When someone is on the verge of death, they say their whole life flashes before their eyes; I wasn’t on the verge of death or anything of sorts few nights ago when all that occupied my mind was my being as my birthday approached
One night in the early 80’s my parents decided to have some adult fun. It must have been at night that my parents had the rumpy pumpy that resulted into me because at that time they were living in one room face me I face you in Lagos with their Five Children. My guess is they wouldn’t have the confidence to do the do during day time so one of the children doesn’t walk in on them while at it.
I also believe that the coitus of that night was supposed to be just a mere fun like most other nights, they weren’t planning for a child because at that time, my parents already had 5 children they were struggling to take care of.; 2 males and 3 females they had so as far children were concerned they should be satisfied but alas a process that led to my formation started that night.
I started facing challenges right from inside my mother’s womb. My mum was pregnant of me for over 2 years. According to her, my parents began to doubt whether it was a baby that was inside the womb or something else because the children that were supposed to be the age mates of this child were already walking and growing teeth while this one was yet to be given birth to. The trouble was much, my parents were living in fear of what the outcome of the whole challenge would be but God came through and I was born in an expected way at an unexpected time.
It was time to name the new born; my parents thought that considering how much money the troublesome pregnancy made them spend, let’s name him Owolabi but they are Muslims, the child must be given an Islamic name, the Islamic name that stood out for them for the new born was Akeem; which means the wise. That was how my parents I was given a combination of two powerful resources; MONEY and WISDOM as a name unpremeditatedly.
Raising an infant is never an easy task, the days the child would be unwell and parents can’t tell for sure what is wrong with the child, the nights a child wouldn’t sleep at night and as a result, parents too would have sleepless nights. From being an infant to being a toddler, to childhood, adolescence, and teenager; through it all with the challenges of each stage, I was triumphant I didn’t die as a toddler, neither did I die as a child. Grace kept me
The product of the pregnancy of that year, that child of yesterday is now on the verge of turning 40. Life indeed is short.
Happy Birthday to me