₦airaland Forum

germaphobe:
I need more oo. Mr divepen thanks for the opportunity to read this. i think its all coming back now. Bidemi had a child with grace, lost his memories, had a thing with rachael got her pregnant. aishh my head don knock. boss thanks and pls tell me am not imagining this things

I've started writing the next parts Sha..


And no, you're not imagining anything. They are all true. Just far...

guruzmarstk:
Wow! Well done sir. Expecting the next book!!!

Thanks a lot... I do hope it's soon..m

Next book will be up soon!!!

Chapter 20
My Mum
Bidemi watched his parents argue among themselves. His house was the nearest, and they were shouting things he didn’t understand. Not that they were incoherent or spoke a foreign language, but their words weren’t adding up. Tania’s mum was shouting about a confidentiality agreement.
‘You signed the document’, Tania’s Mum yelled.
‘Not with me’, Bidemi’s Mum replied. ‘This is my daughter’.
‘Let me get you right! She owns the baby you gave me that day’, Tania’s Mum turned to Aunt nurse and asked. The silence in the room was just too loud and said more than enough, even when Aunt Nurse nodded.
‘I gave out my child… I couldn’t take care of her, but now I don’t mind bearing the cost. I will repay you everything… Every cost you’ve incurred’, Bidemi’s Mum shouted.
‘I don’t understand anything here…’ Aunt Romoke lamented.
Bidemi’s mum now took her time to explain the whole thing.
Her family members died in a fire because some thieves came to rob them, but they made a mistake that caused the fire to gut the house. She escaped but not before she had been raped. She later gave birth to Tania.
But she couldn’t keep the baby. So, she made Aunt Nurse sell Tania out to the woman Tania thought was her mum, who needed a child at that time too. She had several miscarriages and gave birth to another stillborn the same day Tania was born.
So, Bidemi’s Mum sold Tania out.
‘I’ve heard of how you maltreat her’, Bidemi’s Mum said.
‘It’s not that…’
‘It’s not what?’
‘You don’t understand…’ Tania’s mum said.
Bidemi’s mum shrugged and slapped her laps. ‘That’s all they say… Little girls, children… All of you, including Teju. You all maltreat all these children. I’m taking Tania back and Bidemi, and we will return to our home’.
Tania’s mum slumped on the bed. ‘I was afraid. I was…’
Everyone stared at her.
‘I didn’t know if God brought my lost child to me as a baby again. I was afraid’, Tania’s mum explained.
‘You lost a baby’, Bidemi’s mum said.
‘No. I threw her away into the dumpsite… I know… I know… It’s bad. But at that time, I was dejected. Life was bad to me…’ Tania’s mum said.
Bidemi’s mum covered her face. ‘Have you anything of value to say… Stop this rubbish’.
‘Since I got myself back, I have been searching for her. They said she was given to one Aderibigbe’s family. I searched and searched for them. But I heard that they had an accident. That was why when I had another miscarriage’.
‘The news made me have a miscarriage. So, when I saw the semblance between Tania and me, I thought it was my child’ demon or ghost that had come to haunt me’.
Bidemi’ s Mum kept quiet. ‘Did you say Aderibigbe?’
‘Yes. I used to like her but then, my husband too started loving her more than my children and me… I thought the devil wanted my family’, Tania’s mum said.
‘I discovered on the day of the fire that I was an orphan…’ Bidemi’s mum stuttered.
Bidemi was surprised.
‘I’m sorry but since I lost my daughter…’ Tania said and rose as she walked around the room, amidst everyone else.
‘That’s what I’m saying. I was with the … family. Aderibigbe. They adopted me’.
‘It’s a lie…’ Aunt Teju murmured.
Tania scoffed. ‘Oh! No.’
‘You’re…the…’
‘Your daughter’.
Tania’s mum staggered, wide-eyed, mystified. She howled and shook her head.
‘You are my Grandma… Ah!!! God! This is worse’, Tania said and ran out of the house.
Bidemi followed her.
‘So, we’re siblings’, he muttered after he felt that she had cried enough.
Tania cried into his arms. Bidemi didn’t know what to make all that had happened. But after a while, he heard their parents crying inside.
‘Let’s go inside…’ Bidemi urged her.
At first, she refused but eventually agreed. Their parents were crying and hugging one another.
‘Well, since you’re doing reunion’, Aunt Teju said. ‘I guess we better tell him now’.
‘Tell who?’ Tania’s mum asked.
‘Bidemi, of course. Which other him is here?’ Aunt Teju said. ‘But I’m not sure everyone should be here’.
Bidemi’s mum looked about. She stared at Aunt Teju for a while, wiped her tears, and shrugged. ‘They’re also part of it’.
‘No way’, Aunt Teju objected.
‘Then, we’re not telling him’, Bidemi mum said.
Aunt Teju rose and clapped. ‘So, you’re the only one fit for a reunion’.
‘Then, spit it out’, Bidemi’s mum shouted.
‘Good. Bidemi, I’m your Mum’, Aunt Teju said.
‘It’s a lie…’ Bidemi murmured.
‘Your father is my cousin. Not my brother. We were not supposed to be involved, but because we were foolish, we slept with each other and had you. The shame was happening when your mother had a miscarriage too. I guess it runs in their family. But I had to give you up’.
Bidemi stared blankly at her. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard.
‘Oh! So, Tania is not my sister?’
‘Well, yes’, Tania’s mum said.
Tania ran to meet him and hugged him tightly.
‘Hey! Back off’, Bidemi’s mum murmured and separated them.
He didn’t even worry if his aunt was him mum. All he wanted was the opportunity to be with Tania.
Bidemi’s mother hissed and sighed. Then, she cried for five minutes. Bidemi’s mind ravaged all the things he could think about.
When she eventually kept quiet, she held Tania firmly. ‘You’ve not heard the least of it. Your father… was the one that raped me in that fire. He had always liked me but was too poor, and he was also a criminal’.
Bidemi sniffed. It was his turn to go out. He swallowed hard and sat outside their house. So, everything he had believed was not real.
Just then, Grace ran towards him, crying all the way. He rose to meet her. When he got to her, she hugged him tightly.
‘We can’t find Rachael. She has been kidnapped. We can’t find her again. Mummy has gone to report at the police station. But my own mummy gangan is taking me away.’
They remained silent, and all Bidemi could wish for was a way to turn back the hand of time.




The End

lahrra:
Op hope you are doing great.
Pls come and give us update. Have been checking since morning.

today or tomorrow

lahrra:
It keeps getting more interesting. I pray nothing happen to Rachael oo.

Thanks o....

Chapter 19
End of the Year
Although they were not supposed to do any activity on their graduation day, their teacher ensured Tania was a part of the cultural dance group.
Grace, who was now fond of Tania, was instrumental in making their parents sit in the same place. Madam Flourish sat at the middle; Bidemi’s aunt and mum were at her right, while Tania’s mother sat on the left.
The others had helped out too in getting a place they all could easily access
Since Madam Flourish told them to be friends, they had tried every way to strengthen their friendship. Although she didn’t entirely like it, she had to endure the fact that Bidemi now really liked Grace.
Tania now danced in front of them all while Bidemi and Grace sang. The combination of both of them made her heart lurch.
Rachael was a mere onlooker, and those seemed to be the only things she wasn’t good at- she couldn’t sing and dance. But she smiled most of the times they were together. Grace, also, drew several pictures of them all and kept bringing these drawing, all framed.
The four of them went to cafeteria together, walked around together, and sat together in their training.
Madam Flourish now carried them to and fro the school per time, including Tania’s siblings. Their parents were becoming closer by the day. Usman left to attend his graduation ceremony but came back with Bidemi’s mother.
During the graduation ceremony, Rachael won several awards, including the best student in their class.
Immediately she won it, she ran to hug Grace and Madam Flourish. Grace’s mother was sitting beside Tania’s mother. Grace had complained about her mother’s hatred for her, but all Tania could see was the big smile on her mother’s eyes.
‘Your mum loves you’, Tania whispered to Grace.
‘For your mind!’ Grace replied.
Tania danced her best and did a style she had been practising for a while, and it worked.
‘And we call to the high table’, the MC said and paused for a while. ‘Madam Flourish’.
Madam Flourish pleaded to be left alone. She said she was enjoying the company of her friends.
Tania was also given the second best and most improved student of the year in her class. Her mother feigned happiness as she collected the gift. Tania knew that she would still flog whenever they got home, but she was prepared.
‘Have you noticed that you two look alike’, Bidemi’s aunt said, trying to start a conversation. Bidemi’s mother smiled and looked at Tania’s mum.
‘I don’t think so’ Bidemi’s mum said.
‘You can’t know’, Madam Flourish said and looked at them both. ‘That’s true. You two look so much alike. Wow! How come I never saw that…?’
‘Mummy, see Aunt Nurse’, Tania called as Aunt Nurse waved from afar.
Her mother looked away and said, ‘this woman should just let me be’.
‘She’s coming’, Tania informed her.
‘Shut up! Did I say I was blind?’
Aunt Nurse found her way to the front just as the students performed a drama. ‘Aunty Nurse’, Bidemi’s mum said and rose to meet the lean woman. ‘I said it…’
Grace came towards them. ‘Mummy, where’s Rachael?’
‘I don’t… Oh! Yes. She told me she wanted to buy coffee’, Madam Flourish replied.
‘She has coffee in her bag’, Grace said.
Madam Flourish shook her head. ‘Rachael is now lying. Well, she should be back soon’.
‘I told her to get me a cold drink’, Grace’s mother said.
‘In this place again. What’s with you and cold drinks?’ Madam Flourish grumbled. The two women began to make light jokes about each other. Tania shared glances with Grace, and she could see a twinkle of a smile on Grace’s face.
Bidemi’s mother suddenly shouted and spun towards Tania. ‘Is this her?’
Tania turned towards them to know what she was talking about. She had been so engrossed with what Madam Flourish and Grace’s mother were saying that she didn’t notice what Aunt Nurse and Bidemi’s mum were saying.
‘Oh! God!’ Bidemi’s mother pulled Tania nearer and touched her cheek. ‘This is her... Oh, my God! Oh God!’
She cried unashamedly.
Tania was so mesmerised that she watched the bigger woman cry and rub her hair. This caught Tania’s mother’s attention too. She rose and became protective of Tania, like a mother hen.
Even Tania was so happy that she was quick to come to her side.
‘We can’t do this here!’ Aunt Nurse said and looked about. Indeed, they were becoming a spectacle. People were no longer watching the Drama presentation.
‘Get Bidemi. We need to leave now…’ Bidemi’s mother told Tania.
Grace ran off while Tania went to look for Bidemi. Tania knew where he might likely be, and she was right. He was in the midst of the boys in a corner, singing some of their favourite songs.
The ecstasy made him hug her the moment he saw her, bringing a hearty smile to her face.
‘Eh! Husband and wife’, someone shouted her.
‘Kiss her... Kiss her’, another person suggested, and the boys echoed it. Her heart warmed in expectation, but Bidemi only kissed her head.
‘Your mum is calling you’, Tania said.
‘My mum or my aunt?’ Bidemi asked.
‘Your mum’.
Bidemi looked at the boys. ‘I’ll be back’.
When they returned, Madam Flourish and Grace’s mum were already standing and looking worried. Grace was shouting, ‘Rachael… is not there’.
‘And you checked your classes’, Grace’s mother asked.
‘Yes’.
Madam Flourish looked about. ‘Let me make an announcement’.
‘Bidemi, follow me. Aunt, we need to go now’, Bidemi’s mother said and walked off. She was still crying.
‘Our bags’, Bidemi said. He looked angry that they were making him lose the fun of the moment. It took him a long while to get closer to the boys. Now, they are taking him off the graduation ceremony.
As they went for their bags, Bidemi asked Tania what was wrong.
‘I don’t know. They are looking for Rachael’.
‘No. Why are we going home in such a hurry?’
‘I don’t know… We have not even collected our certificate…’
‘Yes. We have not collected our gifts, food… Ah, Ahn!’
Suddenly someone’s voice announced over the public address system ‘Rachael Ademola, wherever you are, your parents are looking for you’.
Tania and Bidemi met a worried Grace in the class.
‘Help me look for Rachael’.
‘We have to go home. Everyone is waiting for us’, Bidemi said.
‘But she’s your friend too’, Grace grumbled.
‘I know... I think there’s a big problem. Bidemi’s mum was crying over me. I think... We just have to go. They said it’s important’.
Grace looked sad and went off. Tania sighed and wondered why everything terrible was happening that day.

