Score |
125
From a distance.
<p><br/></p><p>Mmm, the look on her face when I told her I didn’t know how to play ball! Not only her, but everyone in general: how can a tall, dark-skinned,Yoruba boy like you not know how to play ball?</p><p><br/></p><p>They didn’t say it out loud, but their expressions said it all. Sure, it was no big deal, but... why can’t you play ball?</p><p><br/></p><p>"Oyaa! What sport do you play?"</p><p><br/></p><p>"Nothing," I’d say.</p><p><br/></p><p>They’d think to themselves again. It wasn’t obvious, but I knew. Then they’d open their mouth with the same default response I’ve heard a thousand times:</p><p><br/></p><p>"Don’t waste your height oooo! You should know how to play basketball. Go and learn—you’ll make it big!"</p><p><br/></p><p>It’s either this or something similar. God forbid a guy just wants to be himself! You don’t know how hard it is to enter public transport and have to sit at the very back, or finding my shoe size, or getting the right length of trousers. I've started sewing my jeans now, cause this growth ehnnn…</p><p><br/></p><p>And who do I have to blame? No one is to blame, for real. I only watched from the windows. My mother wouldn’t let us go out; she’d lock the door. "What are they doing outside?" she’d ask.</p><p><br/></p><p>It took time before she finally let us go out a bit. "Stay inside and watch cartoons—that’s why I’m paying for subscription" I guess the reason was valid.</p><p><br/></p><p>Omo get inside….</p><p><br/></p><p> It was funny how one day I was in a bus and, I guess my character portrayed something, because a woman was like, "Ahhh, awon omo INU gate niyennn…" (For those who don’t understand, it means children who stay indoors, like they live behind a gate).</p><p><br/></p><p>I didn’t take it to heart. I was just there; I didn’t feel it. And now, I’m used to it—watching movies and reading for exams, like I grew up knowing. And along the way, I grew into writing.</p><p><br/></p><p>Another question is, "What team do you support?" How do I say that I don’t watch ball either?? But I do support winning teams just to feel among, or to shade people jokingly…or contribute to what they are saying.</p><p><br/></p><p>So, I’ve watched from the windows and peeped through the gate hole. Sure, it’s not an excuse, there are others who went through the same scenario and know how to play ball or any sport in particular, but I guess that’s just me… SIMPLE, like A, B, C.</p>
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