Happy birthday to you…
Happy birthday to you…
Happy birthday dear Ryan, Happy birthday to you!
Ryan!
Ryan!
“You this Stupid lad, you better wake up from your sleep. All your mates are outside rushing to the tap to queue for water, and you are still lying down on the bed.”
I don’t even blame you. I blame myself for accepting you into this house.
Ryan!
If I come back here and meet you on that bed you won’t like what I will do to you.”
Scallywag.
I pretended to be fast asleep. I hated this woman. I hated this house. Why does she always pick on me? What wrong did I ever do? Was it my fault that my parents decided to die? Why should I be the one to suffer for the misfortune that befell them?
This would be the third house Ryan had been moved to ever since his parents died. First it was with Uncle Max, but after he got into a bloody brawl with his oldest cousin-Frank, he was shipped off to Aunt Cordelia. He didn’t even last a week at Aunt Cordelia’s as he was hellbent on making her life miserable.
He chuckled as he recalled the event surrounding his untriumphant exist from Aunt Cordelia.
Stupid dog. Serves it better. At least that would teach it not to bark at me ever again. If Aunt Cordelia likes let her buy another one, I will still impale it should it bark at me.
Now he was here at Aunt Wura’s.
Sadly, he had clocked four months. Four months of ungraspable terror. She has refused to let him go even with his buffs and puffs. All he ever got were miseries. His incessant wails and hunger strike had merely moved her.
There was no telling what he could do to merit her chasing him out.
She seemed to be resolute in attempting to tame him. His tantrums merely seemed to exacerbate his situation instead of bringing the solace he envisaged would work on her.
Ever since he came to live with his Aunt Wura, Ryan had rebelled. He was not one used to performing chores around his father’s blue and off-white duplex located at the centre of town. His parent’s house was a magnificent building. No one that ever saw it restrained from admiring its grandeur. Most people even claimed it was the love that existed between Ryan’s parents that added to its grandness.
Sadly, his Uncles had put the house up for sale. Nobody even cared for his opinion. If only my Mum and Dad were alive.
Not wanting to further upset his benefactor, Ryan got out of bed and dragged himself to the bathroom to pick up the wretched yellow pail that had been assigned to him to get water from the neighbourhood tap.
Ingrates. He muttered, shuffling out of the place.
“Are you still here, Ryan!”
He dashed out of the house barely ducking Aunt Wura’s left slipper being hauled at him.
Located at the end of the street, was the only tap in the neighbourhood. It was mounted at the far rear of Chief Abiodun’s house. It was a rusty tap but it gave out clean water. Some people rumoured that the tap had been standing since the time of slavery.
The tap standing at about three meters was served as the only source of water for the neighbourhood. Everyone made use of the tap for different purposes. It was to this multi-purpose tap that Ryan made trips eight times to get enough water for his Aunt’s lodge before everyone would wake up.
I hate this woman so much. I hate this place. What kind of stupid chore is this? I can’t believe today’s my birthday and no one cared to remember.
Lost in thought, Ryan didn’t hear Obosi, his only friend in the neighbourhood calling on him.
“Ryan!”
“Ryan!”
“Rye?”
“Why are you yelling my name like that?” Did you assign the name to me? Queried Ryan. And don’t ever call me Rye again, that’s the name my dad used to call me.’
Bemused at the sudden outburst, Obosi was taken aback.
‘I’m sorry. I didn’t know that you didn’t like the name. But I was not even yelling.’
“I’m sorry still.”
‘I’m sorry, Obosi, Ryan smiled sadly, it’s just that today is my birthday and no one in that stupid house cared to remember, let alone wish me anything.’if my parents were alive I’m certain they wouldn’t miss it for anything in the world.”
Dropping his bucket and moving closer to Ryan, Obosi put his hand around his shoulder in warm embrace.
‘I’m sorry.’ I didn’t know your dad called you that.” I also didn’t know that today was your birthday.
You know what, he continued, can you come over to my house later in the day? We might as well go to our favourite spot and take some pictures with my phone. At least that should cheer you up.” Come on now, let’s race to the tap before it stops running.”
Hand in hand, the boys ran the rest of the way to the tap.
For the rest of the trip to and fro the tap, the boys talked about the upcoming talent show at the end of the month.
Unsure whether his aunt would let him go Ryan decided to sneak out should she refuse to allow him to visit Obosi.
