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rukoyah02:
Chai some women sha.Happy new month to you guys.

Abi... Wish you the same..oo

Deleman234:
Can we use Email ?

You'll still need to send me a message through my profile.

queenitee:
Jesus. Women ah, obinrin

Abi

Chapter 8
First Awry Taste

Usman was excited when his uncle drove him back home. Mrs. Ajanaku insisted he spent two weeks at home to understand the gravity of what he had done. To this, his uncle agreed and scolded him all the way home. He complained that he didn't know what would happen to the coming generation if they kept up this act.
Upon getting home, Iya Tade was waiting for him. His uncle explained what happened to her. She was kind to him, and he loved her company. She touched him affectionately and played with his cheek or arm when her husband's attention was elsewhere.
The first ten days he spent at her house felt heavenly. She made life pleasurable for him and his uncle was ready to tutor him on how to be a real man. However, on the eleventh day, which was Friday, the 22nd of October, 2004, Usman met his waterloo.
His uncle hurried out of the house on a journey. After his bath, she brought him a sumptuous meal. He was excited. The time with this new family would surely be enjoyable. He had never spent a day in a house filled with wealth.
As he ate, Iya Tade sat close to him and kept talking and touching him. She was, indeed, kind. When he was done eating, she tried to clear the dishes, but he refused the offer as his parents would have frowned against such. In fact, they would skin him alive if he ever allowed an adult clear up the dishes.
'No, ma. I’ll do it', he insisted after she shook her head for the second time.
'Not with these arms of steel,' she said and smiled. 'You know what? Do it. I will like to see them in action'.
He didn't understand what she meant, but her stare rattled him. People had always said he looked older than his age, but that wasn't his concern. Immediately, he dropped the plates in the sink, she came up to him and grabbed his hands.
'What are you doing?' Usman asked, amused.
'Usman, you're strong. Even at this your young age, you're every woman's desire; especially with your build. What are you? Just 15 years?'
He didn't understand what she meant, neither could he stand the way she was touching him, but the desire to grab her topped the wishes of his heart. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to do such. It felt bad.
'I don't want…' He said and pushed off him. She stumbled to the wall, making him afraid. He had just hurt his aunt. The way she was touching him was absurd. She smiled weirdly.
'I'm sorry,' Usman pleaded.
'Wow. That power. You love it. I know you do', she persuaded and rose. 'This is an opportunity. Boys all over the world want it. Don't be a prude. Come here'.
He felt aroused with the way she squinted her eyes. Despite not understanding what was wrong with him, he knew he had to run off. She came closer.
'Leave me.' He ran off to the room he had been given and locked it.
'I'll tell my uncle when he returns,' Usman yelled as she kept banging the door.
'You better come out and give me what you want. Remember I'm the adult here, and I’m also his wife. My husband would believe anything I say'.
'That's a lie.'
Usman didn't know what to do. His uncle would definitely believe him and talk to his wife. He sat there throughout the day and was only disturbed by the random knock of Iya Tade. When the evening was set on the house, she came knocking again.
'Won't you come out to your dinner?'
'No.'
'If you promise to be a good boy and not tell your uncle, I won't say anything.'
He loved what she was saying, but how would he believe her. She might be lying. Moreover, he couldn't easily take his mind off the story of the corpse in the grave.
'I don't believe you,' he shouted.
'Then, you're pushing yourself into your waterloo. Usman, come out'.
'No.'
'Only God can save you from what would happen to you tonight,' she shouted.
He refused to answer her. She began to play Mr Lecturer by Eedris Abdulkareem. Staying indoors was tiresome, as time went by and the darkness of the night became thicker, Usman wondered if his uncle would return at all.
As the darkest part of the night began to unveil itself, his uncle's car drove into the compound. Almost at the same time, Iya Tade screamed like someone that was being flogged. Usman couldn't stand it any longer. He rushed out.
The little light from the bulb was enough to show him a glimpse of what he was in for. Her blouse was torn.
'Rasheed has brought a demon to the house,' she cried. His uncle ran inside with the same fear as Usman. She was sprawled on the floor. 'I was good to him, but the dog said he didn't like the real food I gave him. He wanted to eat me. He wanted to rape me. My God didn't agree with him'.
'Peju, what happened?' Usman's uncle asked, perplexed.
'Your dog. The one you brought home, tried to rape me'.
'My dog?'
Usman was perplexed as to why she was crying. She was the one that wronged him and should be the one being accused.
'Usman tried to rape me.'
'Usman…' His uncle growled as he turned to him. His eyes were red. 'You devil. You wanted to rape my wife! You want to rape her'.
Without another look at his wife, he pounced on Usman and punched him several times. Usman screamed. The surprise made the punches painful. He couldn't believe his eyes and could only cry for help when his uncle kept railing curses, spits, and blows on him.
'It's not me,' he shouted.
'Don't mind the dog. He will lie against the devil. Ah! God knows that I wanted to care for you as a son. I embraced the idiot. Not knowing he had something else in mind', Iya Tade yelled.
His uncle stopped punching him and stormed into the room. 'I will kill you myself.'
Iya Tade crawled to him. By this time, Usman was panting and could feel the welt of his uncle's punches.
'My two cents. Run for your life. He has gone to take his cutlass. You should have listened to me. I am a woman. I have shown you that I can ruin your life. Run'.
His uncle's growl was enough to tell him she wasn't lying. Without a minute's hesitation, he clambered out of the house into the emptiness of the street. As if planned, NEPA switched off the power in the area. Usman knew all those areas by heart because he sold food provisions through each of them when his mother was still alive. Stumbling through the rough road, he kept running. There was no way he could remain in that street and not be called a rapist.

