NOT PERMANENT AFTER ALL (PT1)

    Daddies are Wonderful! They love, care and offer that warmth and protections we need as kids. Daddies love to take charge and take responsibility; well some are not and I stand be corrected in your own context. My own dad had his own shortcomings, when I was growing up to about 7 years. During those times, I saw him buy nice clothes and shoes for all six (6) of us- which I would jump and rejoice over at the mention of them. We clung to him whenever he would pass by our school to check our performances in our classes; I for one would tell my classmates how big and powerful my dad was.     And Benjamin- my big brother would often paint for his friends a powerful and amazing dad. He would tell them about how our dad could climb a coconut tree with a motorbike- which I still wonder how. Funny! but those were exactly how we saw our dad. We felt luckier than most of our friends because of our dad. He had a muscular physique and looked even stronger whenever he spoke. We felt protected indeed. ‘No condition is permanent’; one quote daddy would not leave out whenever he spoke to any of us. And indeed, the good times were soon over.                                                   

  After those good times, my siblings and I got scared whenever we heard dad was miles away from home. We lost touch of him, we only saw him as “the man of the house; which for me was often not pleasant to hear. We waited for him to come around but to no avail, he went even far away- not in physical distance but emotionally. Woe betides anyone of us if we dared move anywhere close to the living room whenever he had visitors. Till his visitors left, we stayed right in our corners. Just as we would disappear whenever they came. He got furious every time he came to meet us playing- we ought to be indoors even after we did our assignments. He would hit mummy at the least of argument we heard as we eavesdropped, and wouldn't hesitate to slap my brothers whenever they could not explain themselves after playing soccer with their friends right behind our house. Yes, we lost emotionally.      But we lost him completely when I was eleven (11) years; dad passed on. And Oh! We miss him.