In the Ademola’s residence, one sunny afternoon, a party is been organized by Mr. and Mrs. Ademola in honor of their son’s tenth year anniversary. All friends, colleagues, relatives, business partners and neighbors are all invited. A big party indeed!
The lovely decorations from the flower vases to the beautiful and attractive coloration of the rolls of black-blue and red ribbons entwined in a considerate and flamboyant manner, thus sending out a message. A mystic coloration one would say.
The sofa settees all nicely and wonderfully arranged to suit the desired taste of the Ademolas. No wonder they are referred to as the Flashy and Jolly Family.
The sponge cake with the word “AKIMBOLA” in scripted on it with four good and nicely sugared decks of them lying above each other with four stands at end-point are nicely and spicily advertised.
Also, the lovely music, a Yoruba hip pop music done by Sunny Ade is been heard circulating the air and the surrounding premises.
All hands been on deck, as the maids and menservants go about serving the guests, and, even more so, their dressings added enough or more efficacy to the party celebration.
The four maids seemed enticingly beautiful and so did the embroidered gown, fitted to their soft curves both ways, running down from the shoulders, although they were short sleeved, and, down towards the knee covering but a little of the knee cap. Their dress had pleated flowery design at the ends of them; the hands and the knee level. They indeed looked cute or rather cutesy.
The two menservants also looked beautiful, especially with their receptive smile and the black trousers ironed to bring out the crease on it, and, matched with a white long sleeved shirt and a red bow-tie which seemed to match more on the black shoes.
Drinking and dancing commences inside the large sitting room, one really big enough for a party club, although, there were others sitting outside, participating practically on the meal been served and the drinks been given out. They only nod their heads here and there to the moving tune of the music.
As usual, a Yoruba celebration must portray a true Yoruba, and so everyone invited are dressed in various expensive Agbada made from either a Georgian wax or a Hollanders wax, but all with sumptuous taste_ for the men.
And for the women, their Boba and Wrapper seemed comingly and attractive, especially with a light colored Egele (head tie, a fashioned head tie) of varying color, as their taste desired.
The birthday celebration was almost turned to one of the cultural events in the Yoruba land such as the New Yam Festival amongst others.
But, the celebrant’s friends dresses their own way, a free style dressing, because, they believe they are in another age, an era of modern thoughts.
Well, the dancing continues and even the gate keeper is seen dancing and eating, drinking and laughing with the gardeners and the car drivers all from the individual houses in the Estates.
Inside, after so much dancing, that one’s waist will begin to crackle a huge fine man dressed in a greenish shiny lace agbada and a nice cap bent south-west that actually suits the lace agbada, comes out of the nearby door, swinging his clothes here and there in much ecstasy and behind him a woman dressed in the same lace material as boba and wrapper and a dark green gele like that of the man in front of her, and holding her wrapper as if it will fall soon.
They are Mr. and Mrs. Akimbola Segun Ademola.
The dancing is halted by their presence and it is time for him to address the people and this was accompanied with cheerful ovations here and there, almost tearing the ceilings off.
Mr. Akimbola Segun Ademola, a brusque and harpy man with a deep voice greets the people in the Yoruba tongue, “Ekabo o!” (meaning Welcome) “Eshey gon o!” (meaning thank you very much).
“I welcome you, once again, ekabo”
“E eh!” they all reply, showing signs of approval.
“I…” he continues “cannot express my wholesome thanks to you all for participating in this wonderful day of my life”, he smiles looking at the faces of the people who also cheerfully smiles back.
“Today…”, he says, raising his head up and searching happily for the sky through the roofed house he sighs showing relief, “…is a day that we must rejoice and be glad for God is good”.
The cheerful smile still goes on as they all are in so much curiosity and anxiety to know where he’s heading to, some still with their glass of wine, sipping and listening.
“You see, I am celebrating the birthday anniversary of my beloved son, Akimbola Segun Ademola Junior.” He says reflecting back on old memories that would make him bitter and sore, but he looked up and smiles as the people nod their head in agreement.
“I have been married for fiften good years and no son to show forth. Although, in all my riches and wealth, I couldn’t purchase a son, though of course I was actually satisfied with my wife…” he narrates turning to his wife who stands beside him, who also smiles back as she too could vividly picture his anticipation.
“…and daughter Shade whom you’ll soon see very soon.” He continues with a smile so curious and suspicious, “…I still had this strolling thoughts and running aches of not having a son to take up in my footsteps but I endured a little”. He looks up again and looks around and smiles. One would wonder ‘what’s up with the smile?’