Chapter 7
The First Nudge

Bidemi was the first to get to school that Monday. He was sure Usman would come to the school; so, he decided to go to school very early to find out the result of Usman and his mother’s visit to the Principal.
Moreover, the boys needed to discuss the things they saw the previous day. However, when he met the boys, they couldn't talk much before the bell rang. They knew the principal would surely address the issue, and they were prepared to lie.
The boys glanced at one another. Bidemi knew they had been ratted out and wasn't sure he could withstand pain like Usman. Everyone would definitely see his wide mouth that Monday. What they did was definitely wrong. There wasn't any gain in it, but he still went anyway, and now he would face the repercussion.
The boys tried to gather round to discuss their next plan, but they were soon dispersed by the booming voice from afar.
‘Mrs. Ajanaku', they shouted and sprinted to the assembly.
Just as they began to form their assembly lines and the teachers meandered into the assembly, a car drove into the school compound. The sight of this car made many students turn to see whose parent had brought them to school. Usman came out of the vehicle.
‘Usman?' People whispered and mumbled.
Usman was coming in with someone new. He smiled warily at Bidemi and led the man to the principal’s office. Bidemi sighed with relief and glanced at Gladys, who was also smiling.
However, as they were about to round up the assembly, Usman and the man came out of the office and headed for the car. Usman ran to Bidemi and gave him two folded papers.
Bidemi wondered what might have transpired between them in the principal's office. Suddenly, the Proprietress came out of the principal's office. Shocked, he glanced around and saw her car parked at a corner in the school. How come I didn't see it? He wondered. Bidemi expected the principal to follow her, but only Mrs. Ajanaku came out and no one else.
Surprised, Bidemi glanced about and could see the surprise on various faces. The chubby, fair proprietress climbed the podium.
‘Good morning, students,' she said in a sing-song way.
‘Good morning, ma.'
‘Without much ado, I have a very important announcement to make. I would like to inform you all, that your former principal, Mr. Badmus, has been transferred to the other branch of the school, and your new principal is Mrs. Ajanaku.'
Just as Bidemi expected, no one clapped; instead, they all stared in amazement.
The silence must have made her angry because after she gave a little speech, she turned to the Jss3 Class.
'Gladys Bolawole, come out here!'
The fear on Gladys' face was contagious as she walked up to the podium like a jellyfish.
'Point to the boys you told me were staring at girls…' Mrs Ajanaku said to Gladys and turned to the Proprietress. 'Ma…. You would not believe it. These boys went to the female hostel to peep at them bathing; even after we just flogged one of them last week'.
The proprietress shook her head. 'Boys? They are dogs. Flog the devil out of their hardening minds'.
'I said you should point to them, Gladys. And you, head girl, get me a good cane', Mrs. Ajanaku said to the head girl, who seemed too happy to do her bidding.
'I only saw one of them. He was in Jss2. They were many', Gladys said. She looked about eagerly.
'Then, point to them,' Mrs Ajanaku shouted.
'They were many.'
'Flog them all,' the Proprietress interfered. The boys were evidently afraid.
'You heard her. Jss2 boys, all of you, come out. We kill the Iroko tree by killing its first leaf. Come out here. Four strokes for each of you'.
Bidemi sighed. At least, he wouldn't be singled out. During Mr Alani's class, while many of the boys were nursing their pain, Mr Alani used the opportunity to preach them to be careful of the way they act around women and girls.
'Women always get away with everything. Don't try to win them', Mr Alani said as he turned to write his subject on the board.

Chapter 6
Burial and Smiles

That unfortunate Monday, as the heavy rains beat on, Usman and his neighbours lifted his mother's body from under the fallen tree. They took turns lamenting and telling tales of how they had always wanted to get rid of that good-for-nothing tree.
Usman was forced to go to his uncle's house, being the only family member, he knew. Upon getting there, he didn't allow his uncle to begin his barrage of complaints about how he & his mother had deserted him.
‘My mother is dead, sir', He said dejectedly.
'What?! Usman, what are you saying? Your mother is dead, how? When? Usman? Iya Tade, come here o. Come. Come', his uncle shouted giving Usman no chance to speak.
Iya Tade, a slender woman, who spent most of her University education in America, rushed out. ‘What happened? She asked the moment she entered.
‘Usman’s mother is dead.’
Her eyes opened wide in shock as she sank into a cushion. ‘Ahhh… How?! That fine woman'.
His uncle gave her a cold glare. She pouted and focused on Usman with immense pity. Her piteous look suggested that she needed an answer to her question, but Usman wasn't ready to talk.
‘Was she sick? I have always told her to let me know if she needed anything, but she was just too stubborn.' His uncle said, shaking his head, looking up, he asked again: ‘Usman, what happened'?
‘A tree fell on her.'
‘Tree? What tree? Where was she? Where were you?'
Usman was getting angry. He didn't need to be bamboozled with rounds of questioning. Reliving the moment he found his mother, he wheezed. ‘The huge tree behind our house, Sir', he finally managed to say.
Iya Tade stood up and went to him. She sat beside him and gave him a bear hug. His uncle simply stared into space, shaking his head from time to time.
‘Daddy Tade, isn’t it that Araba tree you always talk about?' she asked as she still held him closer to her. She pronounced ‘Araba’ with an English accent. Usman’s uncle remained mute.
She always told Usman that he looked strong, but now he didn't feel so strong in her embrace. He felt like a baby. All he needed was to remain in her arms as he cried his heart out.
‘So where is her body?' His uncle finally asked.
‘Our house. One of my neighbours, the carpenter helped to put her inside the house. I was asked to notify the rest of my family, so we can begin burial plans. I didn’t know where else to go.'
His uncle nodded. Usman wondered whether this was the same uncle his mother refused to associate with. He wasn't as bad as his mother insinuated. His Uncle’s wife pulled his head closer towards herself, still wrapping him in a hug.
'That's alright. Let the boy go', his uncle quietly commanded.
'But he needs…'
'No. He needs nothing. What's your problem? The boy's grieving for crying out loud. This your craving is not… Leave him. Now'.
Usman didn't understand what prompted his uncle’s outbursts, but he knew better than to remain in his Aunt’s arms. He rose and followed his uncle out.
The following day, his uncle graciously paid some gravediggers who helped to prepare a burial pit for his mother’s body. He also brought in some Muslim clerics who prayed over her body. During the programme, the cleric told a remarkable story that Usman knew he would never forget.
The Holy man narrated that in the days of the Second World War, he was recruited into the army and joined them in the fighting. There was a day his team patrolled an area and sighted a large number of the enemy soldiers. So, they had no other choice than to seek cover in a nearby graveyard. However, while hiding, something hummed repeatedly in a grave beside him, and that aroused his curiosity.
After the enemy soldiers left, he expressed his fear to one of the generals, who was also surprised and asked that the thing in the grave be exhumed immediately. The soldiers complied.
Upon opening the grave, they found a body wrapped in the chain. They called a cleric who said the man had committed a great sin and that was the reason he was suffering.
Usman was touched greatly by the story. He promised himself to always be kind and to avoid evil at all cost.
After the burial ceremony, Usman's Uncle took him home. His Uncle told him that he would be moving into the house to begin living in with them and also told him that Usman would resume school the next week. He gave Usman 30Naira to go to Barber's shop and get a haircut. Usman knew immediately that he would enjoy his stay there, especially with the weird smile he always saw on his Aunt's face whenever their eyes locked.

