My father had twenty two wives, and forty two children, I am the first child of my father, the excellency of his strength, my mother was the first wife my father had and I'm my mother's only child. It went Ill with my father at the end of his life, although it shouldn't have ended that way if he had harkened to my mother's counsel: but as many women you bring into your life, as many problems you encounter: such was the parable deduced my father's pitfall, six feet under. My father married the daughter of one rich man; it was this young wife who told my father that her father is gathering a club of business men, and my father ought to be a member of this association. My father rejoiced, he wanted to be very rich, he gathered all the money he had and gave this woman's father, he even went further to borrow more, so as to contribute to this business, but alas! It was bad business. My father lost all the money he had and ran into debt with sprint speed, so much so he couldn't even live for himself from hand to mouth, talk less of feeding his entire family. Worst of it all was this: my father sold all my mother had to pay this debt, it still wasn't enough. The wife who brought the suggestion of this business association left my father in the prime of his predicament; his other wives left with all their children as well, it was only me and my mother left. At the tail end of this incident, sickness collided with my father and broke him down to his barest minimum; it was in this sickness that he met with death. Not long afterwards, my mother became sick. I took care of her to the best of my ability, but the sickness only grew worse, then one morning, my mother called me and spoke to me saying: "You my son Ireke-Onibudo, going by my present circumstances, I don't think I will survive this, and I have nothing to leave behind for you so i leave you God's hands, after I'm dead, leave this village behind, and go far away to any suitable place you can find. Your father sold all I have and left me naked in this cold world; my life was ruined right in front of my eyes, yet have i done evil to no one. O! My God, help me take care of Ireke-Onibudo, don't let him die in the midst of trouble, when this child come across more chaos in the world, deliver him compulsorily". This was what my mother said, as i took her up in my arms, according to her request. Suddenly, mother took a deep breath, alas! It was her last. The grim reaper had snatched her away from my warm embrace with a stone cold grip. The piece of clothe she used to cover herself was what I used to wrap up her dead body. I couldn't call upon anyone to help me dig the ground where her body was to be buried, because i have nothing to give them, not even food to eat, i dug the ground and buried her alone with overflowing tears from the wellspring of deep sorrow... From thence i journeyed on... Find out where my journey leads as you proceed to read my testimonial from the university of adversity. WHISPERS FROM NAKBA