11 11 THE MATCH

When we got to the boys quarters of the house where Morenike stayed with her parents, the first thing we heard was her laughter.It sounded like a lot of cymbals clanging together. It rose and fell like the waves at a beach. It was low one time and then went high the next and just when you were getting used to it being high, it went low again.

New Face looked down at Eghe Boom Boom as they walked hand in hand in front of us and said to her, "That girl laughing is Morenike, and like you, who is called Eghe Boom Boom, she is called Atasweswe."

"Why do they call her that?" Eghe Boom Boom asked him.

"Why do they call you Eghe Boom Boom?" he responded.

"My daddy said you don't answer a question with another question," she said firmly.

New Face glanced over at my dad and made a funny face at him. My dad smiled and remained silent.

"Why do they call her that?" Eghe Boom Boom asked again.

New Face turned to her and said, "Why don't we allow her to answer that question herself?"

"Okay," Eghe Boom Boom responded and began to skip again.

Happiness filled me as I watched her from behind. She was the one who was suffering the pain and the way in which she managed to always stay happy was something that amazed me. I wondered how I would have behaved if I was the one with sickle cell anaemia. Would I be able to laugh, and play, and ask questions, and be as happy and annoying as Eghe Boom Boom?

I knew myself enough to know that I would be moody most times because I would always think about the pain that was going to come anytime and be afraid that what happened to my mum would happen to me.

One time, long before Mum had become a star in the sky, I had asked Eghe Boom Boom what wish she would ask Santa Claus if he told her that she had just one wish to make.

She wasted no time in saying, "I would ask him to stop Mummy from always falling sick and crying."

I said to her, "But you fall sick and cry too."

She replied, "But I don't fall sick as much as Mummy and even though she does not cry as loud as I cry, I know that her pain is more than mine."

I had looked at her that day, surprised that as young as she was, Eghe Boom Boom already knew how to put other people's happiness before hers. It was what my mum used to tell me to do those days.

She would say, while kneeling in front of me after I had snatched one of my toys from Eghe Boom Boom, "Osaik, you have to stop thinking only about yourself and start thinking about other people.

Sometimes when other people get what they need, you will get what you want because your happiness is tied to their happiness in a lot of ways, so learn to sacrifice."

I sighed sadly as my mum's voice filled my mind and I wished I had shown her, while she was still with us, how much I had learnt to sacrifice. How I now thought only about what would make Eghe Boom Boom well and happy. Then I looked down at Kompa as he walked alongside me and it suddenly occurred to me that I had always known how to sacrifice, only that it was in the things that had to do with Kompa.He was the only person I was willing to sacrifice for without even being told to do so.

And as though he read my mind, he looked up at me and said in a whine, "Why are you looking at me that way?"

I smiled but didn't respond to his question. Kompa shook his head and looked forward before he said again in a whine, "Sometimes you act as if you are an animal."

I was about to laugh when a girl ran out from behind the house. She was wearing a pink nightie and she stopped running and laughing when she saw us.

There was a moment of silence as we also stopped walking and stood there staring at her.

No one needed to tell us that she was the Morenike we had come in search of.

She looked at us for a moment, then her gaze went from one person to the next until it settled on Eghe Boom Boom. She didn't take her gaze off her, and it appeared as though she was sizing up Eghe Boom Boom and asking herself questions in her mind. Eghe Boom Boom simply stared back at her with a smile that somehow mirrored the smile on Morenike's face. It was the kind of look you would give to a new kid at school when you meet them at the playground.

Morenike was smaller than Eghe Boom Boom. It was noticeable because her hair was plaited, unlike Eghe Boom Boom's full soft hair that was packed in two puffs. Even though she was very slim, she seemed to have more energy than Eghe Boom Boom and me. Like she was ready to race you or climb up a tree if you dared her to.Unlike Eghe Boom Boom who was very fair-skinned like my mum, she was very dark and had big innocent eyes and a sweet smile that seemed to be permanent on her face.

"Hello, Atasweswe. How are you doing?"

"Fine," she responded without taking her eyes off Eghe Boom Boom.

