SOKOYOKOTO

    I have cut the vegetables, started boiling the meat and the orisi risi. It was all getting to shape. Humph, I sighed as I wiped the sweat from my brows. The kitchen was warming up and the aromas are prepared for their debut. The stock fish was washed alongside the crayfish, smoked fish, dried okporoko, ponmo, etc. the stock cubes, and all the various spices alongside the ground crayfish. My kitchen was scattered but in the good sense of scattered. The aroma of the boiling meat and co started escaping their confinement into the freedom that is my kitchen and my nostrils. I took a peak at the cookery book in my iPad and was satisfied with what I’d done so far. Don’t get me wrong, I can make a perfectly sweet egusi, but you gotta spice it up every once in a while and that’s what I’m doing that, I’m so psyched. Everything was set. Behold, the beginning of the ‘nine lives’ egusi.

 I put the palm oil on fire and suddenly heard my phone ringing, I decided to reduce the heat and go get the phone in the sitting room. It’s Tunde, my husband and the one I’m doing all these for. See, he’s getting back today from his business trip and so he started giving me instructions on what to do in expecting him most of which I’d done, boy! Was I proud of myself or what? He had to go and so promised to call back and as soon as I dropped the call, the kitchen erupted in flames and in my haste to get there I tried tossing my phone on the sofa. Now don’t blame me, in such an emergency situation, only a few people will know what to do but, my mind was just shouting water, water!! Or maybe I was, I can’t remember. So I went and carried a bowl of water to the fire with the hope of extinguishing it but for whatever reason the devil has planned, it escalated pretty quickly. The fire started spreading and I rushed to get my phone and call the estate fire service only to realise the phone fell into the fish tank in the sitting room and was broken. I was done and the only thought on my mind was, ‘is this how I’ll burn my husband’s house down?’ the next thing I heard was griiiinnnngggg from the phone the broken phone and then I woke up.

It’s Tunde, giving me the exact instructions and the tab showing the cookery book at exactly the egusi page. Not today Satan!! That got me scared and distracted. Is the universe telling me something? His voice calling my name brought me back to reality and I quickly answered what him to repeat what he was asking and he said, ‘so what are you making for me or is it a surprise?’ the next thing I heard myself saying was ‘no, it’s no surprise just something simple, fried potatoes with the sauce.

In the spirit of #10yearschallenge and #flashbackfriday, I've decided to drop one of my old manuscripts. Here's a kiss from me to you 😘. Ps, Friday updates are steady 🎶

Love,

Omo Ayan

💝