I first visited Abeokuta in my much younger years, 1989 or so. It was a family vacation with my siblings, cousins, an uncle and an aunty. Aunty Yewande took us for this trip. We went via Lagos from Port Harcourt, it was a trip I would not forget in years. There was the fun part, the part of being spoiled and the tears.

I recall eating garden eggs from Maami – my Yoruba Grandma’s garden, playing with her scrabble the wrong way, climbing or rather being carried up Olumo rock and I sure remember how she begged Aunty Yewande to let me off eating Eko. That was one of my traumatic growing up episodes. Somewhere in my head, I had wrongly believed that moimoi and Eko tasted just the same way. It was to my horror that my taste buds screamed differently. I decided that I would not eat Eko.

That’s when my ordeal began, Aunty decided otherwise, so while I cried and Maami begged, the others finished their dinner, went off to brush their teeth, have devotion and I, I was looking at the Eko through tears.
I don’t know which prevailed, though I greatly suspect it was Maami’s plea for me. The Eko did not get eaten by me, I got to leave the dining table.

Three years ago, I went back to Abeokuta to celebrate Maami’s 90th birthday, everything was just as I remembered. Elated doesn’t quite express my feelings. It was good to be there. Over years I had grown used to seeing Maami when she came to visit us, her Port Harcourt family and speaking with her over the phone every now and then. Being back in Abeokuta for a few days was a joyful surprise.

Last month I went back to Abeokuta to say goodbye to Maami, a couple of weeks shy of her 93rd birthday she passed. It hurt, somewhere in my head, I had thought she would be around for a long time. Reality has said otherwise. My first thought when I heard the news was no more calls from Maami on 10th September. There would be no reminder from her of whose I am, no prayer from her, it hurt.

The house is still as it was in my younger days, the flowers still drape the fence, cream is still the colours of the walls. It does seem smaller though but then at thirty-five it would be.

Part of my smile memories come from Abeokuta, it was one of my first trips within Nigeria that I recall vividly. From Abeokuta love was sure, that’s why we have Grandmas.

© 12th September 2018