It was the eve of February 14- feast of St. Valentine, We were
ushered into the sitting room, eleven of us, students at that moment, I looked
around, on the wall hung religious portraits of Jesus and Mary as is seen in
the homes of many Catholics, my attention was caught by a huge television, the
biggest screen I have ever seen, coming from an average background, such wasn’t
found in my home, the television was showing one of the channels from the Multichoice satellite, but no one was around to watch. Few minutes later, the man we were
waiting for arrived, he brought a keg of foreign wine and asked for cups to go
round we all partook in it, sweetest wine I’ve ever tasted, the wine confirmed
the saying that old wine tastes better cos it was aged 30 years. We were
engaged in a chitchat and told of how lively and fun filled romance was in the
generation before us, of course we knew that times had changed and things that
matter most have been replaced by frivolities. He called our love mechanical, I
don’t know what triggered the choice of words, but I tried to understand if it
was devoid of the practicals mechanical engineering students are known for or
if the practicals have replaced the theoretical aspect- all shows no words or
all words no shows, but I knew a balance had to be reached somehow for all to
be smooth.
We were taken back to the days when lovers held hands while
walking round the gardens and wrote notes to express their love. I came to realize
that what we have today is a mockery of love, most times spent in the confines
of the room, holding more than hand and speaking words that can’t be written
down….(story for another day)
In the midst of all these my mind and imaginations travelled
to places, many sought to watch TV but had none at their disposal, here there
was one with a full subscription and no one to savour that opportunity. We were
in the home of a man who had so many achievements to his name, and he couldn’t find
time to relax. I came to one conclusion- THERE IS NO END TO STRUGGLING IN LIFE,
the higher you go, the more responsibilities you acquire and lesser time to
spare on rest and sleep
We were in the home of late Prof COE Onwuliri. Today marks
the 3rd year since he journeyed to higher grounds, and his life and
lessons still linger. Eternal rest grant unto him oh Lord.
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