WALK YOUR TALK.
 
Abigail was seventeen and had just concluded her JAMB exams. She was done with secondary school and was at home waiting for her admission into the University of Lagos to click.
It was a lonely and boring season for her as her younger siblings and her parents would leave for school and work and she would be the only one left at home.
She most times kept herself busy by reading magazines, novels and occasionally watching movies and TV when there was power supply. But all these after a while didn't fascinate her that much. She would also engage in domestic work and do a lot of chores at home just to keep herself busy but that too after a while became tiring. She would visit Racheal, her best friend and she would also return the visit the next day or two days later and they would together talk excitedly about their dreams of becoming undergraduates and all they intend to do on campus, but after a while the same old gist and dreams became stale and they began to lack something to talk about. Gradually, they gave each other space.
Afterwards she became very bored. She was idle and had nothing doing. Her Dad strongly objected her plea to be registered in a computer school, instead he bought her a laptop and asked her to be learning at home.
 One bright Tuesday morning around 10am, Abigail decided to take a walk around the estate. There was no power hence she couldn't watch TV and everywhere in the house and the estate was quiet and still. Power had also run out on her smart phone so she couldn't call, chat or engage her social media platforms. She was bored stiff.
As she was walking along the street in the very quiet estate as many people had left home for work or school, some distance behind her,  she heard footsteps crushing dry, fallen leaves against the hard concrete pavement by the tarred road.
By the way the footfalls sounded, she knew it was a man walking, but she didn't look back to check who it was, she just kept walking slowly and casually knowing with her pace, the man; whoever he was would soon catch up with her. When eventually he did, it was Moses. Moses lives in the estate also, a couple of streets away from her street.
They were childhood friends, they attended the same primary school but afterwards he travelled to Canada to continue with his studies, he was home for the summer holidays. She was excited; she hugged him, he was glad to see her too. Moses who had always admired Abigail for her well cultured manner and elegance is now taller, finer, smoother, cooler, and manly. He spoke with this tint of English accent that she thinks was sexy and sleek. She really admired him. They began to take the walk together and they began to chat excitedly; he told her he would be around for another three weeks and she was so excited. She would at least have company and someone to keep her company for another three weeks. They took a very long walk and talked about so many things and many people. They talked about all their friends; what they are doing and where they were at. It was an exciting experience for Abigail. But further than that was Moses himself, he was nineteen but sounded twenty five in his opinion and concepts about life, career, and relationships, he was really mature and his views not only impressed Abigail, they educated her. She found  Moses very exciting and someone she would definitely want to date.
After two hours she went home to make lunch for her younger ones who would soon return from school and Moses had to go out, so he walked her to her house and went on ahead to his. She was thrilled, excited and happy, she sensed he liked her because of the funny way he kept looking at her and the compliments he paid her.
All that evening she was so excited and happy, she couldn't keep it down, butterflies suddenly appeared in her tummy, the experience that afternoon was ecstatic, she kept thinking of Moses, he was so amazing, she couldn't stop thinking about him, his looks, nice fragrance, smooth talk and his great sense of humour. Her heart skipped a beat when she thought briefly about how his tongue will taste in hers. Barely 30 minutes after he left she called him, just to check up on him; he chuckled and said he was okay. Then they began to chat on BBM and all evening through the night they kept chatting. She didn't need a soothsayer to affirm the fact she was falling in love.
Two days afterwards, Moses decided to visit her at home. He arrived around 11am and they watched a romantic movie together. She made him lunch and while he was eating, unexpectedly her daddy arrived home. It was a rare occurrence; she couldn't remember the last time her daddy came home during work hours, he was not the type, once he leaves for the office, till earliest, 7pm. she was surprised and shocked.
Abigail's dad came into the house and saw Moses, she quickly introduced him after welcoming her dad, and the man simply gave her a very stern and dangerous look, he didn't respond or acknowledge Moses' greeting, he eyed me too and just went up straight to his bedroom. She was so embarrassed, she wondered why he behaved that way. In less than a minute, her dad returned downstairs with his old, tough horse whip (koboko), he bolted the front door and put the key in his pocket, suddenly he turned and confronted Moses, ‘so you want to destroy my daughter's life abi? What are you doing in my house at this time when no one is around, so you want to take advantage of her and her innocence?’ Abigail was so ashamed and embarrassed as she observed a now very scared and embarrassed Moses, ‘daddy, he is my friend, he lives in the estate’ she began to say, ‘you shut up, shameless girl’ she was so mad and scared and as Moses made to get up from his seat, Abigail's dad attacked him with the horse whip and began to flog him all over. Moses began to beg and explain, the man wouldn't listen but kept flogging him. She suddenly ran towards her dad and held his hand and he began to flog her too, she then shouted to Moses to run to the kitchen and escape through the kitchen door and he did exactly that and escaped. Her dad then concentrated on her and flogged her thoroughly.
Seven months after, she had secured admission into school, she was a jambite and just learning the ropes and trying to find her footing on campus. She was thinking  through the best approach to maximum fun and academic work. She had been caged all her life and now that she has the opportunity she must enjoy the freedom to the fullest.
It was a Friday evening, Abigail was in her room with her new room-mates when a friend to one of her room-mates who was in her fourth year in the Law Faculty came to their room. She was a very exciting, charismatic and friendly lady.  She was quite open and blunt and of course beautiful too and she began to tell them stories about her various affairs with different men and how she's made so much money from different men.
Then she kept talking about this latest catch that has been so generous and caring. She talked about how he's shopped for her on several occasions and how he's travelled with her twice to Dubai within six weeks. Her excitement was his plans to buy her a car by her next birthday a couple of weeks away. Though he is a much older man she said, he is very caring, energetic in bed and absolutely generous.
She then went ahead to show Abigail and her room- mates photographs they took together in Dubai and when she saw the pictures, she experienced the greatest shock of her life; the man was her father.
She couldn't comprehend herself. Her father is very strict; he puts up this religious appearance and would bring down hell over any matter that has to do with a male friend or friendship with the opposite sex, He would talk and preach and preach on why she should avoid boys. Now he is befriending a girl he's old enough to be her father; a girl just 3 years older than she is.
Abigail was upset and bitter.
Dear  Friends, there is really nothing hidden under the sun, whatever we do or we are into, sooner or later we would be discovered.
Most times we are quick to castigate others, we are very fast in talking about others without an inward investigation of ourselves.
Let's avoid hypocrisy by walking our talk. We must begin to do what we preach and live by the advise we give others. Greatness comes when we abide by what we say, trust is built when we stick to words.
IT BEGINS WITH YOU AND ME.
     www.skytyms,blogspot.com