The Orphan

It was 4:23pm, an ambulance speeds into the parking lot just outside the a private hospital in Ikeja, Lagos. The medics brought out a man through the back door lying on a stretcher almost lifeless with an 11 year old boy crying profusely.   "Dad, please don’t leave me too." He voiced.   Bayo’s father had just suffered a relapse of bone cancer which he has been battling for the last three years.   Mr. Oluola was rushed into the operating room. Bayo was instructed to stand back as one of the nurses said.   "We'll take it from here, kid."    She shut the OR  door as he watched the doctors and nurses try to save his father's life.   "Promise me, you will be strong whatever the outcome?" Grandpa asked Bayo who had his hands on his head, perturbed.   Bayo looked at his Grandpa for a moment.   "I’m not sure I can." He voiced with a tear running down his cheek even as grandpa embraced him. Bayo never knew his mother as she died when he was just two.   This was Mr. Olaolu’s third wave in twelve months after series of chemotherapy. His father feared the worst for his sick son and so he took Bayo home to get some rest, and promised he was going to bring his dad back.   So grandpa went back to the hospital later that night.   Grandpa sat in the waiting room hopeful for some good news from the doctors.   "Lord, please do not take him away. His son needs him." Grandpa sighed.   Suddenly, he saw the doctors storming out of the operating room taking off their gloves, surgical caps and glasses. Quickly, he ran to one of the doctors.   "Please can I see him now?’ He asked.   The doctor replied. "I am sorry sir but you won’t be seeing him any longer. We lost him."    "Nooooo!!’ He screamed in agony, slowly falling to his knees. Mr. Olaolu had died at forty-one after battling cancer, leaving his 11-year old son in the hands of his father who is 68. He was one of the biggest realtors in the state. His only child is now an orphan.   After a while, grandpa pulled himself together and wondered how he was going to tell Bayo, that his beloved father passed away.   "How would he take it? Either way, I have to tell the boy." He thought.   So he stood up, took a deep sigh and headed home. Back home, Bayo was banking on his grandfather’s promise, hopeful that his dad was going to come back.   Suddenly, the door opens and grandpa walked in slowly face down as Bayo rushed to give him a hug.   "Where is dad?" He queried.   "Your father is not coming back, son." Grandpa replied with a tear in eyes.   Distraught by the look on grandpa's face, Bayo sobbed loudly.   "Oh God why?! You promised he was going to be back, grandpa!" Bayo voiced.   Grandpa slowly wrapped his hands round Bayo.   "Together, we will pull through this my son." Grandpa mumbled to Bayo's ears.   "Now I have no parent." Bayo said to his grandfather's despair.    "You’ll always have me son always." Grandpa said even as he hugged him tighter. You could touch the melancholy in the room.       -------------------------------------------------------------   Months passed, Bayo was beginning to live with the pain of losing his father while finding a way to be normal like other kids his age. He'd been withdrawn from his expensive private school and transferred to a public school his grandfather’s pension could afford.   A whole new experience for Bayo as he had to make new friends and adapt to his new lifestyle. Grandpa was ageing by the day and couldn’t do the heavy lifting around the house anymore so he began teaching Bayo how to clean, empty the trash, laundry and even cook at home. They could no longer afford paying the house keeper so they had to let her go.   Bayo is a receptive kid. He learnt everything his grandfather taught him even though he had never been exposed to this kind of life until now.   One day, while in class, the Math teacher asked a question on a topic she had not taught the class yet. Mrs Ireti asked.   "What is the almighty equation formula?"   No one would respond. It was a test to know which students read ahead. After a moment of absolute silence, Bayo raised up his hands   "Excuse me ma." He said.    "Yes, Bayo. Would you like to provide an answer to this question?" She asked.   "Yes ma. I think I can."   So she handed him the blue marker to write the formula on the whiteboard.   Bayo is a smart kid, and some students in his class disliked him because of that. His back turned against the class, he wrote the formula perfectly on the board and explained to the class how the formula was derived. Mrs Ireti was very pleased with Bayo and she instructed the class to give him a round of applause.   The class kept clapping even as Bayo headed back to his seat. Mrs Ireti commended Bayo.   "It shows you read ahead and the rest of the class should emulate." She advised.   At this point, Bayo was all smiles. This was some sliver of gratification he's had in a while. That day, Bayo made so many friends in his class as well as some enemies who thought he was a show off… [To Be Continued]