lahrra:
Very Interesting. Thanks so much Op. I wiah Grace will just accept bidemi and tania instead of trying to come between them.

Love can make us do incredible things.

guruzmarstk:
Nice

Thanks boss....

Chapter 18
The Gathering and the Future
During the holidays, they came for lessons in preparation for their Junior WAEC. This exam was their transitional test into their senior class. Since they were small in number, this period connected them as a family. Bidemi told Tania about the letter he misplaced.
‘Did she beat you?’ Tania asked.
Bidemi nodded. ‘She said I was too young to like somebody.’
‘How did she get it?’ Tania wondered.
‘I don’t know. She didn’t really say much as she was shouting throughout’, Bidemi said and mocked the way his aunt shouted.
‘What will we do?’ She asked.
‘Well, I like you...’ Bidemi said.
‘Then, we will not let her know’ Tania suggested.
He nodded, bringing a smile to her face.
During the lesson periods, some of their teachers weren’t always available. So, the two of them took the opportunity to read together. Most of the time, Rachael would join them.
After a while, another boy, Usman, joined them at the lesson and soon began to read with them. Bidemi said Usman was his brother, but Tania couldn’t find any resemblance between them. After recurring daily argument, Usman finally explained his situation to him.
He explained that he was Usman’s friend, but he lived with Bidemi’s parents because he was an orphan.
Their lessons went for days. Later, they all wrote their exams, and it was hectic, but Tania got the opportunity to see the better side of Rachael. She bought a lot of things for her on their way to and fro the exam hall. She never lacked anything, especially essential school materials.
Since they wouldn’t be doing anything during third term, their school organised computer training for them. Rachael, as usual, was the best. She was so fast with it and did everything well as soon as they were taught.
Grace, on her part, focused on writing and wrote a lot of things.
The only thing Tania wanted to do was to think about Bidemi.
‘My mummy wants us to go out together’, Rachael said during one of their computer trainings.
‘Me?’ Tania asked.
‘Yes and Bidemi and Usman’, Grace added.
Usman, Bidemi, and Tania shared glances.
‘For what?’
She wants us to bring our friends.
‘So, Ayo is coming?’ Tania asked.
‘No….’ Rachael said vehemently.
Tania glanced at Grace. ‘We fought again. She’s narsicstlis’.
‘What’s that?’ Bidemi wondered.
‘I think she meant narcissist’ Rachael said. ‘It means someone that loves to talk about themselves want people to keep loving them’.
Madam Flourish came for them after getting the necessary permission from their principal.
She drove them off to the fast food. Tania had never been to Tori Kitchen before. It was the best fast food joint in Fortune City.
They sat silently as Madam Flourish made them order whatever they wanted.
‘I don’t think I have seen you with them before’, Madam Flourish said to Usman.
‘He’s my brother. He’s only around for the holidays’, Bidemi said.
‘Oh! That’s good’, Madam Flourish said and leaned back in her seat. ‘Now, I want you all to tell me about yourself and what you like to do. Tell us something funny. Let’s go clockwise. You, Rachael, start’.
Tania watched everyone talk about themselves and wondered what she would say.
‘I will like to be a genius, good at every subject’, Rachael said. ‘Also, I will love to train people on how to do things perfectly’.
Then, she told them about the day she beat up a senior student because the senior student abused Madam Flourish. She narrated it in such a way others laughed really hard. Tania had to wipe tears off her eyes as she wished she had such power.
‘You... Grace?’ Madam Flourish said.
Grace told them a story about a girl from their former school. Her name was Chioma, and she was a bully. She and Rachael hid Chioma’s shoes during sports training. The funniest part was that Chioma hid the sandals of her friends and didn’t show them until later.
‘I will like to be a... I don’t know what I like. I like to draw, write, and sing’, Grace said and stuttered.
‘That’s like um... Creative. You do what you want to do’, Madam Flourish suggested. ‘Be anything creative. You, Bidemi?’
Grace nodded and smiled.
Bidemi told them a story of the day his principal in the former school called him Mr Girl because he wanted them to teach boys sex education too.
‘I will like to be a great leader like a president or council of Fortune City’, Bidemi said.
‘Well, anything can be possible...’ Madam Flourish said.
When it was Tania’s turn, she told them that she aspired to be a great dancer and how she wished she could run away from home. She was sad at home. Madam Flourish encouraged all of them.
‘Now, I don’t know of Usman, but you see Grace and Bidemi, I heard you’re not friends’
Bidemi looked down.
‘I see. What about you, Tania?’
Tania swallowed, blinked repeatedly, and sat up. ‘I don’t know why Grace doesn’t like me. I was only angry at her once for supporting Ayo when we were fighting. Ayo was abusing my mum’.
‘Oh! Were you fighting? That’s not really wise. And you Grace why were you supporting someone that was abusing other people’s mother’.
‘I…’ Grace said and looked away.
‘Where’s the Ayo?’
‘They fought’, Rachael said with a big smile. ‘And thank you for eating beans’.
‘Odd timing, Rachael. Really, this is an odd time to do this’, Madam Flourish shook her head and turned to others. ‘So, I want you all to be friends’.
Madam Flourish engaged them in different discussions.
After a while, a young pastor came around and stood by their side, making them stop their discussions. He was bald, carried a bulky tattered bible, and wore a bulky stripe shirt.
‘Good afternoon’, Pastor said.
‘I have seen you before’, Grace announced.
‘Where?’
She told the man how he met her at a corner when she was in Green City and told her about how she and Rachael will be close.
‘I can’t remember this time. But, I am here on a different mission, little one. My name is Pastor Matthew Ajanaku’.
‘Good afternoon, Pastor’, Madam Flourish said and began to fiddle through her bag.
‘The Lord is telling me incredible things about all of these kids, but I have been instructed to tell them a few’.
He pointed at Usman. ‘You will one day use a wheelchair but don’t let that deter you. I see you did it for love. Love for someone got you there’.
He pointed at Bidemi. ‘You will… hmm. Save Fortune City from falling someday in the future. I see that we will work together. But you won’t remember me’.
He pointed at Rachael. ‘You will cause a lot of trouble. But your solution will be the results for good governance’.
Then, he pointed at Grace. ‘Your path is linked to this boy and girl. You have to hold them close. You’re their caretaker’.
The Pastor was pointing to Rachael and Bidemi. Tania wondered if she wouldn’t get a revelation.
‘You will one day be the help some people need’, he said and pointed at her.
Then, he turned to Madam Flourish. ‘Put your house in order. The day draws near. One year at most’.
Tania couldn’t her eat the meat pie on the table as Madam Flourish and Pastor Mathew argued about the money she wanted to give him, which he was refusing to take.

