Do You Remeber?
Farewell Hour (2021)
“Okay, bye bye!’’
If you are or have ever been a Nigerian child in the company of chattering adults, excitedly debriefing each other on their lives, since they last saw each other several months ago, yesterday, or maybe a whole ten minutes ago, then you know that many truer words than these have been uttered.
You see, this preliminary goodbye declared by the ‘rendezvousing’ Nigerian adult, is as consequential as a promise by a politician in the heat of a campaign. More directly, it is the gateway to what I’m going to term ‘farewell hour’. This is because this starter goodbye would often be followed by another period of excited chatter as the advanced in age brought to each other’s attention, more and more exciting matters that simply must be discussed at present. Time would pass and yet another goodbye would be uttered, followed by more chatter. The herd of adults would be seen pulsing for many moments to come, as jokes are cracked and heads snap back in laughter and composure is lost and regained, again and again.
If you found yourself the lone tender-aged being in the midst of rendezvousing adults, then you likely dreaded farewell hour. However, if you were lucky to be graced with the company of other small humans, then you relished the surplus time to play, and what is more important to the child? Of note, this play had to done in the vicinity of the chattering adults, because of course, you would be leaving soon and they simply must not be delayed. As such, resourcefulness and creativity were of the utmost importance!
I fondly remember neatly trimmed, green hedges that were a staple in Nigerian landscaping and were typically dotted with small colonies of red flowers (I’ve come to learn it is called the ixora plant). My friends and I would often pass time during farewell hour by plucking and harvesting nectar from the flowers of the ixora plant, pulling on the small yellow tuft at the center of their delicate red petals, causing no more than a drop of sweet-tasting nectar to be dispensed. After this light refreshment, we would then link the flowers into bracelets or necklaces, depending on what our outfits required of course. When we weren’t designing organic, cruelty free jewelry, then we were likely doing research and development to create a five-star menu comprised primarily of only the finest mud, leaves and petites rocks money could buy (bon appétit!).
Eventually, the chatter from the adults would simmer down and the mass would have successfully made the long 10-foot journey from the doorway or gate of the host house to their respective cars, and the chattering organism will disperse…
until next time.
Were you subjected to farewell hour? How did you spend it?