ONE DAY, I WILL WRITE MY STOR (the conclusion)

The steps drew nearer which made us know for sure that there was no place to run or hide. Hassan tried to reach for his walking stick, and I could predict what he had in mind. He would use his walking stick to hit, as often as possible, whoever tries to touch him. I knew I would also not be doing anything less, because a blind man's walking stick is always his only weapon in times of adversary. The footsteps stopped some distance away from us, and a very strong masculine voice asked, "Who is Hassan?" Silence evolved between us, as neither of us answered the question. "Well, I am Dr. Gbadebo." One of the voices said. "and I am Mr. Chinedu." The other voice said. "We work for a charity organisation that sees to the empowerment of the less-privileged in the society." The first voice said. "especially those with disabilities." The voice added. The rest of the story was what gave Hassan a lift in life. The charity organisation had come to pick the most extra-ordinary youths and teenagers of different disabilities in the country. Hassan was sponsored by the organisation to further his studies in America, and that was how I never heard from Hassan for over 6 years.

I had just finished my Master's degree programme at the most prestigious university in Nigeria where I studied Creative Writing. Before the end of my programme, I had published a book titled FIGHT AT THE MARKET PLACE. The book was nominated for different awards both in Nigeria and outside the country. Different clubs and associations had invited me to their various conferences and concerts to educate people more on the need to embrace whatever life throws their way and make good use of it. One of the memorable conferences I attended was the one organized by a church in Qatar. The conference was for all those with various disabilities in the country, and I was one of the disabled celebrities invited to re-orientate them on the need to make the best out of life regardless of their challenges. After my speech, I was led into the Bishop's office, where the Bishop appreciated me for coming around. It was in the course of the Bishop's appreciation that a very familiar voice interrupted us. "Blindee" The voice said. I shifted my face towards the direction of the voice, and I was not so sure of whose voice it was, as only one person calls me that name. "Blinder" I replied. The voice laughed, and at that point, I knew it was Hassan. I was so happy to have met him again after so many years. Ever since he left the school, we lost contact, as the school was raided by gunmen few months after his departure. The raid brought about the closure of the school, and only few of us were lucky enough to have graduated before the school was closed down. "Blinder and Blindee" were the names we called each other when we were still at the school. "Blindee" was the very first word that came out of Hasaan's mouth when I told him the story of how I got blind. In annoyance, I called him "Blinder". For few minutes, we kept repeating the names, and it was just a matter of time before we both started laughing. Hassan was one of the organizers of the conference, and he was the one who recommended me as one of the speakers for the conference. The Bishop interrupted our re-union when he said, "Mr. Akin, we have a proposal for you." He told me that he would be glad if I could publish a book which would be about the story of my life. How I got blind, and the journey so far. Writing my story had always been on my mind, and I had procrastinated it by always saying, "One day, I will write my story." As I sat back on my bed, I made up my mind to concentrate, and again, I pressed "REC" on the recorder. In its usual manner, the voice from the recorder said, "Say something after the beep." It took me some seconds to start the story, but this time, I didn't stop the recorder. "Let me tell you my story…" I finally started.

© 2015. Austus Ofmat Nwanne

Well, I did not actually intend to tell you my story or better put, Mr. Akin's story, and I hope Mr. Akin himself had not told you his story. So, let's keep our fingers crossed, maybe Mr. Akin would eventually tell us his story. You never can tell if he would tell you the story in my next book titled, HALF OF YOUR STORY. But, before then, join me again next week as we start another classic story. Remember, it would be nice if I can share Daily Diet with your friends and loved ones also. If you have a friend or two that you would want us to always send Daily Diet to via Whatsapp, kindly send his/her Whatsapp number to +2348072970850, and if you also want to always receive Daily Diet directly on your phone via Whatsapp, kindly do the same, and you can aswell send a Whatsapp message to the same number above. Don't forget to visit my blog for more outstanding articles and stories @ www.tyobstacle.blogspot.com