The Decision

The Decision

The evening before voting, father and son begin chatting with friends trying to keep their minds off of what was to come, for some the overwhelming anxiety began to arrive at an unexpected rate. From a distance Chibugo contemplates and hopes for a clear understanding of the limits and possibilities of change in this process, and not for an epiphany. Walking along Chibugo peers over and looks upon her home, listening to her father’s boisterous laughter coming from the blue and gold filled entrance of her yard. Her chest fills with something similar to bath foam, the delicacy and lightness so sweet it brings a wide smile to her face. She lives for evenings like this being surrounded by family and friends, filling the area with debates and laughter under a star studded sky.

As she nears the gate, she inhales an aroma tickling her senses- her stomach reacts to the smell of fried yam and plantain. She quickens her pace, enjoying the crisp and gritty dust coating the rings of her toes as her feet tip over the front of her sandals. She begins to reminisce, a feeling of deja’vu rapidly ascending. After the 2011 elections Chibugo vaguely remembers staying indoors for a week to avoid the violence terrorizing her city. Will history repeat itself? Chibugo reaches her mother’s side and her pupils begin to excitedly dart around in the whites of her eyes, silently begging her mother for a small taste. “You are hungry again, okwia?” Chibugo chuckles and picks the yam from her mother’s pan and samples it, relishing the taste as it plays on her pallet. Thanking her mother Chibugo whisks away and nearing the men she begins to overhear their conversation. Remaining optimistic she begins to interject with a claim that this election will fare off well as the general of the All Progressive Congress and the current president are seriously considering supporting a free fared election. Deeply engrossed in the discussion Chibugo overhears her mother’s call and hastens to assist. As they have taken the necessary precautions and carefully stocked up on food, Chibugo begins unpacking and wonders what the new day will bring.