Ah!
Obinrin bi okunrin!
I grew up to know her as a woman with lots of milk of human kindness.
She’s kind to a fault!
Kind but firm!!
When I was in elementary school, I used to go and spend all vacations with my grandparents in Ebute Meta. There, I was always met with joy.
I won’t bore you with the stories of who was who in the family. That’s a story for another day!
But then, I WILL never forget the love which Iya’beji exuded whenever she saw me. So did her siblings!
Let’s start with caring. She was so caring that even if her parents – my grandparents – had reserved some food for her and I had not eaten, she would rather forfeit the food for me.
In my years in the secondary school, I lived with her. Oh! She spoiled me silly with love.
She did not discriminate between her own biological children and I. In fact, some of my friends still think I’m her biological child.
Her children and husband took me in as a brother and child. Her husband taught me the secret behind mathematics is to work out all the exercises in the textbooks.
According to him, the chances that the teachers would have taken the examination questions from the textbooks were very high. Even when they didn’t, one would have been familiar with all the questions that would be asked.
Iya’beji could be said to have exhibited a form of tiger parenting. She was warm as a parent. But you know one must not spare the rod as far as children are concerned.
There was a particular Sunday when I chose not to go to church. I knew I was committing a ‘capital’ offense. Iya’beji’s love for God is unequaled.
If one of us did not go to church, he lost his Sunday rice. They might even be punished.
Such was Iya’beji’s love for me that she waived my punishment.
When I wanted to go to a party for the first time, I had to seek her permission. She was alarmed,
‘Ki lo fe lo se nbe?’
She asked me in Yoruba.
I told her it was my friend celebrating whatever. She hesitated to allow me go but she eventually did.
I think Iya’beji inherited her strength of character from my grandfather. My grandfather was not in the habit of suffering fools gladly. Iya’beji would say her mind not minding whose ox is gored.
For that, some tend to misunderstand her!
But she also inherited the hospitality of my grandmother.
Looking back, what I still cherish is her sense of fairness.
I wish her, her female siblings and all women in general a very happy mothers’ day!
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