Dr Freaks Journal - Unhealthy Late Night Calls.

 How do you react to late night calls?

Caveat Lector!


If you live in a "mad" city like mine, (Eko Wengele) this piece may make sense to you; but if you are fortunate enough to be residing in any of those sane communities, I'm afraid, you may not be able to relate "wella".


Few months back, a client called my two (2) lines repeatedly without luck/success at about 11.30pm and I simply ignored all. I ignored for the following reason: the matter I was handling for the client was very straightforward and not life-threatening, so I saw/see no reason why the client should be calling at that unholy hour.


Before I progress, maybe I should state this. I'm not getting any younger and I do/did not need to wait for another 12 years (when I would be clocking 60), if God so wishes to keep me alive before I should start taking things easy.

 No matter what I do, once it's 3.30am, I'm up for the day, so in the last few years I've devised a way around it. It is simple. Go to bed early and wake up early. These days, I go to bed as early as 7.30pm or at worst 9.00pm so that I can get at least 6 to 7 hours of sleep which for me is not so bad, even though I can do better. 

If the call is an official one, I may not pick after 7.00pm and if it's a familiar or social one, I can indulge till 10.00pm (if it is not accompanied by a demand or unnecessary/avoidable pressure). Very few selected friends are allowed to call me round the clock because my phone is usually less than 30cm away from me 24/7 and these friends know that I'm actually awake for the greater of the night and in any event, they have always added value to me, so I indulge them.


That said, let me now take you down to my rustic village.


1980:


"Baba Agric" who had just relocated to his village after retirement made a few friends in the neighbourhood and there was a particular one who is not lettered as he did not have the privilege of tasting Western education, but early in life I learnt a great lesson from this dude that wisdom and Western education were/are two wide poles apart. 

The possession of one does not necessarily guarantee the presence of the other. Not at all! He is a repository of wisdom and native intelligence! My father got along with him quickly and they cultivated the practice of paying each other visits in turns. They had rules, (though unwritten). After all, the British Constitution is "unwritten" yet there is order in the land) that no one visits the other after or stays beyond 7.00pm at the other's place and they were cool with that arrangement until my father, out of sheer over-familiarity elected to flout the clear and unambiguous provisions of their "unwritten Constitution" by visiting his friend at about 7.30pm. Dad marched into his friend's house majestically and headed towards the locked living room. 

He knocked at the door and got no response. Interestingly, his friend's voice was so audible from that space but he refused to open the door. After a while, he mustered the courage to respond by simply stating thus: "ó dàárò mo ti sùn Ògá" meaning "good night sir, I'm already in a deep sleep."


Dad initially found this response and treatment shocking and demeaning. He came back feeling dejected and silly but the two jolly friends joked about it later and Baba ABC gave my Dad tips about healthy living. He implored Baba Agric to rest more and "calm down".


That was 41 years ago. Baba Agric died 31 years ago. The man in question is in his mid-90s today and he is still walking around my village, unaided.


Back to the concluding part of my encounter with the client. She called me again at about 9.00am the following day. I did not wait for her to bring the issue of the several unanswered calls up before raising same myself.

 I apologized for not answering her calls but I politely informed her that these days I go to bed as early as 8.00pm because of some sleep disorders and that even if and when I'm awake, I do not pick official calls after 7.00pm but if it is an emergency situation, just send me an SMS and I would act accordingly. 

She then told me why she was calling. She had had a rough day and she remembered a point she wanted me to insert in her pleadings (court papers) at that "holy" hour of the day and guess what, it turned out to be a "legal conclusion" which must not be contained in a pleading. I politely told her this fact and she blew my mind when she undertook never to call me after 7.00pm henceforth. In all honesty, I was awake when my lines rang, but we must set rules in life and stick to them if we want to live long.


May we all live long in good health and sound mind too..

Its Kunle