Wretched Flower

Chapter 2

Ebikeme was with his four friends in their favorite meeting place, which was an uncompleted two-story building; they were on the flat roof top made of cement which was exposed to the sky; anyone passing could see them, but this street was a quiet one and few people lived in it and there was steady peace flowing with the soft wind of the evening, that was why they loved this place. His friends were childhood friends from secondary school days and they were also writers and poor boys like him. Their greatest dream was to get their works published and shown to the world. Ebilade, Musa, Tunde and Uchenna were the names of these four friends of Ebikeme, the wonderful thing that made them special was that they were from the tribes of the Northern, Southern, Western and Eastern region of Nigeria. Pidgin English was their language of communication in their ghetto but they occasionally dived into English during their conversations.

"Oboy if we no make money wetin we gain"? Tunde cuts into their discussion of poetry.

"That is why God, Ayiba, Olua, Allah, Chineke, has to bless us with the money na". Ebilade comments playfully.

“I'm telling you; look, what you have is what you use in fetching the money". Uchenna says with emphasis on the making of money. "As we have this skill of writing, we have to use it to make the money".

"But how can we use what we have to make the money when nobody gives us the platform to do so"? Musa says bitterly.

“You're the one to find the opportunity yourself". Ebikeme who has been listening to them in silence says. "See dis tin sef na we dey just dey one place dey hope for bread. We can start finding ways to start up something".

“Ehen, that reminds me; I watched a program on TV; NTA, they were featuring young spoken word artists and young poets, although it was in Abuja state and not here in Bayelsa". Tunde says.

"Oboy, weather it is above or below we will get it, tomorrow get belle nobody fit abort am". Musa says confidently.

"Oboy, this one you are saying tomorrow get belle, let the tomorrow not go and climb tree and fall down o, dat one nothing you go tell me, e must to abort o". Ebilade jokingly says and they all laugh loud. They continue discussing until the late hours of the evening and depart.

********

The noise outside in the ghetto breaks the new young peace of a brand-new day and steals sleep from Ebikeme and his parents. With frowning faces they walk out to see what was going on, his father with just a rapper tied around his waist and his mother with two rappers tied above her breasts; Ebikeme with black shorts and no shirt. Many people were already outside watching two young muscular men who were about to fight but were separated by three other men.

"You dey crase well well"! One of them insulted, as he struggled to free himself from the other men. I don tell you sey make you give me my money o"!

"The fish eye wey you get no dey allow you see well, which money? Havent I given you your money? Which work you even do sef, no be only block you carry for the gbaa we do? Me wey mix cement, carry block, do plastering, come still mold block again nain you dey come dey ask for more money"!

"Dat one you dey talk no concern me attol, just give me my money complete".

“Just rubbish. Ebikeme's father thought to himself and asked his wife and Ebikeme to go inside.

"Day don break for dem again na". His mother says as she walks into the bathroom. His father walks to the plastic table, were another candle was burnt to death last night, and picks up his 22 years old radio that have been surviving, and turns it on; stretching out its long antenna and sitting on the only plastic chair they had and pressing a button to search for his favorite radio channel as the loud scrambled sound from the radio kept disturbing Ebikeme's ears. Ebikeme goes to a corner were all his belongings were kept and picks up a blue plastic cup that had his tooth brush in it and goes outside with a small tube of toothpaste to brush his teeth.

The men had stopped arguing and everybody were back to their daily business. "Mama Gesi-ere good morning o". He greets a matured woman who was bathing her little daughter in the open compound and she sends back a polite greeting to him.

The ghetto was a place made up of old story buildings with old paints. It also had some streets that led to other houses; in short it was a land area marked out as a ghetto, a place for people of same class, as his father would call it. This was the place Ebikeme was brought up.

He was on his way to meet his friends at their normal joint to throw away time, it was his way of trying to forget the pain and grief of his sister's death. He got to the uncompleted building and climbed the staircase up to the flat cemented roof that was exposed to the sky and he saw his four friends already there discussing with loud voices. "Ehen, Ebikeme has arrived". Tunde says as Ebikeme approaches.

“Come, come Ebikeme we have news for you". Uchenna says rapidly with excitement.

"What is it that you people have that makes you so excited? Abi governor don come give ona money"? He sits on a cement block which each of them also had one to sit on.

"This is more than that". Musa says. "See let me tell you, it is time for us to use our writings to bake the bread we've been looking for".

"It is time to use our writings as fishing nets to catch the fishes in the sea". Ebilade adds.

"You guys are speaking in figures of speech and I dont understand, tell me something". Ebikeme says, looking at their smiling faces.

"OK let me tell you. Ebilade says, clearing his throat playfully. I was watching our local glory-land channel on TV and they announced something that made me go crazy".

"Ehen, what was the announcement"? Ebikeme asks impatiently.

"They announced that there is a state competition coming up for young poets".

"Apo"?! He acclaimed in Izon language.

"They said that the poets are to write their own poem of thirty lines. Now here comes the part that breaks the brain. They said that the first prize goes with the sum of five hundred thousand naira".

"Jesu"! He shouts in surprise.

"Relax first. Second prize goes with the sum of two hundred thousand naira, and third prize, with the sum of hundred thousand naira, but those who come out among the top ten would get their works published and would be granted free access to publish their works at any time.

"Chey! Emene fede; I'm dead"! He stands up swiftly, with his hands raised up high excitedly.

“Oboy no go die for notin o, catch dis money first o". Uchenna says jokingly.

"But the dead line for all submissions is on the first of July, we need to hurry up, and submissions are done online so we need phones too". Tunde adds.

"Forget dat tin, if na to gbaa sef I go gbaa to buy my phone". Ebikeme says and they all buy his idea. He was determined to make it in this and to give it all he had, he just kept imagining what it would mean for his family.

When he got back home he told his father and mother everything and they said they'd provide him with anything he needed for the job and so he need not do any hard work except sitting down and writing with all his liver and kidney, they said jokingly and excitedly. Ebikeme was prepared for this.