In my language, we say Migwo¹ when we want to greet an older person, as a sign of respect. This was how I greeted my Father every morning from the time I knew to call him D
That was what Mile² always called him, "D". Hers was with a different endearment, a heartfelt emotion that sprang from the emphasis she added each time she called him like someone who could be gone this minute and would never return
I wondered what D stood for, although I never asked Mile, I would sit with my assignments and begin to wonder, "Is it Dear? Or Darling?"
D would wake up early every morning to brew his coffee and sit at the house veranda with his radio, wooden back-laden chair and "rich" newspapers. I say rich because he read almost all the newspapers I could think of The Vanguard, The Daily Times, The Trust.... Name it
D was an avid reader of not only newspapers but all other kinds of books concerning government and politics. I think he read a bit of fiction too
His Father used to be the Ovie of Ughelli⁵. I always imagined him carrying the great weight of leadership at a very young age, maybe 7, given that he was the last Child of Pa'Eromosele an Edo man who had migrated to a neighbouring village that turned out to be Ughelli
He was a strong pioneering force in the development of the village perhaps that was why they made him Ovie of Ughelli.
But how am I involved in all of this? I'll tell you
My name is Oghenetejiri Ovie, the title of my Grandfather became a household name, hence my family surname
Oghenetejiri means God is Worthy of Praise. My whole life attests to that interpretation, you'd discover why
As the only Child of my parents, I've always been caged, and reprimanded for doing the other things my peers did and got away with, like jumping the fence in primary school, wild right? Draining the ink in all of Mrs Anyawu’s markers before Maths class, putting crumpled newspapers that I sole from my Father in my classmate's school bags.
Life was fun!
I've always wanted to be free. My parents weren't religious either, my mother had stopped my Father from going to church, so we stayed at home every Sunday having D’s friends come over while Mama Ngozi our nosy neighbour, assisted Mile in the kitchen. I’d lock myself up in the room
I never would know why my mother stopped my Father from going to Church until a particular Sunday Afternoon, on the 17th of March, 2013
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Migwo - I’m on my knees in the Urhobo tribe
Mile- /mi-le/ is a curated synonym for Mother
Ovie - Urhobo name for king
Ughelli - Ughelli is a town in Delta State, Nigeria, and one of the 24 kingdoms that make up the Urhobo Nation. It also serves as the headquarters of Ughelli North local government area of Delta State.
Please hope there's a part 2 of Tejiri's POV