“Good afternoon, Aunt Wura.” Prostrating, Ryan asked his aunt for permission to visit his friend who lived in the next block.
Staring him up and down unsure what he was up to. Aunt Wura responded in the affirmative.
“You can go. Ensure you come back before 6PM else today will be the last day you will see him.”
Gleefully, Ryan dashed out of the house. He couldn’t wait to take pictures with Obosi’s new smartphone.
“Where is the phone?” Queried Ryan as soon as he caught sight of Obosi’s empty hands.
“Calm down. Obosi smiled smugly.
It’s right here.”
Obosi dipped his hands into his pocket and brought out the brand-new phone.
‘But, I was thinking of what you said earlier about nobody remembering your birthday.”
“What if I told you that I know a way? There’s a golden watch my grandfather gave to me before he passed on.
It’s a magical watch. He inherited it from his grandfather. The watch grants only one wish to any person’s voice it hears. You can’t even pretend to change your voice because it would know.”
I think you can have it. At least use it to make a wish. I really care about you and I know it would mean so much to know to have a party or something.” Obosi smiled sadly.
Ryan stood mouth agape.
“Did you just say you have a magic watch that grants wishes?”
What are we waiting for?
Let me make my wish.” Ryan said grabbing the watch.
Wait.
Obosi touched him gently.
Make sure you know what you truly want.
Having said this he placed the watch on Ryan’s wrist, covered it with his hand and asked him to make a wish.”
Ryan closed his eyes. He inhaled and exhaled twice.
“I wish my parents were here to wish me a happy birthday.”
He opened his eyes but saw no one.
Angrily, he threw the watch away.
“Rubbish!”
What’s the meaning of this nonsense? Am I a joke to you? Why would you cook up such lies? Gosh, Obosi and I even believed you! In fact, I’m going home.” Where are my parents now? Magic watch indeed. Ryan hissed and started to walk away.
“Rye?”
“Guy, I’ve warned you to desist from calling me Rye, what’s your problem?”
“Rye?”
“Obosi, if you call me Rye one more time I’ll punch you.” Ryan turned back angrily to warn his friend.
Standing before him with Obosi grinning from ear to ear were his parents: clothed in the most beautiful apparel he could fathom.
“Mum, Dad?”
It worked!
Breaking down in tears, Ryan ran to meet his parents.
“We’re so sorry Rye, they smiled sadly. Everything happened because that was our destiny.
You need to turn a new leaf and allow Aunt Wura to take care of you. She genuinely loves you and wants the best for you.”
Promise us that you won’t give her headaches anymore. We know the life you have now is not the same as what you were accustomed to but we beg you our darling son, to learn to endure.
We will always be with you whenever you need us.”
Having said that, they sang birthday songs for him.
When it was time for them to leave, Ryan’s mum opened a magic box and from it, she removed a necklace.
“Wear this necklace, Rye, that way, we will always be with you, every year on your birthday, come back to this spot, rub that necklace and we will come to celebrate with you. we love you so much.”
Having said that, his parents both disappeared.
“Wait!”
“I love you too, Mum and Dad.”
Ryan felt water on his face and woke up with a start.
“Ryan, you scared me.”
You were deeply asleep, I didn’t want to bother you but then it was getting late and I became scared.”
“So it worked!
It worked!
Obosi it worked!”
Looking confused, Obosi asked.
“What worked?”
“The watch. Your grandfather’s watch. The magical one.”
Obosi burst into laughter.
“Hahahhahah
Boy, you really slept deep.
We were just telling stories after we took the pictures. I asked you to make a wish so we could cut the sand cake we made. You closed your eyes to think of the wish and simply slept off. I left you there and went to look for mangoes.”
With mouth agape, Ryan bent down and began to cry. Obosi let him. He put his hand into his pocket to get his face towel.
He narrated the “dream” to Obosi amidst soul-wrenching tears.
Dipping his hand into his pocket to get his face towel, Ryan felt something else in his pocket.
Pulling it out, it was the necklace his mother had worn for him in the “dream”.
Jumping up excitedly,
Ryan exclaimed “They came, Obosi, they came! I told you it wasn’t a dream!
“Let’s go home, Ryan, at least they came for your birthday.
Hugging each other tightly, the two friends headed home.
The end.
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