TeeWai

Coming soon... Chip Off The Old Block is a suspense-filled compilation of short stories by my dad and I. It explores the intricate details of true-to-life characters; Ajama’s deceptive look and dreamy nature are his greatest assets. Can the means at his disposal guarantee the end he desperately desires? The enraged Apati seeks revenge at the expense of everything he holds dear. Between his passion and pain, family and fear, he undertakes mission impossible and embraces the consequence. Michelle hoped for the best. Daring and endearing, lovely and amusing; her dreams and ideas hold true in a world that seem set on the opposite. Surviving the odds, courage is inevitable. "Look before you leap". What if your leap would save the day? Mr Gaze exudes confidence, character and candor. Mastering his art was easy, playing the game was fun till love got in the way. What do you do when the need that stares you in the face also scar...

He was a dark skinned chubby man. I had planned to pass by the day we first met, he beckoned with a pleasant smile and offered me an unbelievable discount and an assurance I will be back. He was right, from that day he became my eleran aka meatman. This remained the case for another 3 years thereafter. He will send meat to me through my wards without taking money and leave me with the responsibility of coming to him to settle the bill at my convenience. He was proactive, invested in his trade and had a loud mouth. He always had gist. He will offer me a sit when I was heavily pregnant knowing he was going to make me bargain for a long time. The irony was how he always convinced me to buy more than I needed. One day as I headed home from work, I couldn’t find him, I asked around and was told he was very ill. I called him and he assured me it was an ailment he could take care of in his village. He resurfaced months after, he didn’t seem much like himself anymore. I pleaded with him t...

They told me I could sing the house down; then I sang. They said if I read up some more I will be the next big thing; then I read. They said if only I had more panache; I mastered it. They said if I were taller, fairer, darker, thicker etc. They thought they could define, restrain and conform me to their limited minds.…they lost me there. Amidst who they made me to be, I couldn’t find who I set out to be. I wanted to dance till my feet hurt, I wanted to sing and then I didn’t want to anymore. I wanted to build castles and I was ready to work to learn how to. I wanted to light up a room when I walked in and slide in through the back on other days. I wanted to speak before Kings and have them take notes, I wanted to curl up on my bed and read myself to sleep too. I wanted to find faith and walk in it, I wanted to fail on my own terms and find faith again. Here I was, sitting, counting the opportunities I missed and the ones I shouldn’t have. Living backwards, defeated b...

On my mind today are the things we cover, the things we protect, the things we defend. They could be habits; those habits we cannot allow ourselves admit we have and the good clothes and poise hide on the outside. They could be abuse, emotionally, verbally or physically. They could be symptoms that can graduate into sicknesses or diseases. They could be mental imbalances that require professional support to manage and you consistently tell yourself is unreal and convince yourself you are thinking it up. My God! We hide too much in Nigeria. Its like one is sworn to some form of secrecy from childhood that makes you silent when a trusted uncle fondles your private part, the kind of silence that makes you a slave to your habits yet no one must know you even imagined the habit to start with. The kind of silence that makes people move from mood swings to full blown depression and they cannot help themselves. The kind of silence that makes a man suicidal because he is wailing inside but s...

Completely exhausted she looks through her itinerary for the next day, dreading sleep as the sound of her alarm in the morning reminds her how little she had to sleep and how another day beckons with its needs, demands, choices, challenges and gifts. She wonders why life seems so fast lately and conversations seem so empty. She looks through her phone, scanning the chit chats, gossip, sensual jokes, political comments and internet feuds. Hissing at the emptiness of it all, postponing her replies to her best friend she drags her duvet over her tired body and curls up in her usual style in an attempt to find sleep. The soft tune of her favourite ring tone, jolts her back to reality as she reaches for the phone and reluctantly picks the call; wondering who will call her at this time with an unfamiliar number. Hello, who is this please? Its Gina a pleasant and familiar voice replies at the other end of the call. Scanning her head, she recalls it’s her childhood friend whose number she ...

Totally glad to have my daddy back from his trip, I sit on his leg eagerly waiting for my goodies. He opens his bag and brings out a pack of my favourite snacks. Excitedly, I grab the gift bag and rush off to my best spot in the house to enjoy my spoils. As I unwrap the first snack, reaching for my first bite mummy rushes towards me and grabs it out of my hands. Unfair! She doesn’t say a word for a while and I wonder what I had done this time as she looks at me anticipating something. My room must be scattered again, I thought to myself. Seeing as I was still silent, she sighs and speaks up, T girl, what do you say to Daddy? Then the realisation hit my small head, here we going again! I had been trying to master this routine to no avail. Trying to stay straight faced, I quickly say, sorry mum. Rushing into daddy’s arms, I scream ‘thank you daddy’. I marvel at how we all teach this and were taught but our reality is farfetched as we grow older. We complain more than we acknowledge t...

I had the privilege to visit an orphanage recently, and the experience was humbling, exciting, emotional and altogether fulfilling. I met such happy and beautiful kids. One child stood out as she touched my humanity in a way I don’t encounter every day. Her name; Miracle. She is a beautiful girl who can neither walk, talk nor hear. I noticed her gently move her shoulder to the music and I wondered if she was hopping excitedly around like the other kids in her mind. She seemed accustomed to sitting on one spot all day. Her eyes spoke a thousand words, as I sensed her acceptance of her reality. While others jumped, hugged, danced and sang, she just watched smiled slightly and mostly had a straight face. I wondered if she was used to everyone reaching out to them and waving at her from a distance. As I moved closer to her, I reached for her cheeks, and she smiled. That smile could light up a room. It brought me to tears. And no, I don’t cry that easily. I sat by her and held her hands ...