DIARY OF A BLACK BOY (Episode Seven).

...

Tade kept rolling on his bed at home. His mind was troubled though he has stop crying. There has been several missed call on his phone from T-baba, Sola and Deborah. He sat up on his bed again and looked at the wall, to the portrait photo of him and his mother on his matriculation day. He was in his matriculation robe while his mother was in a costly Ankara beaming at the camera. Their heads were touching one another as she held his waist, but now she is gone!

Tears trickled down his face as he placed his head in between his crossed arms trying to forget her but it wasn't successful. The mysterious migraine kept coming until he was forced to stand up and rip down the photo. He opened his wallet and brought out a cigarette then started smoking. His head became light and he felt like daring, doing the impossible!

In this mood he heard a faint  knock on his door which leads to his one room paradise. Who is that?" Tade drawled. "It's me your Father" the person replied still faintly. "You better don't come in here" Tade replied. By now the whole room was filled with tobacco smoke. "How dare you talk to me like that, you this rascal!" His father shouted and banged in. "Jesus Christ!" His father shouted. Tade hissed puffing the smoke towards his Father's direction. "You're smoking?" His father asked. "And so?" Tade said as he stood up. He was now taller than his father. "So you've join bad gang" his father said as he clapped his hands in disbelieve. "At least you've seen it, so please leave I need to calm my head" Tade said facing his father. "How dare you talk to your father like that, your mother didn't teach respect at all" his father shouted as he shake his head, angry and furious.

"Don't you dare call her name again, you this murderer" Tade shouted. "You dare call me a murderer? His father said, shocked with disbelief. "Yes! and am going to do even worse if you call her name again" Tade retorted as he moved closer to his father staring wildly at him. "Bimpe" his father said and then landed a slap on his face. "Bimpe! You this rascal child like mother like son!" His father said as he continue spanking him.

The memories suddenly flooded in. The days of when he would be crying after he has been beaten for defecating on the floor, to those days of when he is not in the first three position in class, to the days when he failed WAEC and JAMB, and to the days his mother would be crying after being beaten. "You murdered her!" Tade shouted as he suddenly gave his dad an head butt in the stomach. "You're evil!" He shouted again amidst sobs as he delivered a blow to his father's cheek. His father went crashing down against the concrete floor. His father went for his neck to save his own life but Tade had the upper hand. He started smothering his father with his hands. "You killed her" he wailed. His father wiggled and wiggled beneath until he suddenly went stiff. It took several minutes before Tade realize his father wasn't moving or struggling for control again.

He himself was in tears and sniffing. Something made him walk closer to his father and check for his breath. He was dead! Fear creep into Tade's mind as he lost his guts. Instinct then work over him as he grab his wallet and phone then ran out.

It was 11: 20 pm yet he kept walking making sure he avoided the street night guards. He boarded a bus and ended up at Iwo road, and by 9:00 am he was on his way back to school. Tade avoided the whole of T-baba that day and then rush to the revival ground immediately it was 6 pm. The north field was filled with students. Tade eavesdropped and heard that yesterday own was powerful as people testified to the glory of God. Tade just stood there watching how they were praying. He suddenly felt dirty and filthy, the guilt of what he has done. "If you're here and you feel like you're dirty, step forward because God is waiting for you", The preacher said. Tade saw how students were walking towards the centre. "I did the right thing" Tade keep assuring himself as Deborah and other choir members started singing; "I surrender all". They are just trying to play with emotions, that he assured himself, but there are some lies that the mind will never agree with, no matter how good you're in fooling your heart there is always a point when the soul will yield and fail because it is the mental faculty, and the real essence.

Tade started moving his legs, he was in tears again. Soon he was running to the centre, people started parting way for him.
He crash to the floor immediately he got the centre and started crying. He wanted this peace they are talking about, he has been lost for years glorying in his own will but they never save.

"God is here for you son" the preacher said as he patted Tade on his back. The ushers wanted to grab Tade who held onto the preacher's leg. "Leave him" The preacher said camly. "Say after me" The preacher he said facing the now kneeling Tade. "Father I come before you now, if I say I haven't sin I lie and the truth is not in me. Lord  Jesus forgive me all my Sin and wash me with your blood. Make me yours, in Jesus name I pray". Tade repeated the confession over and over again in tears. He just laid on the field even after the confession still sobbing.

"Son heaven is rejoicing over you coming back home" The preacher said pulling Tade
to himself. He just keep sobbing until suddenly the sound of the school security siren alerted their attention to their vehicle packed outside the field with police men.

"Get him!" One of the police men shouted as he pointed at Tade. Sola who has been beaten blue black was led towards Tade.
"It is him" Sola said. "Oya move!" One of the police men shouted slapping Tade. Tade didn't feel the pain instead he was just sad of what he has lost.

Cultism doesn't pay or saves, it only destroys. He made eye contact with Deborah who looked at him pitifully. He saw her lips move but couldn't read what she said. The preacher followed closely as Tade was led to the waiting vehicle.
***NO MATTER HOW YOU RUN, TRUTH ALWAYS CATCH UP EVERY TIME.***

THE END.




EPILOGUE
 By: (Pastor J. Oyewole)
...

Tade was sentenced to twenty five years imprisonment and hard labour for being involved in the killing of one Afeez Alao, A student of the polytechnic, Ibadan.

Whenever I visit him he is always smiling and singing one particular song that always
brings tears to my face. The song goes thus;

"Ore bi Jesus kosi la ye yi,
Sugbon Jesu lore otito,
Ore ayeyi le ko no sile,
Sugbon Jesu koje gbagbe mi."

(TRANSLATION;
There is not a friend like Jesus in this world,
But Jesus is the only true friend,
The friends of this world might abandon one,
But Jesus will never forget me.)

I always hold his hands and pray for him and he would start saying amen has he continues his song. The inmates at Agodi prison soon labelled him "pastor". Tade became a voice, an example for others. The last time I saw him he was separating two inmates who were involved in a fight and telling them about the life he
now has in Christ.

He just changed and doesn't get angry at people anyhow even those who criticize him. My own portrait picture which he drew did I place in my sitting room for everyone to see and know that a dream and passion is still there. Maybe he will follow his dream when he comes out of prison, let leave that for the future  to judge.

NO THE QUESTION IS, Who actually caused this?, Life? What is life? I repeat what is life, when you live today and die tomorrow.
What is life? That everything has been scripted, all what you get is bad luck and failing. Many of us are evil and devilish. You laugh at those who fail but have you ever for once try succeeding also?.

Tade's father saw only a dullard in his son, his mother saw a son. His Sunday school
teachers saw a future pastor or bible scholar, his classmates saw a gentle boy who doesn't want trouble but they were all wrong, they never knew him. Tade was a young innocent boy touched by sorrow, he is like a perfect example for life used to punish.

Tade wasn't a failure but a tiny voice from the millions struggling with how to face life,
how they see life. He is an African soul that wants to escape the bondage of a scripted
life, an African entity that want to fly high in the bright sky, away from script into the
realm of freedom where his voice and talent counts!

This is the story of Tade, told to portray good tidings, learn from it and don't fail into Tue same pit he fell into. Learn how to handle life's situations, learn how to take life simple, learn the principles of life.

THE END.