CHAPTER ONE BY LIZJOE
It was 7:30am on Monday morning. The roads had started to get busy has usual and most traders around that location had unlocked their shops for business.
Mr Femi, a young dark man of about the age of 32 years sat inside his shop where he usually sold bags of cements. He was engrossed watching the students as they were passing by. He greatly admired the students as they walked in groups. Most of the students were in a hurry to get to school. He daydreamed of obtaining a degree to improve his life rather than sitting in his shop listening to customers and trader’s naggings. An elegant and young woman suddenly popped out from no where.
“Boo! I caught you there!”
“Hey! You startled me.”
“You didn't even notice my presence; you were busy staring at those female students passing by.” Rita mocked.
Rita was Femi’s fiancée .
“Hmm! Someone is sounding jealous here. Just admiring their school uniforms, that is all. ” Femi teased.
“Really weird. So tell me, why is my precious suitor admiring some school uniforms?” She asked jokily.

“Hmmm… well I guess that is because I have been nursing this idea of going back to school, replied Femi..
Rita laughed hysterically and then she sat close to him.
“Do you know that you are older than me? To do what if I may ask?” She asked disdainfully.
“I want to acquire knowledge.” He replied.
“Excuse me! Don’t forget that our traditional marriage is in four months’ time and we need to plan towards that for now.” She paused and then swallowed hard. “I can`t wait to spend the rest of my life with you,” she looked into Femi eyes and sniffed.
“I know about that, but we could still get married while I’m in school. My schooling will not stop the marriage preparation. All I need from you now is your support because I would need you to always help me watch over my shop during school hours .” He pleaded.
“What! So you want to make me your shop girl now because you want to go back to school?” She asked jokily.
“Alright I will do anything that makes you happy my love, provided you do not chase those secondary school girls.” She concluded.
“Hurrah!” Femi leaped for joy and carried her up from the chair, which she was sitting. He dropped her down gently and took some money from the drawer. I am going for the registration now; please help me watch over the shop. “I will be back soon, so that we can celebrate my admission.” He bragged.
“Hey! Wait a minute before you go, I saw your father on the way while I was coming here. “She said softly.
“Indeed that old man, so what did he say?”
“I saw him on the way while he was travelling back to Ekiti state. He didn’t say much, he only told me that you refused to give him the money that he needed to furnish his apartment and to purchase a gun,” she said.
“What! That old man is beginning to piss me off.” Did he furnish me with the right knowledge to excel? Did he equip me with the right weapon to succeed in life? Why then must he expect money from me to purchase a weapon, even after I bought him a motorcycle and married a new wife for him? He had vehemently refused to train me in school and expect me to lick his nose, that’s not going to happen.” Femi said in a massive rage.
“Whoa! Take it easy my dear….”
“Don’t tell me to take this easy.” He interrupted. “That man is very lazy and a total failure, a big loser in life. He couldn’t build a house of his own, can you imagine that a man of his age would still be living in his father`s mud house? Now he expect me to give him money to furnish his father`s house. His late father left a lot of farm land as inheritance to him but he left all uncultivated” He said gazing directly into Rita`s eyes.
“Well! I have made up my mind not to give him any more money. All the money I’m saving now is for the pursuit of my education and our conjugal.”
“Hmm! what does he even need a gun for?” Rita asked. “Good question. According to him, he needs it for protection due to the recent attacks of herdsmen on our neighboring community.”
“Awful! That’s sad, our government should do something about those herdsmen that are attacking innocent farmers. Most times women are often the victims of such attacks.
Anyways please be careful, you know how fetish your father is.” She cautioned.
“Thank you dear Rita, I passed through a lot in other to raise the capital for my business. I will not end up like my father. That man is a big failure to his generation. How can a man be working all his life and still he has refused to sponsor all his children to school and now he expects us to build him a palace and buy him a chieftaincy title. It was me, who sponsored my sister in a nursing college. I also enrolled my step−brothers in order for them to learn different trades, and now he expects us to applaud him for a role well played as the leader of the family.”
“So sad, you have really passed through a lot,” she said in a low whispering tone.
“Don’t worry about that man; I will be more successful than him.” He bragged.
“Phew!” She heaved a sigh of relief.
“Time to go now, “he said. He gave her a peck on the left side of her face.
As he was about to exit his shop another female trader stood on his way.
“Femi abeg nor vex oh, this my phone language don change to Chinese. Abeg help me remove am from Chinese back to English. “She begged and complained bitterly.
“Give me the phone for checkup.” She gave the apple product phone to him. “Ooh−la−la!” he exclaimed. “Who bought you an iPhone?” He inquired.
“Nah my husband oh!” She answered.
“Ah−ah−ah,” laughed Femi. “You have an expensive phone that you lack the ability to operate. I wonder why your husband wasted his hard-earned money buying you such
expensive gadgets. He should utilize his money for something more profitable,” he bemoaned.
”Abeg nor be waste of money, check am for me nah.”
“Okay madam!” He handled the phone for some minutes and then he announced, “There is no way of changing the language back to English from this country, unless your husband takes it to China.”
“Haba! Wetin I go do now? I nor want my husband to know oh! “She panicked.
“Calm down, there is always a way out of every situation.”
“Abeg how?” She asked without hesitation.
“I will send the phone to China through a courier agent.” She looked bewildered.
“I know you don’t understand. What I mean is that, I will send the phone to China through DHL courier service. They will change the language and send it back, so you will get your phone tomorrow morning but it will cost you 15,000 (fifteen thousand) naira only.” Femi explained.
“Chineke! ọbụ eziokwu?(God! Are you serious?) I nor get that kind money oh. ”She pleaded in igbo.
“Alright have your phone and give it to all those road side incompetent phone repairers that will exchange your new phone parts with old ones.” he said and hissed.
Rita was engrossed watching them.
“Jiri ya nwayọọ.(Take it easy ) I get only 10,000 naira,” she begged in igbo language.






Tags FEMALE EDUCATION#
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