By Ngozi Ogbe
What a funny concept if you ask me. Did you know the word “adulthood” comes from the combination of two distinct parts: the Latin – derived root “adult” and the old English suffix “-hood”. It first emerged as a combined word written English during the 1850; I bet you didn’t know that.
We’ve heard people say adulthood is a scam or some payback by nature to get a person to suffer or become “unpreparedly responsible,” because somehow it’s as if we were all just kids few hours ago and suddenly you wake up and you now have to become responsible without any prior notice or heads up. No life guide book. No nothing. Just a kick into reality of what you are now and how you have to get to where you need to be; where ever that is.
That was all my thoughts as everyone stood around my dinner table to wish me a happy birthday. I turn 21 today. Twenty-second of August, 2013. I can vividly remember when my mom and dad and siblings celebrated my 12th birthday, how do you tell me now that I’m 21. I refuse. This age sounds serious. Too serious. If it were in the ‘80s I would have probably been married off and had two or three children; oh that thought just sickens me. What do you mean I would probably have had a little Ella or Jake call me mummy or ask what are we eating today, or what are we doing today. I don’t know?! I don’t even know what I’m going to eat in a couple of hours or what I’m going to do, I always ask my mummy, she tells me what we’ll eat; what we’ll do; what we’ll.
“Sharon?! Sharon?! Are you still here with us?” I heard Kate chuckle as she held on to my wrist. Turns out I blacked out into my head at my birthday party.
“Girl, where did you go? It’s time to cut your cake. Blow out your candle and make a wish for your new year” she added with a huge smile on her face, and her teeth out in my face.
I held on to the knife and stirred at all the faces that were in front of me. If only they knew. The only thing I wish for right now is to be young again. To never have to grow up. To freeze time to…
Oh, who am I kidding? This is my life now. 21 year old adult,
“YUCK”.
How I hate that word. Sounds so demeaning. So old. So responsible and accountable. And I hate being held accountable.
“There” I said as I blew out the candles with a fake smile on my face and hearing the applause go wild with everyone really excited.
Again, I’m still wondering why they were so excited for me to be getting old. I mean look at aunty Betty for instance, ever since she hit 30 she has just been loosing her spark and vibe, she’s now all serious and “ADULTY”, or even uncle Mark, after he got married and had his twins, he has not just been himself, just some boring old guy. Now there they are, cheering me on that I’m in my twenties, like as if I don’t know what’s up.
“Oh God, please pause time for me, I’m not ready to be an adult.”