Chapter 5
Riverside! Riverside!

It’d been almost a week since Bidemi and Gladys had last seen Usman at school. Bidemi would have gone to check on Usman at home but his Aunt had come from the village to spend some time with her sister, his mother. He sighed as he finally got the opportunity to leave the house that Friday when he got back from school, because she was finally leaving.
He eventually got round to escaping from the house when his mother saw his Aunt off to the car park, from where she herself would go visiting someone else. The journey seemed too far by the second. He wished he could just get to the school at lightning speed like The Flash in his superhero comics. Or that he had supernatural powers like the diviners in Nigerian films. But since he didn't have any of those abilities, he ran as fast as he could through the marshy ground, trying as much as he could to avoid stepping in the muddy areas.
After school had closed earlier that day, Ikendu showed the secret entrance to him, he was awed. Boarding students were the best, he thought. No wonder all the storybooks he had read about schools were usually about students in the boarding house. He wished he had the same opportunity. He too wanted to enjoy what they enjoyed.
'Come... Come…' Ikendu beckoned the moment he sighted him. Hurrying through the hole, they joined the other boys. By the looks of their composure, he knew he had to be quiet. They shook his hands one after the other, trying to be as quiet as they could from their peeping position.
When the girls began to bathe, he wished he could slow time. The boys around him made several hushed sounds as if urging the unsuspecting girls to do more.
'It's time to go', Ikendu said dejectedly as a bell rang in the distance.
'Who are those?' A girl shouted suddenly from behind them.
They spun round to see Gladys. She held herbs and flowers in her hands. Bidemi's heart lurched in fright.
'Run!' Ikendu yelled. The boys all ran for cover. Some of the bathing girls squealed in reaction to the commotion coming from where the boys had fled from. The only place Bidemi knew he could be safe was outside, and that was where he ran off to.
The experience was exciting. He wasn't even afraid that Gladys might have seen him because from outside their hiding place; one could only see the figures of people and not exactly their faces. The joy energized him all the way home. When he got home, his mother wasn't back still. Pangs of hunger plagued him so he went straight to the kitchen. His desire to see those bathing girls had so much fuelled him that he hadn’t been able to eat; food became tasteless in his mouth. Now he needed to eat something fast after neglecting food all day. He knew his father loved to buy sliced bread, and hoped that there was still a little left so he could at least snack on that pending his mother’s return.
After he ate and drank water, the image of the girls came back to haunt him. Suddenly, the realization of what may happen to him the next day made him become afraid. He became feverish.
'What's happening to you?' His mother asked when she returned and met him burning up.
'Nothing,' he groaned.
'Did you eat bread again?' She asked as she checked his temperature. He nodded.
'You really should listen to me whenever I say you should not. You seem allergic to it'.
He nodded and wished it was the reason for his fever that evening.

Chapter 4
A Big Blow

The moment Usman left the school gate, out of the reach of Mrs Ajanaku and the accusing eyes of his classmates, the rain began. The fierce wind blew the rain towards him as if Mrs. Ajanaku had transformed into the rain with the sole intent of pursuing him far away from the school.
He sprinted towards home. The drops of rain hit him like grains of sand, making him grit his jaw. Despite his speed, his uniform was soaked when he took cover in an empty stall.
How would I tell Maami? He wondered. He wrapped his arms around his body to stop himself from shaking, especially as the wind blew harshly towards his direction.
The rain refused to subside. At that point, his fear aggravated. The day was spiralling on. What would happen if his mother refused to go to meet the Principal that day? Would he ever get the chance to return to school? Although he had a rich uncle, his mother refused to accept any help from him. She claimed his money was diabolical. Moreover, she always wanted him to avoid his philandering wife. According to his mother, the woman was in her fifth her marriage and had countlessly been accused of playing questionably close with young boys.
Sensing that the rain might continue in that manner, Usman decided to enter it. The long race through the rain was killing, but he survived. It was better to face his mother's wrath than to wait out the rain.
When he got to his mother's stall, she wasn't there. So, he entered the house expecting to see his mother, stooped in a corner, covered with her wrapper, trying to avoid the cold and the wind.
‘Maami…' Usman called out gently, but she wasn't there.
‘Maami…' He called again as he looked in the rooms he thought she should be in, but he couldn't find her anywhere.
‘Maami,' he called. A tint of worry edged into his voice. Quickly, he returned outside to check if she was there. She must have gone out to get something. The rain had probably delayed her. So, he sat down to wait for her.
However, he got restless. His mother would never leave the stall without moving some of her things inside. Even, the stall was open, and that pointed to the fact that she must have gone to the backyard. Usman rose and hurried to the back of the house.
There, he met a baffling sight. The tree behind their house had finally fallen. Clothes which were hung on it were scattered on the ground. Then he saw her – his mother. She was under the fallen tree, lifeless.
‘Maami?!!’ He wailed as he rushed towards her and tugged at the tree, yelling. Nothing budged. His mind went haywire as he remembered how his father was set ablaze after a market woman falsely accused him of stealing. Now, he had just lost his mother to the rain.
After several failed attempts at pulling her out, he fell back in defeat and rolled on the bare muddy ground with abandon, crying with fervour. His life was becoming shattered at such a tender age. He wailed. He pushed the tree again to no avail. Then, he scrambled off to the neighbouring houses, crying for help.

Deleman234:
I am enjoying this story Divepen is there a way l can get the PDF l don't want to use Okadabooks

Send your WhatsApp number through Pm

germaphobe:
ok nah, waiting patientlly. Front row booked

It's up

https://www.nairaland.com/5391553/ones-called-dogs-full-story#81798939

chisiudeh:
Welcome o OP. Jahbless

It's up
https://www.nairaland.com/5391553/ones-called-dogs-full-story#81798939

maleeknasri:
divepen1 nice one following like mad

It's up

https://www.nairaland.com/5391553/ones-called-dogs-full-story#81798939

rukoyah02:
wow,am just breathless.continue please.

