A New Dawn (Episode 1)

‘When you’re done with the unintelligible utterances and sickening incantations spewing out of your mouth, let me know; I need to sleep’, said Mr Solomon angrily to his wfe and two kids as he stood by the door post.

He let out a loud prolonged hiss that without a doubt showed the extent of how irritated he was by the religious ritual that was unfolding right in front of him before angrily storming into their one room apartment.

‘Circumstances were bad enough’, he thought. Now having to put up with all of these false deity worship that seemed to have enveloped his wife and kids was something he wouldn’t tolerate.

Mrs Solomon and her kids continued their singing and praying. It was their custom; morning devotion every morning at exactly 5:00am was a permanent day starter for them and they had been consistent all through the years.

This particular day’s edition came with a little twist though as Mrs. Solomon stopped her singing midway. She noticed Fiyin was sleeping.

Unimpressed and keen to ensure her active participation all through the duration of the devotion period, Mrs Solomon released a slap on the back of her daughter to jolt her back into consciousness.

Startled Fiyin now aware of her misdemeanor quickly screamed “Amen” without knowing they had not even started praying. Mrs Solomon asked her kids to open the bible and they all read the verses apportioned for that day in their devotional.

She prayed for her kids,her husband and the family at large. She quickly prepared her children for school and got ready for work. She left her husband’s food on the table and announced her departure.

Waiting for a reply from him turned out futile as there was none. She presumed he had gone back to bed so she left with her kids and closed the door.

Mrs Solomon worked as an administrative staff in a school where she kept records of all the staffs and students. She also worked as the school accountant and kept track of all outstanding bills to be paid where necessary.

Her kids attended a school different from the one she worked in because of the considerable distance between her own school and the family residence. Her kids schooling not so far from home was something she had often deemed ideal.

Mrs Solomon bumped her head on the front seat as she dozed off inside the bus. The pain sipped through her forehead as she rubbed it vigorously to prevent a swelling.

She thought of when all her suffering would end. Her husband had really changed she thought, prompting her to harbour regrets about why she even chose to end up with him in the first place.

She unconsciously shook her head as though she was trying to refuse something and hastily rebuked the spirit which brought such a thought to her head. She began to murmur prayers of thanksgiving to God for her family and how far he brought them.

The bus conductor called her destination and she alighted when she got to her bus stop.
Solomon came down from the bed angrily and walked out of the room. They resided in the tenement buildings common in their slum neighborhood popularly called “face me I face you” apartment.

All occupants get to share the kitchen, bathroom and toilet in buildings like this. He went to have his bath and returned to his room. He greeted his fellow tenants and entered the room.

He looked for a shirt and trousers to wear and dumped some dirty clothes into a basket at the corner of the room. He looked at the room and thought of how much he despised it so much. He hated life itself. Even his once dearly beloved wife was an object of intense hatred to him now.

His train of thoughts halted as he sat at the table to check the food his wife left for him. She had prepared yam and fish stew that morning. He started to eat and the sheer deliciousness of the meal reignited memories of how he had always enjoyed her meals.

She was without a doubt an impressive cook with a culinary skills unrivalled by any, he thought. He reprimanded himself for even extending any compliment to her in his mind because of he felt she had inflicted on him so much hurt and damage that outweighed whatever good quality she had ever exhibited thereby rendering her totally undeserving of any praise whatsoever.

This same woman was responsible for the loss of his job and that was a disaster that had birthed forth further calamities he was still battling with. He’d been jobless for the past ten year or more.

She’s been the bread winner ever since. And all she does is pray, pray that his work would be returned back to him. How was her prayers meant to be answered when she’s happy he’s the way he is. He thought and remembered how it all happened.

Written by Adedoyin Titilayo A New Dawn