Donigspain - S01 E66

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 66

I found Emma already seated at

our veranda when I got home.

He grinned on sighting me. He

wore a nice yellow T-shirt on a

black jeans trouser with a face

cap. He really was looking good

on that sunny afternoon. I led

him inside the house and then

offered him a cold glass of water

which he requested. He wasted

no time as he began narrating

his experience with the ‘runs’

girl he went in with.

.

”Hmmm, Spain no be small tin o!

You for hear say your guy die on

top woman o!” he had begun.

”Eeeeh? Maka why na?” I asked

him in order to get him to

narrate in details.

”My guy, at first the babe be wan

form nonsense for me na but

after dat your babe talk to am

finish the babe just turn tiger for

my body o!” Emma narrated

while I placed my fist on my

cheek as I attentively listened to

him. Emma took a sip from the

cold glass of water. I guess that

was to help clear his throat for a

better narration.

”Mehn, we f--kêd sotay I no

come dey release anything again

and you know say the alcohol

wey I take no dey help matter.

When I bin think say we don

finish make I catch small sleep na

so the babe just climb on top me

o. Haaa, I just lay like person wey

get stroke as the babe dey ride

me like horse,” Emma continued

with his ordeal with the

prostitute last night.

”Hmmm, so hope say her body

make sense?” I asked in order to

attach imaginary pictorial slide to

the whole gist.

”Errm, na dat side the babe fall

hand sha. The brêast just be like

aboki man slippers and the tôtô

wide like NNPC oil well,” he

replied in a coloured face.

”Hahahahaha, choi, na im be say

you just go for swimming class

last night or maybe your tin dey

too small to fit the

circumference,” I teased and

then we both laughed. Emma’s

story ended in a not so ‘happy

ending’ way as he regretted

going for the girl but rather

would have gone for mine if he

had prior knowledge of the girl’s

physical attributes. He later

inquired about my own tale but

was disappointed in the one

word replies I gave him. We

spent the rest of the evening

walking aimlessly from Ngwa

Road to Ohanku Road, through

Ibadan street and then to Obohia

Road where we finally said

goodbyes.

.

Unfortunately, ESUT went on an

indefinite internal strike just as

the time for us to resume for the

2008/2009 academic session

drew near. It was supposed to

mark my ascension into the 200

level. It was a sad development

as it meant I will stay extra days,

weeks or even months at home

when my mates in other

universities would have gone far

ahead. When you also consider

the gossip from ‘amebos’ who

will start making up theories as

to why I was yet to go back to

school even after other students

in the neighbourhood had. The

period was a very bitter one.

After staying about a month at

home hoping for the strike to be

called off I decided to resume

teaching in the secondary school

but this time as a Visiting Tutor

(part-time). My decision to go

part-time was greatly influenced

by Ifeoma’’s presence in the

school. The decision to teach in

that school came also with its

temptations. First, I had to deal

with Anita’s attempts to get us to

start an affair. She had grown

braver and more daring. But I still

was unsure if she knew of my

relationship with her friend

Ifeoma. Secondly, I had to

balance professionalism with my

relationship. I was known to be a

disciplined and principled

teacher who hardly

compromised. There was this

day I had decided to punish all

the SS3 students after they

disobeyed the instruction of a

fellow teacher. She had reported

them to me as the discipline

master of the school. I had gone

into their class with three slim

canes (‘pankere’). I ordered them

to all kneel down which they

immediately obeyed. I had begun

dishing out three strokes to each

when I remembered my baby

was among the would-be

punished. When it got to her turn

I took a deep breathe, kept a

serious look and then gave her

her own portion of the

punishment. I even intentionally

did increase the strength of the

flogging so that any student with

prior knowledge of our

relationship will know how strict

I can be. I also gave Anita her

own dose but surprisingly she

bent down on her desk and

wept after the flogging. ‘Person

wey suppose cry sef no even cry

na dis one come dey form cry,’ I

thought in annoyance. I met with

Ifeoma some days later and

when I tried to explain the

reason behind my action she

stopped me as soon as she got

the idea of where I was heading

to. ”Don’t bother yourself daddy,

I understand why you did what

you did and I am not angry at

all,” she had happily admitted.

.

The strike lingered for about two

months and three weeks before

it was temporarily called off. We

were already in the second week

of November when it was called

off. I wasted no time in packing

up. On the eve of the day I was

supposed to leave for school I

instinctively went to my

grandmother who was seated

on the bed.

.

‘Nne, I want you to give me my

own blessings now. I no go fit

wait for that time when you go

don old well well. I want make

my own begin work for me from

now,” I had prayed to my

grandmother.

”Hmmm, na true you talk my

child. Oya kneel down make I

bless you,” she happily replied.

.

She went ahead to pour

blessings upon me. She said so

many things I am not permitted

to write here. She did all these

while holding my palms in a

‘receiver’ gesture while I

intermittently said ‘amens’ We

were in this position when my

mum walked in and then joined

in the prayer. It was not the

christian type of prayer even

though she crowned it all

with ‘in the name of Jesus

Christ’. It was more like a

traditional rendition or sayings

( aka ‘offor’ in Igbo) which is

always supported with ‘isee’ but

we christianized it in our case.

My mum asked what had caused

for this rare ritual after the

prayers and my grandmother

explained my mission to her. My

mum was happy with my actions

even though we all later joked

about it saying that I acted as if

that would be the last time I

would be seeing my

grandmother alive. Unfortunately,

that was my last night together

with my living grandmother. I

went back to school the next

morning where life resumed as

expected of an academic

environment.