It's up

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skyblueking:
Hian! Una dey expect more?? Divepen1 yaff finished o...

It's up
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queenitee:
We are waiting for you and the devil using you

It's up

https://www.nairaland.com/5391553/ones-called-dogs-full-story#81798939

Chapter 3
The Chase

‘No, I will continue,' the Principal replied angrily. He turned to Usman who looked relieved and now had a glint of happiness playing on his lips.
Facing Usman squarely, the Principal brought down the cane on Usman's buttocks. Usman bared and clenched his teeth in pain, wincing. The rod came down again, tearing Usman's shorts; yet, he still did not cry. The Principal switched to his back, groaning with each lash, but no tear dropped from Usman’s eyes. After the thirty-first stroke, the principal shook his head in frustration.
‘Put him down,' the tired principal instructed. With heavy breaths, he turned to the assembly.
Usman crumbled to the floor the moment the senior boys released him. And, perhaps, it was the way he crumbled or reasons known to him alone [which called for amusement], that made one of the senior boys smile to the chagrin of the principal.
‘You, impertinent fool!' the principal thundered and stomped towards the boy, making the others scamper out of reach. In quick succession, seven strokes had laced the boy's body. 'You dare laugh?! You are laughing?! It's idiots like you that teach these young boys. You are all corrupt, and I would make sure I fish out each of you. Every single one of you. Not a single brat will remain without tasting my wrath. Idiots! This school, along with her students, both day and boarding, is a positive example to other schools out there and I will make sure that it forever remains so.'
He glanced around like a wounded lion. The flogged student crouched nearby, nursing his pain.
'That's better. You, Usman, will go home now and call your mother. The two of you must meet me in the office today. I will discuss your suspension with her', the Principal said. 'Assembly dismissed'.
The whole school erupted with noise as students trudged to their classes, discussing the events like a newly watched movie. Dark clouds gathered in the sky. A light but cold breeze swept the atmosphere.
Usman stood on the assembly platform while the others left him for their classes. As soon as the coast was clear, Bidemi snuck up to Usman.
‘Go home,' Mrs. Ajanaku shouted at Usman, while she batted a speck of dust off her body. 'Even if it rains fire, and it surely will, you still must go home. Don't contaminate this area with your perversion'.
Mrs. Ajanaku eyed him maliciously and went back to the staffroom, stomping the grass on her path in her rage. Because of his huge physique, many teachers loved to show their authority.
‘Did you do it?' A sweet tiny voice asked. Bidemi and Usman looked back to see a slim, tall, dark girl, in a well-ironed uniform. Her hair was full, long, black, and plaited in an all-back hairstyle like all the other girls in the school. It was usual for all the girls in the school to weave their hair in the same style because that was the school's rule. They believed it portrayed uniformity. The girl smelt like flowers. Her name was Gladys Bolawole, a Jss3 student, who loved their company.
‘He did not -', Bidemi started.
‘Yes...I did it. I did it Gladys, but I thought they would only flog me. Didn’t know it would involve suspension', Usman said cutting in.
The sky became darker. A cold shadow rested on the grasses of the field, increasing the tension and coldness in the air, blocking the ray of the sun from touching the earth.
Gladys stared at Usman in disbelief. She stood transfixed as if she hoped he would retract his words and change his narrative.
'They can't just suspend you. It's not proper. They…' She stopped as her eyes roamed towards the staffroom. Bidemi glanced in the same direction wondering why she had paused.
‘Mrs. Ajanaku!’ they both chorused and Gladys took off, running to her class.
Bidemi muttered, 'She’s coming.'
Usman understood Bidemi's fear. He swiftly ran to the class, picked up his bag that was lying on the ground, and ran out of the noisy class, then into the windy field that led to the gate. Bidemi stood at the door to his class. His heartbeat increased. Tears welled up in his eyes in realization of what he had just caused.
'We have a big plan after school on Friday', Ikendu whispered to him later in the day.
'I can't come. How will I even get inside the school?' Bidemi asked as he turned to continue his Maths classwork.
'The senior boys and some of us have a secret entrance in and out of the school. I'll show you after school'.
'I can't. I won’t. It's bad'.
'You will miss out. All those senior girls would be bathing at the river in the evening'.
Bidemi's eyes shone. That was the desire of every boy in the school. No one missed such a grand opportunity, and he didn’t plan on being the first.

