April 16, 2013 — ‘Lara A
April 16, 2013 — ‘Lara A
Today would have been your 30th birthday.
You probably would be married with children or maybe still in search of the mother of your future children.
It feels just like yesterday, I saw your cold body lying on the mattress in the sitting room.
You left in your sleep, without saying goodbye to any of us.
You know, Bimpe still feels bad that she did not accept your apology that morning. Tola wished she had listened to whatever you had to say that morning. I was restless for no reason that day.
It’s almost 14 years you left this world.
“My name is Fuad Adeyemi, son of Prince Adeyinka of the Gbagura Kingdom”, you used to say.
I went to our childhood home last November; the almond tree we loved is gone. You remember how we used to hide on the branches whenever we got into trouble with big mum; the competitions on who could get to the highest branch without falling immediately, or those days when we would laugh at the neighbours, watching them run around the house being chased by Bingo- I got rid of my fear of height on that tree.
I remember when Bingo was brought to the house and we were all cracking our brains for a name to give it and you said we should quit wasting our time and just call the puppy “Bingo”. Whenever I pass through Airport road, I remember those 3 little children finding their way home on that road thinking they had been forgotten in school.
I saw a guy having seizures while walking down a street in Hyderabad and I remembered those moments; I could only shake my head at the helpless people gathered around him.
Life moved on without you, some days I wonder what our lives would be like if you were still alive. Have you met The Prince in Heaven? He died last year, I am sure you know this by now. Stories of my childhood are not complete without yours.
Instead of a cure, God gave you eternal peace. He took you away to rest and saved you from the pain.
Continue to always rest in peace my beloved cousin.
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Lara is a restless soul who loves traveling and photography and is in search of her equally restless soulmate who is lost somewhere in the world. She blogs at www.labyrinthsoflahrah.com and you can follow her on Twitter at @lhararom.