Tunde waited impatiently as the gateman battled with the gate. He knew he ought to be happy to be home after a year like any other child would be, but he just wasn't pleased to be home.
He knew he was back to the battlefield.
Tunde's family was a wealthy one with once loving parents, but everything changed in a moment and his parents blamed themselves for it.
Their house became a wrestling ring with his parents as the wrestlers, always fighting from morning to night. He had to stay away from the house, even on holidays and lived in the hostel on University of Lagos campus throughout his University education to avoid their fights and screams and curses.
He had always kept in touch with the house through the chef, Mama Ife. She was an elderly woman who had dedicated herself to his family because they had always stood by her when she was in need.
The gateman finally opened the gate and he drove his shining black-coloured Range Rover into the compound and parked his car. He then alighted from the car to be greeted by Mama Ife and four new young maids. New because he had never seen them on his previous visit.
"Welcome, Small Oga," Mama Ife greeted with a huge grin on her face, making Tunde shake his head slightly.
"Good afternoon, Mama Ife. How many times will I tell you to stop calling me "small oga"? I am your son also and I am not pleased with it," he stated with a smile which in turn made Mama Ife also smile.
The other maids stared dumbfounded by Tunde's handsomeness.
He did not look like the typical Yoruba guy. Instead, he looked like a half-cast judging by his caramel skin tone, his unruly and curly hair, well-defined and chiselled jaw, the gap between his two front teeth and to crown it all, his muscular body.
Tunde turned to acknowledge the maids but they all just stared at him like a statue. He flashed them a smirk because he got that reaction often.
He felt he was deserving of such attention, having obtained a degree and established a good business including ownership of franchises of boutiques and restaurants all over the country at the age of twenty two. He was a graduate of Business Administration which he had been forced to study by his father whereas he had wanted to study Law.
He made up his mind to come back to Ibadan to stay with his parents and also study Law in the University of Ibadan. Getting admission into the school was actually easy for him because he had a friend who worked in the Admissions Office.
"How are they?" he directed the question to Mama Ife as they walked into the house.
"The same," she replied.
At the same moment, a loud shrill voice was heard.
" Mad man, foolish man. I don't know why I even married a useless and foolish man like you. You are a good for nothing old man."
Tunde heard his father shout in reply as he and Mama Ife entered the living room.
"You are a prostitute, stupid man! You are a good for nothing woman. I made a grave mistake by marrying a witch like you. I was warned but I didn't listen."
"How dare you call me a witch? I don't think you learnt your lesson yesterday," his mother replied, re-adjusting her wrapper by tying it properly to her waist in a stance to fight as his father also got ready.
Tunde quickly ran to separate them.
"Mum, dad, why are you doing all this? Please just stop," he begged. They both turned to look at him and went to sit on opposite sides of the room.
"Oluwatunde, what are you doing here?" his mother questioned while rearranging her iro.
Tunde sank into a chair nearest to him in defeat and placed his head in his hands looking at his parents through his eyelashes. His eyes were fogged in pain and shame. When he finally spoke, his voice was laced with anguish.
"I graduated from school and my convocation ceremony was held some weeks ago. But how will both of you know when all you do is fight all day? Well I am back home for now. I won't be able tolerate any fight again," he said.
"If you guys cannot at least live civilly with each other, I will move out finally and there's nothing, absolutely nothing, that will bring me back here."
Turning to his father he said, "I have done the course you wanted me to do, now I am going to do what I wanted to do from the start."
Dropping the file containing his certificate on the table, he walked away without a glance back. As he looked around his room, he was hit by a bout of nostalgia, remembering the good old times. His room was in the same state as he left it. He smiled, knowing that Mama Ife was responsible for it. His bed was draped with black cotton sheets without a wrinkle in sight and matching curtains on the glass sliding windows. On his night stand stood an ornate lamp that lit up the room. The mini walk-in closet was large enough to contain his clothes that were neatly arranged and colour coordinated. It also served as a dressing room. From where he was standing, he could see that his bathroom was sparkling and filled with all the necessities.
Mama Ife, unlike his own biological mum, knew his room had turned into his sanctuary since that incident. And he could see the effort she put into making it a haven for him, again.
He laid down on his bed to rest for a bit to assuage the beginnings of a headache. As he shut his eyes, memories of the night of the accident plagued him. His mum's screams, his dad's pacing and his own muffled sobs. A body being wheeled into the Operating Room.
"I'm sorry."
Tunde jolted out of his dream-like state and sighed. Not again. He knew the dreams had been triggered because he was back home where constant reminders of his life before. Somehow he had not seen the picture frame lying on his other nightstand. He lifted it and saw a family picture in which everyone had wide smiles on their faces. Huge smiles that seemed like it could overcome anything.
He wished his family could just return to that moment of laughter and joy. But this wish wasn't a horse and he obviously wasn't a beggar.
After some minutes spent staring at the picture, he sniffled and wiped the silent tears with the back of his hand.
Taking out his phone, he dialed a number.
"I will be there," he spoke into the receiver and hung the call immediately.
Iyunade walked into the house to meet her two housemates, Bunmi and Stella, in the living room watching their favourite Crime Investigation series, Hawaii Five-O while munching on popcorn."What's up girls?" she greeted as she went to sit on the sofa.
Tunde watched as his friend Caleb ogled at the waitresses in the club. He knew Caleb would definitely be taking one home tonight.They had known each other for a long time now, since primary school to be precise. They had been good friends, even with the distance to their Universities.
Iyunade was really trying hard to concentrate on the book in front of her but her mind kept taking her back to that moment in the club with the handsome guy.It had been two weeks since the awkward club incident but she kept having flashes of the other guy's face, his smile, quiet brooding demeanor everywhere she went. She was puzzled at what was happe
Iyunade stalked angrily to the Faculty of Law. If she were to be a cartoon character, she was sure smoke fumes would have been seen coming out of her ears. With a grunt, she continued on towards the faculty.She couldn't believe Bunmi and Stella had persuaded her to bring the notes they forgot at home. Not only that, they
Iyunade ran into a very dirty compound with different bags of waste littered around. The odour oozing out of the bags was strong enough to wake the dead. On a normal day, she would have lamented about the state of the compound but right now, all she had on her mind was her father.
The way her mother sprung up from her seat shattered Iyunade's heart. Her mother ran to her with questions in her eyes which she soon began to ask."What did the doctor say? Is your father going to be okay? Has he awoken? Can we see him now?" her mother inquired impatiently, shooting one question after the other at her.
Tunde jolted up from his bed from the sound of things being shattered downstairs. He wanted to believe it was a robbery attack but he knew deep down that his parents were at it again. They just couldn't stop fighting and he was getting extremely frustrated.When will this nonsense ever stop in this house?&
Iyunade walked slowly and cautiously into the uncompleted building beside the male hostel. The most dangerous place inside the University of Ibadan. It was known as the leisure spot for The Bandits, the most popular gang on the campus.The school authorities had tried every means necessary to rid the campus of the gang, but it all proved futile. However, they still tried to restrict their activitie