We fall in by loving others. Distracted by beauty we walk
towards it hypnotised with a smile that betrays the state of the heart. Love
compels us to move and the stationary usually do not fall. Why do we stare at
beauty whenever we stumble on it? Why do the eyes bring inspiration and
satisfaction? Sometimes splendour does not walk by. We get on our feet and move
across land and sea; seeking a beauty we cannot own or take home.
We stare
We marvel
The heart races and the spirit takes flight
We stare
We pay homage and sigh.
Looking can be a labour of love sometimes. There is no
financial gain in looking yet we spend a fortune just to ‘go and see’.
But why travel to see the magnificent?
Why journey for days to view a wonder that lasts a few
fleeting minutes?
When would my eyes be satisfied with seeing and say, ‘enough!’
These were my thoughts as I boarded the plane having
uprooted myself from the safety and comfort of my bed. I was off to see Niagara
Falls. It was no doubt a lady. Men tend to spend a long time looking at ladies
and stumbling. It was not just a lady but three times a lady like Lionel Richie
would say. Niagara Falls was made of three separate Falls; the Horseshoe, the
American Falls and lastly the Bridal Veil Falls. Nothing conjures romance like
the veil but more of that later.
The plan was good in my eyes. Birmingham-Paris-Toronto. I
was in good spirits as the plane took off for Paris. One hour after landing I
was told to step aside along with three others at our boarding gate for the
flight to Toronto. This had never happened to me before and I was disappointed
to be told that the flight had been overbooked and I was not travelling. I was
informed that I could travel the next day but would have to sleep in Paris. I was booked on a flight the next day and given
two options for compensation: 600 Euros cash or 800 Euros worth of vouchers.
The feelings of falling at the first huddle of my journey
evaporated.
That is my ticket to
Lagos for mum’s funeral sorted out.
25/05/2022Wednesday
I was up by 4am and heading to the Charles de Gaulle
airport. I had fears of further cancellations. I flew to Amsterdam from where I
flew to Toronto.
26/05/2022 Thursday
I took a Taxi to Niagara on the lake and checked into room
401 at the Holiday Inn Express. It was great meeting up with my Med School
classmates who had all converged for the wedding of our classmate’s daughter.
There was a lot of laughter and catching up to do. Once again it was like the
good old days when everyone had a Room Number in the same hostel complex. (But
in this case; level don change). We huddled in each other’s room eating
drinking and laughing. I was struck by the fact that everyone travelled down because
two people had fallen in love. We might have been old school mates supporting
one another but if no one had fallen in love there would have been no
congregation of busy people. It was beautiful, the air, the people and the
love. Beauty cannot be bought in a shop. It is a happy ending that makes us
call something beautiful and we need to live and stay put till the end to
experience beauty. No one was about to leave as the movie was just starting.
27/05/2022 Friday
We gathered downstairs for breakfast and the hotel seemed prettier
than the night before. We had planned to go to the great falls this morning and
we were soon on our way. We all loved nature and moved to see it in its naked
and raw glory. There is love in all movements; even when propelled by fear.
Running away from life threatening danger is running towards a life which is
loved. The one who grabs a child before fleeing away in fear also runs away in
love. Love provides the energy to do the impossible and move like a miracle.
We all want to live in idyllic settings so we can gaze at
nature. And when you look at created things you see the creator. Most paintings
have a name or a title but these works are also called Rembrandts after the
painter or Van Gogh. There is always a piece of the creator in the created
thing. Men seek to see something that elevates them; something that reminds
them that there can be hope in this world. Living by still waters and fishing,
skinny dipping all summer long can be beautiful but you must dry up and go
indoors at some point. It is a blessing to live with a beautiful human being.
We drove to the area and walked to the spectacle. There was
a roar of a thousand mountain lions producing a sound that demanded respect and
yet was soothing to the brain. Cute mansions on hills could not compare to this
beauty. We all knew we did not have this at home. No home could house this.
This was God’s own water feature and it was spectacular. Gallons of water moved
to the edge and crashed down beautifully. Water no get enemy after all. We took
pictures and videos hoping that a fraction of the ambiance could be captured on
film.
We hopped on the boat for a tour wearing red Ponchos. Across
the water those on the New York side got on their boats dressed in blue. It
looked like Manchester City and Manchester United football clubs lining up for
the Manchester Derby but the boats stayed far from edge other.
At one stage I felt like I was in a Cecil B DeMille movie
set; the Ten Commandments to be precise. Our boat went up close to the water
Falls, into the mist and there a wall of crashing water on either side. This
was the Horseshoe. The water was turbulent and it was an exhilarating
experience. We still got drenched despite the waterproof coats and the water
appeared to get into my phone. Somethings just have to be experienced as no one
has enough talent to tell it as it is.
