Sitting outside savouring the cool evening breeze, I listen to my neighbour Mama Ofure, as she rains curses upon the poor creature again. She punctuates her stream of curses with slaps and claps, as her hands seek the mosquitoes that are our ever present tormentors in this compound. Unfortunately, her slaps often miss their targets, instead making painful contact with her skin. This worsens her already foul mood. I sigh, thinking that perhaps Mama Ofure is too hard on her, this creature that has been part of all our lives for so long. Instead I try to reflect on all the ways she has been useful to us, especially my husband and I, since the breakdown of our third and last generator.
When the romance in my marriage was starting to wane, she brought us closer. We had candlelit dinners, and long walks under the moonlight.
She taught us to eat healthier, consuming our food fresh from the stove, no freezing and reheating.
She also brought us closer to our neighbours, causing us to sit outside and socialize in the evenings. Who would have thought Oghogho next door was such a good singer? Or that Baba Segun could tell such interesting stories?
She has helped to sharpen our wits and our grammar, through frequent games of Ludo and Scrabble.
She has even helped me rediscover the joy in little things, like the evening breeze, the scent of the frangipani planted in our compound, or crossword puzzles in the daily papers.
And although I too may curse at her once in a while for her erratic behaviour and unbearable rudeness, I have grown to accept her as an inevitable part of our lives. Even when she changed her name; we still choose to refer to her by her original name, the one we have grown so fond of over the years. And though we are quick to rain curses and insults upon her, we are even quicker to commend her when she decides to grace us with her generosity and kindness. Our cheers can be heard through the whole neighbourhood; “Up Nepa!!!”
That was a good one…close bonds built cos of NEPA…would probably been wasted watching something on TV. It not bad looking at it from that angle
Nice. I like it.
Well done.
I remember in Secondary school when in Geography you would list some ways of checking population explosion as wars,natural disaster,famine…
This just brought back those old memories, reading about how NEPA makes couples have compulsory candle-lit dinners, neighbors hanging out in the evenings, taking strolls under the full moon.
Nice work, a good retrospective (and of course current) view on the effects of NEPA on us
Lol.
It made for light and easy reading. I like the fact that it related the central point without adding too much embellishment or causing too much additional headache for the reader.
Needless to say, I just bought another generator today!!!
Thank you.
Nice, breezy and fun to read! I just pray phcn will not start quoting excerpts of this in a new advert o!
Fun to read.
Great job, afroscribe.
Now, fess up. Do you work for NEPA? lol
Who knew that NEPA and its antics could be this advantageous.
Lol…
Fond thots of Nepa never! Ok maybe a little, u just made me see reasons why. Thumbs upz!
Nice one Afroscribe!I can relate.A couple of years ago,a hurricane came to Miami and we lost power for about three days.We enjoyed cooking on the barbecue and talking and playing with the kids instead of watching TV.By the time the power came back,we had settled into a routine already.
Enjoyable reading, Afroscribe. I wish you hadn’t given the story away with the title, though.
Is it still called ‘NEPA’? I’m sure you meant ‘PHCN’ – or maybe your story is set in the past.
OK, just re-read this: “Even when she changed her name; we still choose to refer to her by her original name, the one we have grown so fond of over the years.”
Nice one.
So many things we can achieve and bonds that can be formed in the absence of light. So many other things we can lose too.
Nice one.
Make some people go buy Generator jare!
This was really a good work, for those who can relate.
Uh, just sad to give up and accept all the darkness from nepa. Nice story though. I loved how fluid it was.
Nice and simple, almosy made me cheer for NEPA, but hey, they should improve.
No matter how sweet this story is (and it is really sweet) NEPA, PHCN or whatever his (yes, to me, he is a man. lol) name is, nothing good about him.
reminds me of what…Deedee (rite?) did wt A,B,C of…
my point?
creative
refreshing
great that sth very commonplc gives us sth this beautiful.
whether PHCN uses it 4 advert or not…they no dey try
check though:
often miss their targets, instead making painful=the comma should be after ‘instead’…u agree?
I sigh, thinking that perhaps Mama Ofure is too hard on her, this creature that has been part :check the sentence construction here agn
And although I too may curse at her: curse at her? curse her? rain curses at her?
just my tots: feel free to discard…lol
kudos!