ओबोबो गेट्स अ न्यू सिस्टर

A Childhood Remembered.

We were in primary two. I had just moved from a normal primary school to Corona school (at that time, Corona was good o!). I didn't know any one and I didn't know how to fit into this new school with its very different culture. I stayed on my own finding refuge in the safety of my books - a very normal world for me. As lunch came, I stayed behind, very scared to go out and mix with these kids who seemed so strange but so stylish. Mrs. Agoro, my class teacher, had taken an instant liking to me because I was one of her fastest readers. She came into class one day and there I was hiding in the back of the class room scared to hang out with my class mates who were in the play ground. Mrs. Agoro, took me by my hand and walked me downstairs and introduced me to this loud, obnoxious girl. She, then told that girl that her responsibility was to keep an eye on me and to make sure that I came down and mixed with the other kids during playtime. A sisterhood was formed. That girl was Obobo.

Obobo took her responsibilities as an official older sister very seriously and through out my primary school she could be counted on to be there. We took our common entrance exams and Obobo had to go to a different school than I. I cried. I knew that I was going to miss my friend and I wondered if our sisterhood will pass the test of time. As luck will have it (I believe it was the machinations of Obobo), her family ended up moving into my neighbourhood, we started attending the same church during her school breaks.

Classic Example Of Obobo Taking Her Responsibilities TOO Seriously
One day, a boy who should have known better made the mistake of calling me some name during youth service because I carried my Mills and Boons to church. You should have seen Obobo's face.

The next thing I heard was,
"Look at this boy o. Oya, my full Nigerian name, hold this earrings and this bible"
Me, like mumu, took the bible and earrings and held it wondering what the big hupaloo was.

Next thing, I hear from Obobo,"Oya, the guy's name, repeat what you said again let me hear it"

The yeye boy, probably deceived by my friend's height and feeling like he was protected since we were inside the church building decided to form

HE REPEATS IT.

Next thing.....THOWAI (Major slap - how she got there to slap him, I do not know).

My mouth was just opened.
"Repeat those words again, Repeat it - let me teach you the lesson that your mother didn't teach you" Obobo shouted.

This is taking place during church service O!Praise and Worship to be exact.

The guy's eyes started turning red - you could see that he had plans to murder someone. You didn't have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out who those somebodies were. Fortunately, the youth pastor came in. We kokoma used style to escape from the church but the look the boy was giving us and the signs showed that if he ever caught us - we were goners. It was over. We were dead meat!


Obobo had this personality in which you had two options: love her or hate her. You could never sit on the fence around her. Many hated her because they felt that she was proud. Others hated the fact that she had a sharp mouth and called it as she saw it. But, I loved her like my sister because she definitely took her older sister duties VERY seriously, beyond that, she was a very independent soul which was very admirable.

I know this is so random, but often times, my mind wonders to my childhood friends. I wonder where they are? What they are doing? If they acheived their goals? I am sure we all do. Do you have any such stories to tell? Did you have a childhood friend that was more like a family member than a friend.

For those that are interested: the interview is tentatively slated for next week.. :-). Hopefully, it goes as planned o!

Have a great weekend guys and think of the good times,



Much Love,
Pammy