The boat appeared to be edging closer to the great showers of water and I
thought to myself, ‘this would be a bad time for engine failure’.
The grandeur of the place made me wonder how men of old
would go into barrels and be put in the waters upstream to see if they can
survive the drop. Trust women. Annie decided life was not exciting enough and
she went over the falls in a barrel. On the other side, after the drop, she had
survived. I can almost hear MJ in Smooth Criminal screaming from the banks, Annie are you OK?
Why would Annie Taylor take such risks at the age of 61
years old in 1901? Nigerians would say she
has Liver (While the rest of the
world says Annie has heart, or Annie has guts).
And here lies the difference in opinion of what the word ‘excitement’
really means among different races. From all accounts Caucasians were the only
people involved in these daredevil stunts at Niagara. Some even walked across
the gorge on tight ropes. Africans are
made different. They might take risks for gain, but hardly risk life for
adventure. Even our water spirits called Mami water will jump out of the water
upstream and walk down hill on land before reconnecting with the water
downstream. Caucasian mermaids will go with the flow and crash; la-la-la Whoosh la-la-la-la, la-la-la
just like Simon and Garfunkel sang it
The waters falling through the air were like two lovers
falling in love at great speed with no parachute. Everyone expects a crash but
love has its own powers. Love is immensely more powerful than gravity; and next
thing you know there is a couple holding hands and flying with their hearts.
This romantic weightlessness makes no burden too heavy and no effort too hard.
Niagara did not send us a special invitation to come and
view her majestic form. We had a need in us, an itch to scratch. She did not
disappoint. The mist and water in the air gathered on the face and the lips
drank the water. It was like a kiss. The way people kiss wine glasses. We were
enveloped in that mist, almost like a baptism and purification. No one remembered
their problems in the mist and the mind was fixed on the wonder being
experienced.
As we walked off the boat I wondered when I would stop
loving the wonders of the world. Would my affections wax cold some day? Maybe
when the mountains flatten and the oceans dry up.
I suppose the sun sometimes asks itself, ‘when would I stop
shining?’ Then it laughs and shines on.
The day one decides to stop looking is the day one starts
dying. Human beings will always marvel at beauty or start to decay. That is why
the beauty was placed there in the first place; to sustain life.
4pm
I was the back seat passenger as we speed to Toronto. We
went up in the lifts together as a group at the CN Tower. The 360 Tower was
really clever. You sat on your table and the whole sitting area which was on an
outer circle went around slowly like one of those revolving stages. Your view
through the large windows changed as you went along. This was a day of contrasting
spectacles; the natural water falls versus a man- made modern day super tower.
I couldn’t help myself; I had a thought about Nepa. I walk around with this
fear of electric power failure. I take it everywhere. I once had a patient with
a battery operated mechanical heart and I freaked out when I saw the device. What if the batteries fail? I thought to
myself. It was a fleeting thought. I assumed we would have to sleep in the restaurant
or walk downstairs all night if a power outage occurred.
The ride back to Niagara on the lake was great. Laughter and
banter all the way.
28/5/2022 Saturday
The business of the wedding started proper and we had
traditional ceremony which was delightful. It was colourful in every respect.
The bride danced with her father. Goya Menor’s Ameno Amapiano Remix. It started
like any other dance you saw on the dance floor. One good foot delicately moved
after another; moving in tandem with the beat. Then they went through the gears
like Lewis Hamilton. The electricity spread throughout the hall; from their
feet to our hearts and everyone jumped out of their chairs. No words, just cheering,
shouting and clapping. Dancing easily translates from the physical to the
spiritual and love becomes expressed in movement. We looked, not like statutes
but also swaying to the beat in participation.
This was a cocktail of a rich cultural heritage; ancient rhythms, the
dances of ancestors long gone, and foot work that first stumped the earth in Africa.
Everyone was there in the moment because
a father loved his daughter enough to provide for her, because a man loved a
woman so much he decided to marry her and we travelled down for love.
29/5/2022
It was back to Niagara Falls again in sunny weather.
Everything looked better in the sun. This time there was no boat ride. We stood
at a distance and took photographs then said our goodbyes. Later in the day we
attended the white wedding and after party.
The joy of the whole year was condensed into a few hours dripping
with honey. The stars were in alignment
and the heavens vibrated as the music played and the lovers danced. It was a
celebration of falling in love and floating off into the sunset in the
weightless blissfulness of an intoxicating affection.
Back in my hotel room I guess my head was full of the jokes
about delegates to a political party conference. I played You and I by the group Delegation. I read the card that my
classmates had signed to sympathise with me on the passing away of my mother. I
hate crying in public but alone it doesn’t matter if I looked like Niagara
falls.
30/5/2022
I couldn’t believe I was flying home. It felt like a deportation
I wish Chineze & Osasuyi a happy married life
Babawilly
Dr Wilson Orhiunu
