I came back home. But the heart and mind were still there. In the place where we had laid him to rest yesterday. My mama(Mothers brother) went away to glory two days ago.
As a young boy growing up, a mustache was a fascination! Mama had the best of it all. That was it. I decided then. I was going to be that man. That man with a big mustache. I was in awe of the man.
He sat in the center of the living room. The home seemed to be revolving around him. He bought home
food. He took people around on his motorbike. And drove the car. Everyone called him for everything. He always had an answer. I was perhaps ten then. May be even younger. My childhood fascination for the man grew.
As life became more complicated heroes changed. The way I saw him changed too. Mama never changed though! He was just doing his role. Day in and day out. The quiet, unassuming role, of being the protector of the family. He never was the center of attraction. Didn't even want to be one. Did not speak the loudest. Did not have the final word. As we laughed out loud, he quietly smiled. He was the guardian angel.
As I think of mama, the analogy that comes to my mind is that of the compound wall! The wall protects the family. Most days, we don't even notice the wall. It just stands there. We notice them only when there is a hole and a thief enters. Mama was that! He just stood there and protected. His sisters. His daughters. And his great wife. Never once did the compound wall complain of the sun beating down or the rain and the floods. Like a rock, he stood. For the family. And those around!
As I finished the last paragraph, I thought of the simplicity of the analogy and wondered whether it is even right to compare a life so beautifully lived to a set of simple stones! Yet, simplicity is what made the man so beautiful and so I decided not to edit the paragraph.
He was my godfather! He signed my wedding register. As we lifted him up and lowered him down into the grave, I spelled a thank you prayer for everything he had been to me. To us. To everyone around. No, he didn't change our lives. We lived our own lives, the way we wanted our lives to be, coz of him.
For he lived his life, for me! For us!
RIP Mama; Thank you. Till we meet again, good bye!
