Connect with us

Graffiti

This will not pass

Published

on

Joseph Edgar

She sent me a video on Saturday as I was in the thick of raising my annual funds for widows. She looked divine and unusually beautiful. She spoke very deliberately as she thanked almost everybody that had passed through her life.

She took time when it got to me, raining blessings and prayers for me and then she blessed Alvin and my mother.

I did not take the video very seriously. This was Erelu’s style. She loved drama and she was a queen. She would seek attention and hold on to it. This was my birthday and I was on zoom and this was her own way of distracting me. Her style. So I continued with my activities of the day running round Lagos and causing my usual mayhem.

Then it struck me. This was not the usual. Erelu was in deep pains, she was really very ill. Maryann, her closest elder sister was in a state, ‘ Edgar we need to take Erelu to the hospital. We did and she fought the good fight and God knew better.

As I looked into her eyes that night at the ICU of the premium Lagoon Hospital, I could see anger. She said to me, ‘why did you bring me here? Please take me away, I need to leave. There is a man in black trying to kill me. I said calm down, you will be okay.

You are in the best place money can buy in Lagos. She refused and begged me to take her away.

Read also: 2023 and leadership crisis in Nigeria

The Doctor was bald and I could already see it in his eyes that she was gone. ‘I am sorry…… he began. I had fooled myself that I would be strong.

But I felt my body cave in, falling like a pack of badly arranged cards and making me cripple under the weight of this major loss. I said, show me the body.

She was light skinned, her eyes almond shaped and the lips still luscious. I used to kiss those lips. I stood by the bed, hands in my pocket and stared at her lifeless naked body. It still looked quite beautiful and untouched. She was at peace, no more running after the Duke wondering what mischief he was getting into. She was with the lord now.

The tears came out very slowly as my phone rang. It was Alvin. ‘is my mum ok? I said yes. Was I going to say I am starring at your mother’s body, was I going to tell the little boy, it was over? He said, buy me Dominoes and I said okay.

Erelu didn’t die, and no this will not pass. Erelu was in my life for 22 years. She lost two babies very early in the relationship and stood by me through thick and thin and that is why I was dedicated to her no matter what.

Alvin screamed ‘why me” when he was told. I am now asking why her, why now but then again I know the answer because like my brother, the famed comedian-Alibaba, said, she had fulfilled her purpose in life and it was time to go.

Adieu, my sweet little Mena, the ultimate ‘fat and yellow’. I still remember you chasing me with the Nepa pole after catching me once again, and proudly telling Maryann in Yoruba, ‘ mo ‘ NEPA Pole lu lo ri’ and we all laughed because that day as the pole hit my head, I knew this was a woman who truly loved me despite me.

Have fun, my Erelu.

Author: Joseph Edgar…

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now