“We tried our best, I mean my wife and I, tried so many times and they all led to compromising results as most of the pregnancies resulted in miscarriages, ten to be specific…” He pauses a little from the “E eh yah” from the people showing signs of pity and condolence.
“I so loved my wife, that I couldn’t let her go through all that much pain and anguish and suggested we stop and hope for the best.” He continues and then again pauses.
Taking pauses at such intervals was to help him defeat the tears but they still seem to linger on the surface of his eyeballs.
“Then, an angel disguised as a street beggar approached us on our way to the village and pleaded that we help him. We did so, although my wife did hesitate but I on the other hand, love giving and helping and wished that I had more than mere wealth to reach out to the world to save it from its present situation and peril” he becomes really sore and bitter, but really it was a sign of an uncontrolled happiness and ‘Aw!’ his tears rolls down his cheeks.
“Aw! E eh yah, ekpele o” the people say, consoling him a bit, for they knew him very much as a man who would never shed tears unless it was worth it.
“Well, to summarize the whole story, I gave and I was actually given in return,” he says in much humor swinging his lace agbada attire as the people laugh a bit and some just smile like _ ‘I knew that this man cannot shed tears easily, why the eh yah, ekpele o?’
“The beggar…” He then continues after gesturing everyone to calm down especially those with their irritating smiles as it seemed to him, “…then told me that I’ll have a son who’ll be very great and he would actualize my dreams and the other, which is presently inside my wife’s BIG tummy as we speak.” Making jest of his wife as the others laugh as it was actually funny especially with the way he says it and also looked fearfully at his side.
She pats her protruding stomach with one hand and the other still holding the lace as if it will fall soon. No wonder.
“These children are going to be great and they shall bring great things to the land and the world as a whole.” A man from the crowd, Mr. Ademola’s best friend says, raising his glass of blue berry wine up.
“Yes, and they shall be the forerunners” Another man in white agbada attire, says; one of Mr. Ademola’s rival who was also invited to the party.
At hearing this, Mr. Ademola is shocked and most especially, the ‘FORE RUNNERS’ and immediately flashes back to the encounter between the beggar and himself on a lonely road with bushy edges.
“You shall give birth to two children, one shall come to prepare the way for the other to bring greatness and hope to our corrupt world, one of them…a Forerunner and the other…a Master…” the beggar says with caution, attention somewhere else.
"Note, today, as they mark their tenth year anniversary, a beast will come out from the bush and place a mark on the child, this mark will fight the beast and the beast will try to devour the bearer. You must be watchful… you must be careful…” the beggar says and disappears into thin air with a smile and he too quickly recovers in a minute without even showing any sign of been lost in thoughts.
“Wait, wait and again…” the same man continues after halting the toast that was about commencing “…and you know, crisis here and there, they indeed, must be careful to receive a…” he says but immediately interrupted by Mr. Ademola who becomes suspicious and confused, but no matter what, will never show it.
“Let’s toast to whatever Adeyemi Richards’ toasting to in regards and in addition, he’s going to keep us here with his cute flattery words.” Everyone laughs at this because he actually was a comedian in the Mountain Estate.
“A toast to the ten year old boy who now comes out along with his sister Shade!” He says and turns towards the entrance from whence he first entered as the others laugh in merriment.
Akimbola and Shade comes in dressed in a nice long sleeved shirt and stripy blue trouser and a black shoe, and a boba and wrapper like that of the mother respectively.
“Cheers! Cheers!! Cheers!!!” they all cheer and watch Akimbola and Shade walk towards the cake.
The others, having known Mr. Ademola for a long time as someone who doesn’t waste time at all and one who would by all means turn anything into a funny one ignored Mr. Adeyemi’s humiliation.
Mr. Adeyemi smiles and eyes him sideways as if his gaze will put a hole in his head.
The two- Akimbola Junior and Shade goes forward to cut the cake, accompanied by their parents, friends, well-wishers, neighbors, they all take snap-shots with the celebrant respectively. The celebrant seemed to be awfully quiet than ever.
After much cheering from the cake cutting and photo shots, they all sing a happy birthday song for the celebrant raised by Shade’s lovely voice.
Shade, a twenty year old plus girl, looking young and pretty as a lady could be and also matured as a woman should be, gives the hearty cheers to her younger brother “Hip-Hip-Hip!”
