Saturday, February 23, 2008

Baba Catwalq

There is this picture I have of me and my dad. I am probably three or four. My hair looks like it was hastily applied to my head from a collection intended for the pubic region. My father has on one of his old plaid shirts that my mother would "mistakenly" throw away over the years. I don't know what I have on because you cannot see my body. I am about four feet off the ground, my spindly limbs jutting out like sticks of sugar cane.

We are both smiling. My dad's reaches from one ear to the other and all of the sixteen dentures that I own are put on display. In my hand is a book, one of the many manuscripts that i was surrounded with as a child. My dad's hands are free but not really.

We are standing in the room where we used to iron. In that huge house we lived in in Benin. At the corner of the picture, you can see a foot. My mother's. Everytime I look at the picture, I look at her foot. i look and look because I cannot for the life of me figure out how she came up with the concept that her toes look like "unsuccessful Ijebu groundnuts." But, such are the kind of statements my mother makes.

It is a happy picture and an odd one. Not odd that it is a father and daughter having fun. But odd because my father, after being pestered by me the whole day relented and went in search of the ankara wrapper that had been set aside for the task he was about to execute. My father hoisted me on his back and strapped me to him with the wrapper. I was too big for my mother to carry. Besides, I was no longer a baby. I now had a baby brother who was probably drooling on himself somewhere. Yet, I wanted to be "backed"

Probably sensing a budding insecurity, my father gave me what I wanted. So in that picture of mine, I am oddly potruding from behind my father. His hands reach around him to support my weight because even though he has applied a scientific formula to the tieing of the wrapper, it is coming loose and I am slowly slipping to the ground. My legs come out at his waist and it appears I have lost the slipper on my left foot.

But it does not matter. My dad has made his little girl happy and from the picture, it appears he is happy too......

29 comments:

Eyin'ju Oluwa said...

Too cute, you should enlarge & frame it.

lol@unsuccessful ijebu gnut...

Jennifer A. said...

#2...make I go read am...

Jennifer A. said...

awwwwwww...he made his little girl happy!

This line made me giggle..."i look and look because I cannot for the life of me figure out how she came up with the concept that her toes look like "unsuccessful Ijebu groundnuts."

36 INCHES OF BROWN LEGS said...

ur mom is hillarious? 'unsuccessful ijebu groundnuts????

In my head and around me said...

Aww, your dad is lovely.

Your mum and mine seem to have a common habit of "mistakenly" throwing out things. I can not forget what she did with my white (admittedly white-turned-brown top) that I loved with all my heart.

Fo said...

awwww memories....aren't they smtin...i love photo memories most too...well keep being hapi girl...u deserve it *winks

Anonymous said...

awwwwwwwww.. ur mom is tooo funny

Anonymous said...

'from the picture, it appears he is happy too......'

u sound hesitant, for such a cute setting

InCogNaija said...

how toushing!!! lol!! reflecting on the happy past times is one of the things i do too.
I am glad u got urs frozen in time by way of "picshure"
memories huh?

Afrobabe said...

Now you make me wanna call my dad...hope my mum is not there cos if she asks me how far with husband matter I am coming to get you!!!

Flowers and Poetry said...

You told the tale so colorfully that I felt like I was right there, either also strapped unto your father's back or I myself snapped the photograph. Well done!!

Unknown said...

This is so sweet.

:-)

anonymous gal(retired blogger) said...

unsuccesful ijebe groundnuts? lol

eFJay said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
eFJay said...

Beautiful...

Reminds me of a picture of my dad and i... i must hv been 2 or 3, we r both sittin on the floor, i'm sitting in between my dad's legs and he is braiding my hair...

'ef babe'

Allied said...

awwwwwwwwww....

Reminds me of a picture of my mom and i. So much love..

Now we are not close :(

Anonymous said...

so sweet. I missed reading ur blogs.. sniff.... too busy with work

Idemili said...

Awww! Well told girl. Respect.

Waffarian said...

Hehhehhe, too cool for school...wish i could see the pic...lots of love, babe!

Atutupoyoyo said...

Awww. A perfect moment captured by the stillness and eternity of a picture.

What is an successful Ijebu groundnut? Is it one that survives the harvest?

♥♫♪nyemoni♫♪♥ said...

How sweet catwalq. oddly the post brought tears to the back of my eyes...

Naapali said...

and you have successfully used fewer than a thousand words to paint a very delicate picture.

Jinta said...

i think you got your literary prowess from your mum

only one thing missing from that post: the pic

bumight said...

now that's a picture I'd like to see...

Anonymous said...

lol at the way u described you hair...awww....thats really a cute thing your papa did!

Ms. Catwalq said...

Omosewa:If i could find it. And those are her exact words, not mine

Jaycee:You guys don't believe me? My mother talks like that...

36: yes, she is a character.

In my head: If she is like mine, she cut it up with a pair of scissors and then burnt it

fo: thanks and you too

Overwhelmed: she would like you...

Geisha: sometimes, I am not too sure with my father. he is not very vocal with his feelings

Incognaija: taink u jare

Afrobabe: me, I did not send u o

Flowers & Poetry: Thanks...

Pamela: yeah, most of my childhood was.

Anonymous gal: of all the names you can choose on this blogville...and like I said b4, those were her words not mine

efjay: awwww, that is so cute....

Allied: eyah

Bimbylads: abeg make that money well well...my list is in the mail.

Idemmili: Thank u joo. how u dey?

Waffarian: which kain too cool for school? Kisses my sister

Atutu: My dear, I do not know o. Me thinks, it is after roasting or maybe it is just poorly developed from the soil. I never asked her what one looks like but methinks she will just profer her foot....

Nyemoni: awwwww....but ehn, how come it was at the back of your eyes?

Naapali: and it took me two tries...

Uncle Jinta: but if I put it up, I will no longer be anonymous....

Bumight: Hmnnnn, let me see about that...

Pink Satin: the saddest part is that it is still very much like that *sob*

uNWrItten* said...

lol..i really like this..somehow i can imagine the picture in my head..unsucessful ijebu groundnuts..lol wow

first time on your blog..love it!

Brilliantly Me said...

Great imagery...so cute...

Bhookey said...

dude mehnnnnnnnnnnn arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh u killin me yo , ah ahn how can u right about a pic so arghhhhhhhhh wellll, mehn i need to catch up on ur blog o , its been ages, its 7am on a saturday, i thinks ill be backkkkkkkkk lol muahhhhhhhhhhhhh