Two Right Hands

Two Right Hands

     I wrote "Two right hands" sometime in February, 2005 under my nom de plume, Seyade Shobby.  It is a novella where time proven wisdom is surreptitiously revealed through the experience of an 8 year old boy. This one begins with a dream. Or was it...

 

BANG!

     Roy’s sprit, soul and body almost parted ways in fright. On

looking round the room though, he saw nothing. Or at least nothing

that was not there before. He then looked out through the window

and realized that all this while it had been raining. There were a lot

of thunders and lightening which explained the loud bangs.

Roy wiped the sweat off his forehead with his right hand. He

then tried to make himself more comfortable so he could continue

his sleep from where he left off. But he could not do so because no

sooner had he closed his eye before he heard two people arguing. It

was totally unlike his parents to argue aloud, and in any case, the

voices he heard certainly belonged to neither of them. He did not

expect Samson was talking to himself either and he was absolutely

convinced it was not the T.V because it was always switched off

before midnight.

     Roy curved his left hands around his ear and turned it

towards the direction the noise seemed to have been coming from.

Something on his left hand brushed against his ear. It felt soft and

somewhat…alive. Roy raised his left hand to see it properly from

the little moonlight that was getting into his room. What he saw

nearly made him lose his mind. His left hand had eyes, ears and a

mouth of its own! Roy opened his mouth to scream but without his

control, his right hand swung up and completely covered his

mouth.

     “Shut up! You are no longer a baby so what is scaring you

stiff?” Roy could not believe his eyes. His left hand had just

spoken to him in a very audible tone.

     “Now back to where we stopped.” Roy’s right hand said. Roy

noticed that his right hand also had its own pair of eyes, nose ad a

tiny mouth in the center of its palm.

     “By the way” His left hand started, “I’m Leslie”

     “Leslie?” Roy asked utterly astonished. “Where on Earth did

you get the name?!!” He had no idea his hands had names of their

own.

     “I gave myself the name of course! Or do you have a

problem with that lil’ boy?”

     “No” Roy replied assertively. It was enough that every

member of his family saw him as a baby. It could only be worse if

his own hands had the same opinion.

     “Good” Leslie said, “Now I won’t have to smack you silly”

     Turning to face Roy, his right hand spoke “Oh, just call me Right”

     “Right???!” Leslie interrupted before Roy could make a

statement.

     “You see, that’s the problem I have with you. You always think

you are right. Somewhere in that little head of yours, you are the

perfect one, the flawless soul, the strongest…”

     “And who says I am not. You?” Right asked.

     “Yes. ME, Leslie. You are nothing but a pain in the ass and an

overenthusiastic laborer”

     “What! How dare you?” Right said springing up from his

position beside Roy. He toppled onto Leslie and tried to smother

him. Roy was trying all he could but he really could not do much.

Both hands seemed to have gotten a life and will of their own and

he had little or no control over them.

     “Will you two stop squabbling for one second and settle your

differences like civilized people?!” Roy shouted, startling both

hands that immediately let go of each other.

     “Now, I want both of you to tell me what exactly the problem

is”

     “It’s Right” Leslie was the first to speak. Turning suddenly to Roy,

he pointed his index finger at him and added, “And of course,

you.”

     “Both of you have conspired to make me look inferior.”

     “How” Roy asked.

     “How? I’ll tell you how. While you give Right the dignified jobs to

do, you make me do all the dirty things like washing your smelling

butt when you finish using the toilet.”

     “But…but” Roy stammered, “I really don’t see the difference

between what you do and what Right does.”

     “What do you mean you don’t see the difference? Can you

compare cleaning your butt or picking up dirty things to getting a

warm handshake from Sandra?”

     “Which Sandra?” Roy asked urgently

     “How many Sandras seat beside you in class, Mr. Mama’s boy?”

      “Oh, that Sandra. Anyway, she’s just a friend.”

     “Whatever” Right interjected after a long silence. “I see you find

Caroline very pretty, Leslie” He said wriggling his wrist.

