Must Read: Ade

Episode 7 years ago

Must Read: Ade

They left the staffroom but the discussion
we had did not leave with them. It rang in
my heart and just then I remembered how
hungry I was. We had no breakfast that
morning. I looked at Rotimi, he would have
talked about it had it not been the
discussion we had with the girls. He was
visibly worried by what he had heard. I
started to say something to take him out of
his mood, but before I could open my
mouth, he said,


“Olboy ye, we no chop this morning comot
house o. Dem don dey fight royal rumble
for my belle o. Make we find something
chop for this remaining small time abeg. No
be me put them for bad thing o. Abi dry
fasting dey?”
It was as if he had read my mind. I knew
my friend too well; he had shaken the
discussion off his mind. He would still
continue his duty with Bunmi as necessary.
He had said his mind and that was all. He
would let the matter die there but God save
Shola if she crossed his path.
I got up from my seat and we hopped out
into the sunny afternoon to grab a brunch
in the little time remaining. When we got to
the staff canteen, we saw the other
teachers, including Shola, sitting at the
various tables around. Shola winked at us
immediately we entered but we did as if
we saw her not.



We sat at the available table and ordered
for our food. Minutes later, it was brought
and we tackled it with all gusto.
As we were eating, we heard the bell
ringing. The break was over. Nostalgic
feelings swept over me. Gone were those
days when I was controlled by the sound of
a bell. I remembered that at the sound of
any bell, especially the break over bell, I was
scrambling over to the class. Here I am
now, the bell tolling away and I still sitting
and eating my beloved food. Life is never
static!


We were still eating when the bell sounded.


The teachers who were through stood up
—some reluctantly, others gingerly—and
headed out of the canteen, leaving a few of
us. Among those leaving was Shola.
The canteen was arranged in such a way
that when she was moving from where she
sat, she would pass by our seat. Ours was
closer to the entrance than hers.
She left her seat and made for the exit. She
got to where we sat and said,
“Good afternoon guys.”
None of us replied her. We did as if we
never heard her or let me say, she wasn’t
there at all. Rotimi looked at the food he
was eating and said, “Ol boy, this food
sweet today no be small o. If na like this
dem go dey cook for here, I fit no marry
sef.”


She made as if to comment on the
statement but I think she knew better than
to do that, moreover, she had not got over
the initial shock of the rude treatment we
gave her.


“Marry, to marry dey even fear me sef.
When e be say na women wey dey sleep
with small girls full our country so. Make
person dey teach small girls wey reach im
junior sister age how to farse her fellow
girl. Ol boy ye, to marry dey fear me o. Al of
them go do leg like mosquito wey dey go
meeting come dey look like say dem na the
best wifey material for the world. Wetin
dem go teach dem own pikin wey dem
born by themself. Rubbish!” I spat out.


Rotimi got the wind of my gist. He flowed
well with it. We had to strike now that we
had the advantage. She was still too
stunned to move and by then, our
discussion was beginning to prick her
conscience because she had begun to look
like one who would collapse under her
weight.

“Rubbish upon rubbish! If dem know say
dem no go dey do men, make dem kuku
stay with women. The thing wey dey even
vex me be say dem go dey greet like say
dem no fit Sh*t and go dey teach small girls
bad thing. Dem even dey do small boys sef.


See dem life outside o. Foolish set of girls. If
dem put One million on top dem head say
make I marry am with the money and free
house, I no go take am. My dog sef no go
marry am. Idiotic bimbos. And to say dem
go school. Waste of precious money!”
Rotimi replied.
Shola could not stand the heat of our
discussion again; she walked awkwardly
out of the canteen and immediately she left
we started laughing our hearts out. We
finished our meals and left the canteen for
the staffroom.


We both had no classes again for the day
hence we walked leisurely to the staffroom.
For most of the way, we spoke about the
girls and for the little part we were silent
each with his thoughts.
Then we got to the staffroom to meet half
of the teachers in the room. Shola was
absent. She had gone to the class she had.
We sat at our tables and faced our job–
marking notes and assignments. We chat
over it as we marked to the chagrin of the
other teachers. They just could not fathom
why we had to keep disturbing them. Some
had their heads on their tables; others
were battling with their lesson notes. We
were enigmas in the room. They knew if
they said a word, we could make the place
more hellish than we had done, so they had
learnt to leave us as we were when we
start our acts.


We saw their inconveniences and decided
to face our work. You need to see the relief
on their faces when we stopped our chat.
They were happy. I knew in their innermost
selves, they would be praying for more of
that situation.


The whole staffroom was a graveyard for
close to an hour when again I could hear
the shuffling of a familiar set of feet from
outside. I knew who it was. I looked at
Rotimi to know if he had heard the same
thing. He had heard and he also knew who
it was… we burst into laughter as the feet
neared the staffroom…