Rose loved to run.
She would break into a sprint every chance she got. Our mother always joked that Rose could only move at two speeds, fast and very fast. She was light on her feet and always drew disbelieving glances and bemused looks from onlookers when she decided walking wasn't going to cut it, something she did almost all the time.
I once asked her why she always ran.
She told me sometimes when the wind was right, she felt like she was flying if she ran fast enough. Truly, there were times you would see her, joyful, arms spread, barefooted, tearing down the street.
She got involved in track and field events when she was still in high school. Choosing to represent her house in the 100metres and 200metres dash. It was almost pandemonium on the sports grounds when she won for the first time. I could see her, standing at the finish line, her face alight and sweaty, enraptured. She represented her house till she graduated.
I never understood how something so simple could give such joy to an individual—such freedom
, such pain.
Every time she ran, she wasn't always greeted by applause or words of validation. Rose often ran to the sound of taunts and jeers from bystanders. You will hurt yourself, they would say. "Make you no go hit pesin one day," they would shout, "Fat pesin no dey run," they would taunt
, because you see, Rose was Obese.
After each of her competitions, She would limp for days. She always complained that most running shoes hurt her feet. She would struggle to catch her breath, gasping for hours. But she didn't let it stop her or even slow her down. Rose kept running. She would run until her shoes got worn, and then she would run some more.
When she entered for the bi-annual Etete race held in Edo state, we all had our misgivings. It was 10 miles of rough terrain and no respite. Rose spent a month looking for the perfect running shoes for someone of her stature. There weren't many options that were not too expensive to consider.
But Rose insisted she could do it.
Even at the starting line, she got the same old taunting looks and mocking laughter, but she didn't seem to notice. She was aglow with excitement.
Rose didn't win the race. She wasn't even in the top 30. But when she crossed the finish line, my heart swelled with pride.
Today, Rose still runs. She runs in the mornings and evenings, and for the rest of the day, runs a successful multi-national business.
Rose taught me that as long as you keep running, nothing can stop you.
I don't talk to strangers. What I mean is, I don't have unnecessary conversations with service people. If I have an appointment with a...
Read moreChinyere says Love is like a drug, it wears off, and one needs to top it up to make the feeling last. Some days, I return to find steaming..
Read moreFor most humans, greed was the driving force that hurtled them to the doorsteps of Ìyá Alaanu’s ibùdó. However, they always left more...
Read moreThe cut on my head must have been deeper than I thought. My white blouse was already drenched in blood...
Read moreTHE thing about poison is that a small quantity is often a lethal dose, while a substantial amount gets forcefully ejected by...
Read moreI didn’t want to choose between worrying her or asking for help. Even though I knew I had to do both. The Kenya Bureau of Mysteries had...
Read moreNjambi sits silently while the potbellied man who smells like nyama choma and beer complains about...
Read moreShe found scant evidence of his betrayal; an invoice slip here_ for a pair of Dior slip-on’s she never got, a strand of hair that...
Read moreLast night, I had the strangest dream. This wrinkled, stooping old man hobbled up to me as I sat under a...
Read moreWhat do you know about bullet-riddled night skies, About lineages wiped out, children slain in their sleep? About...
Read moreI could tell from the moment that I woke up that this Saturday was unusual. For some reasons, my alarm...
Read moreWhen I am twelve, Mom take me to new school, in Highway, far from where my younger sister Udy go. Mom say I am special child, fine...
Read more