The hospital was a high end one in a posh part of Lagos. My friend was not surprised since KL’s father was not a poor man. At the hospital reception, my friend was directed to a private room. He was informed daddy, as he referred to KL’s father, was expecting him.

I recall your burial. It was emotional. Everyone that spoke had one positive thing or the other to say about you. Not a single negative word was said about you.

I dread going home because I am just not happy in the relationship. Her sharp tongue is a weapon of destruction, and she ensures she assaults me with it on a regular basis. She talks down on me and makes me feel little. She has refused to listen to words of counsel.

“Plenty auntie. Where do I start? They said they had visited you last year for the first time after the death of your husband, but you did not cook for them like you used to do when your husband, my uncle was alive and you would spend a long time in the kitchen cooking them a variety of meals served with the best of wines and give them money and foodstuffs to take home.

With those statements, a dual social class system of students based on English language skills emerged. We referred to those who could speak and understand English as “Aso,” which loosely meant a sophisticated individual.

I have often asked what messages I would send to my younger self now that I am older and wiser. My conclusion is that there are many, but for the sake of this short write-up though, let me settle for 16.

Then she tried to justify her actions: “awon omo wonyi buru!” (these children are of bad characters”). I reminded her to stop generalizing and justifying her bad behaviors. I informed her she needed to stop such behaviors and take care of that young girl as her own and send her to school.

Nice to know”   “I hate paying high taxes but then, it pays for our health-care services, education, and infrastructure expenses among others. I know there is no perfection, but we are doing better than many nations that swim in the ocean of corruption and underutilize their resources.

They would tell me that maybe the individual was an armed robber or a kidnapper who met his or her untimely death in the hands of a mob. You see, jungle justice is very common.