Getting back from university for breaking, Dejo visited his uncle as he promised to, not only because Uncle Ben was his favorite uncle but because he knew it had been a while since he had talked to his confidant.” It is Saturday, “ Dejo reckoned, let me go call Uncle Ben to know if he is available, and he is, and lucky him as Uncle Ben awaits his visits.
It has been six months since he saw him last before he got admission to the University of Science, and he is so happy that he couldn't control his joy.
Getting there, he met Uncle Ben and his family.
Mummy Simbi, Uncle Ben's wife, is just serving dishes on the dining table, and Simbi and Kunle, Uncle Ben's children, sat attentively watching Power Rangers on the television screen. Suddenly, the bell rings. Uncle Ben went to the door to invite the visitor in.
You won't believe who is here, Uncle Ben said as he kept Dejo’s visit to himself to make it a surprise.
Everyone concentrates on the door as Dejo enters. Uncle Ben, Dejo hugged him with a big smile while Simbi and Kunle ran towards Dejo, screaming Big brother, big brother and held him while he carried them up one after the other, telling them they are now big boy and girl.
You are welcome “baba Oko mi “, which means” father to my husband”; this statement is used by wives in my tribe to respect husbands, younger siblings, and relatives.
Dejo answered,” Eku ojo meta ma, “ stating to her that it has been a while since he visited.
You are right on track, Uncle Ben said while moving closed to the dining room holding Dejo's hand, I have missed you jokes and like and I believed you have some for me today, he said smiling and showing his white set of teeth gapped in the top-middle and together they went to the dining and after the family had their lunch, they when back to the parlour and sat.
I believe you are sleeping over, Uncle Ben noted Dejo, who never planned to before but knew he had no problem calling Father that he is passing the night in his favorite uncle's place.
How was learning, and how are you coping with the environment? Uncle Ben asked Dejo as he lowered the volume of the television set, which still allows his children to watch their favorite series. Ahh, Uncle, you know, in terms of learning, you have cooked for me, and learning was interesting, and my two semesters were great, but the environment, Dejo nodded his head.
Uncle Ben asked, What's wrong with the environment and Dejo answered, I have now adapted to it, though it is new with lively experience, but my room is a no-go area from the beginning.
What happened in your room, Uncle Ben inquired, knowing that Dejo had a story to tell, and Dejo started.
Getting to my room, I met Mathew, a friend and accommodating fellow, my roommate, who welcomed me and told me we both are tenants in the room and that very soon, I will see the landlords.
At first, I was like who are the visiting landlords and he told me that curiosity kills a cat and I dropped my bag and baggies but I notice on thing in the room, Mathew have no food stuff and I asked him why and he told me he do eat out either from the cafeteria or nearby eatery and I inquired from him why do he not cook as I bluntly told him that I prefer cooking and after ten minutes, I went to the nearest mall get the kitchen stocked and get rest assured that I have food to eat for the first month.
I thought Mathew was lazy or couldn't cook effectively, but he just kept laughing as he saw me cooking, and I made rice and stew with fried fish that evening, and after eating, I slept on my bed.
While I had this deep rest, I felt
Something ran across my head and I stood up and to my surprise, I saw this mice, holding a piece of fried fish, I was terrified because it was looking at me confidently eating the leftover fish I left in the plate in the kitchen and angrily, as I move it disappeared in a second and I was worried as I called to Mathew, who told me those are the landlords he hinted on earlier that there are dozens of them which trope in an out of the room whenever they liked and that was the reason why he prefers eating out as he has no stamina to eliminate them.
I was so angry that I couldn't have a deep sleep over that night, as I could hear them racing all around the room in the middle of the night, chasing one another from the kitchen to the room, then back to the kitchen. Squeaking, scurrying, and chirping.
I was worried, and the second day, seeing that they managed to enter through a means that I didn't know, tampered and tasted all the foodstuffs I bought there except for the canned ones.
I don't even know how they got to the top of the shelf to attack the bread I left there, biting each one at a noticeable place.
Mathew just kept laughing, seeing me complaining up and down, and this gave me the determination to end their control over my peace.
Uncle Ben and his wife couldn't hold their laughter as they laugh out loud then mummy Simbi said, baba Oko mi, how do you fight your landlords at last and I continue, three days later, I couldn't cope with them disturbing my peace, disrupting my tutorials and demolishing anything edible, I went to the market and get a local mouse trap gum and lay it down on the ground to start with and a few minutes later, it caught a mice and I was happy that one is off but something shocked me.
After taken the rat off the trap and placed the trap at the same place, I slept on my bed and watch how the mouse would run into it but I was wrong to see how intelligent they are, a mice ran towards that direction but immediately it got to the trap, it jumped it over to the other side, that's strange as I never knew mouse can jump in a loop and long-distance direction to scale away from traps and I tried stand up but I saw another wonder, it climbed the edge of the window blind from down till top then jumped and held on the top of the door and escaped through the top entrance.
I said to myself, no wonder they got to the top of the shelf and now I know it is a difficult challenge but vows that I will not let them take over the room but while I go up and down for solution, Mathew kept looking at me and telling me that brother, this war you are on is lost but I never accepted succumbing for the mouse, my landlords.
Uncle Ben took over from here, asking, Don't tell me you stopped cooking too, he asked, Yes, I did for the main time, as we all know that Lassa fever is real, and I don't want to get infected in any way.
Do you know how much food I have to throw away?
I stated as both husband and wife opened their mouths in agape, looking at me.
The week that followed, they ate the edges of the past questions textbooks that I brought, and that was when I took it as their climax.
This mouse can eat up your certificate and important document if you allow them, I had a deep thinking and then I took the bold step, which made me spend more money, but ending their reign is now tantamount.
I called a bricklayer to block all the holes in the room, a carpenter to work on the entrance door, the plumber to track the pipes and block leakages, then continued with my traps, and now, I can gladly tell you that I have chased the landlords away and have retained my peace.
Mathew also gave me credit, and now we cook together and sleep, rest assured that we can not be run on or affected by the mouse, the so-called landlords, and that was the environmental challenge I believed that I faced a month of resumption, and after that, I am good to go.
Good one from a determinative mindset as perspective, What a fight you gave, congratulations...
I never have mouse issues here, and I don't pray for one now and in the future, he concluded.
Thanks for reading.
