by Olaronke Morgan
“Things seemed to brighten up, until the call came in.”
Even if I get hit by a bus today, the most memorable day of my life would remain June 19 2012.
It was the beginning of another great summer(or so I thought) and I just got back home from school for my four-month holiday. My father didn’t look so good. I asked him what was wrong and he just said he was very stressed and would like to rest. I noticed he had lost so much weight and I was really sad when I saw him that way. I went to talk to my mum immediately, we really needed to get medical attention for him even though he didn’t like hospitals. But, my father said he would be fine.
Few weeks later, things got worse. He lost more weight and would eat only a quarter of the food he was given. I was overwhelmed with fear, various thoughts filled my mind. I talked to my mum about it and she assured me that we would get medical attention soon. The next day, mum and dad went to the hospital, I was so glad.
After their visit to the hospital, they came back wearing long faces. I couldn’t ask what was going on because I wasn’t sure I even wanted to know; From their gloomy facial expressions, the news was bound to be sad. The next morning, I woke up really early and went to see Dad.
” What’s wrong, Dad?” I asked, soberly.
“The doctors just gave me some drugs to use and I will be fine”. he replied, with a slight cough. I felt relieved, little did I know that I was being fooled.
Several weeks passed by and his condition was the same, there was no improvement. That was when my aunt (Dad’s sister who is a Nurse in the University College Hospital Ibadan (UCHI) ) called to ask him to come for a check up there. Before my parents left for Ibadan, my father gave me a talk about money, boys, family, growing up and life. It was an amazing session but I was really confused because he had never done this before. He finally gave me a book titled “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” and he left.
While my parents were in Ibadan, I decided to do something I’ve always wanted to- acquire tailoring skills. So, I arranged with my tailor and I started my sewing classes. I was delighted, my progress was excellent. Things seemed to brighten up for a while, then the call came in. It was my mother. She called to inform me that Dad was on admission and would be home soon. I was so optimistic,every weekend I went to Ibadan to see them.
On my 3rd visit to the hospital, I tried entering Dad’s ward but my sister stopped me.
” There’s something I have to tell you”, she said, ” You must promise me you won’t cry” she added.
At that point, I could feel my heart beat faster. I tried to imagine what it was she wanted to say but I couldn’t.
” Dad has stomach cancer” she said; The words hit me like an arrow in my heart. I pushed her out of my way and entered the ward. On seeing Dad, I fell to the floor and wept. He had lost too much weight; I couldn’t even recognize him anymore.
Dad died the following week(June 19 2012 to be precise) and was buried on Grailland. Before he was buried, I visited him in the morgue and I was happy to see his body because he died with a smile. It’s been over a year since he died. Now, I am a tailor and my mum and siblings are doing well.
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Olaronke Morgan is a tailor and fashion designer. She tweets from @RonkePurple.
30 Days, 30 Voices series is an opportunity for young Nigerians from across the world to share their stories and experiences – creating a meeting point where our common humanity is explored.
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