A Silent Goodbye.

Yes, I still remember his perfect smile. The one that made his face so bright, the smile that assured me that everything was going to be okay. He always made sure he bought something for us anytime he was returning from work, which made my siblings and I always await his arrival.

I will never forget when my big brother asked me to follow him to work on a Saturday. "Tiolu, would you like to follow me to work tomorrow?" he asked. We all turned our faces toward him like a pack of wolves who had just spotted prey. I stood up from where I was seated, then walked to him in my blue shorts and crampy polo shirt. With uncertainty in my eyes, I asked again. "You want me to follow you to work tomorrow, but tomorrow is Saturday." Do you have work on Saturday?"

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My unwavering inquiring spirit has always gotten me into trouble most of the time, but this time around, it was like I was asking the question on everyone's mind. "It's like I won't take you again. Uhm, Ife, would you like to?" Before Big Bro could finish his statement, Ife already chorused a resounding "Yes."

My expression changed instantly; I had anger painted all over my face like I was being drafted into a war. "No, no, no. You asked me first, then I should be the one to go." Before I could say another word, Ife jumped up to hug our big brother, saying, "Bro Faith, you know, you already said yes, and it won't be nice if you don't take me along." At the same time, we were fighting amongst ourselves, Bro. Faith burst into laughter; he was laughing so hard that we all paused our argument to watch him. "All of una ehnn, una no go kill me," he said while laughing. We all burst into laughter after he said that.

The following day, he took me to work after telling Ife he wanted me to do a lot of carrying for him in his office, and she wouldn't be able to do such a heavy task.

A few months later, Big Bro started seeing a lady. He brought her home to see my parents. We were all happy for him because he found someone special. Aunty Seun was so nice to him; she always had the amazing story of her stay in Ukraine, where she studied medicine. Any time she came to visit, she always prepared amazing stories and gifts, but everything changed after Big Bro got a space of his own. He stopped coming home like he used to; we would only see him once every two weeks. At first, it felt like he had forgotten us. The only time we get to talk to him is when my dad is home and they are on call.

"Hey, boys and girls! Your big brother is on the line; who wants to talk to him?" We were always eager to talk to him; we would rush to my dad while trying to take his phone off his hand, but he wouldn't give it to us. He would put the phone on speaker so we could all talk to him.

Days turn into weeks, and weeks into months. Big Bro got married to Aunty Seun, and in a month, my dad gave an announcement that broke our hearts.

"Hello everyone, in two weeks. Your brother and his wife will be traveling out of the country to settle down in the United Kingdom." My dad said this was news I was meant to be excited about, like my other siblings, but I felt bitter. Why was my dad giving me this information? Why couldn't he tell me himself? I thought I was his best guy, so why didn't he tell me all those times we spoke on the phone? I felt betrayed, and it felt like his wife took him away from me.

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"Will you follow your brother to the airport?" My dad asked me a day before his departure. With a frown on my face, I turned away. It felt like he was leaving me for good without spending enough time with me. I decided to go because I wanted to tell him how angry I was at him. We went to his residence that night so we could follow him and his wife to the airdrop. After getting to his place, I knocked on the door once, hoping no one would answer, but surprisingly, the door opened like he knew I was there. Without thinking twice, he hugged me and said he was sorry. I wanted to push him away, but he held me tight, and then the fountain of tears opened. I couldn't control my tears as I cried so bitterly because I had missed him.

It's been four years now since he left, and we only get to see him in flesh once in a blue moon.

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