Must Read: Loss Of Dignity

Episode 7 years ago

Must Read: Loss Of Dignity

“excuse me sir, i am writing waec today” emeka complained.

“how is that my business? you knew you had another exam
today and you had the time to engage in exam malpractice abi?”
Emeka knew better not to argue with him for his own benefit. He
began pleading and with a pinch of pity the invigilator asked him
to pay the sum of one thousand naira or remain standing. The
entire money with Emeka was one thousand two hundred naira
only. There was nothing he could do so he decided to pay the
money.
He continued writing but could not finish all the subjects, he
decided to abandon one because time was not his friend. Time
was flying faster, he needed to write the most importane subject
in his career.


Emeka got back to the outskirt of the city but the money with him
was not enough to take him back to school so he started jogging.
He got back to school and by 2pm the literature exam had not
started. He became mad with himself. had he knew, he would
have stayed back to finish the Jamb. Emeka wanted to study Law
and any thing short of 200 was a disaster.


***********************


Three days later, the jamb result came out.


Students were
checking theirs but Emeka was skeptical, he knew he had failed
already. He only wrote three subjects and he wanted to study a
very competitive course. One day he finally agreed to check the
result, what he saw made him scream. He thought he was seeing
double so he shrug his eyes properly to see clearly. It was a
miracle. It was 254.
Seconds turned into Minutes, Minutes turned into hours, Hours
turned into days, and days turned into Weeks. Finally it was time
For Emeka to travel all the way to Nsukka for his post-ume. His
father took him to the park where he would take public transport
going to Enugu. They bundled into the SUV and zoomed off. They
got to the park about 24 minutes later and alighted from the SUV.
His father gave him some money and bade him farewell. He
stepped into the park and sighted a bus with the inscription
“Lagos to Enugu” he smiled and walked towards the bus. On
getting there he discovered that only 7 people had occupied the
16 sitter bus. His smile soon turned into a frown, it was going to
be a long journey.


“bros you dey go?” the driver enquired from emeka.



Emeka looked around, he saw another bus going to Enugu but
there was no occupant in it.
“hmmm.. yes, i dey go. how much you dey carry?” emeka asked.
“na 2500 be our price.” the driver said.
“haba! 2 kini?” emeka exclaimed.
“you fit go ask people wey dey the bus already, na wetin dem
pay be that” the driver lamented.
“ehm.. make i give you 2000 naira naw, abeg!” emeka pleaded.
“bros i no go lie for you, na so we dey carry, even price of fuel
don increase” the driver who was old enough to birth emeka
called him ‘bros’ once again while lamenting.
“okay, make i give you 2200, na post-ume i dey go write” emeka
said trying to negotiate the price.
“na direct to enugu i dey go, i swear your money no reach” the
driver said.
Emeka made to leave but the driver called him back. All these
while, a lady was sitting on a bench at a fast food joint opposite
the bus watching the drama as it unfolds.
“bring the money come, na because say you be student oo, and
no tell anybody say na the amount wey i collect from you be
that” the driver warned.
Emeka paid and stepped inside the bus and sat closed to the
window. He brought out his phone and began listening to music
with an earpiece. The bus was almost filled up then the lady who
was sitting at the fast food spot tapped Emeka on the shoulder,
thereby interrupting his musical enjoyment.
“excuse me, you’re sitting on my seat” she said with a straight
face.



Emeka was suprised, he didn’t meet her there. Though she came
before Emeka but she didn’t kept anything behind before going
out to signify that someone was already sitted there.
“i beg your pardon.” Emeka said trying to be polite.
“i was sitting there before you” the lady replied.
“bros no vex, na she first dey sidon there” the driver cuts in.


Emeka was embarrased but he tried to be a gentleman. His father
could easily drove him to school but then again he was too busy.
Atleast, that would have saved him the embarrasement.
“so what should i do now?” emeka enquired gazing at her in the
eyes.
“i don’t mind if you get up” she retorted.
Emeka just shook his head and stood up without saying a word.



The lady sat where Emeka was sitting then Emeka sat beside her.
What’s so special about sitting close to the window anyway, if
the case is the air that comes in, they can all get triple of it when
the vehicle starts moving, or so i thought.
The vehicle soon entered the road but not after the chairman of
the park collected some money from the driver. The driver also
bought fuel in a gas station. Barely ten minutes into the journey,
the lady started dozing off. She was sleeping on Emeka’s
shoulder as if it was a pillow. Emeka’s didn’t retaliate, he placed
the lady’s head on his chest so she would feel more comfortable.



Another 45 minutes into the journey, she woke up and noticed
she’s had been sleeping on Emeka’s chest all the while so she
thanked him and Emeka smiled in return.
“nice phone you have there” the lady said complimenting
emeka’s blackberry bold3.
“thank you” emeka replied.
“uhm. can i use your phone to log into my facebook, i want to
check my messages” she requested from emeka.
“ok, no problem” emeka said instantly without hesitation.



Emeka gave her the phone and started to concentrate on the
road. She logged out his account and entered hers. When she
was done she gave emeka back the phone with a “Thank you.”
But she forgot to logged out her account. Perhaps she did it
purposely. Emeka also noticed it but acted codedly.
**********************
They finally arrived Nsukka after been held by traffic for over 5
hours on the highway. It was a depression situation. Robbers
were robbing on the highway which made movement stagnant.
The police rose to the occassion after they were alerted by
Tanker drivers plying the road. Both Emeka and The lady alighted
at the school gate which made Emeka suspicious.
“hmmm, are you here for the post ume?” emeka enquired from
the lady.



“yes i am. what about you?” she asked emeka with her s*xy**
voice.
“i am also here for the exam. so what’s your name?” emeka
asked.