The Ilorin Shock Episode 14

Episode Fourteen: Almost Home

My brother finally finished the holy book.

It happened during Ramadan right in the middle of fasting days, when strength was already thin and patience was already stretched. Yet, somehow, he did it. The last page was read. The last verse was completed.

For a moment, it felt unreal.

We were still waking up early every day for sahur, eating before dawn with sleepy eyes and quiet mouths. After that, we prepared for school, carrying fasting bodies and hopeful hearts.

But then something changed.

When it was time for exams in the Arabic school, they stopped us me and my brother.

“You will not go to school again,” they said.

No explanation.

No argument.

So we stayed at home.

At first, it felt strange. Then it felt exciting. Staying back meant something was about to happen. We waited, watching days pass slowly, counting them like prisoners counting marks on a wall.

Ramadan was almost ending.

Then the words finally came.

“You will go back to Oyo State.”

Those words landed softly… then exploded inside my chest.

Home.

The place we had missed in silence.

The place we had imagined during hunger.

The place that had kept us going during pain.

This was the ending we had been waiting for.

I pictured familiar streets.

I imagined familiar voices.

I tasted food without calculating money.

I saw myself sleeping without fear.

We didn’t shout. We didn’t dance. We were careful with our joy as if it might disappear if we held it too tight.

But deep inside, I felt it.

Relief.

The kind that makes your body lighter before your situation actually changes.

We counted the remaining days of Ramadan with excitement. Each fast felt easier now. Each sunset felt closer to freedom. We believed the journey was ending.

What we didn’t know…

Was that this goodbye was not final.

That Ilorin had not finished with us yet.

That even after tasting the idea of home, we would still be brought back.

Because sometimes, life gives you hope not to end your suffering but to prepare you for another round.

And so, with Ramadan closing…

And Oyo State calling our names…

We stepped forward

Unaware that the road would circle back.

To be continued… Episode 15