"You have visitors!" New Face announced to her in a loud "Ta-da!" voice as though we were a surprise gift that had just been unwrapped.

Kompa said in a low whine, "This man is a clown."

I wanted to laugh but didn't because, somehow, I knew that laughing at that moment would do more harm than good.

Eghe Boom Boom let go of New Face's hand and walked towards Morenike. Her back was ramrod straight and her head was lifted high, like my teacher, Mrs Uzor. Morenike stared at her as she approached and when Eghe Boom Boom stopped in front of her, she frowned for the first time that night.

"Hello, Morenike, I'm Eghe, but you can call me Boom Boom." She offered her hand to Morenike for a handshake.

Morenike looked down at it for a moment and then suddenly stepped back again before she turned around and fled behind the wall.

Eghe Boom Boom turned to us, still smiling and said, "Don't worry, she will be okay."

Then she turned back and walked towards the bungalow that was the boys quarters of New Face's house.

When we knocked and entered the bungalow, Morenike was standing behind her mother. We were in the living room that was also a bedroom. It was very sparsely furnished. Three chairs, one coffee table, two side stools, a big wardrobe, a big bed and a wall that had several pictures.

There were also three other children in the room. One was a baby laid on the lap of Morenike's father who was sitting on one of the chairs. The other two were both bigger than Morenike. They were identical twins. Boys. They were sitting on the bed and were not as big as me.

We, the kids, kept exchanging looks. They were short glances. It was like a game in which you look at each other without the other person catching your look. So the minute they catch you looking, you have to quickly look away. As we played, Morenike's father spoke. He was a very big man and was bigger than my dad and New Face.

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"The one I cannot understand is how you know that my daughter is a match without you having ever met her," he said with a puzzled look.

"I was confused myself when they told me, but I know that in this life, there are some things that cannot be explained. Take, for example, their dog who can talk," New Face said.

"Your dog can talk?" It was the first time Morenike had spoken. Her voice was thin and sweet-sounding, but her eyes were opened wide as she looked over at Kompa.

"Be quiet," Morenike's very stern-looking mother said to her in a firm voice.

Kompa barked twice and whined a little before he sat on his haunches and raised one of his paws.

I smiled as I translated. "He says his name is Kompa and he is happy to meet you. He is giving you a handshake."

Morenike and her twin brothers all said, "Wow," at the same time.

"Come and shake him, he won't bite." Eghe Boom Boom said to Morenike.

Morenike looked at her mother and then at her father who had stopped talking. It was a silent plea for permission. Her mother spoke again.

"Okay, go and shake him."

We all watched as Morenike stepped out from behind her mother and walked to Kompa. It was a cautious movement that ended with her standing in front of him and carefully taking his hand.

"My name is Morenike, and I am pleased to meet you too."

"Can we shake him too?!" One of her twin brothers asked as he jumped down from the bed.

"Me too!" the other one called out.

The baby on her father's lap started babbling loudly too, and Kompa barked thrice and whined once before he raised both of his front paws up and remained sitting on his haunches.

I quickly translated, "Kompa says he has two hands and can shake more than one person at the same time."

The twins ran to Kompa and each took a paw.

They were all laughing.

Morenike's father looked at them in amusement, then he turned to New Face, who said to him, "I told you. There are things we cannot explain in this world."

My dad stood there silently, watching, with his arms behind his back. He looked like what Mr Ojo wanted you to look like when he said in a stern voice, "Be good."

I actually felt like he was holding his breath, afraid that if he spoke, somehow, he would cause more harm than good.

Morenike's father turned to Eghe Boom Boom and looked at her for a while, then he said, "She doesn't look sick."

My dad finally spoke, "It is not the kind of illness you can see just by looking at the person. Most time they are okay. But when they have a crisis, you will know how sick they are."

Morenike's mum then said, "She looks healthier than our own children."

My dad responded, "Your children look very healthy, madam."

"Not as healthy as yours," she said glancing over at me, and then continued in a tone that sounded envious as she turned to Kompa who was playing with Morenike and her brothers, "Even the dog is well fed."

