SISI AGAIN

It’s been like forever here. Trust me, I miss you but I won’t make any promises as I don’t even have control over my activities these days.

I saw Sisi today. Sisi has changed so much, looking chubby and beautiful. Who would have thought she will gain some extra, extra flesh? I was also shocked to see Sisi sitting with some touts at the junction and more surprisingly, she was cosy with one of them. I quickly turned my face, praying she doesn’t recognize me, but I think it was late. She was wearing her sly smile. 

 There has always been something wrong with Sisi and the kind of men she gets attracted to. I wonder why I was surprised. At seventeen, she got pregnant for a very funny looking guy, who wears the same clothes for weeks, roaming the street. I was sure she was hypnotized.

 Sisi’s mum is a nurse. You know that kind of nurse, right? You won’t hear it from me though. We called her Iya nurse and she is good. Very affordable and good at prescribing concoction drugs that will definitely work. What has Iya nurse not cured in that area? Trust me, we heard all sort.

 Fola had gone to get pregnant in SS1 and her novice boyfriend took her to a quack where only half abortion was carried out. When her mother found out, she was rushed to Iya nurse house and she performed her wonders. Fola got better. They said Bisi had breast cancer and it was only Iya nurse who could treat her. The gist wasn’t clear that time, heard she cut out the lump and stitched the breast. What of Iya Ibrahim who almost died at child birth, Iya nurse was called and she began to smile while pushing. Titi had some funny rashes all over her body, her parents had taken her everywhere, no solution, until Iya nurse mixed drugs for her. Iya wonders.

All through the years, Iya nurse never fell ill. Her nick name was Stand strong, however, one day something happened. Mummy! Mummy!! Mummy!!! Egba me o!!! We all ran to their apartment to know what had happened. Iya nurse laid on the floor, unmoving, while Sisi was crying profusely with nothing but a worn-out red towel tied round her chest.

E dari ji mi, mummy, mo ni shey mo’ were on repeat from Sisi. After so much water and shoutings, Iya nurse became conscious but couldn’t utter a word. She got up, said thank you, eyed her daughter and went to the chair to sit despite all pleas for her to go lay on her bed. The news spread like wild fire and no one knew what really happened. Sisi could not also tell us why she was naked and begging her unconscious mother for forgiveness. 

 A week later, the juice spilled. Apparently Iya nurse had returned from home service treatment, greeted the neighbors cheerfully, entered her apartment only to be greeted by her teenage daughter and Wale who is a few years older, engaging in adult affairs on her matrimonial bed. The shock threw her off balance. We were all shocked as Sisi was termed the most innocent girl in the area. Wale doesn’t even talk, best behaved and boom they threw the neighborhood into a state of unbelief.

So many years later, I saw her and had only the picture of Sisi in a worn-out red towel screaming.