Chapter 2
The Assembly of Doom

‘Where is the foolish boy?' Mrs. Ajanaku roared as she forced her way into the class, not minding that she had pushed one of the short girls in the class. 'Bidemi Adeoti!'
Bidemi's heart bubbled with fear. The eyes of the huge, fierce Mrs. Ajanaku told him all he needed to know. She took flogging as a hobby and used the strokes of the cane to talk, explain, show, and describe things to students, especially the ones that find it difficult to understand quickly.
‘Bidemi!’ she yelled, ‘Come out here. Come here’.
Knowing that he had been caught, Bidemi was determined to take any punishment meted out to him in good faith.
‘You,' she shouted again, making Bidemi's bones yearn to scamper out of her dreadful glare. The bursar, Mrs. Tochukwu, hobbled after her into the class. Her shaking body displayed the anger welling within her. Bidemi's wished the ground would just swallow him up.
'Where is the glass?' Mrs. Ajanaku yelled.
'Yes. The mirror', Mrs. Tochukwu corrected.
'It's …'
Mrs Ajanaku drew near him and dealt him a stinging slap. He yelled and tried to back off, but her steel grip held him in place. 'Overturn your pockets.'
Quickly, he did, but nothing fell out. His eyes darted to Usman, who shook his head slightly.
‘Look in his bag!' Mrs. Tochukwu shrieked. Her face was pale as if she saw a wraith some moments before.
‘Bring your bag here,' Mrs Ajanaku instructed.
Immediately, Bidemi's heart lurched with happiness since the mirror was with Usman and not in his bag.
‘You’, she glanced at Usman, ‘Bring his bag to me.’
Usman carried his friend’s bag to her. Mrs. Ajanaku snatched it out of his hand and opened it immediately.
‘Bu… Bu…' Bidemi protested as he looked from Mrs Ajanaku to Usman, whose face started distorting into remorse.
‘But’ what? Every day has been for the thief; today is for the owner – Me. If you have not walked in the vicinity of falsehood, no one would falsely accuse you, and lucky for me, you are the culprit', Mrs Ajanaku cried, ‘You… Is this not the mirror? Look, Mrs. Tochukwu.'
The bursar stared at the mirror, 'err…'
‘Aunty…' Someone shouted, trying to get Mrs. Ajanaku’s attention.
‘Shut up,' she exclaimed, turning like a big bull, 'Birds of a feather. Isn’t that how you all behave? He has been chosen as an example, and he would be duly punished… So, first things first…'
However, the voices of the students overshadowed hers, infuriating her.
‘What is it?’ She snapped, turning as if with difficulty to face the students, who refused to be silenced.
‘That is Usman's bag,’ someone volunteered to tell her.
‘Usman?’ The two teachers said in unison.
Mrs. Ajanaku faced Usman, eying him angrily. ‘Did you use the mirror?'
Usman nodded stiffly.
Reluctantly she let go of Bidemi, fixing her gaze on Usman. ‘Follow me immediately!’, she barked as she turned towards the door. Mrs. Tochukwu followed her, and if she had a tail, she would have been wagging it eagerly by the looks of how she rushed after her. Bidemi started after the trio, but as they were nearing the door to the principal's office, Mrs. Ajanaku turned and glared coldly at him.
‘Yes...? Yes...? What do you want?' Mrs. Ajanaku asked.
Bidemi withdrew and returned to his class, dejected that he had just caused trouble for his friend who was only trying to help. Repeatedly, he glanced towards the Principal's office, which was almost opposite their class. Lucky for his class, their next class was Yoruba language, and Mrs. Ajanaku was the teacher in charge, but being on her current mission she definitely would miss it.
Most of the girls expressed their hatred for Usman, and they felt Usman shouldn't have allowed the teachers pick on Bidemi in the first place. The boys gathered round Bidemi and asked him for details. He tried to explain to them to the best of his knowledge but didn't really give them the vivid description they expected.
'So you saw her…?' Ikendu whispered and gestured wildly towards his own chest. Bidemi glanced at the boys and could see the amused eagerness on their faces. He nodded. Although he didn't see what they expected him to see, he had to pretend that he did, just so he could have an edge over them. The guys yelled excitedly. They felt Bidemi was a hero while Usman was a lifesaver.
Just then, the principal marched out of his office, taking long, angry strides towards the class. Today, he wasn't putting his hand in his pocket like he was fond of. He wasn't strolling in the corridor, or teasing the students like he usually did. This time, he was visibly angry and held a long cane with his right hand while he pulled Usman along, holding the boy’s shirt with his left.
‘Ring the bell,' he yelled as if a megaphone was attached to his mouth, ‘Tell the timekeeper to ring the bell for me. Everybody get to the assembly ground now!’
The students knew that only two things could make them come out of their class at that time- a piece of excellent news for the students (days like the one where the principal was forced to ask the students to go back home because of a riot happening within the school's area). The other reason, which seemed prominent, was when someone was caught and would be paraded as a scapegoat.
The Jss2 students rushed out of their class first. Many of them looked at their friends in various classes, telling them with their eyes that they had full details of the situation, one better than what the principal was about to say to them.
‘Stand in line, form straight lines!' the principal bellowed.
'Level up!' One of the teachers yelled. The tension in the air made the students fall in line without a single complaint.
‘Do you see this boy?' He said, pushing Usman forward.
Bidemi knew he should be the one there and not Usman. He wished he could change the moment to another, or for a terrible event to happen – earthquake, riots, anything, or that Usman could just fall down in pain, and maybe even faint.
‘He has done the unheard of,' the Principal continued, twitching his cane as Usman tried to balance himself on the podium.
‘This boy you are looking at, Usman Waheed Oluseye is a pervert and believed that the school authority would never discover him.' The redness of his anger reflected in his eyes and frowning face. 'Many of you would know him. He has repeatedly repeated a class…'
'And his father was arrested for robbery,' Mrs Ajanaku chipped in, but kept mute when the Principal gave her a cold, hard glare. The Principal turned towards the students.
‘I need four hefty boys up here,' the Principal said. Then turning to Usman, said, ‘if we do not punish you now, there would be no use in your parents sending you to school. You are a disgrace to your mother, she works hard as a petty trader, but this is how you show your gratitude to her?!'
The principal spun around, expecting the boys to be on the podium, but none of them was there. He was infuriated. He stormed to the lines of the senior boys and flogged them with his cane, one stroke per person.
‘When I give instructions, I expect them to be carried out right away. Four. Hefty. Boys. Out there. Now!’ He puffed, short of breath.
About six male students hurried out, and then two of them returned to their lines.
Climbing back on the podium, the principal continued, tapping Usman's head lightly with his cane. ‘This boy had had the effrontery to take a peek at his teacher while she was in the toilet’. 'I don't mind that Fortune City’s education laws forbid flogging students, but this is Nigeria, and we will teach you in the way of our culture. Ti e ma ba e o. _____'.
Many of the students shouted, ‘Ah.’ The senior boys lifted Usman, stretching him out with his back facing the Principal and then he began to flog him. The boy only winced, moaned and groaned but didn't shed any tears.
Although the principal didn't tell the students the number of strokes he would give Usman, he knew that with the amount of force he used to beat the boy, he ought to have cried, the fact that he didn’t infuriated him, so he flogged him harder; yet, Usman didn't cry.
‘Foolish boys, they are so used to beating that they no longer feel pain,' the principal muttered in annoyance when he got to the twentieth stroke, which still met Usman tearless as if he was simply being bitten by a mosquito. There were no tears in his eyes, no fear in his demeanour, and no despair whatsoever. His reaction enraged the principal even further.
‘Sir, let me help you’, Mr Alani offered.
'Yes Sir, before the rain begins, Mrs. Ajanaku added.
A grave hush dropped among the students, even among the stubborn ones. The air suddenly began to play soft music in Bidemi's ears; the voice of birds chirping filled the air, and students shuffled their feet on the floor as they waited on the Principal's reply. Despite the bright day, Bidemi felt cold.
Mr Alani was a very famous teacher. His stroke of cane was named ‘eru,' which means ‘load’. He was nicknamed ‘iberu' which translates to ‘the father of fear’ in Ijebu dialect of the Yoruba Language.
Bidemi's throat went dry as he watched the Principal stand for some seconds to decide whether he wanted to release the cane to Mr Alani or not. Everyone in the school always compared the Principal to the judge in Ola Rotimi’s The Incorruptible Judge.
Mr Alani wasn't known for regular flogging like other teachers in the school. He flogged students as if he was sipping the pain of the student like juice, strengthening himself with it and enjoying the student's sorrow. He flogged the student one sure stroke at a time and allowed them cry over each hit, savour it and rub the hurting flesh well before he continued the other strokes. And one terrible habit he had was that he rarely gave less than five strokes of the cane for minor offences and he wouldn't give anything less than ten strokes for serious offences such as what Usman had just done. He flogged passionately – one could clearly see the joy, happiness, delight in his eyes. The students kept staring at the Principal as if he was their only hope.

