Posts

Dr Fixit (151 - 160)

 151 As the elderly couple passed, the rat-drawn cart followed shortly after with uniformed men playing the part  of a police patrol. When the cart trundled past, Bendit dropped his bucket, wheeled round fast, stood at attention, pushed his chest out and placed the back of his hand, palm spread out, right across his forehead. The patrol men acknowledged him. The rest of us waved at them  and they all waved back. The vehicle disappeared  at a bend. We walked on and then appeared  152 at the junction where Library Avenue  bisected Stadium Road and from here we could view  the stadium podium ahead of us and the high-rise  (two storeys actually as the termites stole the star prize  for the tallest edifice ever built under the plants) to the right of us housed books written by army ants  on every topic they tailored to a course from cookery to engineering and of course  the military and politics. But my fascination  was about books ...

Dr Fixit (141 - 150)

 141 seven formed a week in my generation. The seventh day was sacred but a counter notion  was embedded somewhere in the Holy Book: who had a chicken escaped from the coop  and would not chase on the sacred day? Some quoted this portion to lay a cover on their laxity to observe the non-work dictate every believer is served. But Ahdet, in grandma's days, was the eight  and sacred day and it is widely said  142 who ventured to the wood or farm to work  had themselves to blame. They were sucked  like water through a pipe into the other world and only through sacrifice and the word of an ahbiah hebuck were they brought back. From both faiths, my grandma wasn't slack. She had often quoted me a passage  from the scripture: when faced with the rage  of a foe, change colours like the chameleon  to stay alive. When I'd said the notion  143 with an army ant was unrealistic, she had laughed and said the idea pragmatic  from the concept, ...

Dr Fixit (131 - 140)

 131 The first person threw five cards up. With gravity they all did drop  dancing in the breeze to the hard surface  of the path. Of course, the entire place - being the GRA - was absolutely quiet  which made me wonder if the core diet  in the big men's quarters was serenity  as noise to the poor areas was elementary. I had a dream that one day I'd slip  to the GRA and live there till I'm tipped  132 and rise to see myself at the other side  as it is inevitable everyone's tide  must ebb. In the card game, the rule  was who had more faces up would pull  the win over who had more down. In three throws, the first bloke had a wide beam for he won twice but the girls did scream, after finishing their mangoes, we moved to the stream  as none of them could be in the playing team. 133 While growing up, gambling was solely a male thing  and its elementary stage seemed to be the thing  the boys were doing here - throwing ...

Dr Fixit (121 - 130)

 121 we added our own words and message to it. With a made-up lyrics, I jumped on my feet  to such a hit blaring across the neighbourhood  and my happiness was soon I'd know every dude  and dame who composed the beat from the cards  my new friend, Bendit, had with him. Now, I had  a new vision too - I wanted to be big, real big, and to have my face like the stars sit on a card too. The door opened, I threw  my bag and uniform on the bed and withdrew  122 into the kitchen, touching this, opening that  till I found my food and the pot I dragged  near the low stool at the centre and sat  on it to eat. It was ahfang soup and fufu. I tapped my free on the side of the stool  while the other moulded balls of fufu which in the soup I dipped and then swallowed them. Done eating, I washed my hands and utensils for cooking, put my school things properly away  and to the other rear building I let my feet stray  123 to meet the ch...

Dr Fixit (111 - 120)

 111 If someone was dancing, you would greet, 'Ahsuk ahnek?' 'Unek' means dance. If they eat  any food, you'd say, 'Ehsuk ehdiah?' The 'ah' shows the verb is singular  while the 'eh' shows the verb is plural. 'Ehsuk' or 'ahsuk' means 'you are' with a question mark. Though the question  is rhetorical, it could elicit the reaction: 'Hesuk henek' (plural) or 'nsuk nnek' (singular) after 'ehn' (yes). After the break  112 with a full stop, you add: 'Ahmehdee!' That is, welcome. Now, 'Ahmehyong' and 'Ahmehdee' means 'welcome' but for different situations. 'Ahmehyong' is used to welcome home relations. Why? Because you'd told them when they left  you earlier for an event, 'Ka ahdee.' If fate  agrees with your 'go (and) come (back safely)' utterance, 'ahmehyong' is ultimately the word to use in welcoming them back. 'Ahmehdee' wi...

Dr Fixit (101 - 110)

 101 throughout Antburg. 'If you can read, write and form words correctly,' our teacher hit the chalkboard with her pointer, 'with all of these letters, then you'd not stumble or fall to look for a guide when passing through our towns for the signboards would tell you where the gowns, trousers, fruits, drinks and books are sold; they'd point to the one who works with gold, silver and bronze. You won't be robbed as you would know who has the vault, 102 'by quietly reading, to safeguard your cash. I can tell you too you won't throw your trash in the wrong bin if you master these letters and also the words they form. You 'd know "fetters" means the same thing as "chain". Is that clear?' 'Yes, ma,' we screamed. While she moved here and there checking and correcting what we wrote, the class became a hubbub. Almost all would gloat they did well for in Elementary One we'd learnt drawing strokes and curves with fun 103 and...

Dr Fixit (091 - 100)

 091 a bar of wood or rod join to another squarely at the middle. The welder or carpenter placed the horizontal bar up and the vertical down. The bar at the top of the small case with its handle like an umbrella cut across at the middle. The letter was pronounced, 'Teh.' Mrs Bearit set a task like before for her pupils to do. We basked in our newly acquired confidence and pronounced, 'Teh.' Indolence 092 and as well as intelligence are masked, the instructors agreed, in a general task. The curriculum merged us together like domestics in an enclosure at night. When the day breaks, our true size and height would be ascertained but can real might be known in a balance and tape? Mrs Bearit knew these facts: the real could be fake at our age and so she was extremely patient with every one of us. Sometimes, she was lenient 093 to a fault. While the other teachers would've said the pupil was a fool, our teacher said she knew we enjoyed her class but when pressed we should ...