IRAWO:My Quest for Freedom 6

Hello.

I continue my story;my memoirs about some events in my memory.

If you would like to read from the beginning of this series, kindly start reading from here.

Chicken Palaver

In 1994, a few months to our SSCE examinations, some male students, my mate and juniors went to the school poultry and stole some chickens, slaughtered and ate them. They tasted delicious and so, another batch of boys, along with some of the old batch, went back to steal more chickens.

A stove was invented by my classmate, Ehiedu Isimoya. He made it from different sizes of old beverage tins and used an old towel to make the wool. He was a scientist in the making. His father wrote some physics and chemistry textbooks and some were used by the science students as part of the curriculum. In the boys' hostel, Ehiedu used to invent many things like touch light, fan, etc. 

Batch two chickens tasted even better. The period of the raid was during the Ramadan fasting period. Two Muslim boys amongst them gave their girlfriends some chicken to chop for Sari. The two girls took some to the hostel and also gave some to their friends. Those that could not get a share became angry and katakata happened and the truth came out in the open.

All the culprits, except their girlfriends, were called out during morning assembly. They were made to cut grass and were suspended for two weeks. Upon resumption, they were to pay a certain amount of money to make up for the stolen chickens.

Ehiedu was a shy boy. Whenever he spoke to me, he was always shy to look at me in the eyes. He was fair in complexion, chubby and short in stature. He had a cute smile. Best of all, he was a genius, a very brilliant boy.

One day, whilst in JSS 1 and in our temporary site at Government College, Epe, we had a math class on a Saturday morning. I had done my laundry and I washed all my house wears, sport wears and school uniforms. 

There had been a water shortage a week before then so my laundry was large. This day was the best day to do all my laundry. I put on a pair of mufti shorts which I had with me; it was not a recommended wear and I prayed that I would not be caught. I wore my cardigan too. My breasts were still as small as the smallest agbalumo seeds. They were visible through the holes of the cardigan. I knew that. I did not care.

Ehiedu got fascinated at my chest. I concluded afterwards because when the class was over, he did not leave. He was not in JSS 1A like me. He was a member of JSS 2B but he had to come to my class for the combined Math class. I told you earlier on that I always stayed back in class to study to avoid hostel gbege. I hated being sent on errands by my seniors so I always went to study in class every Saturday after Saturday inspection.

I would pack some provision to munchh on and water or juice to drink. After lunch, I would go back to class to study more and sleep. I would go back to the hostel after dinner to prepare for Saturday social nights.

I was standing by the window with my elbows on the seal. He came and stood in front of me. He was staring at my chest. I did not move. I watched him, wondering what he was up to. Then he slowly raised his right hand and touched my right breast with his index finger and looked into my eyes. Then, he dropped his hand and said he was sorry and ran out of the class. Apparently, the holes of my cardigan were large enough for my nipples to peep through them.

Egba mi! I wanted to kill this boy! I stood there transfixed wondering if what had just happened was a dream. Did it happen? Was I dreaming? I wanted to catch him and punch him. I figured how I would do it in my head. Maybe when he was settled down to eat in the dinning hall, I would go behind him and punch him hard. I looked forward to doing it in reality. 

All of a sudden, I felt pity for him. Probably, he was just curious. He had just had his little adventure………..on me!

Ehiedu avoided me until we got to SS 3.We were fixed on the same table in the dining hall. The story of seniors bullying juniors over food was becoming rampant. So, the school authority decided to fix table space according to classes, so we could pick our own mate to bully. 

In our set, his number and name came before mine; E= Ehiedu, F= Famugbode for mock and SSCE examinations.

We became friends but I never mentioned our JSS 1 experience to anybody. When girls planned to retaliate a strike at table, he would plead with me to reserve his food. 

Striking or Consuming were slangs used when a student or a group of students took all the food in the pot for themselves as a form of greed or retaliation of a past irrational serving. 

So I said,

“When the boys strike, you should also keep my food. When we strike, I will keep your food. Failure to comply with this agreement, the deal is off".

"Deal?”

"Deal!"

Henceforth, I started to look out for him, watch his back and gist with him. Sometimes, I would go to him to help me out with my Math.

A few days after the chicken thieving culprits were caught; Ehiedu’s father came to our school to protest that he was not going to pay his son’s fine. 

According to him, he sent Ehiedu to school to come and learn and study and not to be thieving chickens. Even if he was going to pay the fine, Ehiedu would have to pay for it. He would have to do menial jobs to get his hard earned money back because he has been disgraced. With that, he stormed out of the vice principal’s office and out of the school premises.

Our SSCE examination was fast approaching. All the suspended boys had paid their fine and had resumed school. 

When Ehiedu did not show up for his first paper, Oral English, we all knew something was amiss. We suggested that someone living close to him in the metropolis should go and make enquiries about him to find out specifically why he had not resumed school for his exams. Yemi Branco was selected and he agreed to go.

His feedback would shock us!

I will continue in my next edition.