Chapter 1
Peeping Toms

Boys also gossip. The most popular discussions usually centred on their wild escapades and weird fantasies. The most intriguing stories came from the students in the boarding house. Bidemi Adeoti found their stories exciting and had always wanted to experience at least one of these escapades first-hand.
Many times, he would cry to his mother to allow him relocate to the boarding house in his school, Richmond Academy, knowing full well that she had a soft spot for him and so, could wield her as he pleased. He would hold her arm and repeat it to her like a broken record. His cries usually got to his mother, who would then start to reason with him, but would eventually back off whenever his father growled, 'in this 21st century? Impossible!'
And if one was to properly evaluate his obsessive desire, they would realize that Bidemi's house was just four streets away from the school; there was really no need to become a boarding student. However, even though his father wanted him around all the time, he couldn’t afford to regularly pick him up from school with his car.
The previous day – a rainy day, his friends bantered about the desires of the boarder boys to go to the river behind the school to stare at bathing girls – senior and older ones especially – in the evening. They claimed that watching these senior girls made them feel excited. If one was to look at it from a cultural or religious perspective, no one had told Bidemi that what those boys were doing was wrong. And if none of those people mentioned it, he saw no reason to avoid treading the same path. In fact, he assumed that these acts were things every man should secretly learn. There was no way he would be an exception.
'It's what all the boys do', Ikendu Benson, one of the toughest among them, said one day. Bidemi nodded in agreement, and hatched a great plan on how to stare at some of the girls in his class. Ikendu was known for his notoriety but still had a lot of girls, senior and junior students alike, thronging to be his friend. Many of them called him names, but after a little teasing and jokes from his witty brain, they began to talk to him with reckless abandon and wouldn't object whenever he touched them inappropriately.
That Monday, October 4th, 2004, Bidemi was really excited as he showed his classmates the hand mirror he stole from his mother's wardrobe. They were excited and really hailed his bravery.
‘That's how to be a man. You have to see things that others haven't seen before they do’, Ikendu whispered to him as they marched into the class from the assembly. Ikendu loved repeating the stories he heard from his father about how men have been pushed to rape women because the women didn’t know how to ‘properly’ talk to a man. ‘You have to be wise. Watch us! Learn!' Eagerly, Bidemi ensured he remained among the boys that knew the ins and outs of such matters. They even requested for some minutes with his mirror, giving him an opportunity to make some money. To that effect, he made the boys pay 5Naira each for 15 minutes.
As the day went by, different teachers turned towards the boys to know the root of the disturbance that came from them since many of them continually murmured in a bid to get a look at what their mates were seeing. However, the boys were quick and sharp enough to hide the mirror. The only thing the teachers could do was to threaten them and then go back to whatever they were doing. Even when their teacher made them read Peace by Pieces by Sola Owonibi, it was evident that the boys' minds were at different locations.
'If I hear any noise from you again, I will skin you alive,' their Accounts teacher, Mrs Coker, shouted as she turned towards them. Nothing made Bidemi more excited than staring at his female teachers through the mirror. Some of the boys told him about the way they always wanted to simply stare at their teachers, especially their fat bursar, Mrs. Tochukwu. They told him of the pleasures their senior students derived from doing all these.
'Give it to me,' Bidemi whispered and stretched his hand. The girls around glanced at them and looked away indifferently. That was one thing he hated about girls. They were always ready to make fun at the boys, mock, swear at, and gossip about them, but none of them knew how to sit properly in the class. Their legs, always, were as wide-open as their mouths. Unknown to them, they made it quite easy for the boys with the mirror to stare at their inner thighs this way.
'Later… Later!’ Ifeoluwa Adeoba shouted, frustrated, as Ikendu tried to wrestle the mirror from his hand. One of Bidemi's closest friends, Usman Oluseye, saw their misbehaviours and decided to leave the class before their teacher would catch them. As it was with most of their teachers, all the boys would face the wrath of their actions. Since it was seen as ‘girly’ to report the offenders, he preferred to be out of the class when it happened instead of reporting.
Usman repeated Jss1 class thrice and always tried to avoid trouble, even though the teachers hardly agreed that he had truly repented. But since he became friends with Bidemi, he finally got promoted in flying colours because of the help he got from him. To be frank, Bidemi helped him with many things. One of such instances was how Bidemi saved his own daily feeding allowance to help to pay Usman's school fees. In fact, he even had to lie to his parents that he needed money for some books. But even though his intention was good, Karma acted fast – and it caught up with Bidemi.
When his father discovered his lie, he flogged him till he couldn't sit in class the next day. As if to supplement his pain, his teachers also whipped him when they caught wind of his antics; yet, he was relentless in helping Usman. Seeing this, Bidemi's mother commended his effort and supported his noble cause.
Since then, Usman’s love for Bidemi had deepened, but what Bidemi was doing was wrong, and he wouldn't be party to it. He got up and told Mrs. Coker that he wanted to use the toilet. A few minutes after he left, she indeed got angry and turned towards the class, just as Bidemi finally pocketed the mirror and focused on writing his note.
'You… You… You … And that tall black devil, stand up. Yes, you, Ikendu', She shouted and pointed at different boys as if a blazing fire was in her eyes. 'You're the scapegoat. I need a cane'. Bidemi looked up and held his breath with expectations that she would call him.
'Aunty, we were not the only ones…’ Ikendu started in defence.
'Shut your nasty mouth. I will use you as the scapegoat in my class. Cane!'
Mrs. Coker spun her slim body from side to side, looking from one person to another, making her look like a toy in a cloth. After what seemed like forever, she turned to look at Bidemi, and her eyes rested on his. 'Get up, Adeoti. You're the only sane one in my class. Get me a very strong cane that I will use to balance the brains of these boys'.
Bidemi sighed with relief and hobbled out of the class. The last thing he needed at that time was for anyone to see the mirror in his pocket. Just as he came out of the staffroom with the cane, he saw their bursar, Mrs. Tochukwu, hurrying off towards the toilet.
Her curvy body had been the dream of boys, and she seemed to know that because she was always reminding the senior boys about how ‘they were all dogs’.
Immediately he saw her running to the toilet, Bidemi did something he would forever regret. Not minding that Mrs. Coker awaited his return, he patted his pocket to feel the mirror, and then he ran off, following the curvy teacher, but to the back of the toilet, the window. The marks from the students' brooms were still glaring on the school ground. It was a norm for students to sweep the school compound, regardless of whether it was a government owned or private school.
If Bidemi got the chance to stare at the bursar in the toilet, he would have an edge over the other boys, many of whom had always craved the opportunity. He would be way ahead of them, and probably at their centre, giving them details of what he saw.
Not ready to waste another moment, Bidemi removed his mirror and strained to see her well. Suddenly, someone tugged his blue well-ironed short. His heart skipped beats as he turned towards the person.
'Ahan,' Usman murmured and rolled his eyes.
'Who is that?' Mrs. Tochukwu, the Bursar, shouted from the toilet.
Bidemi froze. Usman clamped his hand on Bidemi's mouth and spun his fingers as if they were wheels.
'Run,' Usman whispered. 'She can't see well without her glasses.'
Bidemi didn't wait to answer Usman as he sped off and Usman was soon on his tail. Usman was right: Mrs. Tochukwu had a problem with her sight and could barely see things from afar.
They rushed into the class, and Mrs. Coker stared at them as if she was aware of their mischievousness.
'I hope you're okay?' She asked sarcastically, as Bidemi gave her the cane. As she flogged the boys, Bidemi's mind and eyes kept dashing to the door. His concentration was totally focused on whatever was being said on the other end of the school where he just fled from.
Immediately Mrs. Coker finished flogging the boys, the timekeeper rang the bell for a change of lesson. She hissed in annoyance, lashed the head of one of the boys she punished with her cane, and then picked up her books, and left the class. In a heartbeat, the class became rowdy because the girls flew about mocking the just punished boys. Usman hopped over an empty seat and leaned against Bidemi.
'Give me the mirror,' he whispered. With shaky hands, Bidemi stretched it out to him. He snatched the mirror and hurried off to his own bag.
Bidemi leaned over and whispered when Usman returned, 'What will happen if she catches me'?.
'She won't. If she asks, you just tell her it was me. They know me as the bad boy. They'll just flog me', Usman shrugged. Bidemi sat uprightly and opened his book frantically, dotting the blank pages with his pen as his mind wandered off. Heavy dark clouds hung over the school and the sky rumbled, sending cold breeze through his pores. When they were in Jss1, he had once taken the blame for Usman and was actually forgiven. But he never expected it from Usman.
'Remember that tree at the back of our house?' Usman said to him, 'That's how you have been behaving. You need to stay focused'. He was referring to a conversation they had earlier where he told him how a looming tree in his compound has been unsteadily tilting towards the ground and would soon fall.
Bidemi nodded and looked about as he couldn't get himself to write any longer. Noticing Usman’s shorts, he pointed and said ‘Usman, your shorts.' Usman glanced at it and zipped up. Usman always forgot to zip up.