Chapter 17
Snitch
‘It’s between Rachael, Bidemi and Tania…’
Whispers have been going about among students about their results. Every one of their classmates was a surprise that the senior could mention Tania among those mentioned at all.
‘She’s lying’, Grace said when one of the other students told her what the senior students said.
There was no reason to doubt the senior students, as most of them were always right about their exam results. Many of them had reasons to help their teachers out in their preparation for the junior classes’ report card. Yet, she couldn’t imagine that they didn’t put her name among the top three.
‘Miss Faleke is coming’, Ayo shouted, and every one of their classmates ran from the different parts of the school.
Some of the boys jumped over to meet her, to carry the report cards. If it were left to her, she would bring the reports cards herself. But she once had a clash with the Yoruba teacher, who said refusing to do that wasn’t teaching the students the right moral values.
Miss Faleke didn’t mind the Yoruba teacher’s view and vehemently argued until she was the only one not seeing things from that perspective. Thus, she became used to allowing students to help out whenever they wanted.
‘Please, sit quietly. I am so happy and tired at the same time. I’m preparing for an exam, and I need to get out of school as early as I can. I told you guys to improve, and I am so impressed with you. I know you guys will still measure your results by who came first and who didn’t…’
The class remained silent. Many of them knew who the favourites to be the first were. Even Grace wished it was a lie, but there was nothing she could about it.
‘But I want you to know that the person that came last this term, got the same score as the person that got 16th last term. There has been a lot of improvement, and this competition has become stiffer. I’m just sad that I won’t be your class teacher next year or that I haven’t been to your teacher for long. We would have rocked this school together. Nonetheless, I am proud of you. Each and every one of you, especially the first this term’.
Grace, like many others, glanced at Rachael. Her mind flipped to the love letter she found on the ground. It belonged to Bidemi and was given to him by Tania. She was infuriated when she saw it. Children shouldn’t write love letters, she thought.
‘And even the seconds ... They were both necks to the neck like racers. It was stiff. Great. I want more of this for you guys. Your percentages also went up. Let’s do this next term again’.
One after the other, she called their names. Truly Tania wasn’t the seventh this term. That surprised Grace. Instead, Grace was called for the fourth position. Tania got the third, Grace thought and hissed as the thought crept across her mind.
‘We don’t have a third. We have a tie on the second position. Their scores beat what Rachael got last term as the first. You should know that they have worked really hard. And the second are none other than Rachael Ademola and Bidemi Adeoti. That means Tania… Come up here for your card and gift. You’re the first’.
Tania jumped off her seat and crashed to the ground, crying. Tears flowed down her face as if a tap was opened.
‘I saw this letter, and I will show Aunty’, Grace told Rachael on their way to meet Madam Flourish in her car.
‘What letter’, Rachael asked.
‘This…’ She gave Rachael the letter to read.
‘Leave them alone. At least they have people disturbing them. Disturb other people too. Look at Chike trying to catch your attention. I don’t like him but look at other people. Do you know I now like Ife?’
‘Shut up! It’s because you like the two of them. They might be your friend, but I’m your sister. You have to support me’.
‘Leave them alone, sister’, Rachael said as she walked away.
‘That’s why Tania got first’, Grace said.
‘I will beat you. I mean it’, Rachael snarled. Grace funnily mimicked her.
‘Beat me. That’s the only thing she knows how to do. To beat people. Thank God Chioma is not here. You can’t lie against her again.’
Rachael moved and raised her hand but stopped herself. This caught, and Rachael’s red eyes caught Grace’s attention. She swallowed as she remembered how much Rachael hated herself for being Chioma’s weapon.
Grace knew what to do. When Madam Flourish went out, she sneaked out to Bidemi’s house and waited until she saw his Aunt.
‘Good afternoon, ma’, Grace said. ‘I saw this paper on the floor. It belongs to Bidemi’.
‘Are you sure?’ His Aunt said as she unfolded the paper.
‘I’m leaving, ma’, Grace said.
His Aunt nodded. ‘Thank you very much…’
Grace bent her knees and walked away.
‘What’s in the letter and what’s your name?’
‘It’s a love letter, ma’.
His Aunt was so stunned. Grace banked on that opportunity to hurry off.

Chapter 16
Inter-House Sport Pain

Bidemi felt like sitting down all day to watch Grace as she marched on with zeal. He didn’t really like her, but he had to find a way to tell how good she was on the march-past.
She was the queen of their house, and her clothes were gorgeous, outclassing every other dress on the pitch. Her hair and everything she wore made her look like a real queen but her composure and smile got him more.
‘You’re really good’, he told her when he finally met her.
She was so happy and jumped around, smiling sheepishly. Like before, he wondered why she acted like a baby in front of him.
‘How did you get the sportswear?’ Grace asked.
‘I don’t know. They said someone paid for it’, Bidemi said as he got ready to join his team. The race would start soon, and all eyes will be on track than individuals.
‘Really?’ Grace asked.
‘Yes. I asked them, but no wanted to tell me...’
Grace dragged his hand and pulled him towards the tent.
Noise from the field overshadowed them, alongside the calls of each house teachers and leaders for their members. The moderator’s voice was deep despite the burst speaker. Students were running between watching the big board used for recording scores and the numerous vendors scattered about on the field.
Bidemi was too stunned to struggle with Grace as she dragged him to Madam Flourish’s place. She also wore the sportswear of purple house.
‘Mummy… Erm… Rachael…’ She called.
Rachael was just coming to get something from Madam Flourish. The girls were looking better than everyone in the school. Their ribbons, socks and hair-do showed that Madam Flourish was wealthy.
‘What’s it, Grace?’
‘This is Bidemi Adeoti’, Grace said.
Madam Flourish glanced at Rachael and Grace. ‘Oh! You’re Bidemi. My girls said you’re really brilliant’.
‘I said it’, Grace said.
‘That’s right’, Madam Flourish said and glanced at Grace’s firm grip on Bidemi’s wrist.
‘All liars shall perish!’ Grace said and pointed at his sportswear. ‘Did you buy it?’
Madam Flourish smiled.
‘I hate you all’, Grace said as she released Bidemi and turned away.
‘Language…’ Madam Flourish said.
‘I’m angry. You should have let me tell him…’ Grace grumbled.
Bidemi wondered what they were talking about. All he wanted to do was to meet his mother.
She came with her aunt. If she had come alone, he would have told her everything his aunt did to him. But his aunt was there. Grace dragged Bidemi away before he could talk.
‘Stop! What’s happening?’ Bidemi asked and snatched his hand.
‘My mummy bought the sportswear for you. I told her to buy it, but she lied that she won’t. Then, she bought it for you behind me’.
Bidemi was surprised. ‘Wow! Let me go and thank her…’
‘First, thank me’. She was still frowning.
‘Thank you very much’.
‘You’re my friend’, Grace said.
‘Yes’.
Bidemi returned to the tent and prostrated in front of Madam Flourish. ‘Thank you, ma’.
‘He’s my friend’, Grace said happily.
Bidemi rushed off to his mother without looking at Grace just as Grace’s mother arrived. He wanted his mother to meet Tania before she went on her race.
Tania was representing her house for the 100-meter race. Everyone lost to Rachael the previous day in their heat sessions. Tania came fourth. Bidemi wished she could be among the top three.
The competition started with the children, who raced on with the egg race and did the sack race.
Tania was near her mother, whom Tania claimed was there for her younger brother.
‘And to the 100-meter race’, the moderator announced. ‘Everyone representing each house had been prepped. Special recognition of the best racer so far by the name Rachael Ademola. If you wondered, who was the queen of the Purple house, then it’s none other than Rachael’s sister, Grace Ademola. You can see the beauty radiating in her as they were on the parade ground. The sun had to hide. Rachael also will be representing the purple house, Flourish’s house’.
The crowd cheered, and Rachael rushed to the track, prancing. Tania rushed off before Bidemi could get her. He sighed. At the same time, Grace came near him, sucking intently at a sachet yoghurt.
‘She had trouble yesterday with her leg. Her gout got back to her’, Grace murmured, concerned.
‘Rachael?’ Bidemi asked.
Grace nodded.
Before Bidemi could utter another word, the moderator’s voice became excessively louder.
‘A quick fact: the two girls’ mother, Madam Flourish, owns a purple house. And representing Yellow House, we have Tania. She had proven to many that height is useless, and she had been able to retain a good top position. Then, representing…’
Grace offered Bidemi the yoghurt, but he declined despite wishing he had one in his hand at that moment. His focus, however, was on the two girls. He would wish for Tania to win, but Rachael was also someone he could really cheer on if she won.
Soon, the flare was shot into the air, and the girls sprang into action.
Rachael was focused on every step and was soon floating at the front like a dog being chased by chickens. But Tania didn’t give up. She was just behind Rachael. The noise of the moderator lit the tension in the air on fire.
Yet, Rachael still had the upper hand. The different housemates were cheering them.
Suddenly, Rachael spun in the air, grabbed her right knee and fell, yelling as she did so. Her housemates dashed towards to help as she was really crying. Grace and Madam Flourish sped towards her too. Grace had a bottle with her.
Bidemi shifted his focus towards the finishing line, which Tania was edging towards. Her legs were faster than the blades of a fan. Bidemi couldn’t catch up with them.
And she won.
Rachael remained on the floor, crying like a baby. Bidemi ran up to Tania, who so excited. When everyone in her house was done lifting her, she rushed over to Bidemi and hugged him. Without wasting any time, he sang ‘oweleke’ for her. Her legs played in sand as she danced without care.
‘We should check on Rachael’, Bidemi suggested after a while.
She nodded, and they both rushed over to her. When they got to her, she was despondent. Bidemi had won the high jump for his house. He came second in the long jump for his category. Some of their senior students were also ready to win. Rachael was drinking coffee from her bottle.
‘I told you. Didn’t I? Drink that thing up’, Madam Flourish said. Her eyes were flushed with fear.
‘She was drinking it a lot’, Grace’s mother said. ‘So, I told her to stop drinking…’
‘Are you insane? Do you want to kill her for me? Is this what you want to do with me? You want me to have a reason to mourn over this girl. So, you can call me names. Are you the devil’s incarnate? Did we do wrong by accepting you into our lives’, Madam Flourish shouted at Grace’s mother.
‘I didn’t mean...’
‘You didn’t mean to ruin my life’, Madam Flourish shouted. ‘You want to kill the children giving me joy, abi? You want to destroy me in all wise...’
‘Pascal, you’re taking this too far...’ Grace’s mother shouted.
‘You have... Don’t you ever. I mean, don’t you dare do anything with this girl again. I allow you with Grace because she’s your daughter. But Rachael... No... No’.
Bidemi saw the joy in Grace’s eyes as Madam Flourish shouted at Grace’s mother. Some of the teachers around came around to caution them. Rachael left with the bottle of coffee. He and Tania followed them.
‘Are you okay?’ Bidemi asked.
‘Yes. I told you to drink the coffee’, Grace complained.
‘Leave her’, Madam Flourish said.
‘Should we go home now?’ Grace asked just as Madam Flourish caught up with them.
‘No. I can do this. I thought big mummy was right. I just wanted to stop drinking the coffee… I’m tired’.
‘You have no other option. Your house needs you now’, Madam Flourish said.
Rachael went for the race. Tania ran for her house but kept coming second even in the 200 and 400-meter race behind Rachael. Bidemi returned to his mum once in a while. His aunt was around too, but he couldn’t get the chance to take Tania to them. When Bidemi’s mother was about to leave, his aunt gestured for him to come nearer.
‘If you want peace for yourself, avoid telling your mother things that will make you face my wrath’, Aunt Romoke whispered.
‘Eh…I know that woman’, Bidemi’s mother said as they got to the end of the field. The lanky waved Grace’s mother goodbye and also a girl that was in Green house.
‘Should I call her?’ Bidemi asked.
The woman hailed a bike and climbed it.
‘I’m not sure. Erm…Yes, I remember now. Aunty Nurse’, Bidemi’s mother called and jogged towards them. Bidemi raced to call the woman, but it was too late.
Flourish House won the gold, and she threw a big party for others.
Everyone was invited, but Aunt Romoke refused to let him go, as he had things to sell for her. Grace told him that she and Rachael didn’t have to do anything. Madam Flourish had gotten some people called the olopo. They had the job of cooking everything needed for the ceremony. She had planned to throw the party irrespective of winning or losing.

