THE DECAY

"Deji! Please ensure that sitting room is set in time" mama's voice came from the kitchen accompanied by the taunting aromas from the kitchen, the type one only perceives when the moon is blue.
"Yes ma!" Deji answered with tiredness in his voice.
The whole house woke submerged in chores preparing a welcome party for Jide, who has been in London for 27yrs. It took, at least, 10yrs of mama's pestering for Jide to finally decide to come home.
By 6:45pm all was set, food (kpomo, amala, ewedu, gbegiri etc) laid beautifully in wait on the table, King Sunny Ade's Fuji music filled the excited air of the house. Mama and Papa waited at home anxiously while Deji and his two sisters went to pick their big brother from the airport.
The feasting, laughing, dancing, questioning and catching up went on and on till it was a few minutes to midnight, then everyone retired to his bedroom after the night prayer had been said.
Once in his room, Jide pulled a plastic chair and sat by the window looking at the once busy, now abandoned, rail track and all his childhood memories came flooding.
After a long trance, he shook his head at the state of the railway " ahhh Nigeria! Are we going forward or backwards?" He thought half aloud as he walked away from the window into his bed then turned out the lights using his bedside switch.