Ardo Zubairu
06-06-2007, 12:05 PM
hi forum, i am now a newspaper column writer with Abuja Journal but Did you ever turn around one day and suddenly realize that something very important to you has completely changed? It happened to me recently ... with my brother. I was 5 when Kawuri came into my life. Until then, I had been an only child and thoroughly enjoyed it. "Spoiled rotten" would be accurate. So I had mixed feelings - as mixed as a 5-year-old's feelings can be - about my brother. But he quickly endeared himself to me.
It wasn't his charm that did me in, but his humor. My brother can't tell a joke to save his life - something he gets from Mom. My mother has always placed him on a pedestal that I could never reach, no matter how hard I tried. And kawuri doesn’t hate it. But he does the darndest things. When Kawuri was 3, there was a gas truck driving down our street. The truck had a huge nozzle attached to the tank like an elephant's trunk. Mom explained the truck was sniffing for gas leaks from upper filling station, as it drove up and down the street. Kawuri was fascinated.
So he made a new game: "gas sniffer." Kawuri put his nose to our hallway carpet and went up and down the hall sniffing for gas. He played for hours. Then he started to wail.
Kawuri had brushed-burned his nose so badly that it gushed blood. For weeks he had a huge scab on nose.
A year or two later, Kawuri was in the imaginary friends stage all kids go through. But kawuri put a twist on it. He had an imaginary mouse. Mousey came to dinner, rode in the car, and went on vacations. He was a regular part of the family. One day Mousey disappeared. Kawuri said he wouldn't be coming to dinner anymore until his mousey reappeared; so Dad set a mini table for him but it was never the same.
By age 4, Kawuri was truly fun to play with - and boss around. My friends and I made him play school with us. I'm sure I'm the reason he's so intelligent. I taught him how to read, add and subtract, but at 4 he just couldn't catch on to long division. And just like in school, if he was bad, I made him sit in the corner.
If he ever had an identity crisis, I know that's my fault. I loved to dress him like a little girl. He looks really cute in a bonnet.kawuri made his ultimate blunder when he was 7. He's infamous for this one. He was playing superhero one night. He had his little cap on and was running around in his pajamas. Dad and I were in the parlor watching American movie” the good, the bad and the ugly” when kawuri ran up the steps and into the room. He threw his hands on his hips and yelled, "I'M UGLY!"
Dad and I fell to the floor laughing. Kawuri ran to the bedroom and asked Mom, "What's ugly mean?” When I left for secondary school, kawuri was still a little runt. But slowly I noticed some small changes - deeper voice, a little extra height. But it didn't really strike me that he was growing up 'til last year.
My wedding was quickly approaching, and I wanted to get a professional portrait of kawuri, me and my fiancé. I planned to go home for the weekend and told kawuri to keep Saturday free so we could get the pictures taken. I’d been pretty busy that week and hadn't gotten around to calling him. When I came back from work one night, there was a message on my machine."Hey Ardo, It's kawuri. That Olan Mills photo palance called today with some special offer. I made us an appointment for noon Saturday. It's all taken care of."
I was shocked. My goofy little brother was taking care of something. He was being responsible. That's when I realized it - he's not so little anymore. We all go away to university thinking the rest of the world stops. It doesn't.
Life at home goes on without us. Stores change owners, neighbors move away and our little sibs grow up. Things will never be the same again, except in our memories.
Kawuri’s a 400 level student in university now. And he's quickly becoming a jock - playing polo and football. He's quite the ladies' man (whatever that means) and his friends tease him about his harem. He's smart, too (I'll still take credit for that one).
He's kind a cross between Ebuka and Katung of the Nigeria big brother. Kawuri’s got Ebuka' looks, charm, humor and intelligence and Katung's athletic ability and knack for women. But to me, kawuri will always be my "ugly" little brother, the kid with the scabby nose.
It wasn't his charm that did me in, but his humor. My brother can't tell a joke to save his life - something he gets from Mom. My mother has always placed him on a pedestal that I could never reach, no matter how hard I tried. And kawuri doesn’t hate it. But he does the darndest things. When Kawuri was 3, there was a gas truck driving down our street. The truck had a huge nozzle attached to the tank like an elephant's trunk. Mom explained the truck was sniffing for gas leaks from upper filling station, as it drove up and down the street. Kawuri was fascinated.
So he made a new game: "gas sniffer." Kawuri put his nose to our hallway carpet and went up and down the hall sniffing for gas. He played for hours. Then he started to wail.
Kawuri had brushed-burned his nose so badly that it gushed blood. For weeks he had a huge scab on nose.
A year or two later, Kawuri was in the imaginary friends stage all kids go through. But kawuri put a twist on it. He had an imaginary mouse. Mousey came to dinner, rode in the car, and went on vacations. He was a regular part of the family. One day Mousey disappeared. Kawuri said he wouldn't be coming to dinner anymore until his mousey reappeared; so Dad set a mini table for him but it was never the same.
By age 4, Kawuri was truly fun to play with - and boss around. My friends and I made him play school with us. I'm sure I'm the reason he's so intelligent. I taught him how to read, add and subtract, but at 4 he just couldn't catch on to long division. And just like in school, if he was bad, I made him sit in the corner.
If he ever had an identity crisis, I know that's my fault. I loved to dress him like a little girl. He looks really cute in a bonnet.kawuri made his ultimate blunder when he was 7. He's infamous for this one. He was playing superhero one night. He had his little cap on and was running around in his pajamas. Dad and I were in the parlor watching American movie” the good, the bad and the ugly” when kawuri ran up the steps and into the room. He threw his hands on his hips and yelled, "I'M UGLY!"
Dad and I fell to the floor laughing. Kawuri ran to the bedroom and asked Mom, "What's ugly mean?” When I left for secondary school, kawuri was still a little runt. But slowly I noticed some small changes - deeper voice, a little extra height. But it didn't really strike me that he was growing up 'til last year.
My wedding was quickly approaching, and I wanted to get a professional portrait of kawuri, me and my fiancé. I planned to go home for the weekend and told kawuri to keep Saturday free so we could get the pictures taken. I’d been pretty busy that week and hadn't gotten around to calling him. When I came back from work one night, there was a message on my machine."Hey Ardo, It's kawuri. That Olan Mills photo palance called today with some special offer. I made us an appointment for noon Saturday. It's all taken care of."
I was shocked. My goofy little brother was taking care of something. He was being responsible. That's when I realized it - he's not so little anymore. We all go away to university thinking the rest of the world stops. It doesn't.
Life at home goes on without us. Stores change owners, neighbors move away and our little sibs grow up. Things will never be the same again, except in our memories.
Kawuri’s a 400 level student in university now. And he's quickly becoming a jock - playing polo and football. He's quite the ladies' man (whatever that means) and his friends tease him about his harem. He's smart, too (I'll still take credit for that one).
He's kind a cross between Ebuka and Katung of the Nigeria big brother. Kawuri’s got Ebuka' looks, charm, humor and intelligence and Katung's athletic ability and knack for women. But to me, kawuri will always be my "ugly" little brother, the kid with the scabby nose.