Creative Nonfiction: High and Low Movements

Good day everyone, welcome to my blog.

I remember a man in our neighbourhood some time ago, Mr Oladapo. Mr Oladapo was an office worker who worked in one of the ministries back then but I was too young and naive to know which particular ministry he was working with.

Apart from being an office worker, he was also into agriculture. He had a few pens for his broiler chickens and a small fish pond in his backyard. Every festive period, he would close early from his office and come home to take his chickens to the market for sale.

Meta Ai

Almost all the families in our neighbourhood buy catfish, eggs, Christmas and Easter chicken from Mr Oladapo. Many grandmother would hail him as Oladapo gbogbo lowo. (Oladapo jack of all trades) Each time he passed through our house and the young man would go down and prostate to greet my grandmother saying mama e Pele ma , se ara mokun( Mama, weldone ma, how are you today) before he would continue his journey.

As neighbours,Mr Oladapo would make sure to give my grandmother a reasonable discount each time we bought chicken or cat fish from him, he would add a few extra pieces when we bought eggs. So my grandmother is always showering prayers on him saying thank you for my care of my jewel, your pockets will not run dry and help will always come through for you. The man will just smile and say amen ma before he will continue his journey.

The last Saturday before Christmas of that year towards evening, Mr Oladapo as usual was taking care of his birds when he noticed that few of them had fever through their poo. He gave them the last dose of antibiotics he had at home with the hope of buying more the following day. Before morning the following day, more than half of his birds were dead and before he could rush to administer more medication on the other, he had lost another twelve.

The incident was a tragic one. Mr Oladapo ran at loss, he was close to tears as he was burying those birds. He had no chicken to sell for that year's Christmas so people took their business elsewhere. We were also affected because my grandmother cooked frozen fish instead of chicken. She said Mr Oladapo is our benefactor and we can not celebrate when he is in pain. Hummm grandma and her ways.

The following year my grandmother noticed that Mr Oladapo did not buy chicks like he usually does then she sent me to call him. When I got to his house, I greeted him and delivered the message. I was sent “ Good evening sir, my grandmother said she would like to have a word with you, she said you should see her as soon as you can”. The man responded by nodding his head and I thought he was not going to come but I told my grandma that I already delivered the massage then I continued with my home work.

Meta A

About five minutes after I got back, he came to see the old woman he greeted and then the old woman asked Ola, you have not bought the birds as you usually do, are you not going to sell chickens for Christmas? Mr Ola said mama, I don't want to buy o, you saw how the ones I raised last year died of Anthrax. I am not intending to face any loss this year so I will invest my money in another business.

The old woman took a deep breath then asked so what is the assurance that the other business will be fruitful? Mr Oladapo was silent for a while then my grandmother continued Ola, you are like a son to me and I would never deceive you. Life has its high and low movement. We are supposed to enjoy the movement and save up for rainy days during our high time and have critical thinking and strategize during our low movement.

I would want you to go back into the business you know how to do best and pay attention to every detail now more than you did before and I pray that this time around, things will come out differently in a positive way. Mr Oladapo said thank you mama, I would give what you have said a thought before they moved the conversation to the community gist.

He went to buy some birds and paid attention to them more than ever before. Towards the Christmas period the history tried to repeat itself but this time around,Mr Oladapo was more than prepared. He changed his bird's pen, vaccinated all of them and gave them the appropriate food. As nature would have it, a lot of people's birds died making the demand to be more than supply.

With that, the price of chicken went up and Mr Oladapo sold all his birds at a good price making profits from his sales. On boxing day, Mr Oladapo brought an hampers full of home supplies to my grandmother. Grandma asked him Ola, why nah, you shouldn't have worry yourself. Mr Ola said Don't worry Mama, I am in my high movements and wish to extend the gratitude to you for being there for me during my low movements.

Thank you for reading, I am @ellizy