THE WEY OF YESTERDAY

 

I was thinking this morning.... When I saw the photo of me below, I gushed. As I stared at the photo, thrilling memories of yesteryears rushed through my mind, with every gaze taking me back to Warri.

My first reaction was all smiles as I agreed that of a truth, I was an FBNP-SLDD. How can I not reach that conclusion? After all, 'mouth wey chop pepperfruit no dey hide.' The smiles, the gaze, the mustache, and the 'baffs' all defined class. By the way, FBNP-SLDD means 'Fine Boy No Pimples - Simple Looking Double Dimple.' Okay. You can argue that the dimple is imaginary but can not argue that this Warri boy knew early in life that 'na as goat stand for market dem dey take price am.'

Just then, my gaze shifted to the cap (fila). It was very fitting and adjusted to show that power was shifting to the west. As I scanned the design, I sighed and concluded that long before the infinity symbol was made popular by Emilokan, we had rocked our fila with the 'fast forward' symbol. While I can't remember where we were fast-forwarding to, one thing I knew was that my destiny was in God's hands because 'Person wey hold snuff for palm no dey look time.'

Next, the neck chain caught my attention. I couldn't even remember that I rocked neck chain at a point in life. I zoomed in to look closely at the gold necklace and cross locket. I have no memory of how I was able to afford the gold chain and locket at the time. Was it a long period of saving of pocket money or weeks of begging and cajoling my parents for it? Whatever the modus operandi was, what I know was that 'hand wey stay long for pocket, know say nothing de that pocket.'

The crease on the brocade showed clearly it was starched. I won't even be surprised if my shoe was also starched because in those days starching your clothes was the in-thing. I rocked starched clothes until I was beaten by rain, one faithful day. Despite my becoming a gum-man, I continued my starching adventure because I had learnt that 'person wey don faint before no be stranger to death.'

All in all, the photo reminded me about how our wants change with seasons. Your ways of yesterday will be different from your ways tomorrow. Stealing or borrowing to show off is a mental illness. Please don't, because tomorrow you won't even remember what the hell you wore to that event. Be content and happy about you and about life. If you must borrow, borrow sense from Matthew 6:30.

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Sunday!

......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey