“All of you, come in.” Old Kunle said slowly on his deathbed.
All his children and grandchildren came into the room.
They were 12 in numbers.
It was easier to gather them because they were all living in a two-bedroom flat.
“I used my life the wrong way a man would ever will.” He started slowly.
“But Grandpa, you told us you tried your best and this was your best?” 10-year old Femi spoke.
“Well, maybe. But I should have taken risks. If I had…”
“But Grandpa, you told us that most of those risks weren’t right and besides, people did it 20 years before you and they didn’t succeed?” 14 year old Shola spoke this time.
“I could have turned out better than this. I could have made…”
“Dad, didn’t you say one time that you could have been better but your father was at fault because he left no land nor money?” His last child frowned.
“Now that I look at it, opportunities abound, opportunities in my environment that I could have taken.., you see…”
“Wait a minute, I thought you said we wouldn’t have been this poor if you grew up in a place like Lekki or Victoria Island?” Dolu couldn’t understand what his father was trying to say.
Nobody did.
Old Kunle looked at all his children and wept. He had been feeding them with excuses all his life. They were all now like him, giving excuses for all their woes and failures.
Old Kunle died with a last statement,
“Please, don’t live like me. I could have succeeded, if I didn’t look for excuses instead.”
Instead of looking for excuses why you won’t do something, save your generation the trouble by getting up on your feet to work. Your time is now.
Written by Okunsanya Abiola
okunsanyaabiola@gmail.com
