Story of a Survivor - Season 1 - Episode 3

5 years ago

Story of a Survivor - Season 1 - Episode 3

That was the last day I saw the Gates of my Beloved Secondary School? A School that was moulding me positively in Character and in learning. A School which would have changed the course of my life for good.

A School that taught me how to manage hunger, how to be independent, I learnt discipline, I learnt decorum, I learnt how to focus and read to understand , a School that exposed me to Children of the rich in the Country, Children of Senior military officers and top Politicians, Children of the Middle Class that up and doing , Children of the Poor that entered the School through Scholarship and have resolved to better their lot in the face of oppression from the Children of the rich by facing their studies squarely and topping their Class in academic activities. Command Secondary school had set in me a natural “fighting spirit”! And that was the only property I took out from that School, and it has kept me thus far.

I left the School with only my traveling Bag! Every other Property I owned was abandoned in the Hostel because I thought I would be back by Monday as directed by the A.O. My friends, my hopes, my aspiration to be a Medical Doctor, my dreams were all left in Block “B” Room 5&6 Dragon House! That was how the only sweet phase of my life faded away. I was barely twelve years old, young, chaste and innocent!

On our way to Enugu I started to suspect that something was wrong. Uncle KC was gloomy and barely talked. I remembered that many times any Student was picked from school in this manner, something tragic must have happened at home.

I asked after my Mother, he said she was fine. I asked about my father he barely uttered a reply, I then asked him why he had come to pick me from School, he did not do a good job trying to lie to me because the death of Dad affected him too. The old man suddenly burst into tears and started wailing like a Baby he had to park the Car by the road side.

He told me he had travelled down to our Village with Daddy and spent two day. It was a family meeting to settle some Land disputes. My Daddy had a lot of Lands he bought in our home town in Obio Akpor Local Government Area of River State. He said my Daddy must have been poisoned during the meetings because he started stooling and vomiting during the journey back to Enugu. He advised my Dad to go back to the Village for alternative medicine but Daddy insisted he drove to Enugu.

Daddy did not survive it as he died three days later at the Hospital when everyone thought he had stabilized.

Dad was said to be talking and was in high Spirit on his Hospital Bed in company of Mummy when he suddenly passed out while laughing to a joke he had cracked. Daddy had died and that was why I was taken from school to attend his burial. I did not cry then. I did not understand.