Chapter 15
No Sponsorship
‘What are you saying?’ Madam Flourish asked as Grace peered at her.
Grace became silent.
Madam Flourish glared at her. ‘Oh! Your battery is weak again. Well, if you’re going silent on me, I’m also going silent on you’.
‘She likes Bidemi’, Rachael interfered.
‘Is he that same boy you talked about the other time?’ Madam Flourish said as she continued with her calculation. Rachael nodded and looked up from her assignment.
‘Sofo, mebo’, Grace mumbled.
‘Language, girl’, Madam Flourish said.
Rachael frowned. ‘I’m your elder sister. You have to respect me. Mummy, Grace has been acting like a wicked person in school, especially to the shortest girl in our class’.
Madam Flourish dropped her pen.
‘Is that true? I think I have taken your apple from the tree it was birth. And as they said, a tree doesn’t fall far from its tree, poison though it be’.
Grace wondered what she was saying. ‘I don’t understand you’.
‘How will you understand when you don’t read the books I bought for you? Rachael, do you understand?’.
Rachael shook her head.
‘You too. C’mon. It means… A child will always…’
‘Act like her parent’, Rachael said.
‘Good. You’re acting like your mum, Grace. Do you want to be like her?’
Grace’s eyes shone.
‘Talk! Do you?’
‘No…’
‘Then, you have to act well to people’.
‘But Bidemi doesn’t have money for inter-house sport cloth’.
‘Who told you?’
‘Rachael…’
‘You?’ Madam Flourish wondered.
‘Yes, ma. He told me and Tania, the girl Grace always act wickedly to’, Rachael replied.
‘He likes me’, Grace said and stumped her feet on the floor. ‘It’s me he likes, but she wants to be his friend by force’.
‘I think it’s high time you went to your mother’s place’, Madam Flourish said, and Grace could feel the anger in her voice.
‘No… No…’ Grace pleaded.
‘You’re fighting for a boy. Don’t you know you are like the sun? Boys are like the stars. Do you see the sun fighting to be a friend of the stars?’
Grace shook her head.
‘You, Rachael?’
Rachael shook her head also.
‘That’s how you are as a girl. You, girls, are the best things to happen to this world and you must let all the boys in the world know that…’
‘Why is it that no boy likes me? When we were in my Dekleye too. Nobody likes me’.
Madam Flourish placed her hands on her head.
‘Have you seen yourself? I mean the two of you. You’re the most beautiful girls I have ever encountered. The last time I came to your school, your beauty stood out. Don’t you see how many of those boys rushed to be my friend? Was that Bidemi part of them?’
Rachael shook her head. ‘No ma. Other boys like her’.
‘And you too’, Grace shouted from her incoherent drawing. Their argument was making her lose concentration. And Madam Flourish told her not to move as they wanted to work together as a family.
‘Oh! You girls have admirers. Rachael. Any boy I should be concerned about?’
‘I don’t like any of them’.
‘Because Bidemi is your friend’, Grace said.
‘Oh!’
‘Yes. He’s my friend. I don’t know why he doesn’t like Grace’, Rachael replied.
‘Yes’, Grace said sarcastically. ‘If he doesn’t like me, why will he see me and start singing. I think he is shy’.
Madam Flourish burst into laughter. ‘You see? That’s what I want to hear, but this time I don’t want you to catch his attention. He looks like a cool-headed boy’.
Rachael smiled. ‘Yes’.
Grace rolled her eyes. ‘The sportswear…’
‘Sorry. I can’t get the sportswear for him’.
Grace coiled herself well into the chair. She couldn’t cry. ‘It’s your fault, Rachael and that your foolish mouth’.
‘Whatever you say. When you girls are done, we should go to Mama Agba’s grave with fresh flowers’, Madam Flourish said.
Mama Agba was Rachael’s late great-grandmother.

germaphobe:
TANIA!!, i'm trying to remember which one of them bidemi later married. shit!! such a short memory.

Spoiler Alert!!!! Lol....
Well, it's not in this book.

lahrra:
Thanks Op for the update. Still waiting for more updates. God bless you Op.

Thanks for your comment, especially in this dry season of comments.

Chapter 14
Thief
Tania hated the beginning of new school terms. It was always bad for everyone. The school would be dusty, littered with papers, overgrown with grasses, and filled with cobwebs.
Their teachers will be energetic but grumpy. Luckily for them, their gardener had helped with the bushes around the school. But, they still had to do the cleaning of their classes themselves. They had a school cleaner, but the principal told her to leave the classes for the students.
Most of the junior students hated days like this as some strict senior students would coerce them to sweep their classes on their behalf.
‘I don’t like that! You, junior student… What’s that your name again…? Get to your class now’, the principal would exclaim the moment she caught any of the junior students helping a senior class.
Some other times, the junior students volunteered to help out in a bid to seek the favour of the senior students later in the term. The senior students that usually have these privileges are mostly those in Jss3, Ss2 and SS3. No one took those in SS1 serious.
The week went on fine, but things became hastened when the principal called for a PTA meeting. That day, Rachael and Grace were happy as they left their mom to meet Tania and Bidemi. By now, Tania wished Bidemi would her just give her the chance to practice what she saw in Paloma and Diego.
‘Don’t do that… We are still young’, Bidemi said as she tried to kiss him. She had been cuddling him, but he only reacted when she wanted to kiss him. She sighed and looked away. He grabbed her hands.
‘I like you, Tania. But I want us to be old enough. And we are Christians. You know. God will not like it’.
She nodded and handed over his Diary to him. The two of them had been reading each other’s diaries. That helped them bear their pain. The two of them were becoming more expressive, and they even shared their goals for the new term. Bidemi didn’t want Rachael to beat him to the first position that term. Tania, on the other hand, wanted to be first in the class.
She could see from Bidemi’s look that he felt it was impossible, but she didn’t mind. All she wanted was to be the best in her class, and she was ready to do all it would take to do that.
‘My mum just bought Purple house’, Grace said excitedly.
Bidemi was happy. He loved purple house.
‘I will start preparing for the race’, Rachael said.
‘I will win too’, Tania said.
Every one of them looked at her with surprise. Even Tania wondered why she was aiming for things she couldn’t do. Short people couldn’t win any competition.
‘But you’re short…’ Someone suggested.
‘I can run o’, Tania retorted.
‘Leave her be. She can do anything. Like our mummy used to say, we’re all the best’, Rachael added.
‘Thank you’, Tania said as she fought back the tears.
At the same time, the timekeeper rang the bell to summon the students to the assembly. In no time, they were back in their classes and were getting ready for the next class.
But instead of their subject teachers, Mrs Faleke came around.
‘Today, I will be telling you the houses you will be running for. Ademola Grace, purple house. Ademola Rachael, purple house. Adeoti Abidemi, Green house’.
Tania felt happy for him. She always loved to run for Green house too. The best records had consistently been awarded to them. And Tania hoped she would be there too. Grace looked sad, and she knew that Grace wanted to be where Bidemi was. Tania was really glad it didn’t happen.
Bidemi told her of how Grace and Racheal came around to watch him play ball. He always wished she was the one there, but such couldn’t happen.
‘Tania’, Miss Faleke called. Tania sat up expectantly. ‘Yellow house.
She became sad as she also wanted to be with Bidemi, especially when she saw the sad smile on his face.
Immediately Miss Faleke left, the class became rowdy as everyone tried to become acquainted with their house member. Unfortunately, the Yellow house members weren’t that much.
In fact, the few members in their class weren’t good racers. So, her house was more in trouble if Tania didn’t train well. Rachael started her own training that day, and it made Tania happy that she could learn from her. She always watched her from a corner of the school before opting for dancing or reading with Bidemi.
Sometimes, Tania caught a man watching Rachael from an uncompleted building near the school. The man wasn’t the first to watch them. So, she wasn’t surprised.
Many of the workers always stopped to watch the students.
Rachael did all types of training. She ran with a heavy bag strapped to her back. The man would smile whenever she won other despite the bag. Tania wished she could impress the man and everyone that was watching them.
‘Where did you learn that?’ Tania was forced to ask one day.
‘I watched it in an American movie’, Rachael responded, panting.
The next day, their school recruited a mopol to train them in the march parade. He was a Hausa man. Whenever he called the parade, the students got stuck whenever he called ‘attention’. He always expected them to slam the ground immediately he called ‘attention’.
So, he would yell, ‘attention’.
The students, who were used to the old methods of marching, passed to them from numerous amateur march past leaders, would slam their feet twice after the call, screaming, ‘one, two’.
This would infuriate him, and he would rant on about their level of indiscipline. But for his accent, they would have preferred him to address them than any of their teachers. He commanded respect and still knew how to make them laugh. His teachings were good except when it came to ‘attention’.
Tania didn’t want anyone to see her training hard to beat Racheal. She wanted it to come as a surprise. So, whenever she got home, she would run around the compound as fast as she could, monitoring her timing.
‘You need to bring money for your literature text…’ The English teacher said. ‘You guys should have gotten all these books by now. Tell your parents these books are important for the Junior WAEC. If you don’t do it, you will fail. Do you want to fail?’
The students murmured their disagreement.
‘Good. So try to get it tomorrow. We’re going to get the next set of books tomorrow, and it’s important’.
When Tania got home, she couldn’t tell her mother. She made sure she waited for a time her mother was in a good mood, but it was tough to find.
Her mother couldn’t stop getting angry at everything. When there was nothing to get angry at, she focused on how the Fortune City council was heeding to Nigeria government new law that they should now allow some of the things that the private Island have rejected.
‘You’re the councillor of this private Island for crying sake. It’s a private Island and not some government-owned property’, her mother shouted at the leader of the Island on the television.
Luckily, her father wasn’t around. They would have both talked excessively about Private Island. Nonetheless, Tania always wished he was around. She always learnt a lot from them about Fortune City like the fact that people are terrified of going to Sun City due to the number of bad things that happened there.
‘Mummy’, Tania called when the day was setting.
‘What?’
‘My Aunt said we should bring that two hundred naira’, she murmured.
‘I can’t hear you, and it’s not because I’m deaf…’ Her mother said.
Tania repeated herself.
‘Well, tell your teacher to open a shop. Then, I can patronise her’, her mother said.
Tania wondered what she meant. So, she remained standing. Her mother continued watching the TV program she was engrossed in.
‘Are you deaf? I said I don’t have the money’.
Tania was surprised.
There was a load of money her money threw casually on the table, and she couldn’t just give one of it. She went off to her room till her mother left the parlour.
As she walked off, she picked one of the notes without looking at it. Upon getting to her room, she discovered it was one hundred naira note. She sighed. She wondered what she could do with it.
Before, Ayo would have given her a part of it, but since they have settled their fights and become friends, Tania barely had time for her. This always made Ayo get angry at Tania at the slightest offence. The next day, she told Bidemi about her half-payment but avoided telling him how she got it.
‘My aunt said all the money she had is for my school books and that she can’t waste her money on inter-house sport or any extra thing’, Bidemi said to her one day as they both decided to use one of their free periods to study.
They were about to delve deep into Social studies when Tania turned towards him.
‘What will you do?’
‘I don’t know….’ Bidemi replied.
‘What’s that?’ Rachael asked.
‘It’s nothing’, Bidemi said.
‘His aunt won’t buy him the sportswear’, Tania explained.
‘Are you sure? What if she changes her mind?’ Rachael asked.
‘You don’t know my aunt. When she said I wouldn’t go for the excursion, I thought she was lying. But did I go?’
The two girls shook their heads. Tania sighed. She wished she could get rich and help Bidemi. They all dug into their books and studied away.
‘Tania, your mummy is here’, Ayo said excitedly. Tania’s heart skipped as she looked up to see her mum headed for their classroom.
‘Tania’, her mom called the moment she got to the door of their class. ‘Where’s the hundred naira’.
Tania swallowed hard.
‘You’re a thief’, her mother removed her slippers and repeatedly hit her. She turned to the class and shouted, ‘call her, thief’.
‘Thief’, Ayo shouted. Some of the other students joined her. Soon, their noise attracted their teachers and principal, who was furious.
‘What’s this? Aunt Peace…’ The principal said.
Everyone knew her mother because of her water company. They said she started the water company somewhere else but moved it down there.
‘She’s a thief’.
‘Seriously. Tania is that true?’ The principal asked. Tania shook her head in shame.
‘Are you saying I’m lying?’ Tania’s mother asked.
‘Of course not. I meant to ask her what happened?’
‘Oh! She will lie. I should have seen this trait in her for long but I was busy assuming I have raised the best girl in the world. Your mother… Your mother is screaming because of you… Tania. I’m screaming because of you’.
‘Our aunt said if we don’t pay for the book today, we won’t be able to get the book and I want to pass my exams. My mummy will not give me the money’.
‘Coherence! What are you saying?’ Their principal said.
‘Oh! She said she needed money for a book, but I’m sure I must have given her’, her mum shouted.
‘You didn’t give me’.
‘Shut up’, the principal said. Then, she turned to Tania’s mum. ‘Madam … I will deal with her. You should have come to me first but I will deal with this… Please leave her with me’
‘I don’t know where she got this evil act from. The devil that wants to build a castle in your heart has failed. I will boil it out of you’.
‘Please, she will return home with the money’.
Her mother left after much cajoling.
‘What did you do that your mum didn’t want to give you the money?’
‘Nothing, ma. My mummy hates me. And I hate her too. I want to run away from our house. I will not go back to our house’.
‘That’s enough. You’re too distraught. I will give you two hundred naira. Pay up for the book. Then, see me tomorrow. We should talk’.
Tania knelt down to thank her. Moments later, she was crying into her desk. Rachael was the first to rush to her. She hugged her, and that made most of their classmates keep quiet. Grace had told numerous stories of how Rachael fought and won three senior students in their school. More so, they have witnessed her fight. They tried to avoid getting on her nerves.
‘Rachael?’ Grace called.
‘Go and face your foolish drawing book’, Rachael said.
Grace remained standing there as Tania returned to her seat.
‘You shouldn’t have stolen the money. I would have given you’, Rachael whispered.
Tania nodded as she avoided looking at others.

