So it Begins …

“If you are reading this…”

THEN WHAT?!!

I hissed at nothing, crushing the life out of a scrawny page torn from a book that had dared to charm me with one of my favourite Narrative Opening Lines.

Probably I was impatient to allow the text simmer down…

Or the sudden disappearance of my favourite Koko joint has zapped the literacy interest to “go through the motion”. I pranced through the hallway restlessly, carefully plotting where to get my next meal, afterwards, I reckon I would have enough energy to come up with a business idea to explore with Nana.

After an hour of daydreaming about an array of “boujee” food joints that I couldn’t afford, I settled for Maa’s leftover rice which she had left for when I come to terms with the reality that I have NO OPTIONS.

“It is not even that bad, you know…” I consoled myself as my teeth ground the day-old, long grained, hardened pellets.  As I chewed on, I wore my faded entrepreneurial hat and toyed with some business ideas.

“Maybe I too could venture into the rarely explored treasures of selling cassettes. I have heard tales of a fine gentleman and his spoils. I can try still try this business, despite cassettes being out of vogue” I murmured.

It has been a month since Nana tasked me to come up with concrete and feasible ideas for the business partnership I hastily proposed. Now every morning, she stares at me judgementally and quizzes.

“So, do you have something for me now? Young man? How do you catch up with Elon Musk like this?????”

I usually beg her to calm down, because the last time I thought I had a brilliant investment idea, the government weirdly decided to open a barbershop and gave us some beautiful haircuts.

I could sense her patience had severely waned, as I, the instigator, had failed to birth something of value.

So, on this beautifully bad day, when Nana’s message finally came saying “it’s long past our agreement, I have something else to put my money in…”

I quickly responded with the most random idea that crossed my mind!

“WAIT! WE COULD WRITE!”

“About what? With What?”

 “OUR LIVES… WHAT WE SEE, WHAT WE LIVE! AND HOW WE LIVE IT! Undiluted and creative African stories! Think about it…! Pleeeeaaaasee!”

The chats went weirdly silent. Nana had not responded, and was possibly thinking of the Godliest and kindest way to reject my proposition.

10mins, no response.

20mins, no response.

1 hour, …. still quiet.

I was almost sure she was insulting my lineage. Then, late in the night, before the shorthand of the clock slapped “11”, my overused cellular device lit up from a notification, from Nana.

“How do we start?”

I let out an uncanny smile and sharply responded…

“We can begin, with how it all begun, deploying one of my favourite narrativ opening lines!”

“Which is?..”

“Which is ???..!”

“Hello!!!!! Don’t air my message! What opening line???..”