Amarts's Notes

                                                            Adamu stared curiously at Christiana from the rear-view mirror as he moved the vehicle to the road Christiana had vowed never to pass again. He wanted to be sure she was in her right mind. He had doubted her, taking her words lightly the first time she ordered him to drive her to Oshodi. Having emphasized how serious she was, he started to doubt if she was alright. He reminded her several times how she had sworn that she would never pass through Oshodi again, but she reminded him that she was his boss so he had no right to question her decision. From that moment he kept quiet as he drove but he knew within himself that he would never be her superman or hero anymore. Should they encounter any trouble, he would take to his heels.  At the same corner of the street fro...

“Honey,” Christiana said, standing at the door post of her room. “Why are you not sleeping?” She walked up to her and after she threaded her arms around her neck. “I've been thinking about you,” Honey replied. “Why?” Christiana looked curious. “You are so lucky Mommy, just like a fairy tale princess,” Honey replied and Christiana laughed softly. “How am I lucky?’ “You are beautiful and very happy. Will I grow up to be very beautiful and happy like you?” Honey asked and Christiana was mute. She wished she could tell her daughter how sad and confused her life was. “My Honey, you will grow up to be better than me in every aspect. You will be more beautiful and you will be very happy. A...

After the surprise party, later at night Christiana sat still on her bed staring at the painting Bayo made some years ago. The painting was beautiful and she knew it would have won the heart of so many people if only Bayo had the opportunity to exhibit such a beautiful artwork. His choice of colours was outstanding and the moral of the painting was thoughtful. The painting was about an old woman with many busy hands. She knew the painting was about his grandmother who worked round the clock just because of him. Tears filled her eyes as she remembered how hard Bayo's grandmother had worked just to give him a good life. She wondered, why had he chosen such a horrible lifestyle? She wished she could ask him why he ran away when her parents told him that she was pregnant. He should have stayed. If only he had stayed with her parents, he would have had a good life. Without knocking her mother burst into the room smiling. Quickly, she put Bayo’s painting underneath her pillow...

              Early in the morning on Christiana’s 25th birthday, she laid still on her bed staring into space. Ever since she woke up, she had been thinking about how muddled up her life had been. A life she was sure her parents lived for her. They had designed her life the way they wanted it to look like. Her father was good at drawing every event of her life, while her mother was good at adding colours to his drawings. Christiana had no siblings, so the entire burden of Coker’s affairs rested on her shoulder. To her parents she was still a baby who must be told what to do at every moment of her life.  They choose the kind of friends she kept, the kind of food she ate and painfully, they choose her career and quenched her passion for African art. They mocked her anytime she showed them the beautiful drawing of the Nok art she had made. Her father was also good at breaking any sculpture she made. They wan...

          Christiana was only sixteen the first time her eyes met with Bayo’s. She met him the day she arrived from the United States. She stared at him for so long that her mother became very irritated. Quickly, she said, “he is the grandson of the old woman that cleans our house.” To Christiana, it was such an awful way to describe such a young man with a face so handsome and an appearance so tender. Her parents noticed how attracted she was to him, so they tried to keep her away from him anytime she was seen talking to him. They told her many times that he was a young man with no class but Christiana didn’t show any concern for their words. Her eyes followed him anywhere he went. One day, she stood behind him watching him paint a beautiful picture. She admired his artistic talent and it made her like him the more. Immediately Bayo noticed her presence, he trembled, his paper and painting brush dropped from his hand. Swiftly, both of them b...