EverythinDeals:
Cc Divepen 1 can you help bring a conflict that's connected to this to an end and also close the this thread after you deal with that issue?

I will be expecting the link...

Chapter 13
The Holiday Cane
When Tania got home with her report card, her mother flogged her for not being the first. The matter became worse because her siblings got good results.
‘Waste of money. Waste of brain’, her mother repeated as she flogged her throughout the night.
Tania wished she could do something about it, but that was what most other parents did to their children.
Some days later, her friend, Segun, showed her the mark of the flogging. In a bid to flog him for not getting a good grade, his mother lashed at his eyes. This later caused a dispute between his parents.
‘I was so happy that my dad fought her. I just came fifth…’ Segun said.
‘In a government school. Me, I was seventh…’
Segun laughed. ‘My own is better.
‘It’s a lie’.
‘How many are you in your class?’
‘25’, Tania said.
Segun laughed for a while, and she wondered what she had said wrong. ‘We are 96 in our class’.
Tania was surprised. ‘Oluwa o. Why will your mummy beat you for getting fifth in a government school?’
‘I don’t know for her, but I’m happy my daddy showed her pepper’.
‘At least, he’s not the one that beat you’, Tania said as she headed her way.
‘Ah! He still gave me five-stroke of cane for getting fifth’.
Tania knew she could get a good result like Usman and Rachael. She would tell Rachael and Bidemi to teach her since they were both her friends. When her father saw the result, he was happy about the improvement. ‘You can do better. This shows that you’re really putting efforts. I will surprise you with a lot of gifts’.
Her mother, who was cooking in the kitchen, shouted, ‘I always make sure she reads… If not, the lazy thing would have always slept in front of the TV’.
‘Good work, dear. I can see your effort. I won’t let you wait till the future before I appreciate your effort’.
As Christmas edged nearer, their father took them out to a boutique to buy their Christmas clothes. Upon trying the clothes in her room, Tania couldn’t stop crying because of the way her father treated her, like a queen. He couldn’t understand what he was doing to her, but she felt happier than she had ever been in her entire life.
On Christmas day, her cousins came visiting. Jadesola, Lolade, and Olamide. The three girls were fond of playing about happily, unlike Tania and her siblings. She was always afraid of playing with them because if she injured Junior, her mother would be all over her.
‘You shouldn’t do that’, Tania told Olamide as she tried to show others one of the new dance steps in town, from Ijoya by Weird Mc.
‘This is how it is done’, Lolade corrected.
‘No… No. Let Tania show us. She’s really good o. You have not seen her dance?’ Jadesola suggested.
Their eyes lit as they urged her on. Tania got up to dance, showing different dance steps that awed her cousins, eliciting claps and cheers from them. As she was so engrossed in her dance steps, Junior ran into the parlour being chase by his Demilade. He ran into Tania and fell back. Immediately, he yelled and called for his mummy.
‘Who’s that again?’ Tania’s mum hurried down the stairs.
‘It’s Tania’, junior cried.
‘Ah!’ the three sisters exclaimed. Before anyone could make any complain or explain things, Tania’s mum had grabbed the cane she always placed behind the cushions and flogged Tania. She left her when she remembered she was cooking.
Tania couldn’t stop crying and tending to her wound while her cousins tried hard to console her.
‘Stop that your mouth’, her mum yelled as she returned to the parlour.
She repeatedly slapped Tania’s face. The three sisters were too scared even to step in to suggest that the fault wasn’t with Tania.
‘I’ve never seen a mother beat anybody like this’, Ola said when Tania’s mum was gone.
Jadesola shook her head. ‘Have you seen the way Mummy Seun beats him?’
‘Not like this…’
‘Err… I’m not sure like this. This one is too much. But she can beat him again and again’.
Tania watched them argue with a tear streaming down her face, watering her fear.