“Hooray!” they all replied.
Mrs. Ademola, a fat and slightly buxom woman, nice and calm is her looks, but strict are her actions, a fair woman, both in complexion and attitude.
After a warm glass-to-glass jam, the Disc Jockey (DJ) continues and hits more Yoruba beats with the volume almost deafening.
In the midst of the crowd, Akimbola walks to a group of boys standing and dancing beside the bar and they were his school mates, and amongst them were his classmates.
He mingles with them for a while.
Mr. Adeyemi sits and gazes at the direction of Akimbola Junior and stares at Shade who assists her mother and at the same time cautious, and also looking at the child Mrs. Ademola was carrying in her womb as if he could see it.
Mr. Ademola notices this and joins him on the soft leather settee with a glass of red wine and tries engaging the bored man in a discussion to draw away his attention from his mysterious gaze.
“Hey!” Mr. Ademola calls out politely, like a friend would do.
“Hum?” Mr. Adeyemi mutters.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing much Ade, nothing”
“Come on, the party is getting more and more interesting, why not participate in… the dancing, huh?”
“Uhmm…no thanks, I’m comfortable” he smiles and gazes at Akimbola Junior.
“You know, Akimbola is going to be great”
“Indeed” he smiles still gazing.
“Em…” clears his throat, “How ‘bout your son, how’s he doing?”
“Alright!” Still smiling and gazing.
Mr. Ademola becomes more anxious and tries to read his thoughts but couldn’t. He looks suspicious though, but he cannot be trusted as he was a business rival.
Mr. Adeyemi then snaps out of his unpleasant gawking and turns to his rival and smiles nodding his head.
“Why the smile and nodding?” out of curiosity Mr. Ademola asks
“You do really have a wonderful son, Ade” he finally replies well
“Of course, sure we thank God.”
“You know, he really possesses some characteristic of you and is sure going to be great”
“Yes, and he’s going to achieve even more than what I have achieved.” Mr. Ademola says smiling and also sipping his wine.
“You, though are my rival, but that is strictly business, but here you are as dear to me as a friend could be" Mr. Adeyemi says and smile
“Oh you know what they say.”
“Mm-hmm”
“You are still full of surprises even for a man your age” Mr. Ademola says .
“Those are flattery words, for I am always short of surprises”
“Ha, ha, ha” Mr. Adomola laughs “You must be joking Adeyemi Richards, ha ha ha!”
“You are never serious…” Mr. Adeyemi giggles and looks at him trying to share in his laughter.”
“I can barely recall how many contracts that I have lost to you, rival Adeyemi Richards”
“Hey! Just some few contracts, but you’ve had most of them” Mr. Adeyemi retorts
“Yes, but your few are greater than my many”
“Don’t be ridiculous” Mr. Adeyemi retorts again and smiles.
On the other hand, Shade and her mother sits on one of the white sofa settee and although she sits relaxed and with a glass of non-alcoholic wine, she stares at everybody present one at a time as her eyes could catch
“Why the gawking, Shade?” Noticing her eye movement Mrs. Ademola asks.
Although Shade was lost in deep thoughts as she gawked but she could hear when someone was talking to her, just the same as her father.
She sighs and finally speaks up “Nothing much, but they all seem strange… and…. Nothing more”
“Are you sure, they only look strange, I can read through your looks as a mother who raised you up for a long time, so tell me what exactly is wrong with your gaze”.
Shade similes and turns to her mother, and then giggles.
“Why the giggle?”
“Mom, you sure know everything, why asking me?”
“I want to know how curious your words would be since your looks are warranted guesses of your harboring thoughts”
“You sure do know how to speak in riddles, thank God; I have much sense in me to fish out the AKIMBOLA FORERUNNER meaning of your riddles.” Shade flatters and similes
“You may want to escape my question. Today, you may be able to but, there will come another day and these questions will be waiting for you with the others I’ve asked you ever since you entered the university.”
“Mom, my reasons are mine alone, and my problems are mine to solve alone” Shade says
“No you are wrong your problems are for your families to share in both our nuclear and extended terrain”.
“That I know, but me trying to solve my own problems makes me stronger and better” The ever polite Shade says.
“Well, I leave you to find the suspicious person in our midst.” Mrs. Ademola says and Pat her six months pregnancy – tends to her stomach.
With this, Shade is shocked and looks at her and tries to figure out what she meant, though it was as if her thoughts were an open book to be read about.
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