—
Tunji’s parents had always believed in giving him chances—too many, perhaps.
His parents, disappointed yet again, sat in their living room, reflecting on their approach. For years, they had forgotten the old adage, “À kìí fi owó méjèèjì f’ọwọ́ kan ọmọ,” which means, “One cannot raise a child with only one hand; it takes both hands.” They had hoped that external environments would do what they had failed to accomplish at home. But charity, as the saying goes, begins at home.
Also Read Predestination: Chapter 5
Their mistake, they now realised, was believing that sending Tunji out to experience the world without grounding him in the values and discipline of home would somehow correct his waywardness. How could they expect him to do well outside when he had not proven himself at home? “Bí a kò bá kó ọmọ ní ilé, tí a bá fi rán’ṣé lọ sóde, ó máa ṣe bí òkúta tó n ta ìlẹ̀kùn,” his father had once said, quoting an old Yoruba proverb, meaning, “If a child is not raised well at home, when sent outside, he will act like a stone knocking against doors.”
Tunji’s life was a testament to the truth of this proverb. He had become the stone, knocking against every door of opportunity, only to end up rejected. He believed that life would always offer more chances, more doors, without realising that time was slipping away.
In recent months, Tunji had begun to think of himself as destined for something great. It was Baba, the old man who set up a stall at the marketplace, who had planted this idea in his mind. Baba’s prophecies were vague but tantalising, especially for someone like Tunji, who was looking for any sign that his life would improve. “You will be rich beyond measure,” Baba had once told him, his eyes wide and gleaming. “Your wealth is coming soon, and the world will marvel at your success.”
Tunji clung to those words like a lifeline, ignoring the growing rumours about Baba’s dubious activities. The man had a way with words, promising wealth and power to anyone desperate enough to believe him. But Tunji, in his naivety, thought the prophecy was meant just for him. He believed he was on the verge of some miraculous breakthrough—until the day news broke that Baba had been arrested for fraud. The so-called seer had been nothing more than a counterfeit, selling lies for money, preying on the gullibility of people like Tunji.
On the day of Baba’s arrest, Tunji sat in shock, replaying their last conversation in his mind. He could now see the subtle hints Baba had dropped—words that had once seemed so profound but now rang hollow. In their final meeting, Baba had looked at him with an intensity Tunji could not forget.
“Everything you think you know,” Baba had said, “will disappear. You will lose what you never valued, and only after being taught a lifelong lesson will you come to appreciate life.”
