Some Journeys Begin with Excitement. Tola's Began with Death.

Tola was fifteen years old.‎He had never set foot in Nigeria.‎Not because he didn't want to, but because his parents were unlike every African parent abroad that would go home annually.‎They kept postponing every trip ‎‎"There will always be next year," Tola's father would say.‎Until one morning, Tola's father was in the sitting room. He stretched his legs crossed on the center table ‎‎His eyes were pinned to the television, deeply engrossed in watching..‎‎His phone rang.‎Uncle Dele showed on the screen of the phone. He was Baba Agba's younger brother.‎"Hello," ‎"Hello,"‎Silence....‎‎Tola's father glanced at the screen, because he thought the call had ended.‎‎"How are you, uncle?" he inquired.‎‎Uncle Dele sighed.‎‎"Baba Agba has joined his ancestors," he said, his voice was trembling.‎Baba Agba was Tola's father's father. A title man in Oko, a village located on Isapa Island.‎‎He cleared his throat, "We are waiting for you to be present at the burial rite."‎‎Uncle Dele couldn't even finish the conversation before tears overwhelmed his voice. His voice was cracking from hours of crying.‎Tola's father's heart became heavy and breath began to gush out of his nostril.‎Although he had not been to the village for a while, he always ensured he heard from Baba Agba. ‎They spoke regularly and Baba Agba hadn't complained about any illness.‎It was later Tola's father got to know that the old man died peacefully in his sleep.‎He broke the news to his family later that evening ‎On the dining table, the cutleries were clinking against the plates and the occasional grinding of teeth.‎‎Tola coughed.‎"Take it easy," Clara said softly. "Drink some water."‎Clara's eyes drifted toward Tola's father and It was then she discovered that he hadn't taken a bite, Instead he was caressing the food with his fork.‎"Honey, Are you okay?" she asked.‎Tola's father looked up slowly. ‎His eyes were soaked with water and the weight they carried was impossible to hide.‎He faked a smile.‎"I am fine," he lied.‎Clara frowned. She knew her husband was not telling the truth. She had lived enough with him to know when something was not right ‎"No," she said softly. "Something is wrong, honey."‎Tola stopped eating and he moved his eyes from one parent to another.‎‎Tola's father dropped the fork gently on the plate. He leaned his elbow against the table, fingers interlaced.‎‎"I received a call from Uncle Dele this morning," he paused. "Baba Agba.... My father is dead."‎The room fell into an uneasy silence. ‎The ticking clock on the wall seems louder than before.‎He gently held the bridge of his nose and sniffed in the mucus that had gathered in his nostril ‎"I am so sorry," Clara whispered, as she stretched her hand across the table and held his hand.‎He nodded without saying a word.‎Tola swallowed hard, "Dad... I have never met Grandpa before"‎His father looked at him. The water that gathered in his eyes were threatening to fall.‎"I know."‎"Was he a good man?"‎"He was more than a good man. Everyone in Oko respected him. He cared for orphans, widows and he would never allow anyone to go hungry, if he could help it."‎"Then why didn't we ever visit him?" Tola asked innocently.‎He lowered his head.‎"I kept postponing every trip. I kept telling myself there would be another opportunity. Work came first and your schooling. Before I knew it years had gone by."‎His voice broke.‎"And now..... there won't be another."‎‎Clara shook his head slowly.‎‎Her thumbs hovered the back of his hand.‎"we'll go home," she said firmly "We'll give him a beautiful farewell"‎Tola's father nodded.‎"Uncle Dele said the family is waiting for us. We shall leave in three days."‎Tola's heart froze.‎Nigeria.‎He would finally get a chance to visit his father's country. The country he had watched in documentaries, photographs and the stories his father told him in the quiet night.‎He had envisioned the bustling cities, traditional festivals and Oko, a serene village where everyone knew one another .‎Tola thought he was travelling to Nigeria to bury his grandfather. ‎Little did he know that, as the saying goes, what is after six is beyond seven.He had no idea that Oko was waiting to bury the boy he used to be.‎To be continued.......@Olarewaju

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