Dad was a lover and a fighter. He loved his family and friends so much, he always tried to carry everyone along even when it wasn’t so convenient for him to. Dad had to fight for every good thing he had in life. He always told us that he didn’t want us, his kids to go through the type of suffering he had to withstand. I remember a particular story he told me one time, about how he used to wait back in the university library, to copy complete text books into notebooks because he couldn’t afford to own them outrightly. He recalled the first winter he experienced as a freshman at Indiana state university. How his toes would go numb from chill because his budget made winter boots a luxury he couldn’t afford. Dad fought the disease in his veins with every ounce of strength he had till God decided it was time for him to rest.
Dad was a perfect gentleman. From his grooming, to his manners and disposition, Dad was the poster boy for ‘perfect gentleman’. His lover for so many years, Mum can testify to this. Despite the fact that they have their differences and misunderstandings, he never raised his hands up to abuse her physically. One of his strongest points was his looks and appearance. Always clad in top of the range clothing and accessories, much of my taste for the finer things in life was acquired from Dad. He did most of the shopping for my clothing needs and as such, helped in carving my style. Safe to say that dad made me fly.
Enterprising is one of the stellar traits that set Dad apart from his peers. From teenage, Dad was already on his grind. By the time he turned 21 and gained admission into the university, he had already held down 3 different jobs, one of which was as a staff of the Federal Office of Statistics and another as a sales rep. at Leventis. From very young, he had his hands in a couple of ventures; he owned a small poultry which he managed and operated on his own, he was investing heavily in music records and sound equipments (this led to him picking up the art of DJing since high school). Put Dad in a circle and tell him to find 90 degree angles, he will.
Dad was a disciplinarian. I can’t recall him ever beating me for misbehaving but still, he had a way of instilling fear in me. Whenever he wasn’t around and I err somehow, all Mum had to do to set me straight was to inform me that she already told Dad about my exploits. I heard when he was younger he never shied away from using the rod on his younger ones when they messed up, but as he grew older, he must have found other ways of disciplining. These he applied to full effect in my case and that of my younger ones.
Dad was a trendsetter amongst his peers. I can go on about all the things tat Dad was. We the kids are of a unanimous opinion that Dad is the bestest Dad in the world. He is my motivation. Now I'll try to bring Dad back to life in everything i do. I'm trying on the shoes you left behind, i know someday, they'll fit.
