TALES OF 'OPE'

My mum and I always had our loads of dramatic moments so let me gist you about one of our episodes.

Being the first Girl in the house, it is usually expected that I do most of the house chores most especially cooking but then, that was not the case ooo, as my mum never trusted me with the role of cooking most especially cooking and frying chicken in the house because I had a habit of helping her remove the witch from the meat (a.K.a tasting all the meat) it was always annoying when Iya Ope wouldn't let me do the chicken work.
But as time went by Iya Ope was always busy so she was left with no choice but to let me do the the chicken business oh what a victory.

While I was in the kitchen preparing the chicken Iya Ope would make it a constant habit to keep on shouting from the living room "Ope ooo.... Don't think I can't see you, I can see you fahhh!. . . I have counted my meat o and I know their shape everything!
Don't try me ooo. . . Oya come sef let me smell that your mouth."

So I  decided to device a new technique of bisecting the meat before frying it into part that I would later reserve for myself as night munchies Galore to me stored in a small Santana leather that I usually keep under the kitchen cupboard.

Walaaa! my night snack was made and ready mehnn. . . I was very proud of myself. My chicken stash would usually last me for two nights.

When night came I helped myself to my stash of chicken and Iya Ope's Coke, listening to cool fuji songs while eating my chicken and stepping it down with my chilled coke. Chai....mo jaye foreign (am living the life).

As usual the next night I went for my usual routine only to for to find my chicken missing "Haaaa!!! . . . Aye ohhh. . . . Wan ti pade get mi" (Oh my life have been caught at last)
My heart was broken. I was searching everywhere like a mother searching for her missing child but couldn't find it. I just went back to bed with tears in my eyes and a broken heart. I knew it couldn't be anyone apart from Iya Ope but why. . .

When it was morning I was already preparing myself for Iya Ope's lecture on how am the one that the devil has sent to ruin her life on top meat that I didn't even later finish; small meat fah....
But to my greatest surprise she didn't say anything ooo. . .

She was even very cheerful she was even gisting me about some colleague of hers at work.

After a while she was like "ehnnnn. . . Ope help me bring what I kept in the oven,  I was wondering what could it even be. Low and behold, it was my chicken as in my own chicken neatly arranged on a plate. I nearly died exploded in rage but I had to keep calm had no choice but to serve it to her.

Iya Ope just stretched her legs over the table and was munching on the chicken
Haaaa... Iya Ope! I was just staring at her in disbelief, I was speechless but why..... She looked at me and was like "ehnnnn. . . This meat is sweet o. E dey pain ahbi?"

"Ope Kilode why you looking like person that wants to cry?"
And iya Ope winked at me.
"No worry Na so we go dey do am. . ."
I couldn't hold back the tears I rushed out crying like a baby and my mum was just laughing.
Kai. . .
Am still nursing my broken heart.

                     - Adepoju Joy Sidikatu            (adepojuebunomolayo@gmail.com)