By Sunmola Olowookere

What we call “the barracks” is a populated house in our neighbourhood the Queen mother, a querulous woman is at it yet again. The lane is boiling again and as usual the queen mother is at the middle of it. it is one of the most volatile households in our neighbourhood. Tenants could be joking one moment and by the next ‘ moment, they could fly off the handle as tempers blow hot.
In the ‘ midst of these frays, you can be sure to find the queen mother. Her considerable bulk has never been a deterrent for her. She has a tireless stamina. If she is not directly involved in the fight, then she would be on peace keeping mission. Though on most occasions, ‘she would become embroiled in the imbroglios as she would not show tact in settling the case.
In such cases, any of the contenders, if I may use the words, who might have feel slighted by her usual boisterous opinion would take offence. To complicate issues, the queen moghcr is always spoiling for a fight.
She is never daunted by problems.
However, she is to do a good deed in this instance. It was in the night. The residents had retired for the night. It was around eleven pm.
As it was the usual practice, those using generators popularly known as ”I better pass my neighbours” had begun to’ put it off in consideration of those that would Want to retire early. Despite this unspoken agreement, some adamant ones still leave it on into the wee hours of the mo’rning. It was on one of such nights that death wanted to strike in our neighbourhood.
The cries of a woman could be heard despite the loud din of the working generating sets. ”Please help me, it is my husband 0! He is .dying. -neighbours! Somebody, help me! ‘
Those around her could not easily hear her cries for help due to the sound of the generator. However, providence helped her in the ‘form of the ‘queen mother’.
She was a guardian angel sent to deliver the distressed couple.
She had just finished a late night supper because she came in late from her shop. She was resting and belching gently from the satisfaction derived from a well-prepared pounded yam When the woman’s voice came in through her window again.
The word ‘help’ awakened her senses for news and she stood from the chair on which she was resting. She hesitated, wanting to be sure if she heard correctly. As she was still thinking of whether to go there to intervene or not, she heard the voice again, although more clearly this time ”help me 00!. Yee! I am the only one here with him!” That attracted the queen mother as she made quickly. for the door in a move that -‘ belied her massive stature. She went across to the other, side because it was the rear Window of their apartment facing hers. Hence their doorway was on the other part of the compound. She came to their apartment and opened the door.
A man was lying unconscious 0n the ground and blood was trickling out of his mouth. The wife was trying to pull him up but was unable to due to his weight. In his unconsciousness, he was as heavy as lead. She was crying and shaking with fright. The scene that met queen mother’s eyes galvanized her into action as she held his arms and pulls him up effortlessly. She held him despite the state he was and shook him all the while calling his name. By then, other tenants heard the commotion and joined them. Surprisingly, those next door did not bother to check what all the commotion was all about. Their electronics were on so all knew that they were at home. ‘
The other tenants of them never begun to run helter-skelter and call on God to deliver them from the clutches of the devil that wanted to wreak havoc in ‘their compound.
They quickly took him and the queen mother pulled off his clothes while others held him upright. They poured water on him to revive him but; he was long gone. They decided to rush him to the hospital after making several attempts to revive him and all proved to be abortive.
When they got to the hospital, the staff at first stayed away as if they were afraid of being’ contaminated. However, when the hospital staff had. accepted him after much questioning which nearly resulted into a slanging match between a nurse and the tenants, they were asked to stay outside while the doctors attended to him.
It was a gloomy and apprehensive bunch that stayed outside the hospital in the dead of the night. They were all afraid because the couple was recently married and the man was just twenty eight years old. It was at the hospital that he was finally revived. By then, the wife had called their relatives who lived in the same town with them and they all came, alarmed at such sudden sickness.
T h e w i f e w a s weeping uncontrollably when the doctor that attended to him came to tell them that he had been revived but that he had to be placed on admission so they could observe him for a few days while they run the necessary tests to really determine what was .wrong with him. He got well and came back home after a week. The thankful and grateful couple went about thanking the neighbours for staying by them at their moment of trial“