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And they all burst into another bout of laughter as I fetched water and walked away but I had resolved to teach Morenike a lesson then next day when she comes for her classes in my house, I waited patiently for sunday to come but when the time clocked 4pm which is the time set aside for her sunday classes, I became a little bit afraid, afraid that I might not perform well and the news would be circulated round the compound, just as I was contemplating on my next line of action, Morenike knocked on my door and I answered as she opened the door, I stood up and walked past her as she greeted me MORENIKE: Unculu good evening! I ignored her as I went for the door, locked it and began to close the window binds and she began to smile as she muttered MORENIKE: Unculu this one you are closing curtain ni, I hope you get condom? I was shocked at her boldness for a girl of her age, as I turned to her and said

ME: Don’t Mama sikiratu, she wanted to disgrace me TUNDE: {Smiling} No be dat one I dey talk ni, I hear say iron bender give you kpomo to chop you reject am ME: Iron bender? TUNDE: Yes na! Morenike give you kpomo to chop and you begin act like charlesi our jehova witines, abi you no know say if Morenike na exam and you fit score her 40 over 100 say all landlord pikin go dey give you kpomo chop? I was bewildered as I turned to look at Tunde as those words came out of his mouth and he decided to talk further to prove his words were through true TUNDE: No talk say I talk to ohB but I go tell you because me I like you ni, the tenant wey bin dey stay for this house before you park enter, na him knack bolanle sotey you no see as she dey waka kukere now? I then understood his point, and I got the confirmation of his words that night when I went fetch water at the general tap in the yard, I saw Morenike, Bolanle and Sikiratu as they sat at a corner beside the tap discussing, when I approached with my bucket and was fetching water from the tap, they all began to laugh loud and then Sikiratu hissed and said to my hearing SIKIRATU: Fear fear man! I talk am say all these kind people no sabi work

I Stopped her and rushed to the door for I was scared not for her but the wrath of Mama Sikiratu, being caught in the act would be worse, as she turned and looked at me with a surprised look and the said MORENIKE: Unculu Se o n beru ni? you don’t need to be afraid ni, this one your running from small girl like me, if you now meet Sikiratu what will you do? aaah! unculu you no get strength oh! I walked back to her without saying a word, held by the arm and dragged her slowly by the arm as she fixed her gaze on me trying to put a seductive eyes on me of which she looked funny doing that, I opened my door and sent her out, she didn’t say a word and walked away like everything was normal. I sat at the veranda of my house that evening as Tunde walked by and saw me, greeted me from afar and change his direction towards me as he stumped his feet hard to get dirts off his slippers as he entered my veranda and we shook hands, Tunde needs no invitation into anybody’s house for he feels everybody liked him which was the exact opposite, he sat beside me and then began to talk TUNDE: Egbon I hear wetin happen dis morning oh! As I smiled and decided to discuss the issue with him, so I chipped in some few words

I was shocked as I stood up looking at her and she continued MORENIKE: Unculu my big sisters need to know, they said if you faaji me well that they will still come and try test it That was when fear gripped me as she took her hands straight to the button on her shirt and… ….

MAMA SIKIRATU: Morenike! Morenike! Come out let me see if you can still waka, this boy go don use this long thing scatter your small waist {pointing at my groin region} Tenant you suppose give this thing to matured people and not small Morenike. The neighbours all gathered as they await Morenike whom for no reason decided to waste time before she came out and when she finally did, everybody saw that was just mere allegation and nothing had gone wrong, they all burst into laughter as Pa Rabiu walked in on us and from afar shouting as he came closer LANDLORD: I know is Mama Sikiratu that is disturbing our calmness in this compound She turned to Pa Rabiu immediately and said MAMA SIKIRATU: This one you carry fish give rat! if him chop am, I will not allow una rest for this compound Pa Rabiu began to laugh as he clinged to his chewing stick and said LANDLORD: Mama Sikiratu! Is that thing in the young boys waist that you want to chop! as if I given you the fish you will not chop? you have been chopping this fish since your small and yet you no want to remain for your pikins to chop She sighed as she used both hands to hit in between her thighs, a body language that meant “na you sabi” and Pa Rabiu turned to me and apologised as the crowd dispersed and I opened my door and Morenike followed me into the house, I became scared and cautious as I began to teach her again, we continued for another 10 minutes before Morenike raised her hand to ask me a question, I paused and looked her and she asked MORENIKE: Unculu can you ibasun? I became vexed at why yoruba people always coin their language in all that they speak, so I queried her ME: What is Ibasun? MORENIKE: {smiling} Unculu can you faaji? as in knack me well