     “It’s a pity you’ll never get to embrace lovely, lovely

Caroline,” He added, teasing Leslie.

     “Hey, you guys are getting me confused here. I thought we were

talking about Sandra just now. Who the hell then is Caroline? I

sure don’t know any Caroline in my…

     “Do we have to spell it out to you all the time, Captain

Dumb?” Of the two hands, Leslie obviously had the sharpest and

most insulting tongue.

     “Caroline is Sandra’s right hand, ok?”

     “Geez! You mean, you mean Sandra’s hands also have names of

their own?” Roy asked again. Leslie simply hissed then continued

his debate.

     “Mind you, that’s not all. Right also gets to convey food into

your mouth, operate the remote control for the electronics, and

receive gifts from your father.”

     “But all these are just due to tradition” Roy explained. “For

instance, it will be wrong to receive gifts from my dad with my left

hand, I mean you, Leslie.”

     “Tradition my foot”

     “Like you have one” Right cut in. “In any case, you are simply

jealous”

     “Stop it. Don’t say such mean things.” Roy said

     “As far as I am concerned, every single thing you get to do is more

of a responsibility than a privilege. After all, it might as well have

been the Leslie in your shoes and you in his. You were just lucky

to be the right hand.”

     “Fancy you saying a thing like that” Leslie said, surprising

Roy that he appeared to be defending Right.

    “Does the name Richard ring a bell to you?” Leslie asked

cunningly.

     Roy thought for a second then realized what Leslie was trying to

say. It just occurred to him that this situation was an exact replica

of the scenario between him and Richard earlier in the day.

     “Oh, I am so sorry. I promise to apologize to Richard first

thing in the morning.”

     “Good” Right said with noncommittal.

    “You guys seemed to have forgotten what we were taught at the

last Sunday school in church. We read from…em…”

     “1 Corinthians 12:20 to the end.” Leslie said and before

anyone knew it, he started reciting the scripture verbatim.

     “But now are there many members yet one body. And the eye

cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee, or the head to the

feet; I have no need of you. Nay much more those members of the

body which seem to be more feeble are necessary. And those

members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon

these we bestow more abundant honour and our uncomely

(unattractive) parts have more abundant comeliness. For our

comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body

together, having given more abundant honour to that part which

lacked. That there should be no Division in the body, but that

members should have the same care for another. And…”

     “Alright” Roy interrupted to prevent Leslie from reciting the

whole chapter.

     “Leslie, I never knew you had such a good memory. Maybe

you should be the one writing my tests for me.” He said.

     “C’mon Roy, I too could have easily recited those verses

but…but” Right stuttered

     “But what?” Leslie asked smiling.

     “But for the fact that I had to flick through the Bible to locate the

chapter and also trace the words with my finger as the teacher read

it out”

     “I expect you two to have learnt a lesson here. I myself never

really understood that sermon until today. This all goes to say hat

both of you are equally important to me and the different functions

you perform are equally necessary. For instance, if both you had to

feed me, then who would give me water to drink?”

When Roy noticed that they still did not seem totally

convinced, he added, “Right, can you remember the day dad’s

ceramic plate slipped from you?”

     “Yes” Right answered soberly

If it weren’t for Leslie who caught it, it would have broken and

then I would be very cross with you.” Leslie’s face lit up when

Roy said this

    So you see, there should be no more squabbling or

comparisons among you because as far as I am concerned, you are

both equal to me. Now hug yourselves to show me that you have

resolved your differences.” Leslie grabbed Right and gave him a

long, warm hug. Few minutes later, and they had all slept off.

Footnote:  A hard copy of the full book can be ordered on www.lulu.com or you can search for it on google by searching for Two right hands by Seyade Shobby. If still unsuccessful, just send me a mail (laylow1388@yahoo.com) and I'd send the free e-book to you.

Don't forget, our official web portal (www.creativenaija.com) would be launching anytime soon. Y'all should watch out for that one. I do this 'cos I believe there's a giant on the insides of each and everyone of us. It's time to let yours out...