I was only three years when we came back home to the village from the Coal city of Enugu in the month of August. This was to enable my mother attend the very popular August Meeting Ibo women in the eastern part of Nigeria are known for. This August meeting enables Ibo women to visit their villages at least once in a year to deliberate on ways to move their home churches forward as women are known for leading in moving the church to greater height more than their male counterparts.

So it happened that being the second born of the family and the then last child of my parents, my mother decided to take me along with her so it could afford me the opportunity to visit my home town for the very first time. I was elated when my father nodded his approval. My mother’s househelp helped me pack my best clothes into a small traveling bag as I became restless and disturbed the entire neighbourhood with the story of my good fortune.

We had a swell journey and arrived our home town late in the afternoon. My mother’s mother who i was told is my grandmother had come to receive us at the major bus stop. She took us to her house. Without wasting time, all the kids in my grandfather’s large compound fell in love with me and within time, I had the joy of choosing my friends from among them.

I was happy with my choice but ended up loosing some of the kids my age.

The next day, I went with one of my new friends to their house in the midst of the rest of my other new friends on my entourage. I was their king.

One of them couldn’t believe it when he saw me wearing a brief. He just couldn’t get over it. He told the rest of them and they all stripped me to have a look at my clean brief.

On getting to their house, his mother welcomed me and asked his son where he was coming from. My friend didn’t say a word. She asked her why he had refused to finish the duties assigned him before beating her vigilance to go and play with his friends. My friend stuck out his tongue at her mother and every other one of them laughed at that. The next thing he did made me laugh when he pulled his pants and shook his bare buttocks at his mother who shook her head in a mirthless laugh at her son’s strange act(s).

I learnt fast.

When I got back to my granny’s house, my mother was furious with me. When she asked me, I replicated all that I had learnt from my friend. My mother showed her shock but contained it fast. That was when I realized it must have been a terrible thing to do to one’s mother. She started laughing and called me to come and eat.

I ran to her and instead of giving me food, she flogged me with a cane I couldn’t remember seeing her bringing. She whipped me hard as she admonished me never to try that in her house or anywhere. My friends laughed me to scorn.

I shed tears and learnt not to diss my mother the hard way.