#MyNYSC Thirty Cents of Memories
Moments of Nostalgia, Truth and the Littlest Things.
A collection of chaotic memories.
viva, viva
hold my hands
make we waka, make we go…
Wale and I had something in common: Brymo’s music. He had the best Brymo playlist for late-night sleep, and early morning risings played in a low diminutive tempo.
From Viva, to Entropy, Money Launderers & Heartbreakers, Mirage, Mama, There’s a place, Without you, Strippers & Whitelines, Patience & Goodluck, We all lose sometimes and Billion naira dream: It was always a good morning.
Mama was an early morning message that reminded me how far I had come, my little achievements, and the obstacles of the past that still exist in the present while planting doubts and futuristic uncertainties.
Banuso was a reminder that one should confide in one’s self; never share your deepest secrets with people. On the bright side, Wale helped ignite my hopes for the future with the Billion naira dream track.
Those songs give me nostalgia for Block C, Room 4. Oftentimes, I’d remember when we talked about the depth of Brymo’s lyrics, the spirituality and philosophy of his songs, the bluntness of his message and strong references to indigenous & classical literature.
I was amazed when I found out that Wale is from Bayelsa. I mean, I thought he was Yoruba, except I called him by the wrong name.
Moments of Truth
The ‘Truth Moment’ I had at the Guinness bar with Timilehin, David, Tega, Ruth, Precious and Bobola where I tried playing the Devil’s advocate by asking uncomfortable questions about their sexuality and love life and what seemed like strong chemistry in the circle.
Bobola’s truth was by far innocent. I realized he was literally the circle’s last born. Oh, he’s a big fan of DC comics. Here is his Twitter handle.
Beyond a doubt, I am sure they miss my dry jokes and morning disturbances at the assembly. David Camo would have been tired of me. I was the menace they wanted to keep and shun at the same time. So much conflict.
I remember a discussion I had with Tega, Bobola and Joy on relationships. This writer is not sure the parties would want the details to be divulged. But one thing I figured was that men want mature women and they wouldn’t mind reliving themselves of some responsibilities. The undertone here is that they want to be babied and be doing Oko madam duties.
A similar conversation was with Ruth and Tega on separate occasions where I may have echoed my reservations about relationships. We talked about breakfast, heartbreaks and all there is to say about relationships. They both seem to have serious relationships in their different lives. Good for them.
I’d like to focus on Bobola for no reason, just read.
Bobola is unbelievably young in age, by heart with a cute baby face. I had earlier approached him to be the platoon leader. I didn’t think he was a capable leader because I didn’t know him personally. I simply thought he was a fine boy which I believed would put him out there for the pretty ladies, at least in my platoon.
While I respect his serious relationship, I would readily hook him up to a sugar mommy, if only she wouldn’t need the sugar. He wants it too.
As for his role as Asst. Platoon Leader, Bobola may sometimes seem clueless, but he was not a square peg in a round hole. He was fit, 100%!
The Gang of water bottles, razor and Indian rubber ball
Yes, that’s what I thought we were. Water bottles for how short they were, an Indian rubber ball, for my height and a razor for their sharp mouth.
The frequent hangouts with Bukola, Barry and Eniola at different places, especially Deedee’s bar and Double Portion were the new cool for me. The hilarious classes on catching fish (Eniola and Bukola really took it seriously. They wanted men and I was their coach). I was the only guy with the female trio and they failed to keep their promise to get me a camp girlfriend. All women do is lie.
Bukola grew an unbridled tongue for jokes and mockery, and Eniola didn’t help matters. Honestly, I wouldn’t have been surprised if Eniola or Bukola had told me they were beaten. Elenu razor!
The gang was the social court where we judged all the guys who picked interest in them and laughed at the moments dem suppose chop slap for their silliness.
While Eniola and I had time to reminisce about our friendship, how and why we drifted apart in our third year in school: Bukola and I bonded more, like our first year in UNILAG. Barry on the other hand would readily pick a fight for me. Yes, she and Eniola once did this to keep me a seat in the hall for a social event. She was the real deal!
The littlest Things & Many More
I bumped into a couple of pictures with people that I wasn’t familiar with. I didn’t take their numbers although I may have mentioned my name to a few. I probably also told them I will be a great person too.
One of the ‘little things matter’ moments for me was on a fateful evening. I had myself withdrawn from everything to meditate when someone whose name I didn’t get approached me where I was seated in the stadium to give me a chocolate éclair candy. It felt really good.
Two things you should know, it could be more.
Debbie and Ayooluwa were the cutest lovebirds, and I enjoyed teasing them. I loved hyping Onyinye for her beauty and scholarly disposition, and Molayo for her pretty calm face at the slightest opportunity.
I enjoyed reading my poems to Comfort, Anifa and Ruth (a registered nurse and brilliant writer) and the discussions we had.
What they didn’t know was that I had performed Nobel Prize poems to them. I had read Àbíkú, 6-feet, Semi-colon, Lafun, Boy who drowned in vodka, Ampersand and many others.
Praise is gentle and loving. Her smile comes naturally and it’s beautiful to see. I had jokingly remarked that I wanted to snatch her away from Kelechi, who seemed like a proxy boyfriend, for lack of a better word.
Kelechi’s vibe was unmatched. He was every lady’s boo. There was really no dull moment with him and he’s got a thing for catching jokes.
Esther has a beautiful heart and all along, she was the only reason I knew what was going on my platoon as regards documentation and allowance. I sometimes felt I knew her somewhere before the camp. I have her feminine necklace which adds to my collectibles.
I had the most insightful conversations on the state of the country with Erin OBS boy and Gerald(he was the room’s Odogwu, the sanity to every argument and perhaps the friendliest on camp).
The career development talks with Chisom and Soliu, a mechanical engineering student of LASU in Venezuela, were heavy-weighted.
Abiola David was always at the end of my cusses. We’d always say ‘fuck you bitch’ to each other in the room. Beyond that was someone whom I bullied, even though he’s bigger and I’d get away with anything. Also, he always showed empathy and real concerns.
Oz on different occasions helped relieved the pains in my neck down to my spine with his bone therapy hands. He is a professional actually. The Platoon‘s Igwe with the selzzzyyy bedroom voice, high shoulder pad and mischievous laughter.
Ollypizzu, though he left camp early, was the closest person to me and I had begun to get used to him when he left. I could tell that Eniola missed him when I told her he left.
Shout out to Praise, Kelechi Maduuuuu, Barry, Eniola, Bukola, Debbie, Ayooluwa, Mahmud, Teniola, Ruth, Chisom, Timileyin, Bobola, Tega, Deji, David Camo, Abiola David, Onyinye, Molayo, Gerald Odogwu, Bosoyin, Esther, Moyinoluwa, OZ, Ronee, Comfort, Precious, OllyPizzu, Dotun, Elizabeth, Anifa, Joy, Alex, Soliu, Tunde, Wole, Tosin, OBS guy, Platoon 3 members, the girl that calls me UNILAG boy and many other people I called ‘alaye, chief, egbon, chairman & boss’ throughout my stay.
This isn’t the end.
I’m birthing the next episode which, of course, allows you to gather more cents. Read next: #MyNYSC Forty Cents of Madness
