AN ASPIRATIONAL FUTURE!

I stood by the window side in my bedroom and peeped through the woolen curtain wind waved front and back as I took a long cast at the backyard of our house; I watched closely the meekness and void nature of a gentle morning ruled over by the cold breeze that sets itself ablaze from the small droplets of snows. I looked so closely as the dawn sets itself in! It had rained throughout the night and almost everyone around the neighborhood slept off forgetting their worries where they put them. Some forgot theirs inside in the plate of the dish they ate, some inside the bucket they put under the rain to collect some water, while some even forgot theirs behind the tail of their pillow.

"So, it is dawn", I brooded silently whilst I still try to study the humble nature of the morning! A lot of corldess thoughts streamed down my vein. I stopped them from coming, but they just wouldn't hearken to the voice of my plights! I ate a heavy food at night, Mama made us a heavy pounded yam with Egusi soup; I had slept off on the carpet at the sitting room without remembering to carry the plates I emptied to the kitchen nor wash my hands; though I did well enough to clean it with my tongue. I didn't sleep for long before She woke me up! She placed a container of water beside me and helped me wash my hands clean.

My Mother, She is a wretched widow who gets her income from petty trades, but She really loves and cherish her only son; and would never allow me to suffer for anything in the world. My Father gave up the ghost some 8 years ago, and She has refused to hook up again since then. I do notice some wealthy Men with big cars that do come to visit her once in a while her nights, most times she would send me off to Mama John, our neighbor's house. John is 14 and I'm 16. But the awkward thing is that John was blind; so her mother always love having me around to play with him! My Mother will always come to pick me up after her visitors had gone! I used to wonder why She didn't get married to any of them, but I thought I was still young to let out a discerning voice! I said to myself overtime "I don't like those men", because they play so high together at times that they make her scream as though she was in pain. I once asked her why those Men make her scream so loud at times, but she would always tell me that they are friends and they only play together like young lads do. Though I was young and naive, but I only wished I believed her incredible stories.

I got to my bedroom hoping to continue the second version of the sleep, that was when I discovered it was raining heavily. I tried to close the window but my hands could not reach it, so I left it for fate to decide whether to leave it opened or closed. Not long to the hour, I woke up with my nose behind my pillow; I must have passed out whilst the breeze wrestled! With the usual absence of electricity to light up the atmosphere, It was as dark as ever; but the unusual silence of the caged fowl behind my room only made things worse. "Many people are still asleep", I wondered! I had not drifted away from my window side yet,  after a long thought to the wonderland and I'm still standing, taking a purplish cast to the backyard of our building. All thanks to our unfenced compound, I could actually see far distances; I do not even need a telescope to view the pedestrians moving on the express road far uphill.

My gaze was almost getting blurry when I saw John hopped down the street all by himself. My heart nearly jumped out of my mouth but I was strong enough not to purge. I was very happy to know that John can now see with his eyes. Suddenly I became bewildered, I realized it was still very early for him to set out for school; but I overlooked my anxiety when I realized how happy he must be now that he has his sight, at least he can now trudge his way to the school by himself without sliding to port holes or knocking his head off the poles. I would have loved to run after him and show him the things he'd long wished to see, but it was too early for me to go out. Mum will be very mad at me if She realized I went out without telling her and She would not like it if I woke her up that early too. I just finished my Senior Secondary School Examination (SSCE) and I was awaiting my results. I heaved a sigh of relief as the thought of my results splashed through my brain.

It was still misty and cloudy, I looked up and saw a pregnant woman beside the express road; the way she moved to and fro within a small distance showed nervousness in an anxiety. The movement was beginning to get amusing like a disco dance until she Finally collapsed into a heap! "Oh my God!", I shouted in a small voice! I watched her closely from afar as I saw her thrive to pick her phone to make a call! It was amazing to see an ambulance drive by and pick her up. "She actually called an ambulance to her rescue, Nigeria is turning to America", I ruminated! "Strange things do happen in this part of the world after all", I stopped brooding for a while!

 I've been standing for about 40minutes and my legs were beginning to ache. I never attempted to take a sit until my purplish cast turned yellowish one. The power holding company just restored electricity and the little bulb in my room was still bold enough to light up the atmosphere after almost a year of being deprived its warmth! Fear of joy pickled my intestine as I listened to the small panasonic-radio at the corner of my room, it was the morning news and I just heard my name announced as the best student in the just concluded SSCE that I have just been awarded a scholarship to study abroad. Lo and behold, the water closet was not far fetched! Tears of joy flew from my eyes down to the tip of my lips as I quickly emptied my bowel.

Anxiety to break the news to my mother overwhelmed my thoughts that I could not even wait long enough to flush down my wastes. I knew this would be one of the happiest days of her life, She is finally going to have enough time and money to take care of herself without worrying about my upkeeps since My Dad left us.

On getting to My Mum's room to tell her about the good news, I almost fainted when I saw my Dad, lying beside Mum on her bed. I didn't what to do, whether I was to cry or laugh, I never knew if I was to hug him or throw him a punch right in his face! My head was blossom with joy, fear and happiness. I had woken up to witness a wonderful day, the dawn that came without notice had blessed us all. The rain that fell in the night had washed our hushes clean. The sorrow that lasted thorough the nights never woke to see this new dawn. We had aspired enough for this day; and it had come to pay everyone of us.

I was still sharing those joyful news with my Mum and Dad when I felt a hand behind my neck. "Why are you up this early my Son?", Mum's voice struck a striking resilience. Ooops! I had dozed behind the window while my purplish cast into the aspirational future turned a yellowish one. I woke up to the new day with a new dream, new hope and new purpose to be fulfilled!

Now I have a dream, a dream about an aspirational future!