Chapter 12
End of the Term

On the last day of school, when everyone was dreading the outcome of their exams, Bidemi heard about the way Rachael came to Tania’s rescue, and that made him closer to her. She was also always happy to be in their company.
‘Where’s Grace?’ Tania asked.
Bidemi frowned at the thought of that.
‘She’s with the fine art teacher’.
‘That girl can draw for Africa’, Tania muttered.
Bidemi wished he could also draw, but at the moment, his only thought was on his result. Ayo poked her head into the class.
‘Bidemi, Miss Faleke wants every one of us in the class…’
‘For what?’ Tania asked.
‘For water? How will I know?’ Ayo snapped and sauntered off. The girls were the first to get to the class. Grace too, had returned to her seat. She was still clutching her drawing book and looked sad. He wondered why.
‘Have your seat, everyone’, Mrs Faleke said. She commanded respect among them that she never had to shout before they obeyed.
Many of them called her their role model without her knowledge. Her hair was always neatly, enhancing her classy glasses. Whenever she was angry, she had her way of talking without any iota of abusive or cuss words. This made Jss3 students feel ashamed when she caught them fighting or abusing others.
They cried more when she scolded with them words because they felt they had disappointed her.
So, when she asked them to sit down, the students scrambled to their seat while two of their classmates dumped the stack of report cards on the table.
‘I have tried to arrange these cards from the bottom to the top. So, there’s no need to hiding your result. I must tell you all that you have done well, and there are rooms for improvement. The person that got the last mark got it because he had not done well enough. I have decided to let you know that you can do better’, she said.
The class was so grim and silent that one would wonder if they were all there for a funeral. The drop of a pin would have sounded like a gunshot.
‘You all are golden, and I am sure you can do great things if only you put your mind to it. So, let’s try again, next term. I have gifts from those that spring up in their position’.
When she got the seventh position, she paused.
‘From what I heard, you are going through a lot at home but remain stoic. Keep the flag burning, Tania’.
A big smile masked Tania’s face as she rose to get her report card. She told him how her mother flogged for her last result. So, she hugged the card passionately.
’I got fifteenth last term’, she whispered to Bidemi. He held her hand and squeezed it gently. If he could just get the first this time, he would be happy. He came second throughout JSS2. He couldn’t get a correct score in the third term because he was in a new school. Now, he was in for a big battle.
‘Grace Ademola’, the teacher shouted when she got to the third position. Bidemi sighed. Their teacher was ruining the experience. It was best to know who came first from the report cards and not her mouth.
‘And… Rachael Ademola… came first. Bidemi Adeoti is the second. You guys are really impressive. Your first term in this school and you’re already making waves. The three of you. Keep it up’.
He was glad that he could still be among the top three. When he got home, however, his Aunt was not too happy to see him get second. She repeatedly lashed him with her words because of the result. Yet, he was glad.
During the holidays when he wasn’t selling things, he would go out to play inter-street football matches. At a point, the streets organised a coordinated football match that came with prize money. Being one of the best keepers, they barely lose any game. What even gave their street the edge was Bidemi’s ability to follow penalty shootout. As soon as he caught any ball, the boys would rally round to rub his head.
Once, they made that mistake, and the opponent struck the ball towards the goalpost again, Bidemi saw the ball in time and stopped it. The team roared excitedly.
Grace and Racheal would come as usual. But he always wished Tania was there to cheer him on.
Nonetheless, he knew she couldn’t leave her home because of her mother. He wished he knew her house. He would have sneaked off to visit her. Some days later, his mother and Usman came visiting. He was so happy to see them.
‘You need to see our new principal. He’s very lively. The man will walk like a woman’, Usman narrated and got up to describe their new principal.
‘He doesn’t flog?’ Bidemi asked.
‘Once in a blue moon!’
‘That’s fun’.
‘One day, though, he flogged one of the students for sending message to another about him loving the poor girl’.
‘Seriously. His parents will also kill him’.
‘He didn’t tell his parents’.
‘Wow!’ Bidemi exclaimed.
‘I’m telling you…’
‘He said once a child had been corrected in school, there is no reason to take their matter home any longer.’
‘I like the man’.
‘Everyone does o. He likes to tease us a lot. Whenever we are talking, the man will just shout “he’s lying. Don’t always believe stories you’re told?’
Bidemi wished he was still there. The school used to be fun.
‘Come here, Bidemi’, his mother called and beckoned to him. She looked confused.
‘Why are you looking like this?’ She asked. ‘And what happened to your hand?’
His Aunt came into the room at the same time. ‘What do you mean by why is he looking like this…?
‘He’s not looking too good for my liking and his hand…’, Bidemi’s mother said.
‘Well, you are not looking at him well. I’m out there trying to get someone to kill the chicken for tomorrow, and you are talking about him looking haggard. And you too Bidemi, go and join Ibukun out there. Let Chinedu kill the chicken. Tell him I’ll see him tomorrow’.
Chibuzo was their neighbour from the eastern part of Nigeria, which always made him argue that he wasn’t an Igbo boy. ‘I’m from Delta. We’re not Igbo’.
Bidemi rose.
‘Even the husbandman tends better to the garden than the owner’, his mother said.
Bidemi walked away but could tell that his Aunt seemed to be so afraid from what she heard because she heard that well.
‘Well, that’s rich coming from you. My brother, for example…’
Bidemi didn’t really understand what she meant, but he was soon lost in the thought of trying to kill his first chicken. He would beg Chinedu to give him the chance to kill the chicken himself.

Chapter 11
The Street Fight

Since the day Bidemi saw that field, he became a part of the street team. One of those days, Grace saw him and came over to watch. She cheered him on. Nothing felt wrong to her.
She regularly came around to watch their match. He couldn’t tell to leave because coming it was her choice.
On one such day, as they were playing, one of the other boys pushed him and got him injured. Some boys rallied round him. Grace rushed over to him to help just as some of the boys poured sand his injured big toe.
‘That’s wrong. It can cause tetanus’, Grace shrieked.
‘What does this one know?’ One of the boys countered.
‘She’s right’, Rachael interfered.
Bidemi glanced at her. He had noticed her there, but he didn’t expect her to stay that long.
As usual, Rachael was with another storybook. She loved moving about with a book and a bag that contained her bottle. All the teachers wouldn’t talk whenever she did that. When some of the other students tried it, however, they flogged them.
‘Did the doctor ask you to drink from your bottle too?’ Asked Mr Ade, their maths teacher, whenever he flogged the offenders.
Grace dusted the sand off Bidemi’s wound, making him groan. The huge boy that countered her before pushed her away immediately. Bidemi yelled at him for being stupid.
Rachael rushed over and smacked the boy across the head.
‘Are you out of your sense?’ She yelled.
The boy was stunned. He spun around. ‘Ah! A girl slapped my head. I’m dead. I will finish you today’.
Rachael looked at him, calmly and smiled. Grace was fast to hurry to her side.
‘Don’t… Rachael. Remember what you promised Mummy…’ Grace said as she held Rachael back.
Rachael nodded and groaned, ‘I just want to teach somebody a lesson’.
Rachael removed her bag. As if she anticipated it, as the boy rushed towards her to slap her, she stepped aside and hit him again, harder this time. This infuriated the boy, he yelled amidst the chuckles of the other boys and rushed back in a bid to beat her, but she flung him to the ground.
‘Hey! You two! Stop immediately!’ A man shouted just as Rachael sat on him.
Bidemi didn’t know an adult was around. Rachael stopped. But the boy wouldn’t listen, the man raised his hand to let him know he would beat him.
‘You can’t come here and act like a god. I must beat this girl’, the boy shouted as he edged towards Rachael.
‘Now, a wise child whose parents have trained well will do well to show his home training to others’, the man said and gestured at Grace and Rachael to leave. Bidemi felt it was high time he left too. He was glad the two girls came to his rescue.
‘I think I have seen that man before….’ Rachael said when they had gone far from the field.
‘I’m not sure…’
‘Do you remember the man that separated us when I use to beat you’, Rachael said.
Grace stared into space for a while and nodded, surprised. ‘That’s him o. You know we saw him some days ago.’
‘Do you remember that he wears suits too?’ Rachael said.
‘But maybe he’s not the one’, Bidemi added.
‘I’m afraid…’
Rachael kept describing the man until they got to a crossroad.
‘Till Monday’, Bidemi said.
The girls murmured their responses
Bidemi watched them discuss as they left for their houses. The only thing on his head was to find a way to hide the wound or find a suitable explanation for his aunt.