My dad said to her with a bright smile, "I try to take good care of them. They are all that I have. I love them."

"We love our children too. But it is not love you give children to eat or love that buys their clothes or pays their school fees."

There was silence after that. The mood in the room had changed. It was now heavy and had the smell of trouble. Even the children who were playing with Kompa stopped and the baby on Morenike's father's lap went quiet.

New Face was the one who broke the silence. He directed his words at Morenike's mother.

"Let us not hide our teeth in our mouth by keeping our lips closed while we are talking. Please say what you are thinking so that we all know what you mean by your observations."

Morenike's mother looked at Morenike's father and said, "You tell them."

"Tell them what?" he sounded confused.

"Tell them what they need to hear," she responded, a little bit upset.

"What do they want to hear?" he asked her.

"They want to hear that you will allow Morenike donate bone marrow cells for their daughter's transplant," New Face said.

Morenike's mother looked at Morenike's father. It was the look that my mom called eyeballing.The kind where you look at someone from the corner of your eyes so they know that you are angry with them. Then Morenike's mother looked back at New Face and said, "Well, if my husband doesn't want to talk, I will talk. What do we get for all this if we agree?"

"Ahhh!" Morenike's father exclaimed in embarrassment.

Morenike's mother turned to him and eyeballed him before she turned back to New Face who appeared to be in a daze as he looked at them. "You have heard me, sir, let them tell us what we get if we agree to help them," she said.

"Ahhh, so that is it!" New Face exclaimed, waking up from his daze, his hand rose high in the air and then it came down as he continued, "There is no need to hide what the heart wants."

He turned to my dad who was now looking at Morenike's mother with a smile that I could not understand and continued, "Over to you, sir. They want to know what you will give them if they help you."

My dad let out a loud breath, looked over at Eghe Boom Boom who was still smiling and then turned to Morenike's parents before he said, "What do you want?"

"The thing that you have used to make your children and your dog look so good."

"Love?"

"Love? No o," Morenike's mother laughed, clapped her hands together, sighed and then said, "So that you will not say I wasn't clear enough, what we want is money."

"Money?" my dad repeated again.

"Yes, money," she said and crossed her arms across her chest.

There was another bout of silence. I looked around at everyone. They appeared frozen. Even Eghe Boom Boom and Kompa stared at Morenike's mother. The silence seemed to be taking long, so I broke it.

"But people who volunteer don't get paid for it," I said as I remembered what the doctor at the Sickle Cell Foundation had told me.

New Face looked at me and said, "Let the adults discuss. In fact, all you children should leave the room."

I looked over at my dad and said, "Dad?"

It was me asking him if I was meant to obey.

My dad looked at me, nodded and said, "Take Eghe Boom Boom and Kompa with you."

Morenike's father said to Morenike and her brothers, "Follow them."

We all filed out of the room, leaving my dad, New Face, Morenike's father and mother and her baby sister alone in the room.

When we got outside and shut the door of the room behind us, Eghe Boom Boom turned to Morenike, and asked her, "Why do they call you Atasweswe?"

"Why do they call you Boom Boom?" Morenike asked.

"My dad said you shouldn't answer a question with a question." Eghe Boom Boom said to her.

"My daddy said you should only answer questions when you know why the person is asking you the question," Morenike replied.

Eghe Boom Boom smiled and said, "But that means you will always ask a question when people ask you questions right?"

"Yes."

Morenike's brothers, Kompa and I watched the two of them as they stood in front of the bungalow facing each other. They looked so cute even though they were in a confrontation.

"So, if I ask you, 'Excuse me. Do you know the way to the shop where they sell Coca-Cola?' What will you say?" Eghe Boom Boom said.

"I will say, 'Why do you want to go to the shop where they sell Coca-Cola?' "

"But it is obvious why I want to go to the shop."

"It is not obvious to me," Morenike shrugged as she responded.

"I want to go to the shop because I want to buy Coca-Cola," Eghe Boom Boom said in an incredulous voice.

"Okay, now that you have told me, I can now tell you where the shop is. You see it is very easy?"

