THe lasT waRd oN tHe leFT

My friend told me about his dad's mishap at the bathroom over a month ago while he was still in school,and as the weeks went by,i inquired further about his dad's health.When he came home two weeks ago,he told me daddy was recuperating but he had to be taken to the clinic for redressing on a daily basis.This week,his dad was hospitalized and i luckily happened to call at the right moment when they were together at the hospital.I asked him about his dad's health,then he felt glad that i did that cos daddy was right beside him.He handed over the phone to his dad and i wished him a speedy recovery.He was happy to hear from his son's very good friend and thanked me a lot for the care and kindness.A few hours later,i came into town and my friend picked me up to go and visit his dad at the hospital.We got there,and saw him playing a ZUMA game on his laptop.I was happy to see that he was feeling a lot better.We stayed for a while and left just as the doctor walked in to give my friend's dad his injection.I said goodbye to the old man and he thanked me once again.

Road TuNes

After lunch at my uncle's,we hit the road to Kaduna.Usually dad asks me what i'd like to listen to before the journey begins."what's a road trip without road tunes?"as Peyton Sawyer of the TV series "One Tree Hill" once said.The last time,i didnt have any cds onboard,so i had to settle with old school music and early rock.But this time,i was fully equipped.I'd specifically selected two alternative rock albums from my stash at home:Snow Patrol's "A hundred million suns" and Keane's "Under the iron sea" two albums i knew daddy would enjoy and relate to quite well cos if i'd chosen punk,he wouldnt have minded smashing the radio and throwing the cds right out the window.I opened my tiny bag and handed him the cds.He loaded both of them and off we went.Dad was totally hymning to some of the catchy choruses and even asked me "does this really fall under the rock genre?" i answered "yes,alternative rock to be precise" Both bands were from the Europe and they had quite a few singing styles that appeared to be common.I still havent gotten my cds back from dad yet,i just pray he remembers to return them,otherwise there's gonna be a remake of this cartoon series i used to enjoy as a kid entitled "My dad the rockstar" :-D

THe bOoK oF oPTicaL iLLusioNs

Dad pulled in to pick me up at my cousin's place on Saturday.As soon as i dumped my luggage in the trunk and stepped into the truck,he smiled and handed me a strange square-shaped book.He didnt say anything after that,as we drove out of town to my uncle's place.It was an art book,a rare kind that one seldom comes across.And even if we do,we try not to walk out of the store without it.It had a weird cover depicting a cat's face and a tiny mouse inside the face in a genius concept even an artist would "whoa" to.I opened the first page and there written with a felt tip red pen,was my full name and the date.Dad had already signed it as he always did when he bought me comics and MAD magazines.As i flipped the pages,i fell deeper and deeper into an imaginary world outside reality.So many abstract figures,symbols,illusions and other stuff you find only in your mind.Most of them were scary and seemed like they had hidden meanings.Sort of like the Da Vinci code cos most renowned artists from all around the world were featured in this book.I happened to figure out almost the entire pictures i came across.Some of them were actually moving or changing in depth.The puzzles were quite baffling as well as the symbolic diagrams.As i read on,dad asked me if i liked the book.I just nodded my head and said "yes,very much" cos i was spellbound at that moment.This book was awesome and challenging.One i could use to brag about for a long time too as it was a collector's item.We took a left bend after the bridge to my uncle's neighborhood.And that's when i actually snapped back to reality.I didnt even realize how far out of town we'd gotten cos i was entirely in another world buried in this book.A world of the creative,unique and extraordinary...

BReaKiNg tHe baRRieR

Since my friends left for school last year,i could say that i havent really been in touch with them.And if memory serves me right,i may only have contacted a few of them once.This isnt as a result of not caring a straw as most people would think.The "out of sight,out of mind card" may come into this picture and blot the landscape,but it isnt so.Most people who leave find it hard to communicate instantly as they need to arrive,settle and acclimatize before thinking about finding a tiny card to insert into a phone and contacting you.Well,i have been meaning to give them a ring atleast to find out how life's treating them there cos we never know.So a few days ago,i promised myself that i'd give some of them surprise calls.The Egyptian's phone was switched off,the Malaysian had already returned home.But i managed to reach the two English men and did some catching up.It was nice talking to them after umpteen months,atleast somebody made the first move to break that hard wall standing in between the friendship.

