A call to cry (Season Premiere)

The week had started on a really bad note, Vivian, my immediate boss at work had been giving me quite the nasty attitude from monday through to tuesday for no just cause which I suspect it's for not having her side when she chastised the corper attached to our office for skipping work for two days without permission, while that is still on, I had a major row with another colleague in another unit wednesday morning over missing files, arguing over which one of us will take responsibility for it, I'd taken the files to her penultimate week which she signed for on my register that she collected it only for her to tell me now that it was a different file she signed for, as if that wasn't enough office drama for one soul, my boss kept finding faults with all the errands I ran for him, if he wasn't my boss, I would have been close to spanking him across the face, to crown it all was when the director-general walked into our office and caught me watching a movie on my office system which I did to calm my frayed nerves down, I felt like a chicken whose feathers were brutally plucked off and cold water poured over its body on an early harmattan morning as I quietly endured  the vitriol he spewed my way, he left with his entourage of PAs and personal body guard who had gathered while I sat back, fighting back tears from the hurt of all the bullshit I've endured that week, I was at the end of my tether and close to loosing it, it was as though my zodiac sign was absorbing all shades of bad vibes that week.


Naturally my emotional state made me seem vulnerable and weak and some of my male colleagues called me out for being my soft, effeminate me which got me totally mad, I sprang up and insulted all of them, telling them they had no idea the shit I've had to endure that week then stormed out of the office to let off some steam, I sat in front of our cafeteria under an almond tree, fished out my phone and called my best friend who sometimes doubles as my therapist who told me to let the tears out if I felt like it, telling me to call a family member am most close to and open up to feel better. I thanked him and ended the call, scrolling through my phone contacts to call Hamz who though sympathized with me, he sounded bewildered that I was emotional and calling him, baring my soul as I would to a mother or someone I was dating, weirdly so in the middle of the day, thankfully, he kept his cool and said all the right things before hanging up.

 Now most people might roll their eyes and call this unreal but I've realised why white people tend to fare better health-wise than blacks, blacks, especially black men are raised to bottle up so much, act tough on everything and wade through life like a battle field without realising that whilst trudging through life, we need those moments to pause, de-cluster our emotions, detox our soul and refire to move on without carrying lots of emotional and psychological baggage and since taking on therapy, ayurveda, massage, yoga et al, I've never felt more better and I encourage you all to try it out.

Anyway, I went home that day feeling a lot better with the faintest realisation that the next day was my birthday. On getting home, I took a long cold shower, had my dinner of cereal as I wasn't in the mood to cook and went to bed, I didn't even wait to see Mom. By twelve midnight, calls and texts started coming in from friends and relatives to wish me happy birthday, Mom and my brothers came in bearing a big cake, I'd never felt loved by these guys with the exception of Mom in a long while, we ate some cake and left the rest in the fridge and all went to bed.

By morning which was a sunday, my brothers took me out to have a birthday haircut, they wanted to give me a makeover so they told the barber to give me  a dramatic haircut but I pleaded that I would have to go to work on monday and don't want to be queried so we settled for a drake signature style curved pattern in front of my head, thereafter we went out in the car to some green field by a rolling hill where we spread a raffia mat on the green grass, Hamz unloaded a small but cute radio, drinks and small chops from the car booth, whilst Karl called friends to join us, right there on the mat spread on green grass with music serenading all from the small but mighty radio on the side and with drinks and chops, we all made merry and watched sunset before we all departed to our homes but not before I thanked everyone, especially my brothers for taking out time to plan out this whole party for me.

We all dispersed in our various cars and on getting home, Mom's open arms welcomed me in a hug, inquiring if we had fun,

 "It feels like yesterday when I pushed your silly self into the world, it's amazing how much you've grown, once again, happy birthday sweetheart"

Mom said, we sank into our seats as we recounted to Mom how the picnic went, while at it, Mom's phone rang and she picked while we all subconsciously went quiet while she talked, suddenly her smile vanished and her face froze up into a shocked look with her palm covering her open mouth, she asked when, then she nodded her head quickly then dropped the phone,

"What's the matter Mom?"

Hamz asked, a mischievous smirk flashed through Mom's face of horror, disappearing almost as immediately as it came  as she seemed to digest the news then raising her head to face us, she dropped the bombshell, "Your grandmother, the matriarch died this afternoon! ",

"WHAT?!"

We chorused,

KEEP UP!