Chapter 10
Excursion Day
Grace hissed when she saw the two of them passing a book from one end to another. She hated that Tania, the shortest girl, in the class was eventually getting the attention of the boy she loved. She brought out her drawing book as they awaited the presence of their CRS teacher. She was always late, and Grace used that opportunity to draw.
Her pencil gracefully dashed lines across the book as she couldn't stop drawing Bidemi. Any time some other thing crept into her thought, she would push them aside. The one she detested most was the thought of her mother.
'You're doing it again', Racheal said.
She looked up and hurriedly closed her drawing book. Rachael sighed and drank from her bottle of coffee.
'You know I still have the drawing you gave me. Draw other things', Rachael mumbled.
'It's enough. Face your books or winning or something that's not about me', Grace snapped and looked away.
'All these are for you. You need to enjoy other things. I used to see flowers and everything in your book', Racheal said.
Grace sighed. She wished she could do something to ward off Rachael. Almost the same time, Ayo, the class captain clambered into the classroom with a sheet of paper and a notebook.
'They said I should call out the names of the people that have paid their excursion money'.
The class remained in composed disarray as she raised the sheet of paper containing their names. Then, she reeled out several names of the people that have paid. Grace was surprised that Bidemi's name wasn't among those called. She would wait until their break time to ask him. When Ayo was done calling them names, she brought out a note from under her armpit.
'CRS teacher gave us two notes to copy, and I will start it'.
'Let me write it for you', Isabel, a tall, slender girl requested. It wasn't news that Isabel loved to write such note before anyone because she had the most elegant handwriting in the class and was the tallest. For this reason, she always had reasons to copy the notes into her notebook before any other person. Not only that, but she also wrote the notes for the next lessons before their teachers authorise them.
Ayo gave the note to Isabel Bolawole. Seizing the opportunity, Grace faced the board and didn't heed Rachael again. Luckily for her, Rachael was bent on being the first to finish the note. So, she was free. Grace wouldn't have been concerned if she hadn't noticed the intensity with which Rachael stared at the board.
'Ah! Must you be the best in everything?' Grace murmured.
Rachael shrugged. 'Big mummy said we are the best. I'm just trying to make it happen'.
Grace hissed. When it was break time, she faced her drawing book. She had tried severally to get Bidemi's attention once more, but her effort was futile. He wouldn't listen to her. And whenever he answered, it was offhanded.
Other students noticed this and teased her about it. Bidemi seemed to hate the fact that they were using him and her to tease each other, but he didn't fight it. He was only focused on the book Tania gave him.
She decided to get the books the two of them were passing between themselves. During break time, she followed them to the place they danced and watched them from afar. Her food flask was with her. So, she munched the noodles Madam Flourish dished for them. Once in a while, she would watch several people enjoy their games on the field and wish to be with them. But her mind was focused on these two. Racheal would disapprove.
What does she know than to be the first? Grace wondered.
When she returned her food flask to the class, some of the other girls wanted her to play 'change your style' with them, but her mind was on the two people singing and dancing in the unused room.
Not comfortable, she sneaked to a class beside the one they were singing. After a while, they stopped singing and began discussing the excursion.
'I'm not sure I'm going', Bidemi said. 'Since my aunt has said that she couldn't pay for it and if my parents pay for it, she won't give me the money'.
'Did you tell them that we will go to the bar beach too?' Tania asked.
'Yes. She said the river will carry me away', Bidemi replied.
Tania laughed hard. But Grace couldn't take such from her. At least, she should encourage him instead of making jest of him.
'It's not like I'll enjoy it. My parents want me to watch over my siblings. So, there's nothing I will do than just to go where we…' Tania said.
'Let's sing and dance…' Bidemi suggested.
As they were singing and dancing, Grace knew that she could be a part of the team by singing too. She had a good voice but didn't take it seriously. She might leave her drawing for a while because it was worth the pain.
She peered down the field at the boys playing about, making her wonder why they keep chasing a single round leather object just to shout when it entered the goalposts. She looked elsewhere and saw Rachael trying to win again in all the races.
The other girls all rallied around her like the cup they win at the end of the school's inter-house sport. People were already pitching her for the house she would pick. Grace hated that she couldn't do anything than to draw things. Nobody loved her. They didn't like her drawings.
She can sing, but she loved drawing above singing. She can run but not that fast. She can dance but not well enough for the school dance group. Nobody wanted her skills. She didn't even know if she would be great in the future. She's not the best in everything. Bidemi chose short Tania over her, and she hated it.
'Pay up your excursion fee', their teachers kept shouting as the days drew nearer. Grace wished Bidemi would go.
'I'm not going anymore', Grace told Madam Flourish some days to their excursion day.
'Of course, you're going. Unless you want to stay at your mother's place', Madam Flourish replied without looking at her.
'I can stay in school', Grace said.
Madam Flourish glanced at her and back at what she was calculating. Then, she peered at her. 'Are you sure you're fine?'
Grace refused to answer and looked elsewhere. Madam Flourish turned to Rachael. 'What's wrong with her?'
Rachael only made a face.
'Oh! You too! That's good. I'm breeding dumb ladies in this house', Madam Flourish said, dropped her calculator, removed her glasses, and clapped repeatedly. None of the girls replied her.
'Okay. Rachael, come here. I'll eat beans tomorrow'.
Rachael looked up and smiled. 'It's easy… Beans will make you better. It has protein. Do you know that?'
'Do you mean that?'
'Yes…. It has… Wait! Are you joking? Oh! You're joking', Rachael said and frowned as Madam Flourish burst into laughter.
'Rachael, I have a meeting tomorrow. I can't be running up and down from one toilet to another. At least, I have given you enough chances to cook and enjoy beans as long as you want'.
'You need it...'
'I know. What's wrong with Grace…?'
'I don't know'.
Grace sighed.
'But I think it's because of Bidemi… Bidemi Adeoti. He doesn't have money to pay for the excursion', Rachael replied.
'Oh! His parents', Madam Flourish said. 'Is he your friend?'
Rachael rose and clapped her hands. 'Thank you ooo'.
That aggravated Grace. 'What's your problem with whom I like?'
'Well, like Miss Angelina', Rachael replied, and Madam Flourish accented her statement.
Grace became angry. 'I hate you all'.
'That's a wrong tone, young lady. Now, change it'.
Grace puffed as she remembered Miss Angelina, whom she still missed. She was a beautiful lady that was also a lesbian. She loved women than men. When they were in Dekleye, she wanted to force Grace to act like a man to her. Grace hated that ordeal. If it was possible, she wished she could scrape it off her memory. But since it was there now, she had to learn to shut it up.
'She's always drawing Bidemi in her book', Rachael said.
'Oh! Like that your teacher', Madam Flourish said.
'Yes. Like Miss Angelina', Rachael agreed.
Grace flared up. 'I drew you. I drew everyone. I drew animals. Flowers. I drew thing'.
'You always do that when you like people a lot, and it's a bad habit. You will draw them even when they are sleeping', Rachael said.
'Like she's stalking them. So, what with this boy?' Madam Flourish asked.
'He's not going, and now she doesn't want to go', Rachael replied and avoided Grace's eyes.
'Who will take care of Rachael if something happens to her?' Madam Flourish queried.
Rachael nodded. Grace knew Rachael hated such a statement, but she didn't mind that day.
'I'm going to my drawing room', Grace mumbled as she rose
'No. I saw the adverts of Paloma and Diego. They should start soon', Rachael said.
Grace blinked as she wondered if she should stay there.
'Oh! I also need to watch that opera. I've heard a lot of people talk about it this period. What's it all about?'
'Mummy, you're really missing', Rachael said and sat upright to explain the storyline. Grace was forced to input some things when Rachael was getting it wrong.
On their excursion day, Madam Flourish gave them a lot of money for their upkeep. They were both excited. Ayo too bragged about bringing a lot of money.
Tania, however, didn't have enough money. Ayo, who was still angry at her since the last time they fought and had always wanted reasons for them to fight, seized that opportunity to abuse her about having a wicked money. Tania couldn't buy some of the things the other students were buying. Grace played with different people and was so concerned with the different things in Fortune City Museum that she ensured a lot of pictures with the artefacts.
'Again?' Rachael lamented as she had to take pictures with her too.
'Yes'.
When Ayo's jibe was becoming too much for Rachael, she divided her money into two and gave Tania a part. Grace had never seen someone that happy before. She wished she wasn't angry at Tania, and she would have given her more money. She disliked Ayo's behaviour but preferred to be her friend than Tania's.
Tania took several pictures too and was so happy. She gave some parts of the money to those in the junior classes that didn't have money. Grace was angry at the wastage, but she couldn't do anything.
When they were done, their school wanted them to cross over to the larger part of Nigeria, but those at the port authority wanted a form of signed documents by their parents. Since the school authority didn't have it, they had to return to a beach.
As they got out of her bus, upon arrival at school, Tania told someone. 'I will show Bidemi this'.
Grace hated that Tania would be the one to show Bidemi.
'Why did you even give her the money?' Grace asked as they got to the gate of their home.
Rachael glanced at her. 'It's my money'.
'Mummy gave us'.
They argued till they got into their rooms.

germaphobe:
another banger, thanks for coming through with this one. EXPECTING another update sooner than the normal time

Thanks a lot boss. Will do that now sef.... I've been busy with some other money matters.

Eriggs:
Divepen has that. Search for his name. He's a very good writer, and he is a Christian.

Thanks for considering me good... Here @ Juliusmomoh here's a link:
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/Akintayoakinjide

Eriggs:
Divepen has that. Search for his name. He's a very good writer, and he is a Christian.

Thanks for considering me good... Here @ Juliusmomoh here's a link:
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/Akintayoakinjide

Chapter 9
The Dance of Pain
Tania found solace in school and the class she danced always. As she danced away at Bidemi’s song, she didn’t notice that the voice had drawn nearer. Her mind wandered off to the night before and how she had also escaped another cane from her mother that morning. The next option for her was to make sure she gave her Dad the letter himself.
When her mother told her friend what Tania did, the woman abused Tania and talked to her in such a way that Tania’s mother wouldn’t have even spoken to her. Almost immediately, her mind flipped back to the end of the year’s party. She wondered if she would still be allowed to join the dance group because graduating students were spared from the stressful activities of the party.
‘Oh! You’re terrific’, Bidemi said.
His hand was covered in a bandage. She glanced from him to his hand. Despite seeing it that morning, she hadn’t been able to look at it up close.
‘Thank you…’ She said. He smiled and turned to leave. ‘You are good too… I mean you are a good singer’.
He smiled at her and walked away.
‘I dance here every day’, she said again.
That caught his attention. ‘I sing in the other room every day’.
She smiled at him. She wanted to hold those painful hands and treat them as she had seen her mother treat her brother.
‘Can I sing for you again? You can really dance’, Bidemi asked as they both became silent for a few seconds.
She nodded. He sat on the window frame and sang different songs. He started from a cultural dance song, Oweleke, to the reigning secular songs, Psquare’s song, and shuffled to different genres. Immediately he changed his songs, she would also change her dance style. This excited her the more. She spun in the air excitedly.
They would have remained there if the bell wasn’t rung. In fact, she might have urged him to continue, but their teachers would walk about to be sure everyone was in their class, and anyone caught outside the class would be flogged or asked to crawl to their class.
For days, they would meet there to sing and dance. Sometimes, she would forget to eat before going over. Luckily, he too didn’t bring food to school anymore. So, she didn’t always feel bad whenever she was there without anything to eat. Most of the afternoons were spent learning new dance styles to different songs. Some of the boys complained about Bidemi’s absence from the field, making Tania happy she was the cause of his absence.
One Friday, she was to sweep the classroom. Every other person had gone home. The only people left were the few students cleaning their classrooms, the few boys playing football, the girls waiting for them, and their security man also in his black and yellow uniform.
When she was done sweeping, she picked her bag to leave. A little book laid on the floor outside the gate. She had always wanted to buy one too. It was a book where all the popular songs were written. She tore off the first page that had the name of one of the students on it. The next day seemed to be a drag as she expected.
Luckily for her, Bidemi was excited about the book. They sang from it. As they were making merry, Bidemi noticed a mark of a stripe on her hand.
‘What happened to you here?’ He asked.
She refused to tell him. But after a little pestering, she told him about the way her mother flogged her for everything, every time, with everything possible. Bidemi, then took a turn, to tell Tania different stories and soon, the two of them began to share sad stories over their dance and songs. It almost became a competition between them about who had the most disturbing story.
‘Ah! Your own is not bad. What of the day she told me to sit on a hot bowl of water…?’ Bidemi said.
‘Oh! Your own is better’, Tania replied as she stopped herself from crying. ‘My mom… She told me to crawl on sand…’
They must have talked for a while before she realised something.
‘One day, I will leave home…’
‘I don’t understand you?’
‘I will run away’.
‘Oh! Good choice but not too good. I ran away once. I suffered under the bridge. That same time, I met Aunty Omo. She used to come to our school to teach us about being good. When she saw me, she took me to her house’.
‘Eh! What if she kidnapped you?’ Tania asked.
He shook his head. ‘She wanted to return me, but I told her I will run away. So, she took me to another school. It was fun. I met my friend that ran away…’
‘Ah, ah! She likes to help people’.
‘Yes. She gave me a big bed. Even my parents don’t have that type of bed. The food we ate was one in a kind. We sometimes ate Jollof rice. She buys cookies and ice cream for us…’
‘When I see those people that sell it, I always wish I have ten naira with me…’
‘No. The ones from ‘Tori Kitchen’. That big ice cream plate’.
‘Wow! I want to go to her place’.
Bidemi sighed. Tania stared at him in wonder.
‘She’s dead. She committed suicide’.
‘Ehya! I hate suicide’.
‘Me too’.
Tania was afraid with all the stories he had told her that he might want to consider committing suicide. She turned to him and stared into his eyes.
‘Promise me you will not kill yourself’.
He looked stunned. ‘I can run away but to kill myself. No.’
‘Good! I will have no one to sing like you again’, she said and held his hands.
‘What are you two doing?’ Grace asked. Tania dropped Bidemi’s hand and turned hurriedly. Bidemi didn’t look too stunned.
‘Grace’, Tania replied. ‘Nothing…’
‘I want to join you. I’m tired of Rachael. She has been reading and running and winning everything. She thinks everyone wants to win her’.
‘What’s this one saying?’ Bidemi said and walked away.
‘Bidemi, I’m Grace. My name is not this one’.
‘Okay. Grace Not this one’, Bidemi shouted.
Tania had to stop herself from giggling. Grace was taller and the most beautiful girl in their class, but she was happy that Bidemi loved her over Grace.
For days, they both discussed how they would escape. Bidemi was against what she wanted to do.
‘You have nowhere you will go. I will go to my mum. Where will you go?’
‘Anywhere…’
‘I can’t let you go…’ Bidemi said.
‘But I have my own choice and right’, Tania said.
‘You’re still a child. People kill children and do all kind of things to them’.
‘Then, that’s good. Are you not a child too? It’s better than living with my mother’, she said and walked away. Through that week, she planned ahead on how to escape.
‘There’s nothing that will stop me from running from home tomorrow. My aunt is always coming back late from the shop. I will quickly escape’.
Tania loved that idea. ‘I will also follow you…’
‘You have nowhere to go.’
‘I want to go anywhere but home. I don’t want to go back home. I sleep in the parlour on the floor’.
‘Some people don’t have anything’.
‘Shut up your mouth! If you don’t want to help me, tell me…’
‘You too shut up! Get out of here’, Bidemi shouted as he rose to leave.
‘You too leave. This was my place before you came from the other room to invade this place’.
‘You’re talking as if you don’t think’.
‘Bidemi, don’t you ever tell me I don’t think in your life again. Are you saying I’m an idiot?’.
‘Shut up! Get off’ Bidemi shouted and walked off.
Tania was tired. The only person that loved her was angry at her. She needed to leave immediately, that night. As she got home, she hurriedly packed her clothes and dumped them in the bag. Then, she wondered what she would eat and what she would do when she was out of the house. That struck her mind. She decided to go back and wait till night after she had eaten.
As she got to the parlour, she met her mom, who was busy playing a puzzle. When she noticed Tania’s presence, she looked up and stared for a few seconds at the bags Tania carried.
‘What’s this?’
‘I saw a rat in the room’.
‘Oh! You have started harbouring things that will bring rats into the house, right?’ She said and knocked her head.
Tania shook her head. After that night’s food, she was definitely going. When she took the last morsel of Eba and vegetable soup, mixed with a lot of dry fish and crayfish, she wondered what she would eat the next day if she left. She didn’t have enough money.
So, she decided to endure at her mother’s place till she had made enough money. When she got to school, their teachers announced that they were going for an excursion. She was glad and glanced at Bidemi.
‘Will you go?’ He asked as they returned to the class.
She shrugged. ‘I don’t know…’
‘Me too… But I can’t run away again. My aunt caught me and have told some people always to ask me where I was going whenever they see me with bags’
Tania told him her own story. Bidemi couldn’t stop laughing while she was torn between crying for her failure and laughing at the way the story sounded from her mouth.

