FREEDOM
I had barely entered the huge gate when his large eyes pointed in my direction like the nozzle of a gun in search of its target, his gaze fastened to my figure like the canine of a lion holding its prey. As his eyes pierced through my whole being, I managed to returned the gaze and there was a divorce between his married lips and his gap-toothed dentition was revealed.
His reddish-brown colored teeth were glazed with plague and edges of the crown worn out like a blunt knife. As I walked in his direction, I could see his wrinkles like columns of ridges as they covered the smiles like a blanket. Midway into the walk for a handshake with him, the stench of his mouth almost dragged my legs backwards. I managed to let out a wry smile instead of a smirk as I stretched my hand to shake him. The furrows in his callused hand almost sapped strength from my tender skin as he held on to it like a trophy.
How much do you treasure your freedom?
He was a tall man in his late seventies with a sagged potbelly which looked like a deflated tyre. He was scantily dressed with just a red towel around his neck and a black faded boxer shorts. As we took a stroll, I could see his back with a nicely drawn map of scars spotted with flakes of eczema. I tried to steady my gaze looking into his eyes and I saw compassion plugged into the sockets of the eyeballs. He often scratched his bald head which looked like a valley of water surrounded by white ferns.
He was highly respected among his clan as they all gathered to look at me like a circus show. Some grinned while others beamed with smiles but all was from a considerable distance. As we approached the Chapel for a fellowship meeting, his deep weakened voice cried out to others, “It is time for fellowship, let us gather here for prayers”, he said. At the sound of his voice, they all gathered to arrange the Chapel for a fellowship meeting. While they were putting things in order, he took me aside to have a word with me,
“I have been here for the past 25 years, I am a lifer* and only what brought me here was an act of anger which went out of hand”.
He cleared his throat and continued,
“I caught my wife red-handed sleeping with my best friend, and without thinking twice, I strangulated my best friend and the fight paralyzed my wife till today”, he said.
My hands shuddered, my eyes blinked and my heart bled like a thumb in the midst of thorns as it raced faster than a FERRARI.
“My humble submission is that whenever you are angry, just pause for ten seconds before you take the next action and do something great with the freedom you have”. He advised with his gentle fierce look.
*Lifer: a prisoner sentenced to life in prison.
***Purely fictional and creative thoughts of the writer.
© 2015 by Osho Samuel
About the Author
Osho Samuel Adetunji is a graduate of Mechanical Engineering from Nigeria’s premier University, University of Ibadan. He is a poet, a blogger, a Public Speaker, an on air personality with a knack for short stories, inspirational articles and poems. He is a great thinker, creative and dexterous young man who does not only believe in excellence but also extols the tenets of discipline, hard work and effectiveness. He is an award-winning individual who is multifaceted and consistently measures success by effective impact.
He is a writer per excellence with articles published on VAVANE AFRICA, THE SCOOPNG, KONNECT AFRICA, Paarapo and Home zone media. He co-founded THE COURTROOM in 2012. He is the founder of KREATIVE DIADEM, a new initiative which kicked off on March 1, 2015.He is an inspirational young man who is addicted to going an extra mile in all facets of life. He is also a lover of football, tennis and boxing. You can follow him on Twitter with the handle: @inisamosho.
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