Authors Name: Tunmise Otegbayo

Author's Email: ryonkachi@gmail.com

Blog: www.aretewrites@.com


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It was all that filled his thoughts and daydreams, like this one. He would be riding downhill, straddled on his bike. One foot this way, the other, that way in rapid progression. Just like his father had taught him. He would ride with full speed, the wind struggling to catch up with him, making him feel free, making him feel untouchable. The wind would blow furiously into his eyes making him cry cold tears of joy, baptising him in the euphoria of childhood innocence.
Kpa!!* The sound reverberated about his scalp, along with the pain it brought with it. A heavy slap landed on the back of his head. This was the exact reason why he protested against the skin cut his mother had insisted on, to no avail. The slap hit the back of his head a second time. This time it felt like the hand stuck to his scalp. His attacker had hit his mark perfectly.
"Kachi will you stand up with the rest of the class?!" It was more of an order than a question. It was Mr. Brown, his class teacher. He had jolted him back to reality. "cantankerous goat!" He stood up and all eyes were on him, including a new pair of eyes. It's owner couldn't hide her amusement.
"Introduce yourself my dear." Mr.Brown turned to her with a wide toothed grin. As if he would never hurt a fly.
"I'm Ifem Nwani, I'm 8 years old."
"Gooooooood morning Ifem, you are welcome to primary 4B. God bless you and your family, Amen!!!" All the pupils recited whole heartedly, the words that had been permanently etched into their subconscious, like a pattern on frosted glass.
*********************
It was break time, kachi never went out to play ball with the others. He just never seemed to be able to pass the ball accurately. That's why no one, not even his cousin, Dominic picked him to play. He sat still, gazing at the blackboard. The diagram of the cow Mr. Brown had drawn was still there. It looked terrible. It reminded him of the image he had in his mind of the story where Joseph had a dream that all the egyptian cows got sick and died. Of course he dared not correct Mr. Brown, for fear of another violent meeting between his palm and his head. He felt for the back of his head, where he was hit and rubbed it. It still stung. He slowly squeezed the skin, willing the pain to go. He heard someone chuckle behind him. It was Ifem, the new girl. He wasn't alone.
"sorry." She muffled as she covered her mouth with one hand and made a waving gesture towards him with the other, to reinforce her apology. Kachi smiled back at her, as embarrassment flooded his face.
He watched as she stood up, straightening her pinafore and sat opposite him. Her unbraided hair was bundled with two red ribbons, leaving what looked like two balls of hair, balanced on each half of her head. Her skin colour was a shade of milk chocolate. He didn't like that about her, he only liked yellow girls, like Christina.
"Why didn't you say Odenshi when the teacher slapped you?" She quizzed. He looked puzzled
"What does that mean?"
"Haven't you watched isakaba?" He shook his head. He had never heard of the movie, neither had a girl spoken to hi for so long. All the girls always said their mothers told them not to talk to boys, so they won't get pregnant. "You have not. See, in the film ehn, if they shoot you and you say odenshi, you will not die. That's what I always do, and it works." She finished with an air of confidence. She definitely couldn't be lying.
That afternoon when Kachi got home, he took his bicycle. He didn't ride, he just pushed slowly. Musing over everything that happened at school; the slap, Ifem, Ifem's smile. He remembered that he had failed his maths classwork. His mother would beat him, he couldn't bear the pain. Something hit him, he knew just what to do. He would say odenshi!
BICYCLE BOY
Tunmise®


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Nice work bro but its ọdịeshi and not odenshi