Lineage

Funmi Dada Part 1

Genesis 6:1-7...And it came to pass that the fallen angels (Naphal) saw the daughters of men that they were beautiful and had children with them called Nephilim.

The Nephilim were humans with extraordinary ability whose deeds were evil and caused mere men to do evil as well. Then there were was the great flood killing all living things except those in the Ark. The spirits of the Nephilim became Familiars. Familiars have a strong desire to be human again, to enjoy the pleasures of the human body. Sometimes possess humans, which is most times leads to madness. Familiars whisper in the minds of men to sin and do all forms of wickedness because the imagination of men has creative power.

Naphals feeding off the wickedness of man's thoughts and action changed their once glorious forms to a beastly image. These Naphals can take on the form of human and walk among men, but they can only stay in human form for a short time and can no longer procreate to produce Nephilim. ABIGOR is the fallen angel behind the Aje , but you might know him as Alexander.

Mrs. Funmi Ajayi had been waiting outside her son's room in the hospital. She sat there thinking about her life. She was ever grateful for the plans her parents made to ensure her financial security. Her mother, Titi Dada, died when she was ten and her father Bankole Dada died from a ghastly motor accident. She was fourteen years old. She was in the boarding school when a lawyer and Gran-aunt Kay came to tell her about her father's death. Her mother had instructed the lawyer: should she and her husband die before their daughter Funmi turns 21,  Gran-aunt Kay would have custody of Funmi. Under no circumstances should her mother or sister have custody of Funmi. It's amazing how her mother thought of everything before she died. During the short period of her recovery, she had done so much to secure Funmi's financial future. Funmi's mother had warned her not to tell anyone about her inheritance, academic pursuit, career pursuit, or her love life. Funmi must lie-low. No extravagant lifestyle, so that she doesn't call attention to herself and her. "Not everyone is happy about your progress," her mother would often say, and now she has passed the warning to her son. Funmi also knew her mother did not get along with those from her maternal side of their family. As far as Funmi was concerned, if her mother said not to have anything to do with them, she'll comply because there is definitely be a good reason for that.

Gran-aunt Kay was about seventy years old then, but she was as strong and alert as she was when she raised her mother. She didn't mind taking custody of Funmi; she was completely alone most times, anyway. Gran-aunt Kay had stayed with Funmi and her dad when her niece, Funmi's mother, had just died and remained with them until Funmi got into the secondary school. Then when Funmi's dad died, she moved to stay with Gran-aunt Kay. Funmi's grandmother and her aunt Tolu did not contest the custody of Funmi. Grand-aunt Kay's children were not too happy with her living with their mother, reminding their mum of the drama of the past with Titi, Funmi's mother. Gran-aunt Kay assured her kids that she can handle herself. Her brother's wife had not contested custody and she enjoyed having a young person around. Funmi loved her Gran-aunt Kay so much and was eternally grateful for having an amazing relative like her. 

Funmi was never lucky with examinations. She understood her lessons but never did well in exams, and the trend got worse as she got higher in class. She had to retake the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) and General  Certification of Education (GCE) examinations for three years just to have a combination of five passed subjects that would include Mathematics and English language. Funmi did her best to get into the university, it did not work out for her. Many of her classmates from secondary school were already in the second year of their university program. She gave up going to the university and settled for the polytechnic to study business management as an Ordinary National Diploma (OND) graduate with a pass. With just a pass grade, she could not continue with the Higher National Diploma (HND). Out of frustration she just joined the Police force at the level of Cadet Inspector. It was at the Police Academy that she met her husband, Gbenga Ajayi. He was a Superintendent. Gbenga was the kindest man she had met, and they got along so well. She misses him so much, every time she looks at her son Bankole, he reminds her of her husband.

Funmi remembered their wedding day like it was yesterday. They had got married as soon as she completed her basic training as a fresh recruit. Funmi's grandmother and aunt Tolu surprised her at her wedding. She had not invited them. They claimed to have heard about the wedding and decided that it would be a splendid opportunity to reconnect with her. That would be the first time she saw them since the burial of her mother, they weren't there for her father's funeral. No one invited them. It was strange to hear them talk about her parents as if they were close to the family. Funmi barely remembers her aunt Tolu, who was the one that visited them twice. They spoke highly of her dad and felt bad they could not come to pay their last respect to him, but it was because no one told them.

"Your parents were one of the best people, so kind and generous to a fault. You know your father renovated my home, he was a good man. It's a pity they died so young," her grandmother crying.

"I know you miss them a lot but we are your family and now that you getting married and about to start a family of your own, you must not be far away from us," added aunt Tolu.

Funmi needed to get ready for her wedding reception, wondering who let these women into her dressing room. She remembered not feeling comfortable with them around, especially with the way they cornered her.

"I should be the mother of day. I am your mother's mother."

This was getting too much for her. Now she is being emotionally blackmailed. It was Grand-aunt Kay who rescued her from their drama as she sent one of her grandchildren to go call Funmi. Grand-aunt told her not to pay attention to her grandmother and aunt.

"I hope you did not allow any of them touch you, Funmi?" asked Grand-aunt Kay.

"No ma, I was careful," replied Funmi. She had never questioned the reason behind this animosity towards her grandmother and sister.

Her grandmother and aunt did not relent to interacting with everyone from Gbenga's family. Gbenga had two other siblings, a sister, and an elder brother, and Gbenga was the middle child. Their mother had died a few years back and his dad when they were still children. Funmi had mentioned to Gbenga of the strained relationship between her mother and her mother and sister and how her mother had insisted her not having anything to do with them. Gbenga understood this sort of family drama, and he grew with the same sort. Gbenga's mother and her siblings were estranged, but this was because his mother was raised in a polygamous family: there were always fights. Gbenga knew about her inheritance but was never interested in them. The buildings she owned were rented out and all the moneys realized paid into Funmi's Trust Fund account. She was happy to live with Gbenga in the two-bedroom apartment he rented.

Nine months after their wedding they had their first child, a beautiful boy they called Bankole in honour of her father. Two years later Gbenga her Knight in shining armour died suddenly. He collapsed at work and died, and then Grand-aunt Kay died too. Funmi was beyond devastated. She has lost everyone she loved. She felt so alone and there were moments she felt like running to aunt Tolu or grandma, but never got around doing it. Gbenga's siblings helped a lot during the first year of her loss. Overall, she was glad to have Bankole.