Must Read: Ade

Episode 7 years ago

Must Read: Ade

The students trooped out of the hall
immediately th principal and guests stood
up. They had headed to Dr. Tanimowo’s
office. The teachers too lurked around,
mostly the junior ones. By the time Dr.
Tanimowo arrived at the office, he could
hardly find the door, they all loved his
lecture and yearned to have a private
session with him. The principal then knew
that indeed, a counsellor was needed in the
school.


The Dr had barely settled down in his office
when the patients, as he called them began
trooping in. Each spent like thirty minutes
and they usually came out smiling and
thoroughly relieved as against the scared
faces they went in with. I and Rotimi were
the gate keepers who made sure that the
air of strict confidentiality was maintained.

The teachers and other members of staff
including the principal arrived for their turn
around four in the afternoon and after
three hours of consultation; I announced to
the remaining students that they should
come the next day. They grudgingly left.

These were mostly students who barely
waited after the official closing hours of
four p.m. They had waited till seven p.m
that day and were willing to wait longer
just to see the Dr. Priority indeed lies in the
mind.


Dr. Tanimowo came out at around seven
thirty p.m. He wished to see Bunmi’s
parents and that of the other two girls.


The three girls had gone home but we all
entered his car and zoomed off to Mushin.


Fortunately for us, Bunmi’s parents were
around and were surprised to see three
teachers from their daughter’s school and
a complete stranger. They welcomed us
and Dr. Tanimowo wasted no time in
addressing what had brought us. He
expertly blamed Bunmi’s parents for their
love for material things at the expense of
their daughter. He however, did not reveal
all the girl’s crimes but he advised them to
create more time for her to avoid a
calamitous ending for her. He then took the
startled Bunmi into her room for a private
session. When they came out of the room,
she was a changed girl. She held Shola and
wept at her feet and did likewise for
Rotimi. I stood aloof and watched as she
cried on her parents’ laps. Her parents
were grateful for the visit and promised to
adjust.



Bunmi took us to Bola’s house where
almost the same thing happened before we
headed to Bimbo’s home. She was also
surprised to see us. Her parents too were
stunned at the revelations made about
their angelic daughter. They wept and
wept. The session was not too different
from the previous ones. But the difference
was that we ate at Bimbo’s house after her
parents had seriously insisted on it.


They said they would forever be grateful for
what the school and the Dr had done for
them and their daughter.



I was very happy at the way Dr. Tanimowo
solved the mountainous challenge that had
bedevilled us in the weeks past. He had not
told us we would do a family counselling
but he had done it and now we only
suffered slight inconveniences. The man is
a genius!



We got back to Shola’s house at around
two thirty a.m having stayed longest at
Bimbo’s house. Rotimi got a text message
from Bunmi thanking him for bringing Dr.
Tanimowo to the school. She also said that
he should thank me for her because she is
afraid that I might be hostile towards her.


I received a similar one form Bola nd Bimbo.


They had apologised and thanked me for
making them realise their mistakes and
making them sensible teenagers.



Shola set up a spare room for Dr.
Tanimowo who refused to sleep until we
had entered our room. But the curiosity in
me got the better of me as I left the room
after fifteen minutes and tiptoed to the
door linking the sittingroom to the
bedrooms. I gummed my ears to the door
to eavesdrop on the conversation between
Dr. Tanimowo and Shola. Shola thanked him
profusely for coming to our aid. He, in his
characteristic manner, told her all thanks
belong to God. He said that it is now time
for her own couselling. He adviced her to
keep our company as we would always be
her watchdog. Then he told her to confess
her past actions to her boyfriend to have a
healthy relationship with him, else, she
would be as guilty as anything. He also told
her that whenever she sees teens, she
should remember that she is their role
model, thus, she would get over her
paedophilic instincts gradually. She thanked
him again and asked that what if her
boyfriend takes it the other way. He smiled
and asked who she truly loved to get
married to. Her reply was hushed and I was
not able to hear that but I heard the Dr say,
that it was a good choice and that the
person was right for her. She was happy
and prayed it would go well between her
and her boyfriend and if not, it would pave
way for her to get the man of her dreams.




They came towards the door and I ran back
to our room. Rolling over and over on the
bed wondering who Shola’s dream man
was…