“It is the child that refuses correction every time that will be destroyed suddenly”. This quote, best

said in the Yoruba dialect is usually the first thing he says before beginning his tale.

Baba Tope, as fondly called by other landlords in our government-forsaken area. He will remind me

that if I don’t want to be ‘destroyed suddenly’ I must stop refusing corrections. He goes on to tell me

the ‘story of the gods’ or how else would I describe it? Should I call it tales by moonlight? It was the

story of how Lot’s wife turned to salt when God asked them to leave Sodom and Gomorrah. She

(Lot’s wife) disobeyed and looked back, hence turned into a pillar of salt. My Sunday school teacher

also recounted this same tale last week Sunday, why is my father repeating this. Are we in

Gomorrah? Or was I asleep when they changed Nigeria’s name to Sodom? And if he’s implying that

I’ll turn to a pillar of salt by this getting ‘destroyed suddenly’ tale, then, I better continue in my ways.

I do not know why parents cannot talk to children in simple language without complicating the

message. Go straight to the point and get rid of the tale.

“Me: What exactly do you want from me?

Father: Be obedient and always read your book.”

Tell me, this is how direct a conversation should be but that can never be my father. The

conversation is not complete without a certain tale.

You see, maybe, father has a point. Nobody can be great by consistently flunking instructions. The

pilot who is headed for a crash will not listen to the Control Towers. He is the one my father

prophesied will be ‘destroyed suddenly’. It’s not that I didn’t see the point ‘Baba Tope’ was making.

It’s just that the tale that accompanies his point usually puts me off. Who will help me deliver a

message to him? Who will tell my father that he is correct but that he needs to get rid of the tales if

he really wants me to listen?

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Gabriel Olatunji-Legend is a writer, and tweets from @OlatunjiLegend