The clouds were dark, the leaves green and alive, slowing swaying from side to side. The scenery was one to behold, the hills swerved artistically. The roofs of the houses in our street were seen in clear view as the colours mismatched. There was this particular house that stood out, the house had a green roof, it was for the Adedeji family. They had a huge balcony my friends and I dreamed of running around just the way the Adedeji's children did. Whenever we talked about the kind of house we wanted, theirs was always the prototype figure we pictured.
Five houses away was our own house which was one of the former mud houses that was later coated with cement in order to fit the modern trend, but the mud was quite stubborn because it always showed at the foundation. The roof over our house only covered one part of the building; the other part was the constant recipient of rain which left a lot of water inside our house. After every rainfall, I would call my friends, and we would scoop the water out with great delight.
One of my friends was Risikat, who was always shy whenever she saw me. Her mother always called me her husband whenever I passed the front of their house, and she made sure to give me free fish while Risikat waved coyly with a cute smile on her face.
As usual, rain fell, and we converged at my house to scoop water. We sang heartily as we went to work. Suddenly, we heard a crash, and a sorrowful cry followed. We ran out to check what had happened. We saw Mr. Adedeji's car and many people struggling to carry a petite figure into the car. It was Risikat; she was on her way to my house when a drunken Mr. Adedeji hit her with his car.
It was a sad experience for all of us; we sat soberly at the junction of our street waiting for our parents to bring the news of her condition to us as she had been rushed to the hospital. Maami met us with a sombre expression; we badgered her with questions until she told us that Risikat had died. I felt anger rise in me, and I can remember the confused look on the faces of my friends as they couldn't fathom that they wouldn't see her anymore.
The entire street, except the Adedeji's of course, donated money to get a good lawyer in order to get justice for Risikat's family. After much spending and numerous postponement of justice, the case was declared inconclusive. My father said that the reason we didn't get justice was because we were poor, and Mr Adedeji was rich. He said that the law did not work for those who are not financially buoyant.
Fadairo Oluwafunmilola Dorcas
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