Chapter 1: Pain Go Reach Everybody

After Mama waka go, I carry the same street sense that leaf-eye woman use spoil her life—turn am back on my own papa.

I watched as people started to drag him on Facebook. Dem dey tag am for all the WhatsApp groups, even Mama Nkechi for church begin send prayer point for am.

I watched him struggle, not fit to defend himself. The wahala come heavy on his head, like person wey dey carry sack of cement for sun. Sweat dey soak him singlet, phone for him hand dey shake as notification dey buzz non-stop. The keyboard warriors no even give am chance to talk, dem dey finish am left and right. For Naija, once dem start to drag you online, e be like spiritual attack, your mind no go rest. E be like when village people remember your name for midnight—sleep no go near your eye.

I watched him look at me, eyes wide like say he no even know me again. Him shock dey deep, like say I turn stranger overnight, as if say the pikin wey call am "Papa" since don become different person. The silent question dey for him eyes, like, "Na you do me this thing?"

I felt both pain and a kind of twisted satisfaction. My chest dey pain me, but somehow I still dey glad say he fit taste small of the thing wey Mama pass through. Na so e be—sometimes, pain dey mix with small joy when person wey cause wahala begin collect e own share. I no know whether to cry or to laugh. Na inside my mind, I dey talk, "E go reach everybody."

He didn’t know that after losing Mama—the heroine of the story—his own main character shine go soon fade too. For this life, e get as e be. When dem remove the heroine for story, the hero go soon fade commot stage, na normal level. He no expect am, but na reality of life. Even for Nigerian film, if heroine waka, hero sef go lose flavour, the story go dull.

All of us go just dey waka for this world like every other person. At the end, na everybody go blend into crowd, nobody go remember who be star. Sometimes, even village people no go fit tell who be main character again, everybody go dey do waka pass. At the end, even the star for story dey fade—na only shadow remain.