Encounters with Lord Mayor.

Vroooom! Vrooooom!! Vrooom!!! Came the familiar sound of the electric blue peugeot 504 salon car.Boy! We could tell it apart from a million other 504 cars without seeing it.Like termites we scurried for safety...no one wanted to be caught.The game of "Siwe" and "Otori" was instantly forgotten as all five of us ran through a single door at once.Heads ramming into the door,ribs jabbing at the door handle but that was a small price to pay compared to the licks from Lord Mayor's bulala.The dark piercing eyes of the all seeing Mayor always held promises of torture for the errant child.As far as we were all concerned, "Nor be me dem go catch!"Like Flash Gordon, I flew inside the house. Fiaaaam! I was atop my double decker bed, narrowly missing the rotating blades of the ceiling fan by an inch or two.I quickly picked up my fearsome looking mathematics text book...better to be seen calculating nothing than outside playing on the sand. The others feigned sleep or tidying their corners.Gbam! Gbam!! Gbam!!! Gbam!!! Went the door. All eyes locked, begging eachother to go open the door. I knew it definitely wasn't going to be me. Haba! Na me dem dey beat pass...so no shaking for my side at all... Simple! I nor dey move!Sister Sist had to go open the door,afterall na she be senior senior."why did you not open the door in time?" said Lord Mayor."Sorry Uncle" said Sister sist."Where are the children?" He said."They are in the room, Uncle." she said.Sitting on my bed I was silently rejoicing that I wasn't in Sister sist's shoes.Passing by the room,Lord mayor stopped and looked inside."What are you doing?" he bellowed.Those pretending to be asleep and the likes of me calculating fake mathematics responded in different manners."How was your day?""Fine!" we all chorused."My dear welcome" I heared mama say.I felt a deep sickening sensation in the bottom of my stomach...I felt like visiting the toilet.Earlier in the day I had been rude to Mama and I knew she wasn't going to spare me.It was like she took delight in waiting for Lord Mayor to get home, so that she can download the events of the day to him.I was asked to wash bitter leaf but was adamant on not doing it."Na onle me dey this house sef?" I grumbled."Oya come wash this bitterleaf!" she screamed." Na onle me...na onle me? Every time na so so me them dey send...you nor see oda pipo? Na onle me?Before I know wetin dey happen my Old lady don root water cane from back of kitchen door. Una trust me na...like Ben johnson I take off. Being a former secondary school sprinter she chased after me like Carl Lewis.Being smaller and quicker I ran to the guava tree in the compound, quickly climbed it and went to the highest branch.She screamed and cursed but I felt nothing. As far as I was concerned,I was a heroine...no shaking...odi odi for Mummy!"Make your papa come back first, you go hear whinnn!".In my mind I was saying...Ehen make e be!...You nor fit catch me...yawa for you...hehehehehe! Believe me, I lived on that tree for the next three hours until I was sure I was safe to come down. That was seven hours ago. she totally ignored me but I knew an encounter with Lord Mayor was inevitable.Dinner tasted like sawdust...my favorite,Dodo and fried beans but I couldn't stomach it. Both Mayor and mummy behaved as if nothing happened but I knew something was amis...I could feeeel it.After waiting for another four hours, I fell asleep.I felt slaps on my thigh in the middle of the night. "Oya wake up...wake up!"I rubbed my eyes with my knuckles...Hen! Hen! I muttered."Get up!" Wetin happen between you and your Mummy today?" I looked beside him and saw the koboko dancing as if it were alive in his left hand.Behind him was Mummy,there was a smile on Mama's lips...she said; "Shey you think sey na you sabi climb tree pass?""Mummy abeg naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Lord mayor was coming closer...closer...closer...Chei! My own don finish!