RoRo tHe meNace

My brother handed over the keys to the dusty Civic to this bellboy at our house.Atleast i could refer to him that way considering he runs errands,does chores and the likes of such.He was instructed to clean only and that was it.But when my brother was out of sight,a crazy thought crossed the boy's mind.He wanted to actually see if the screeches and stunts he saw on TV are really as easy as they seemed.So when we were all having a session at the sitting room,we heard the sound of a starting ignition.None of us paid close attention to it as it sounded a bit distant.Next we heard a louder sound as the boy stepped hard on the reverse pedal.That's when we paused and looked out through the curtains.And there,right before our eyes was the naughty boy in the driver's seat.He could barely see a thing in front of him,but still didnt mind accelerating at a fast rate.He was totally oblivious to the other vehicles parked there and almost put a dent on the nearest car to it.We screamed out his name,but the glasses were up.Nothing mattered but his stunt lesson.My brother dashed outside in the nick of time to save a life.Luckily,he prevented some minor damage on the side of that car by going for the door and asking the boy to get the hell out."what do you think you're doing?are you crazy?" the boy felt so abashed and frightened on the spot.He froze for a bit,then apologized and walked away.My brother parked properly and joined us back inside the house.Thank God for the life and cars he saved on this day.

HoMe aLoNe aNd loviNg tHe zoNe.....uNTiL.......

The entire house left for Jalingo to attend my cousin's wedding taking place tomorrow morning.Its quite unfortunate that i couldnt be there,for some cryptic reason still unknown to me.My brother was supposed to meet me here from his trip to proceed to Kaduna together.But little did i know that his plans had changed.He took a U-turn and hit the long road home without me.So here i am all alone in this majestic home.Indoor bound,except the 15 minute walk i took to perform my Friday prayers and the brisk stroll i took to get myself a voucher.Other than that,i've been in this room burying myself in my writing pad,sketching new characters,reading my MAD magazines,relaxing behind my headphones and reciting my holy book every now and then.I like it,dont regret being here by myself one bit.The fortress of solitude is a haven,a sanctum that i could always find solace when the shadows grow closer.But everyone back at the headquarters was anxious for me to come back,so mum called and incisted that i should accompany dad on his trip back to Kaduna tomorrow.Guess i'll be heading home where my missing heart is waiting for me to arrive and put it right back into place.So much for the silence i say,for its time for me to take a holiday.Atleast until Monday :)

BLiNd daTe

My friend had always teased me about tying the knot whenever we were at a wedding ceremony.He's made it his hobby horse to discuss the marital life,though its funny that he's not even in a relationship.A few weeks ago,i received a beep from him notifying me that he'd already set me up with somebody and needed to tell me how much he screwed up.I found it rather intriguing and inquired for chapter and verse until i had all the necessary details.He suggested that i'd give it a shot since i was single and he assured me that it was a good wager considering she's heard a lot about me and couldnt wait for her phone to ring.The first episode commenced when i sent her a jocular beep introducing myself.She didnt reply,so i decided to give her a ring two days later.I was diverted to another line which explains why my message was still hanging in the air.She picked up and we had a little chit chat.Then we laughed it off and set a rendezvous on facebook.I showed up with a request,but the confirmation was pending again.So i browsed through her pictures to see for myself what the voice behind the phone looked like physically.She was cute,and quite a shutterbug.After a few riffles,i got tired and logged out.Finally,she accepted my request the next day.Then we began talking and chatting via mobile.Got well acquainted,and took off as friends.I even named her "Hawaii" a derivative from her name and she liked it.So far so good,the jelling is going like clockwork.Then i found out that we even lived in the same town as she was done with her exams and returned home.I didnt make inquiries about her address then,and i still havent.I think slow mo's the wisest decision for now.Last week,she told me she'd be leaving for Dubai to spend her holidays.I wished her a safe trip and now its been a few days since she's been gone,so am still looking forward to hearing from her again :)