Hi, thanks to everyone that have wanted, in one way or the other, waited for the story. Since some have the first three chapters, I think we can enjoy it from there.

Meanwhile, please as you read, I need you to help me out with places that don't resonate with you in one or the other.

You'll enjoy it.


Cc
anonymousbim

Skyfornia:
How can we get to the mods? Do they have official contacts?? Sometime ago, someone abused me and I replied him also with an abuse quoting his abusive statement too. The next day, I noticed the guy edited his statement and removed the abusive word...then the next 5mins I was banned.

1. If anyone abuses you, click report. They won't know you have done so. I guess that's what the person did.


2. If you want to reach mods outside that, go to the board like literature section, you will see send message to the moderators

When you can't reply a post, it means one of the two things.


1. The Thread has been locked. However, a locked thread will have the sign under it like a sticker.


2. You have been banned. This can come from either a moderator or anti-spambot.

If a moderator bans you, OYO is your case. You have definitely done something wrong. But you can always plead your case.

But if banned by Antispambot, you can immediately be unbanned. In most cases, the ban lasts for 24 hours. And we've seen the rare cases of 48 hours. It means your post has the characteristics of some flagged Nairaland posts. You're special but anti-spambot simply want to show who the boss is.....


Not itself... Where are those glasses in the air....?

It wants you to say hi to us. We live a boring life and your message have its way of sending us to work


WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU

1. Check your profile. At the end of it, you will see who or what banned you.

2. If it's anti-spambot, send a message to the mod simply telling us your plight. I understand how frustrating it might be but try to avoid all the explanations. Simply tell us you think Antispambot wants you to greet us and we know.

But, if you're dealing with mods outside Literature section, tell them you think Antispambot has mistakenly banned you


3. The mods will evaluate your request as soon as they can.

4. In case you're not getting a speedy response, one like 12 hours later, contact the supermods at the front page. Some of those I know are

Mynd44

Lalasticlacla
Dominque



Peace...

damselposh:
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE


"So, what have you done so far?" doctor Akachukwu asked after wearing the operating outfit.


"We have given him general anathesia, we were just about to start before you came in" doctor Joe explained.


"Get me the oscillating saw" doctor Akachukwu said to no one in particular.


"Here it is doc" the first nurse said.


