UNFATHOMABLE....

The holy writ in its several admonishing to mortals explicitly in some cases likened man to the grass that flourishes beautifully at this instance but is momentarily removed and disappears. Long have I pondered over these sayings but a few weeks ago, an event occurred which transformed my random ponderings into a fresh state of perturbation I have persistently dwelt in, this event I intend to divulge today.

It was a cool Sunday afternoon and I was busy making a mental note of what delicacy would best quench flaming fires of my after traditional gigantic “after church” hunger. Walking into the kitchen, I heard footsteps from behind but cared less, all I was thinking of was good food until my younger sisters loud scream interrupted my trail of thoughts and simultaneously crashed my culinary meditations.

 Berserk, I turned around, ready to give her the verbal lashing she deserved for being an unrepentant prankster, alas, I was mistaken. Stunned by the very frantic look on her face, I became apprehensive as my anger melted into concern and I began to do subtle probe. She released her hand and let her phone slid into my open palms as the following words slithered out of her agape mouth “dem just ping me say my course mate die yesterday”

Wide eyed, my cerebrum began to process the information. Lecture free week had just ended; she was home for the weekend to do her traditional exam raiding of the entire house, most especially the store. Special electives had already been fixed for the next day, in fact, exams had literally begun. Amidst the hustle and bustle of my mind, I found my voice and slowly asked, sighing after each word, “how e take happen? When and where e happen?”

Well, all the information she had at hand was this- the young lad in the company of two others were driving from campus to the school gate and had gotten into an automobile crash. He died instantly, while the other occupants of the car, his friends, were both rushed to the ICU of the University Health Center.

I floated out of the kitchen because I couldn’t feel my legs carrying my body and in the same manner, my appetite drifted from me. With a broken heart, I found a seat in the living room and perched. She went on narrating the little she knew about the deceased course mate and the most recent which was after a test result was released. He was planning and hoping that he makes a B in the course. He obviously was preparing for strongly for his exams!

Who could have fathomed?, alas, the cold hands of death had snatched a budding rose yet again! 

Later that evening, a picture of the car wreckage was sent to her phone, it was a disheartening sight, one that rendered the tear ducts unequivocally ineffective.

That night as I lay to sleep, certain restlessness consumed me as I pondered over the holy writ’s description of a mortal and suddenly, I froze. An epiphany illuminated the darkness of my bedroom, no doubt, I realized- Life is a loan and someday the creditor will come to collect but when? Even the wisest of mortals cannot fathom!

Goose bumps covered the pore spaces on my skin and I began to shiver under the warmth of my covers at the reality that,- we could plan all we want, dream all we can, fantasize and give birth to illusions but we cannot tell of a surety what the next millisecond holds and what the next minute will bring.

Life is a stage where every man must come and deliver his roles having not a tinge of insight as to when the playmaker will scream "CUT"!

Emotions eventually normalized and routines continued but then, something else happened that got me thinking really hard.

There was going to be a presentation in my advanced immunology class and I was meant to introduce my group which would be presenting the topic “DNA fingerprinting”. I had it all planned out. I was simply loaded and ready to explode but my presentation was rescheduled as time ran out on us. I saw it as a good sign, an opportunity to do remarkably well. I was about to make an indelible impression on the professor and the class I thought but then came the much dreaded however- 5:00 AM on Wednesday morning, day of presentation, I woke up retching and vomiting!

I was absent the entire week and someone else did the introduction. All I could do for a whole week was to lie on the living room couch, cable remote on my right hand and flick TV channels restlessly and yet again, the same perturbation took me over as I recalled the holy writ’s analogy of life and every day, ever since these incidences occurred, I pause for a second, no matter how busy my day seems to be to ask myself these questions-

If life is a loan? How am I investing it?
Am I making profits, losses or am I just stationary?
Will I be ready when the creditor eventually comes to collect?

OR

If life be a stage, as inferred by William Shakespeare.
What be my role?
Am I delivering the right lines most succinctly?
Is my character in sync with the playmakers script?
Am I delivering someone else’s line or acting out another’s character?
What will happen to me when the playmaker finally screams “CUT”

I still am perturbed. Lost in the tides of reason and carried far away by the current of logic. I am frantically fighting the tides, swimming against the torrent and yet hoping desperately that providence leads me to find the right answers.

How about you? Think about it. Ask yourself and perhaps, you could be fortunate to catch an epiphany that will revamp your life and nudge you towards eternal bliss at the end of this very long journey.

…………..Dedicated to the young lads involved in the recent OAU road 1 auto crash with profound condolences to friends, family and loved ones of the great gem who passed away.