It was then I understood what my old landlord was ranting about all morning, I shook my head in acceptance as I turned to the landlord ME: Oh! landlord I agree, I’ll willingly teach Morenike as far as she is a good girl LANDLORD: Good ni? Morenike is the goodest girl of all my pikins, the rest are ajagbidi, can’t you see her tobi english? I fixed classes with Morenike every saturday and sunday evening, on the first of day of the said classes, I wore boxers and singlet as I opened my door to let her in and few minutes into the classes Mama Sikiratu who turned out to be Morenike’s mother began to knock heavily at my door! I quickly rushed to the door and it was Mama Sikiratu, the moment she saw me on boxers, she sat down on the ground and began to cry MAMA SIKIRATU: Yeeeh! oti tan, I knew it ni, this young blood have put his thing in my daughter ni o! can’t you see he is sweating o! She stood up from where she sitting on the floor and rushed me, using her dirty hands from the filthy floor she placed them and squeezed my singlet tight to my neck as she was shouting

My first morning in my new house, I heard a loud bang on my door, from my deep sleep I jumped out of my bed feeling irritated for whoever that was for disturbing my sleep as I shouted angrily ME: Who be that wey dey knock like craze person? And I heard the husky voice of my landlord with his yoruba laddened accent LANDLORD: Is ya lanlordi o! why is curse be the first thing that came out of ya mouth this early morning I apologised as I opened the door to Pa Rabiu with a long chewstick that he had in his mouth, chewing like a goat who was its cud, he had his daughter by her side, A dark chubby girl who should be around 16yrs, she gave out a faint smile as Pa Rabiu began to talk LANDLORD: Ma binu! this is my daughter Morenike, she are sabi book very well like I father, She want to be a lawyer like you ni, when she are big, I want you to mature her! I couldn’t grab a meaning out what he said as I looked confused and puzzled, my eyes now on the little girl and she understood from the look in my eyes and she decided to help out MORENIKE: Unculu what Baa’mi is trying to say is that since you are a lawyer, you should help to teach me as I want to be a lawyer too while in return I’ll run errands free for you

From the moment I parked into the compound, I knew there was something strange about the compound, the agent who took me round the neighbour and showed me other better house was shocked when we entered the compound and I told him that I was taking any apartment thats free. Pa Rabiu my landlord a man in his mid 70’s with his huge tribal marks that ran across his face in a very ugly way like the person who drew the tribal mark did it with anger, he had no teeth, you would be puzzled at how eats, married to threw wives, Mama jumoke his first wife who is very troublesome and guessed cuz of her constant headache thats why he married Mama sikiratu who invariably trailed her path but hers is that of being too sexually active, never says a word without sex involved in it, I guessed again that Pa Rabiu couldn’t quench the raging fire burning between Mama Sikiratu’s thigh, that’s when he married Mama Bode, the large compound has a bevy of beautiful women, first is Pa Rabiu’s nine daughters and then my neighbours Esther a working class banker who feels everybody in the compound is an illetrate and needs to see the world, then Felicia a girl into buying and selling who has sworn to be Esther’s competitor in all that she does, we are only three male tenants in the compound, I , Tunde who gossips more than any girl I have met and Onos who is a staunch jehova witness.