Yes, there were many pleasant days in my life that year and many interesting occupations. And it was in that year, when I suppose I was about eleven years old, that I first fell in love.

Her name was Tona. She was in the junior school, and so finished her lessons for the day twenty minutes before I did. However, she hung about and waited till I came out of the classroom and we snatched a few minutes' conversation. I do not know what we talked about. I know that on the days I did not see her, I was restless and miserable. Saturdays and Sundays I spent more time with her but at the cost of much deceit and risk. Every Saturday I asked permission to go to the mission for confession, and every Sunday evening I said I was going to benediction. What my parents thought of this sudden increase in piety I do not know. Some good spirits must have been on my side for they never refused permission and never discovered that I did not actually go to confession or attend benediction. Instead, I sat at the fork of a tree near the chapel, hidden by the leaves and Tona swung on the bough below and we talked. She always smelt clean and fragrant. And she was good and gentle and innocent.


Nevertheless, she knew something of women's wiles and sometimes made me jealous by being friendly with other boys. It was after one of these estrangements that I received the first letter I had ever had in my life. It said: 'You are the only one I think of', and it was from Tona. At the end of that year, Tona and I both carried off the first prize for our school work -- she in her class and I in mine. We were praised and congratulated by our family and friends, but the only praises we cared about were each other's.


We met in our tree and promised each other that we would study harder than ever. We would win scholarships, go to college, travel overseas, come back rich, do great things and have wonderful times. We would help each other. There was nothing that we could not do together. But we had reckoned without the witch.

Ok

obiorathesubtle:
Lol. Reminds me of a particular theme in the 'Americannah' Novel by Ngozi adichie.

And your moniker reminds me of a character in her novel, ''Purple Hibiscus''

obiorathesubtle:
aunty Ifeoma's son at Enugu..Yea.. I've read purple hibiscus to, even Half of a yellow sun.. I'm a fan of Ngozi adichie, just not a fan of her feminism talk..

Right...you just took the very words from my mouth. I've read Purple hibiscus and half of a yellow sun. I'm her fan, but like you, I'm not a fan of her feminism notions. Glad to meet you

SirDavico:


Right...you just took the very words from my mouth. I've read Purple hibiscus and half of a yellow sun. I'm her fan, but like you, I'm not a fan of her feminism notions. Glad to meet you

Likewise