Glancing at her nurse’s aid, the octogenarian clucked her tongue in disapproval, ‘That’s what she does all day. Head bowed as in prayer, eyes glued to the screen. No thought for anyone.’

“Kaale o!”

“Ehm, good evening , Ma,” the young lady scrambled. “Do you need me to do anything, Ma?” She looked up for a minute, and lest the old woman think up a runaround, quickly returned to her pastime. 

The senior, set her tea tray next to her favorite chair, walked to the windows to draw the blinds, picked up the remote, and settled to watch the news. 

“Traffic was at a standstill on Third Main Bridge as Mami Sheri’s funeral procession moves through Lagos,” the newscaster intoned. “Fans turned out in thousands to bade a final farewell…” After ten minutes of watching the spectacle reported from different angles, Grandma turned to her nurse, “Who was this Mami Sheri?”

“Ma, you don’t know?” The youngster couldn’t believe someone living in Nigeria did not know Mami Sheri. It was an opportunity to educate this senior citizen who knew almost everything. “She was the top Nollywood star that is, before her fall from grace when she stole Lady Pempe’s husband then…”