He cut the sternum partially, straight down the middle, but didn't remove it. he then slowly spread apart the cut halves of the sternum with a retractor, which allowed the entire chest and heart to be open before them. He carefully removed the old heart placing it in a stainless tray beside him.


"Where is the new heart" he asked again.

doctor Joe carried the new heart in another stainless tray and passed it to him.

He carefully placed the new heart in the patient's body, he picked up a surgical loupes and sewed the sutures.


"We used sutures made of polypropylene and plastic polymer, that is why am sewing it with this magnifying surgical loupes, so that i can see my stitching" doctor Akachukwu said when he noticed them stare at him in confusion.


"Okay" doctor Joe replied still confused.


"Get me the customized plates and screws, it is time to hold the breastbone and the ribs broken earlier during the cutting process" doctor Akachukwu replied after the last stitching.


"Oh yeah, nurse Abigail, get the customized plates and screws" doctor Joe said not removing his eyes from what the other doctor was doing.


On getting the items he asked for, he started putting the sternum back together, when he was done with it, he said.


"let me have the vicryl sutures for the sewing of the first two layers" he said as the nurse brought it for him.

He started sewing up the flesh carefully, it lasted for 5 minutes, he stopped, looked at the nurse and said again.


"Get me the monocryl sutures for sewing below the outside layer of the skin" he said.


"Yes doctor" the nurse replied bringing him the item.


He stitched the lower layer of the skin slowly and carefully, while doing this, he signaled to them to pack up the items as he was done.


"The vicryl and the monocryl sutures are absorbable and only used on soft tissue. Vicryl suturing typically holds strength for approximately two to three weeks and is fully absorbed within 60 days
while monocryl lasts longer and is absorbed within 90 days" he explained after he was done with the stitching.


"Yea, i know about that" doctor Joe replied with a smile.


"The surgery was successful" doctor Akachukwu announced with a smile removing the nose mask and the gloves leaving just the overall.


"Thank God, this is the second successful heart surgery we have had in this hospital" doctor Joe said with a smile.


"The patient should be taken back to the ward now, he will be awake in few hours time" doctor Akachukwu said removing the overall.


"We need to give the people outside the good news we have" doctor Joe said shaking hands with doctor Akachukwu.









"Nanya walked aimlessly around the veranda constantly checking the time, she let out a sigh wiping her tears, she had been crying since Louis went into the theatre.


"Calm down Nanya, he will be fine, worrying too much is not good for your baby" Leo said hugging her.


"Leo, it is already 4 hours since they took him there, are they not wasting so much time?, am worried" she sobbed.


"Didn't you tell me just this morning that you already talked to the big man up in heaven?, leave everything to him, he will handle it" Leo said patting her back.


"I know i talked to the big man, but i can't help but worry" she sniffed.


"you don't have to worry, you prayed, i prayed, and Mrs Scarlett prayed too, the big man will surely answer us, he is not wicked, so let's calm down and wait" Leo consoled.


"Okay," she nodded breaking from the hug and just then, the two doctors walked down towards them.

Nanya rushed to them already asking questions, the two doctors waited for everyone to gather before sharing the news.


"Akachukwu, how is he?, was it successful?" Nanya asked.


"How is my son?" Mrs Scarlett asked.


"Calm down everyone, he is fine, the surgery was successful, he just needs time before he will wake up" doctor Akachukwu said with a smile.


"Thank you Jesus, thank you Lord, Dad was right, you can answer prayers, my Louis is fine, he is fine Leo" she smiled while crying at the same time.


"Can we see him now?" Mrs Scarlett asked wiping her tears.


"Give him some time, he is not yet awake" doctor Joe replied with a smile.

Now visible

Shola2019:
divepen1 on behalf of the Readers Association Of Nairaland we are begging you to abeg unban damselposh

She has been unbanned since I got the first mention. I even shared the story antispambot flagged for her to know it's up.

When Mrs Ajanaku called Bidemi to the front of the assembly, her anger overcame her that she didn't ask for any explanation before she started lashing him on the assembly. He kept yelling and crying.
‘I told you to stop this nuisance,' she cried angrily.
‘I'm not the one,' he cried.
Mrs Ajanaku stopped and looked about. Bidemi assumed she agreed with him, but he didn't want to throw caution to the wind. So, he took some steps backward.
‘He is lying again. He is lying', she said and gave him five more strokes of the cane.
‘Bidemi Adeoti,' Mr Alani called. ‘Follow me.'
Bidemi looked about in fear.
Mr Alani tucked his teacher's textbook under his armpit and held his cane with the other hand.
‘Bidemi Adeoti, what's wrong with you?' Mr. Alani asked.
Bidemi shook his head.
‘Are you sure? Are you really sure?'
Bidemi nodded and stared at his feet.
‘Why did you post those things?'
Bidemi's head sprang up. ‘I didn't post them. When she told me….'

....

'Principal, he might be telling the truth...' Romoke's mother said.
'No, madam. That is a lie. These boys… No. I don't believe a word from their mouth. They are a nuisance'.
'See, this is my daughter. Someone raped her. Somebody did it. One of the boys in the school. They can only be the one'.
'Madam, we will handle this. We're handling this'.
'Please o. The person must not go in vain. The person must be punished'.
'Sir,' Mrs Iloh said. ' Principal, these guys shouldn’t just go. If for nothing's sake, for the fact that she placed one of them as the same height as the culprit'.
...

'Wow...’ The proprietress and nodded at the principal. ‘All these should really be made private. Oh, my God! What kind of school am I running? Hot students. Ignorant and flippant Staffs. I can’t believe this...

....

'Oh, God! Ah! Deaconess! Deaconess!' Romoke yelled and sprinted for the door.
...Omo ran after her. Usman too followed them.
'Don't come near me. I will kill you', Romoke yelled. She ran out of the compound, shouting. Omo chased her. Usman didn't know where they went...

Bidemi’s mummy stared at him for a while and pulled him nearer. He couldn’t understand why he was crying but doing so into her cloth was relieving.





*** Nairaland Posting starts Next Weekend***

Olawrites:
I wrote 15 articles for him, not one. Why is he showing only one?
That's not what I wrote, he re-editted my work for it to paint me bad to be justified for his non-payment.

He is a wicked soul.

Oh? Can you just do a screenshot of about 3