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THE IMMINENT CLASH OF THE BULLS



At the heart of the COVID-19 crisis is quarantine and its attendant colleague Lockdown. From my lockdown experience, Quarantine is adding up to be an adversity many multiples more severe and challenging that most adversities that I may have encountered in my sixty plus years earthly sojourn. It is an unprecedented disruption of my life.
I am a consultant and my pre lockdown routine has been leaving the house for office daily at seven in the morning and back at about 8 o’clock in the evening, a warm shower follows before I  settle down on my favourite armchair for a spot of news on television while taking supper. I normally go to bed at exactly 11 o’clock in the evening.
I need to add that I have only one wife- a corporate employee- tottering towards retirement and a father of four two young male adults and two teenagers, boy and girl. Pre- COVID-19, I can’t really recall when we last had a meaningful family conversation with the four products of my loins.
 Image result for PHOTO OF OLD BULL
What I experienced on Good Friday was bound to happen. You see, every home has a seat where the head of the house sits. I have a seat reserved for me, it sits in a domineering position with the perfect view of the television and a small side table next where, my reading glasses and mobile phone rests. Everybody in the house knows that, the house help knows that even the family pet cat knows that!
So, on Good Friday, at exactly 34 minutes after eight in the evening, I walk in from my shower and dressed in a gown and I find my 21 year old son on my seat. Even by the strange, elastic standards of this time. It is an abomination.
I am surprised, as he knew I was in the house; so I give a long steady gaze to this partly grown human being, hoping that it would chill his blood. He gazes back at me his jaws rhythmically clamping on a piece of chewing gum and slowly stands up from the seat still holding my gaze.
I now notice that he is broad on the shoulders and beef has piled up on the biceps and the neck. I also notice that he has a tattoo of a Nanga on his inner arms. The calf has grown into a young bull. I could not have noticed this, I thank lockdown  for this. I find myself thinking that if this was a real bull, then this was the appropriate time to put it down for prime veal beef.
 A Darker Canvas: Tattoos and the Black Body
Image result for photo calf cowI imagine that he is smiling inwardly, Our eyes meet and the young bull throws a subtle challenge to the old bull, the challenge is so subtle that it goes unnoticed by everyone in the room save for me. It seems to say-Old man, your time is up.
I have willingly taken the challenge; it will be a nice long fight, a long drawn fight.  I have the experience and the resources to make it a long and interesting fight. The young bull will win of course, he has the energy, the time and yes he is also stupid.
Yes, it will be a nice long fight and I will love every minute of this.

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