Is every, every?’ ‘Everything’s fine,’ I say, sensing her struggle with the words. - Sarah Ladipo Manyika

always remember that you are an Ajayi man. Don’t forget the Ajayi motto – In all things moderation, with exception of study.

You mention Abubakar’s wonderful novel, Season of Crimson Blossoms, and I can tell you that when it came out I joked with him that his fifty-five-year-old Bintu could hardly be considered an old woman, at least not in comparison to my Morayo, two decades older. However, I hadn’t yet met Willard Harris, a real-life character and now a dear friend whom I write about in my new book. Mrs. Harris was ninety-seven years old when I first met her, and at that time she had a “gentleman friend” who was at least a decade younger than her. You know what they say about life being stranger or more interesting than fiction.

I may be old, but farting and burping in public is not something I intend to succumb to. If I can help it.