HOUSEHOLD ENEMIES
EPISODE 2
When they get to her room, Funke is sitting up on the bed to the relief of her parents. Her mother rushes to the bed and throws her arms over her.
Mama Funke: “omo mi, you almost scared the life out of me. What happened? Why you scream like that? What has my enemies done to you,eh?” she dandles her like a baby, “Olorun ma je o!” she says in a crying tone.
Funke is still trying to wrap her head around what is happening, her eyes twirl with her as she sits up.
Baba Funke: “Iyawo mi,” as he fondly calls her, “Kilode!” standing over her he rubs her head, “are you hurt? What happened?” unable to say a word she sighs, her sisters are up staring at their sister and parents, the scream had bolted everyone out of sleep.
Funke is called different names by her parents, her mother calls her “Oko mi” not just because for the typical resemblance she has with her father but her mother will always say, “your birth brought happiness to me!”
Mama Funke worries to death,
Mama Funke: “Say something, my child!” her husband gives her a look, as Funke seems to be putting herself together,
Baba Funke: “take her to our room.”
Funke is led to her parents’ room by her mother as her father follows behind; her sisters follow but stop at the door of their room. Baba Funke bolts the door as they enter.
Baba Funke: “Was it a nightmare, Iyawo mi?” he sits on the bed by Funke.
Sitting in between her parents she leans on the shoulders of her father and wraps her hand around the left arm of her mother.
Baba Funke: “mmmh?”
She nods and squeaks in a bid to clear her croaky voice, the cold weather has made it so, besides it is passed mid night.
Funke: “Ma mi, Ba mi, I had a terrible nightmare and I didn’t know when I screamed.”
Baba Funke: “Oho,” he smiles, “You’ll be fine!”
Baba Funke doesn’t attach spirituality to dreams; he believes dreams are just creations by our imaginations. Funke knows this of her father, she remembers whenever any of them had a dream, and he will shrug off and say, “It’s a creation of your mind.” But her mother takes them personal every dream has a message to her, nightmares especially are the handiworks of her enemies,she believes.
Mama Funke: “ Fine ke? Oko mi, tell me the drea…m!”
Funke: “I dreamt that I was in the plane, on my way to America when the plane developed a technical fault. The plane started falling from the sky and was about the crash when I woke up.”
Mama Funke: “Jesu Oluwa o! My God no go allow that to happen. My enemies are trying to scare you away from traveling but they have failed,” she lifts her up clapping.
Baba Funke: “Woman, do you realize, how late it is!”
She folds her hand and places them on her wrapper wriggling her body muttering
Funke: “Mami!” Funke gives her stare.
Mama Funke is so dramatic; she blows everything out of proportion. Her husband will always say, “I wonder why my wife isn’t an actress! That’s her calling asides being a good house wife.”
Baba Funke: “Don’t be scared, my daughter. It was just a dream which is a pigment of your imagination. People have been flying every day; it is not now that is your turn that the plane will crash. Now, try and get some sleep, you have to be awake in few hours time to catch the bus.”
They all return to bed, leaving Funke awake and in deep thoughts. Suddenly, the urge to travel abroad leaves her and she wish that she never got the scholarship. She remains awake for a very long time, fearing that the nightmare will return if she dares to go back to sleep.
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“Wake up, wake up, we have less than 30 minutes before the bus leaves.” Funke father’s voice pierces the ear waking her up. Funke has just fallen into a sound sleep when her father wakes her. She is reluctant to get out of bed, she wishes that she doesn’t have to travel.
Mama Funke: “Omo mi, please get up. We have less than 30 minutes to catch the bus. Our enemies programmed that dream so that after waking up in the middle of the night, we go over sleep and miss the bus.”
Funke sluggishly gets out of bed, picks up her towel and her toothbrush and is heading to the bathroom which is outside the house when she runs into her father.
Baba Funke: “Call your mother and other siblings and come let’s pray before you go to the bathroom.”
Mama Funke: “Ah-ah, Baba Funke, shey you no see say we are running out of time? Which prayer again? Must she join you in the prayer? Go ahead and pray alone, make she go baff while I go find wetin she go chop.”
Baba Funke: “But we are used to having our morning family devotions together and today is special because we need to offer special prayers for Funke’s journey.”
Mama Funke: “Don’t worry, God understands.”
Funke who hates cold water has no option but to use that for a bath; in full tilt, she takes her bath. Someone who usually takes hours in bathing, “are you trying to wash off melanin?” her mother will say in Yoruba whenever Funke enters the bathroom.
The weather is cold and she shivers slightly. She runs from the bathroom to her room and wears her clothes; a Jean trousers and chiffon top. This is among the things she bought from Emeka, the boutique man in the village market last week. She quickly applies her makeup and is trying to put on her shoes when her mother comes in.
Mama Funke: “Oya, eat, we have about ten minutes to go. Dis na di amala and ewedu wey we eat last night. I had to reserve some for you. It’s hot, you will enjoy it.”
Funke: “No, Mama. I can’t eat this so early in the morning. It will upset my stomach and the journey is far.”
Mama Funke: “What is that? Na the first time wey you dey eat amala and ewedu be this? You never even enter America, you don dey form another thing. Abeg, Eat and let’s go.”
Funke manages to eat since she doesn’t want to incur her mother’s wrath so early in the morning. She is still eating when her father rushes in.
Baba Funke: “Are you not ready yet? We have about 5minutes left.”
She washes her hands, picks up her handbag and her siblings carried her box. Her father is warming his motorcycle when they get outside of the compound and they have to wait a minute for it to start. Her mother rushes out fully dressed as one going to attend a marriage ceremony.
Baba Funke: “What happen, are you going with us to the park too?”
Mama Funke: “Why not? No be the pikin wey I born dey travel so? Since I no fit follow her go airport, let me follow her to the park.”
Baba Funke: “But you are over dressed, one would think you are the one travelling.”
Mama Funke: If my daughter is traveling, na me dey travel be that.”
They leave on the motorcycle, Funke’s father riding, the traveling bag in front of him, Funke behind him and her mother at the rear. Because of the weight of the two adults behind him and the bag, he cannot drive easily as fast as he wants-their weight seems to be pulling the bike back,
Mama Funke: “Baba Funke, Why is the bike walking like a snail today of all days now!?”she rants, Funke giggles and her husband who is no mood for her drama ignores her, “O ga o!” she adds.
When they get to the park, her mother carries her traveling bag on her head and they walked in towards the buses.
Baba Funke: “E ka ro o. Where is the bus going to Abuja?”
Union man: “Ah, Abuja ke and you are just coming now? The bus left more than five minutes ago and there won’t be any bus going to Abuja till the next market day which is in four days time.”
Mama Funke: “Oluwa o, it has happened. They have succeeded in stopping my daughter’s journey.”
Funke begins to weep.
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