The Perfect Republic (2)

Photo by Koshu Kunii on Unsplash

(Continued from part 1)

For some seconds, I stared at her, trying to understand if she was being sarcastic or serious.

“Jane, I hope you’re okay?” I said to her,

“I’m serious babe” she replied, holding my hands, and massaging them slowly; the way women did whenever they wanted a favour from their husbands. Deceptive creatures.

 

“I think you should take a break from following up on Egohn news, you seem to have been carried away by it” 

“No, honey, it’s just that….”

 

“I’m not going back to Egoh; Never!” 

“John, are you scared?” She asked.

 

I only looked at her and wondered what had come over her.

Trying to make me look like a weakling, just because I didn’t want to agree with her, was unfair to me.

It was her nature; I’d seen worse than this. Whenever she wanted something, she would argue and argue with facts and pieces of evidence, then she would make comments that painted me as being weak or too sacred to give any of her suggestions a try. I wondered why she didn’t study law. 

 

“Jane, do you think banning ethnicity will solve 100% of the country’s problems?”

 

“Since the ban on ethnicity, have you checked up on them again? Have you tried reading the recent happenings in the country?” She fired back. 

 

I shook my head; was there any need to read about a place that had rejected thirty of my Job applications because I was an ‘Egoh-Ume’ man? Was there any need to read about a place where I’d been betrayed by my cultural brothers? Was it fair to pay so much for an interview with no guaranteed job at the end? Who would want to embark on such a risk? 

 

“Jane, please leave me alone”. I said quietly.

 

 But she didn’t. And for the next year, we argued back and forth over this issue. She kept using different strategies to make me see sense in what I’d already termed ‘NONSENSE’. Such a talented woman.

 

It was after the country conducted her very first FREE AND FAIR election that I began to see sense in what Jane had been saying all these while. 

 

Anyways, it wasn’t the end. I became fully convinced when Egoh was nominated by FIFA (alongside other countries) to host the upcoming World Cup competition.

 

If it had gotten to that extent where my fatherland could be nominated for such, then it was a huge significance that several things had improved. At that moment, I became proud of my country, and I longed to go back.

———————————————————————

“Dad, hope you’re okay?” Junior asked me, bringing me back to consciousness. I’d only eaten my rice-and-beans halfway. The food was already cold.

 

“How long have you been standing here?”

“For the past 20 minutes, you seemed to be in a trance, sir”, he replied.

 

“Never mind, son, I am ok” 

“Alright, dad, some visitors are downstairs” 

“Do you know them?” I asked

“No, sir, but they seem to have known you long ago.” 

“I’ll be down in a few minutes”, I said to him. He nodded and left.

 

I finished up my food and went into the bathroom to brush my teeth. And then, I went downstairs. It was Mr.Banks, my close friend. The one who helped me get a job in Sol-Cetee, several years back. 

 

Ever since I knew him, he had always preferred to be based permanently in Egoh. Infact, every member of his family -both nuclear and extended- was outside the country. 

 

He had no reason for not leaving. And whenever I asked him why he didn’t want to leave, his reply would be;

 

“John, my friend; there is no place like home”.

———————-

 

We both exchanged pleasantries and hugged each other; this was the man who has helped me a great deal in life. As I hugged him, I prayed for God to bless him and his family a million times. He was there with his family; his wife and two kids.

I greeted his wife, Miriam. The two kids quickly ran towards me and knelt on the floor as a form of greeting and respect.

“Do you still allow this?” I asked him, smiling.

“My brother, it’s not easy making them to unlearn what they’ve already learnt all in the name of no ethnicity” He said.

 

“So true”, I said, nodding in affirmation. 

“Though it has brought the country together, wiping out our cultures and beliefs entirely, isn’t the right thing to do”, he said.

“It’s the sacrifice we have to pay for a better Egoh; I just feel like it’s the only solution”, I said and then continued.

“Let me help” I offered, and turned to address the kids who still knelt before me, on the floor.

“Stand up and shake me, next time don’t kneel, okay?” 

They nodded and then they chorused in unison;

“Uncle, we are sorry, we will not do it again!” And then they knelt again. I knew it was unintentional; it was just part of them. We all laughed and sat for some minutes discussing.

“I heard that last year’s election was free and fair o” I said, trying to ignite a discussion.

“My brother, it shocked everybody o” Mr.Banks said, and we all laughed; he was right; it must have shocked the whole world. He continued;

“There is now electronic voting,  it’s now done with biometrics” 

“Really?” I asked. 

He nodded. 

 

I marvelled as he spoke; So, Egoh could be this organised?

“We don’t even know where the current President hails from.” He added.

“Yes, I believe it will make him not to be biased towards any set of people” I said.

“It was the safest election which the country has ever had”, he said. 

“Ha! This rule of No-ethnicity is a blessing to us o” I said.

“Certainly!” Femi reaffirmed.

 

Few minutes later, I heard a knock on the door; it was Jane. She was back from her journey; she held her little traveling box with one hand.

We hugged each other and then had a short kiss. She greeted Mr. Banks and his Wife; talked with them for some minutes and excused herself to the bedroom. I knew she was tired from the journey.

“Would you want to take a walk tonight? Banks asked me.

“Tonight?” I asked; I wasn’t a fan of hanging out at night; I believed the night period to be so dangerous. 

“Ah, come on! Egoh is safe now, jare; Fear Fear Like you,” he teased. 

We laughed, but I laughed with double minds; I wasn’t really sure if I was ready to take such risk. Egoh could be so safe as it seemed to be, but what if something otherwise happened. 

 

“Once it’s 8pm we’ll meet at the junction” he said. Soon, Banks left with his family. 

 

After they left, I went into the bedroom; Jane was fast asleep; her eyes were still closed when I left.

 After two hours, I was back home; nothing had happened to me like I feared. Mr Banks was right after all, Egoh was finally a good place to live in. With little or no crime again, with unity and credible governance, I could see my country soaring high. That night, as I changed into my nightwear, I still wore a smile on my face. As I climbed into the bed, I ran my hands over Jane’s soft body; I’d missed her for the few days she was gone. I kissed her cheek as she snored gently; her idea of relocating to Egoh wasn’t a bad one after all; Whoever wasn’t in Egoh at the moment was missing a lot. I checked the time and date; It was 10:35 pm, 12th October, 2100. (Some time in the future).