— A New Day
Chapter Two Little Beginnings
The next morning, they all woke up very early, thanks to the landlord’s cock in the backyard.
The people needed to be awakened by the crow of the cock.
It was worth staying in the compound, if only for the free reminder the cock provides them every morning.
Anyone who wakes up hours after the cock crows should be ready to go to work late. The number of buckets one would have to maneuver would be too much to escape being entangled in an early morning fight. Most families with little children find it more challenging, so instead of queuing, they get a polythene bag for defecating and throw it on the roof or at the neighboring house. No one dared to ask anyone how he or she does it, for it was no man’s business.
After struggling to take their baths, they sat together to pray before taking their breakfast and proceeded to wish one another a good day ahead.
Also Read CHAPTER ONE Little Beginnings
Baba Ibeji as usual took the boys to their school which was just two streets from theirs, while Iya Ibeji went ahead to gather all she would need for the day’s sales. Afterwards, she took her daughter and walked down to Obalende. They both arrived at the barracks, greeted the soldiers seated at the entrance and made their way into the compound.
Temitope was happy to see little children playing in the compound. The conspicuous smile beaming on her face portrayed it all. The headmistress welcomed the mother and her daughter with a very warm smile and presented them with a seat.
‘’You are very welcome to the barracks.’’ The woman in her early fifties said with a warm smile. Iya Ibeji was sure she was in the right place immediately after the headmistress said, ‘Education is a precious investment you can give to a child with the assurance that a bright future awaits the child.’ She continued again, ‘’either you believe it or not, Mrs….?’’ With a smile Adebimpe replied the headmistress; ‘Mrs Iya Ibeji.’
‘’Your child will excel because you have done the needful by giving her a good foundation,’’ the headmistress convincingly told her. The soothing words of this educator melted the heart of Iya Ibeji that made her feel like giving the woman a hug. She quickly brushed off the thoughts and wondered how easy it was for her to hug people. At that moment she remembered vividly that back at her hometown people hug each other on very rare occasions, not as often as it was in Lagos.
After struggling to take their baths, they sat together to pray before eating breakfast and wished each other a good day. Baba Ibeji, as usual, took the boys to their school, which was just two streets from theirs, while Iya Ibeji went ahead to gather all she would need for the day’s sales. Afterwards, she took her daughter and walked down to Obalende.
They both arrived at the barracks, greeted the soldiers seated at the entrance, and made their way into the compound.
Temitope was happy to see little children playing in the compound. The conspicuous smile beaming on her face portrayed it all. The headmistress welcomed the mother and her daughter with a very warm smile and presented them with a seat. ‘’You are very welcome to the barracks.’’ The woman in her early fifties said it with a warm smile. Iya Ibeji was sure she was in the right place immediately after the headmistress said, ‘Education is a precious investment you can give to a child with the assurance that a bright future awaits the child.’ She continued again, ‘’either you believe it or not, Mrs. With a smile, Adebimpe replied to the headmistress, ‘Mrs. Iya Ibeji.’
‘’Your child will excel because you have done the needful by giving her a good foundation,’’ the headmistress convincingly told her. The soothing words of this educator melted the heart of Iya Ibeji and made her feel like giving the woman a hug. She quickly brushed off the thoughts and wondered how easy it was for her to hug people. At that moment, she remembered vividly that back in her hometown, people hugged each other on very rare occasions, not as often as they did in Lagos.
Going all the way back to her stall at Idumota turned out to be an exhausting trip. Nonetheless, it was a satisfying one because her daughter was now enrolled in school.
Iya Ibeji was a very popular woman in the market, where she owned a stall filled with children’s clothes, complemented by her locally dyed adire.
Her sales were always massive whenever she went to the market with her twins. Not only would she make good sales, but she would also get extra money from the children’s good fortune. The children were always given money and other things to appreciate. If a woman passes by or buys clothes from Iya Ibeji, she will receive extra change upon sighting the children, with prayers that God blesses her with such children. While a man gives them money with the same hope of having children like them,
Ultimately, the people were fascinated that she took good care of the twins and that they were always well dressed. And as such, they got compensated for it.
But since the children got enrolled in school, the sales have been good, but not as good as when the boys were around. She would rather experience a decrease in sales than have massive sales at the detriment of the twins’ future.
The number of people thronging the market makes it sometimes difficult to identify a regular shop that is patronized. Little boys who ought to be in school were seen with the men coming from Idumagbo with bags of garri to deliver. People seldom look the other way when stepped on or pushed.
People from near and far come to the Lagos Island market to patronize these hardworking market sellers and eventually get a good view of the environment. This is a place where girls learn to become smart businesswomen, and some rise to become Iyaloja market leaders.
In her usual exhaustive state, Adebimpe got home with news all around her.
She couldn’t wait to tell everyone about how a little boy got separated from his mother in the market and how a good Samaritan went from shop to shop to inquire about the boy.
Kehinde, the older twin, who was snoring loudly, prevented his brother from hearing what his mother had to say about the little boy who went missing.
Temitope alerted him to Maami’s presence, causing him to wake.
The children went outside in order to create room for their parents to talk.
Normally, they would have received a signal from their father, but because their mother appeared to be in a fatigued state, she immediately sent them to go join the children playing in the compound.
‘Taiye, Kehinde!’ Iya Ibeji called the twins after a few hours. With no reply from the children, she called out again, this time louder: ‘Ejire! Temitope.’
The children ran inside to answer the call.
Their mother had made it very clear that they were not to answer any questions until they were certain that it was actually someone, not some unseen force, calling them.
This warning, according to her, should be adhered to, especially at night when someone might be trying to harm them.
Iya Ibeji informed them of the recent developments in the family. Their father had gotten another job as a security guard in Marina. The children were excited to hear about their father’s employment. They thanked their mother and dashed outside to enjoy the stories told by the elderly women in the compound.
