help each other out with home chores. The closeness was so strong that people made a proverb out of them. To assure someone of your presence, just say, "I am as close to you as Bolatito to Akinlabi." To say the least, it was a little bit of surprise and shock when Akinlabi married Awele instead of Bolatito, the whole village thought both Bolatito and Akinlabi were destined to marry each other. "Why didn't I marry Bolatito?" Akinlabi thought within himself. "She would have been a perfect wife since she's been part of my life until the day I married Awele."

Before Akinlabi could give an answer to his question, the cry of a baby, disrupted his long lost thoughts. Like an accuser who had just been discharged and acquitted by the judge, Akinlabi escaped from his captivating thoughts, came back to his senses while his ears, all stretched out, and could hear the cry of a baby. Within a jiffy, the villagers resumed their jubilant dance that was disrupted earlier by the deafening silence they met at Akinlabi's compound. Again Akinlabi was lifted shoulder high as the people resumed their chorus,

"Baba ikoko kaabo, se daada lo de, a ti n reti re, kaabo."

In a lost soliloquy, Akinlabi said, "That's the cry of my baby...I am father...Awele has given birth." The feeling of finally becoming a father erupted in Akinlabi's confused mind, his joy knows no bound. As the villagers moved him closer to the room whence his wife Awele was delivered of her child, tears of joy suddenly filled Akinlabi's eyes, his body shivering and wobbling as he edged closer to the door post. Mama Eewe, sensing Akinlabi's sluggishness, moved closer to him, patted him on his back and led him to where his wife and beautiful daughter were resting. To create a joyful feeling and obviate the silence Akinlabi brought in, Mama Eewe taunt Akinlabi saying, "With all your sheer power and strength, your wife is stronger than you. It's a girl Akinlabi, a very beautiful and adorable baby girl." Suddenly the joy in the room resurrected, Odewale and Ogunmola - close friends of Akinlabi, started singing while the midwife and her maids dance as they watch Akinlabi approach his wife and baby, who was beautifully wrapped in white linen beside her mother.

Not knowing what to say, Akinlabi just knelt beside the bed on which his wife and child were laid. Awele, reading the unspeakable joy on her husband's face broke the silence,

"Akinlabi mi, olowo ori, baale mi, ololufe mi, oko mi."

Akinlabi replied with a cracked voice of neither whispering nor talking loud,

"Awele mi, ayo mi, eni-bi-okan mi, ore mi, adu-maa-dan mi, orekelewa mi, o ku ori-iire ti ojo oni. Wa diiru, wa diigba fun mi: okunrin abiro, obinrin abiye..."

Before Akinlabi could finish his exchange of romantic words with Awele, the baby, sensing she was being left out of the conversation cuts in with a very loud cry that those forty meters away could hear her cry. Quickly, Awele attends to her while Akinlabi - now brimming with joy and excitement - with his friends, went out of the room in the company of the non-stop songs and dancing by the villagers and well-wishers.

Akinlabi, in a friendly gesture, asked the jubilant villagers to bring down their voices as he makes his way into one of other rooms in his compound only to emerge almost immediately with three sacks of monies in his hands; much to the delight of the villagers who increased their voices in praises of Akinlabi while craning their necks for to see what he is going to do with those sacks of monies. Like a triumphant conqueror, Akinlabi opened up the sacks, hoisted them, and flung them in the air and started dancing - along with his friends - ecstatically to the melodious song rendered by the villagers. While he was so engrossed in dancing and merriment, like the strike of a lightning thunder, the need to inform the Oba struck him. Slowly, he began to remove his feet off the pedal of dance he has so immersed himself in, beckoned to his friends, whispered some words and left for the palace.