It was cold and quiet the wind blew gently, the night of September 8, 2006, I sat in the relations space of the Men's Private ward of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital Ikeja,
peering through door hinged-opening at my dying Dad laying helpless on cream coloured metal bed, it was past midnight, mum lay on the sofa opposite where I sat at 12:25. He called out to me and I went to him, a nurse already stood by the bed, checking for his Vital signs, when she looked at me and said " his pulse rate is dangerously dropping", he asked for water I quickly served him and he said " Samuel, give your older ones, he paused, my regards" and I said you are due for a discharge by morning! I sounded hopeful, he motioned for me to adjust his pillow, so I lifted his head slightly I moved the pillow and as I made to place his head I felt it fall back by itself and almost like a reflex my eyes fell on the wall clock it was 12:31am, that was when he passed on quietly in the wee hours of September 9, 2006, that minute Mum jolted up from her nap, after the so many sleepless nights and she rushed out, the nurses already alerted the Doctor on duty who re-checked his Vital signs and broke the news officially that My Dad had moved on to the Great Beyond, typically the dark morning moved to a dawn!
Nine Years down the line it hasn't been struggles free and void of challenges, I resumed school again after the funeral and my siblings went back to School, Mum resumed work too. In the progress of this Nine years I had watched my siblings graduate from school and nailed achievements that we wished dad could witness, Mum retired from service after thirty-five Years, and Dad wasn't there to Congratulate her at the end, though he was there at beginning,
I remember vividly when he drove me to school the very first time I stepped foot in the dusty and sparsely populated town of Ayetoro, and as I packed my things and left the town after 7 years of study it was my elder brother that drove home with me again. Memories keeps flooding in, his childhood friend returned from the UK as his usual custom, our home was his hotel, he got in late in the evening and cried at his grave for hours and he made it clear to us that Dad was the reason he could live in the UK...
Seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years has rolled by, but each was filled with memories of my Dad and Life without him, there was no way life would turn out perfect without him. At my sister's wedding, My distance Uncle walked her down the aisle, it was a space no one could fill perfectly it was always oversized. There were times I had to answer questions like " who is your Father?..." I would look up to the Heavens and imagine his smile and reply " he lives in Heaven and God is My Father too"
At this time of writing this, Memories brings comfort and re-assurance of doing My Dad proud...
Life without a Father is a BitterSweet, experience.
Written by Adebowale Oluwafemi Samuel (Pappy Sam).
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