Chapter 8
The Peeled Hands
Bidemi walked home in a hurry, hungry, clutching a twenty naira note. His mother’s phone number was still neatly written in the paper in the side pocket of his bag. Despite knowing it offhand, he had to take a peek at his aunt’s phone when she was using the bathroom. If she had caught him, he would have been left with his trousers on fire.
‘I want to make a phone call’, he said to the woman seated at the end of the street. He refused to return to the first lady he used the other day as he didn’t want to be delayed and abused by the young girl he met there.
This woman hurried up and fiddled with her bag. Her plate of food was left unattended, but she didn’t mind.
‘Call the number, let me help’. She was enthusiastic that Bidemi had to promise himself to always return to her. The woman stared absentmindedly between him and the tip of the umbrella that was blown by the wind while the phone was clasped to her ear.
‘It’s ringing’, she said and pointed the small phone to him.
He clasped it to his head. ‘Hello, mummy. Hello…’
‘Who’s this?’ His mother said. ‘Bidemi?’
‘Mum. Thank God. I’m happy to hear from you after all these while…’
‘Yes. I always wanted to come visit you, but your dad won’t allow me. How are you? Are you fine? Hope Shola is treating you well…?’
The phone beeped.
‘No, ma. I’m…’
The phone beeped twice. Bidemi removed it from his ear to glance at it to see if it was still reading. The screen was blank.
‘It’s not… There’s nothing here’, Bidemi called.
The woman rose and checked it. ‘Oh! This girl had played with this phone. Can you wait while I charge it?’
‘No…’ Bidemi said and gave her the twenty naira note.
‘Wait. You would still have some parts of it’, the woman called. ‘The charging will not be more than ten minutes’.
Aunt Teju would be waiting for him. Bidemi glanced at her and shook his head as he hurried home. As expected, she was sat in the parlour, swinging her leg profusely.
‘Why are you late?’ Aunt Teju asked.
‘I’m not late…’
‘Shut the yap and change after you’ve eaten’.
When he was done, he carried the wares about. He didn’t make many sales, but who was he to force people to buy the things he was selling? If he didn’t go, it might be a problem for him. With this, he could return to tell her there weren’t enough sales. He walked about and saw some of the boys playing football. They fascinated him. He stood with his wares and watched them excitedly.
‘Let me keep for you’, he offered when one of the team lost because their keeper was poor. The street was the next to his house, and he shouldn’t even play because someone might see him. However, when the team offered him the post, he couldn’t resist the offer.
Every one of them praised his goalkeeping ability, and he enjoyed it. The ball was getting exciting until the owner of the ball felt cheated.
‘I’m no longer playing’, the owner shouted and picked the ball.
The other boys were stunned, Bidemi especially.
‘Come and play in our team…’ Bidemi suggested. The boy stopped in his track and turned towards the winning team, brandishing a big smile. The other boys were ready to accept him. But to do that, Bidemi’s team had to send someone else to the other side. After several considerations, they picked the smallest boy, who had been falling over the ball since they started.
The other team rejected him and were ready to play without a full team. The short boy’s best friend, however, was the bully of the field. Seeing that his friend was off the pitch aggravated him.
‘If you want to go, go. Take your ball away. We don’t want again…’ He shouted. His dark, sweaty skin glinted in the setting sun as he walked towards the team, rejecting his friend.
‘But there’s no other ball…’ Another boy replied to him from the other end of the field.
‘Ehn! Everybody should go home’, the bully shouted. There was a bit of argument between them and in a few minutes, he had scattered the small stones set as goalposts. Another stubborn boy, in retaliation, tried to reset the posts. The bully picked a plank of wood and chased him off the field. In the same anger, he ran back into the field to pursue those that tried resetting the post.
Bidemi was angry that he had just lost another opportunity to enjoy a good football match. So, he took his wares and returned home. His aunt was waiting for him at the door. The moment he dropped his ware, she smacked him across his face. He batted his eyes repeatedly.
‘You are an idiot. You left my own wares on the floor to do rubbish’.
He held on to his face and wondered when she saw him. But the slap was enough to make him remain fixed to the position.
‘No food for you tonight. And there’s no money for you to school tomorrow…’
‘But…’ Bidemi stuttered as he tried to explain to her that he was already returning home when he stumbled on the footballers.
‘Those in the other house will come to give you the money you ever wanted and the care. You had the right to call home again after I have warned you against it. They will send money for food to you. Nincompoop’.
The thought of that made him angry. Why was she beating for calling his mother? He assumed he could go on without the food and refused to beg her. If food deprivation were what would help him to get out of that place, he wouldn’t mind going hungry. In fact, he would go on a hunger strike. His aunt raved around the house, scattering and un-scattering things.
Bidemi went over to his bag to pick his assignments. Nothing excited him than knowing that he would get better marks than beat any of those girls- Grace or Racheal. They were both good, but he was better.
As he continued working on the assignment, his stomach rumbled. Hunger pinched every part of his stomach, tickling the noisy worms there. At first, he waved off the feeling, but when it disturbed him the more, he looked around. Just at the same moment, his aunt rushed into the room with the pot of rice. This excited him.
The scent was enough to make him hungrier. Just as she rushed out to pick something, he clambered off the ground and tried to eat the few grains of rice on the big spoon atop the pot. As if she had been waiting for this, his aunt sprung back into the room and clamped his hand.
‘You want to be a thief, right?’ She yelled.
‘No, aunt Teju…’
‘Shut up!’ She yelled and dragged his hands. ‘I will show you why you shouldn’t steal anymore in your life’.
‘No, aunt Teju’, he shouted and tried to pull himself away, but she was fiercer than an angry animal.
She pressed the back of his hands on the pot. Bidemi had never experienced such pain before. He yelled with all his might and wriggled, but she was adamant and fierce. Her yell outdid his Their neighbours heard the commotion and ran into the room. By the time they finally forced his hands out of hers, his hands were sore, and his aunt was in tears.
‘He must learn not to steal anymore!’ She managed to say as she moved back as if she was shocked at herself, tears dripping down her face. ‘He wants to be a thief’.

EverythinDeals:
Dominique don't mind him. Since I told him I had ten writers he started exhibiting funny trials and has been using one excuse to the other to demoralise my writers and not pay for services rendered. It's now eight weeks. When this thread was created he assured to pay today which was like 12days ago. Today he tried to spin it one me that he won't pay for one 5000words project and he will pay for just one. Do I go back and tell my team mates who wrote this article seven weeks back that it won't be paid for. Does one go to a shopping mall place a purchase and after eight weeks say he won't pay for services rendered? Please add his moniker and names to list of thieves on the forum. He can come defend himself if I'm lying. I can send you screenshots of his words today

CC Divepen1

This was the same reason I was stalling the removal of the thread.
Emmaxxy9, what's the issue here again?

dominique:
Who is the said client that is refusing to pay you? Did you meet him on Nairaland? Post his details here

It's been resolved. He's requested the removal of this thread. I'll do that at 9pm, when I will assume you have gotten my response.

SheWrites:
I prefer this option.
I gave up after 2 trials.
I will mail you all my books with their book covers and prices.
Thanks Divepen1

Alright. I really am curious. What issue are facing?

cho25bc:
Comgratulations Divepen

Thamk you....
It's been 2901 years. How are you?

germaphobe:
wow, my boss going places, congrats SIR

Thanks baba. People like you were our engine

stuff46:
Divepen going places

Amemmmmmmmm ooo