'Sweet Father' By Adesina Ogunlana

Since my father would rather keep writing briefs and settling other people’s problems than working on his memoirs, I feel obliged to write same for him, albeit - instalmentally.
Date was 26th July 2009, time 7.45p.m when my humble self and a former Deputy gecko came to Baba’s house. The purpose of the visit was to work with the Titan to draft processes for filing Monday next against my endless pseudo prosecution in Abuja, before the L.P.D.C.
Work started in the earnest at 8.00pm, that, after a few minutes of intellectual sparring and skirmishes. Friends, it is always a joy to see a true professional, a master at work.
In a twinkle of an eye, or so it seemed, it was 11.30pm and yet only gone less than a quarter of the way. Clearly it was going to be a long night.
Having established a firm reputation at home as a mid-night lawyer, hardly expected to turn up at the home stead before the flying hours of active witches, I had no qualms at all about the passage of time.
But not my companion - he soon received a call from a badly worried wife, fairly newly married at that.
We re-assured Mrs. Adedeji, that was well and to expect her certified lover in the morning, safe and sound. The work continued. While we three barristers, Daddy 3, Adedeji and my humble self arranged our self round Daddy 3’s multi function dinning table, in the crafting out of legal missiles of all sizes, shapes and functions, D3’s secretary, an old war-horse in her own right, a veteran of many pre-court armaments, was settled behind her lap-top, feeding our words and thoughts expertly and coolly into the machine.
Just a few seconds later, it was 1.00 O’clock in the morning. Then somebody asked for a drink and Daddy3 response was to summon the staff of the Quarter-Master General office of the great house to duty. Before the next hour sped away, hot bowls of rice and meat (huge chunks) saturated stew, the type smart Eves employ in the delicate seduction of reluctant Adams, soon appeared before us. What wonderful repast to behold.
It was a sight to excite or ignite unusual creativity in the drafting of court processes. After taking a short break to do justice to the challenge placed before us, the work continued.
Suddenly when it was 3.30a.m in the morning of the 27th July when flying witches were already thinking or returning to base, Daddy 3 suddenly asked in a loud voice, 'Would you gentlemen care for a bottle of wine?' Since our answer carried a y-chromosome, Daddy 3 just strolled upstairs and produced some bottles of wonderful vines! It was just about then that I remember that the day was my birthday, the 45th.
The work continued, while the wine diminished. At about 4.15a.m, feeling the on set of tiredness, I made for the bath-room, an enclosure so neat and comfy that after a few seconds on the seat there, I drifted into slumber. Some twenty minutes later, the door knob turned and Daddy 3 in that his mellifluous and cultivated voice spake thus so gently “Oh here you were? We were wondering there where you could have been?”
It was a come-back-to-work summons. I promptly scrambled out and continued with the task at hand.
But I knew that I badly needed rest, yet here right in front of me was a 78 year-old baba still going on, apparently very strong!
I struggled on but when it was 5.30a.m, I told myself “Sina you can’t afford to die because of this case, even though it is your personal matter and all other people are your supporters. Boy, you just have to sleep.”
After discussing with my ‘Ori’ thus, I sought no counsel with any other person, not with even Daddy 3. I just stood up, marched towards the nearest sofa, and fell on it.
Within a minute, I was catapulted into slumber land. But not before noticing Daddy 3 going upstairs and coming down with a cover cloth, which he draped over me, surely with an unexpressed expression of “oh poor little boy.”
At that time, Taiwo knocked down a bottle of wine, making Daddy remark airily. “When sina wakes up, tell him we broke one for him” before getting down promptly to more work!
It was when I woke up at 6.35a.m that I saw too that the great man himself had succumbed to sleep. But it was not my own type of ‘full body’ rest. Daddy 3 slept like a Spartan-slightly reclined on a hard chair, with his chin in his left hand-obviously cogitating even in his sleep!
And it was not for long. He woke up at 7.45a.m, went upstairs to freshen up and twenty minutes was back to duty. That duty did not end till 11.50a.m!
By which time the old man was looking as if he had spent all night in his bed. Of course I must thank Mummy 3 too and my newly discovered sister - for their moral support and supply of refreshing provisions.
N.B Again I beg of you all, whenever you see my Daddy, always ask him this question - Chief when will you write your memoirs?


[My Daddy 2's blog is at: http://myakokaverandah.blogspot.com ]