Revels of a small town

Time

    We were born in Sapele, A small town just about thirty minutes from Warri city. I was the first amongst four kids. My mum was the average delta woman, she had a lot of business going on for her because she wasn't from the buoyant home but she worked really hard, then she fell in love and got married to a military officer. He was never around when we were growing up, because he was serving his country and help bringing peace to nations. it was up to my mother and my Grandma to take Care of us.
      Growing up I was a really sick child, one time I was really close to death but I survived and still got scars to show. Living with grandma, we had all our cousins close to us about fifteen of us and counting but I enjoyed the communion. We were all close and that was were I learned my first Lessons in Life. My Aunts and uncle were always close by to talk to, watch them work, or listen to stories and jokes. They had handiworks, The first was an electrician, the second a steel worker, the third a carpenter and the last one then was in school studying finance. It wasn't much but it was everything.
         I remember one incident that happened, my grandma went to the well in the next compound to draw water and someone crossed her so she came home telling the story, before she even finished talking my cousins were already on their way to find the culprit now mind you I was frail but in the midst of that, of them I felt strong. They found the person and put him in the right place.
        I enjoyed Grandma's meal, she made the best Banga Soup in this world, no one ever topped her, my mum and aunts try but it's never the same. She would gather us under the soursops tree while she makes her Akamu. I enjoyed those moments watching life and it's simplicities, The universe does provide for its inhabitants. We gave the shaft from the corn to the chickens(grandma had a small poultry farm) which would later feed us during Christmas, I didn't know then they fed us all through the year with their sales. All I knew in my head was grandma loved birds and I have to help In taking care of them and also don't pluck fruits from the trees. Life was simple, Then we moved.
My father came to visit us early 2002 and I thought it was the usual. Come with presents, stay a few days and go. No this time was different we were leaving, it was time to come be a family they said. And I wondered what happened to this one here, I wept uncontrollably because I was going to miss my little community of friends and trustees and going to a whole new city with new people, I tried to keep all the memories in my head, the places, the people, the things we've done everything! I kept telling myself if you keep them in your mind you would never forget. If only someone had told me to write it down then.
Moving to Port Harcourt was a big step for my mother, she had to start everything over, her business and social circles. We were in the military barracks so everything was settling. We met new kids, got enrolled into a new school and life just sort of continued but this time in a new, Much broder way. Slowly I began to forget my adventures back in sapele and found myself excited about new adventures I had with these new kids.
    Six years passed before we went back to visit the family, but sometime Inbetween grandma came to visit. Little changes had occurred, I had grown much bigger now, I just started my senior secondary and my first uncle was getting married so the whole family had to come together, we connected as always but now we talked about older irrelevant things, we had new cousins also, as my uncles and aunts had more kids. Not to forget those my uncle's friends that told me stories of how troublesome I was as a kid or some adventure I couldn't even remember. we spent about a week and I was already yearning for port harcourt, I wanted to see my friends and at that instant I remembered when I was saving the friends I had here in my head. I realized they were not even close by anymore and I wouldn't even recognize them if I saw them. The thought made me weak and I was in thought through the drive back.
          After that time it was another six years before I came back, I was in my second year in the university now and the Changes were even more visible now, grandma is getting older, I have new cousins again, and my eldest cousin just had a baby. My uncles still happy as ever were all excited to show us their wives and kids and I just wanted to be around them, Grandma made her famous Banga soup for us even tho we told her she didn't have to, she insisted and I'm forever grateful she did that because In another five years, Grandma got Blind. I came home this time, taking my last sibling for her post UtMe exams in Warri and after, we decided to come visit the family.
           Everyone is much older now, my eldest cousin has two kids and three other of my cousins were married with a child each. And here I am wondering when all these changes occurred. My uncles are getting older now, I can see their gray hairs, my aunts too. I am now done with school and waiting for service. I stayed with my Last uncle who now works with a financial institution but not married yet. Grandma was moved to stay with my aunt who was a widow so she could take care of her and it was during my visit as I watched her cook it dawned on me I would never eat my grandma's Food again, I wept bitterly and the thought of just hearing my voice and not being able to see me broke us both down. Time had really gone, here we were eighteen years Later after our move, with 23 first cousins and 5 second cousins. The soursops tree had been cut down years back, my uncle who worked with Steel now had his own workshop same with the one who is a carpenter and the electrician had a small start up wiring company, the roads are smaller now, the houses are damper and much more older now, there were some new changes too like, phone shops and DSTV centers, some hotels and lounges, and somewhat steady power supply. Those people that usually told you stories of your childhood days were either no longer in town or had forgotten how I looked. As I sat in the bus back home I cried not because of anything but just how Life can be so
fickle. And we waited for the next event that would bring us together again, hopefully, A wedding.

Hi everyone, thank you for reading my very first chapter, this story is a very personal one for me and I'm so happy to share part of me with you all.
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Also, Get ready for the next chapter!!
It's another interesting story of my beautiful birth Town and amazing Family.
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Love and Light...
Murga Johnson.