Ibidun Pelumi: Fear of the unknown [Nigerian Voices]

I pretty much didn’t remember much of my childhood but as a Yoruba adage says “ti omode o b aba itan, a ba aroba. Simply meaning all I heard were stories about my childhood and saw some pictures. I come from a family of six, now seven. We have my dad, mum, an older brother, two elder sisters and I later got a little sister when I turned nine.

My childhood started when I was six years of age, at the time we were changing towns my dad was recently transferred to another town so as a result of  this the whole family is moving. Turns out my dad has rented a four bedroom flat in an estate with twenty flats.

On getting to the new house my brother picked me up hurriedly and rushed me to the bathroom, as a boy I had never seen a running tap or shower before. On getting there he on the shower and scared me with it and I ran out screaming to my mum. Our first night in this new house is now crystal clear to me, it was kind of hectic, everybody except me was busy arranging and setting the house while I played alone.

When it was day break mummy woke me up to take my bath, thinking I would be bathed. As usual I rushed to the bathroom with her, but instead she entered the shower and I ran out naked screaming to my dad. She came back out laughing and picked me up explaining to my dad I was afraid of shower. Hearing the name “shower” I cried to my dad “daddy please don’t let mummy put me under the shower”. I could remember the faces of the whole family that day all laughing at me.

Mummy later calm me down and took me back to the bathroom and explain to me that it was just water and got under it. Seeing this I decided to get under it, getting under after a few seconds I realized I couldn’t breathe under and rushed out again and my mum just couldn’t stop laughing. She later calmed me down and bathed me the usual way.

Days had gone by and I began to have some friends about the same age with me in the estate. We started spending a lot of time at each other’s houses and doing all sort of plays. After a rough and dirty play one day we decided to bath and wash the dirt off at a friend’s house. Seeing them getting under the shower one by one I just stood there and watched, finally it was my turn to get under but I can’t so I told my friends I couldn’t get that every time I’m under I find it hard to breathe. It was then a girl explained to me that I should keep my head out and only dip it once in a while. So I tried what she said and enjoyed it, ever since then I have overcome my fear of the shower. Mummy was surprised seeing me under the shower the next morning.


This entry was submitted as part of the Nigerian Voices competition organized by YNaija.com.

We publish, un-edited, Nigerians telling the stories of their everyday lives. Read all the narratives daily on the Nigerian Voices vertical. You can also contribute your own story titled ‘Nigerian Voices’ to [email protected].’

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