Kompa barked thrice and whined thrice, then he turned around in a circle and promptly sat on his haunches.

We all looked at him, and one of Morenike's brothers asked me, "What is he saying?"

I translated immediately. "He says Eghe Boom Boom and Morenike are driving him nuts with their argument. He says they should just tell each other what their nicknames mean, then we should all go play."

"Yes, I agree," the twin brother who had asked the questions said, and then he turned to Eghe Boom Boom and Morenike and said, like he was the oldest person among all of us, "Okay, tell each other what your nicknames are and let us play."

Eghe Boom Boom looked over at me, I nodded like my dad nods when he is giving you permission, then she turned back to Morenike and said, "Okay I will go first, they call me Eghe Boom Boom because when I was a baby, I used to fart a lot."

The other twin brother looked over at me, wide-eyed and asked, "True?"

I nodded.

He continued, "Smelly farts?"

I laughed. "Yes, very smelly."

Morenike and her brothers broke out in laughter.

Eghe Boom Boom turned to me, horrified. "That's not true, they were not smelly." She felt embarrassed.

I laughed with Morenike and her brothers until Kompa barked twice and whined once.

Eghe Boom Boom said, "Remember what Mom said, you always stick with family and defend them come what may."

I felt a lot of guilt wash over me and I quickly said in a louder voice, "I was kidding, her farts didn't smell and it's rude for us to laugh at people who are being made fun of. It is called bullying and bullying is not good."

They stopped laughing when they noticed the change in my voice. Eghe Boom Boom looked over at me and smiled. It was her way of saying thank you and it immediately made me feel good.

I looked over at Kompa, he shook his tail from side to side and had his ears laying low. It was his 'don't-you-dare-do that-again' look. I nodded at him and like Morenike's other brother who had taken charge before, I instantly took charge and said to Morenike, "Okay, your turn, tell her what your nickname means."

Morenike turned to Eghe Boom Boom and said, "They call me Atasweswe because I don't like peppery food. So anytime I eat peppery food, I blow air out of my mouth in order to cool my tongue and my lips. Like this."

And she began to suck in and blow air out of her mouth. It made a swe-swe sound, as she shook both of her hands as though in a panic. She stopped and continued. "Ata means pepper, by the way, in Yoruba."

"That's so cool. I love peppery food," Eghe Boom Boom said.

"And I do not fart," Morenike replied.

"That's a lie, everyone farts!" Eghe Boom Boom exploded in laughter.

We all joined in the laughter and when we stopped, Morenike looked at Eghe Boom Boom and said, "I like you. Would you be my friend?"

Eghe Boom Boom responded, "I thought we were already friends."

"No, we are not friends until we shake hands."

"Okay, that is new," Eghe Boom Boom responded, smiling as she offered Morenike her hand.

She took it and they stood there shaking. Up and down their hands went, over and over again as they laughed, until one of Morenike's brothers shouted, "Okay! That's enough! Let us go and play.''

They stopped shaking and just as they let go of each other's hands, the door opened, and my dad stepped out.

We all went silent and looked at him. He appeared very sad as he looked back at us quietly. And just as I felt his sadness begin to make me feel sad, he broke out in a wide smile and announced.

"We have a match!"

And just like that, we all began to jump up, shouting with joy and hugging each other while Kompa ran around in circles chasing his tail.

It was funny that Morenike and her brothers were so happy because I knew that they really didn't understand what a match for a bone marrow transplant really meant or what sickle cell anaemia was.

But as I jubilated with them, I could feel that they were happy because good people always are happy when other people receive good news.

As my mum used to say to me, "Osaik, be happy for people who are happy, for the bible says rejoice with people who rejoice." She always supported everything she wanted me to do or every correction with a verse in the Bible.

New Face stepped out of the room with Morenike's father, who still had the baby in his arms, and Morenike's mother who was now smiling. They stood there watching us as we ran around my dad in jubilation.

When I looked over at them, I saw that there were tears rolling down the cheeks of New Face and for the first time since I saw him, I found myself truly liking him.