ADVENTURES OF MR FAARI : BIBI IDI-IKAN!

By Femi Abulude

Bibilari, Bibi for short was my school mate way back then. This girl was of average

height and pretty, her problem was her forlorn look. We used to call her sad Bibi at her back. Some even gave her the sobriquet “the face that never smiles!” Rumour had it that she was a product of broken home. Some people also called her “Idi-Ikan” I know you will be interested in knowing the meaning of that word. You will have to take a course in Yoruba language or better still, I will introduce you to my boss, who has connections with ALAROYE newspaper. What I know is that Adebisi Idi – Ikan used to be a wealthy man in the ancient city of Ibadan in the olden days.

          Trust Faari, I made several attempts at breaking her iron curtain to no avail. All my tricks and efforts to court her friendship failed woefully then, after an unpleasant encounter. I decided to call on her one Friday evening and expressed how I felt for her she blurted out thus:

          “Faari or what do they call you, whom do you think you are? You always carry yourself as if your father owns the central bank. I hate you. You irritate me! Don’t ever come across my path again. For your information, I cannot date a wretched lousy guy like you.” She hissed and spat, the spit fell on my well polished brown shoe. Bibi left me standing there stupefied. Me Faari, Omo onikoko! No girl has ever talked to me like that. The cold war continued until we left school for higher institution.

          Our path crossed again recently during our class mates re-union meeting. Bibi has not changed a hoot we learnt she lost her husband in a ghastly auto crash she was still her sad self all our efforts to make her happy failed woefully. I was the master of ceremony everybody was laughing and enjoying the jokes, but not Bibi. You need to see the group photograph taken after the event. Bibi was the stone face at the extreme left side of the picture. When I gave a joke of a mask face which never smiled when we were in school all eyes turned to Bibi, but she was unperturbed

          I called her on phone four days after the outing, she picked her call quite alright attempt and her response put me off balance.

“Faari is that you? Many things had happened since we left school. I liked you way back then, but we were too young for what you were asking. However I enjoyed the looks on your face anytime I put up that my forlorn look. I was not as bad as you thought. Your perception of me was your own imagination. My friends told me all the names you created for me. They were amusing though. But where you got the Idi-Ikan sobriquet baffled me. A friend said probably it was because of my hips. Faari you were my friend at large. We can still be friends. Faari? Are you still there?” I did not know what to say. Am I dreaming? Someone should wake me up now….

BEHAVE REPONSIBLE; AIDS IS REAL.