Twenty four

The second week of my short break was spent in the safe confinement of my room. Marcel was usually down the hall doing whatever it is secondary school demigods do at home. I’d hear him leave sometimes to go for a walk, Ekpe said he had made some friends around. 

Christopher Lawal came around a couple more times during which I would plug in my earphones and listen to the songs Rasheed had saved in the IPod. I did miss him but we spoke on the phone sometimes, he was usually busy during the day helping his aunt out at the cyber café. 

There had been no more excursions for myself and Marcel but somehow we figured out a way to exist in the same space without causing an earthquake. I spent a good part of the week with Abike at the hospital until she was discharged.

Her mom being her mom wasn’t comfortable with her resuming school until her wound was completely healed so I was resuming alone but that didn’t mean I was free of the pre-resumption lecture, my mom had developed the trait too.

‘No fighting’. She had said that particular one five times.

‘I’ve heard’.

‘I’m serious. No suspensions, keep away from bad company and read your book’.

Leaned against the driver’s door, Kunle kept irritatingly jiggling the car keys.

‘Yes mom’. She held my shoulders and gave me a pleading look.

‘Don’t get into any trouble, ignore everyone who troubles you okay? Just… keep it together’.

‘I’m keeping it together mom’. I shrugged her hands off. ‘Why didn’t Marcel get all these advice?’

‘Marcel is a boy, he can take care of himself’.

‘That is so sexist and I’ve been taking care of myself, all my life, you don’t have to worry’. I tried to give her a comforting smile before she pulled me in for a brief hug.

‘Take care’. She said as I hopped down the stairs.

‘Drive safe babe’. She said to Kunle as I got in the front seat of the car.

Mom had asked Kunle to drop Marcel and I at school but Marcel had squeezed his way out of the joyless ride by hitching one with Chris in the early hours of the morning. It was too early to resume but he said they had to help Ms. Flora set up. I think we all knew he left to escape being dragged to church by the adults.

I watched the city whoosh by through the window, Kunle hadn’t said anything to me and I knew the man enough to know he wouldn’t appreciate it if I turned on the stereo. We remained quiet for the short ride to Apex.

Once inside the school compound, I saw Henrietta and Vivian waiting for me at the administrative block as per our tradition. Chris and Marcel were there too with some of their friends, inspecting the junior students. I saw Kunle see him and a smile ghosted on his face.

‘He looks okay’. I had feeling he was talking to himself o I stayed quiet.

‘Thank you uncle’. I said and moved to open the door but he asked me to stay put.

‘We haven’t really talked, mostly because your mom said you aren’t the outspoken type and I’ve had years of experience with that, still don’t know how to deal with it’.

His eyes moved to where his son was seated.

‘Your mom told me everything and I know I will never understand what you’ve been through but I can promise you that I’m not here to cause you any more pain, none of you. I just want to be there for you, I want a family for us; you, me, your mom and Marcel. 

He might not look like it but that boy has been through a lot and I’m glad you two are here together, I hope you’ll be able to look out for each other’. 

I looked to Marcel, he had his legs propped up on the table, reading a novel. Even with all the activity going on around him, he appeared to be absorbed in the book.

‘I think Marcel and I will survive’. I told him and he barked out a laugh.

‘I have no doubts’.

‘Thank you, uncle Kunle’. I said, meaning it. He didn’t have much to live up to but he was trying, being here alone was more than the man who was my father ever did.

Henrietta was running down the stairs the second she realized I was the one waving goodbye to Kunle. Vivian was behind her, finally used to our friend’s cheerful nature.

‘I know we video called a lot of times but it never felt this good hugging my phone’. She squeezed me tighter.

‘FYI, that’s what she told Chris too’. Vivian said and Hen let go of me to face her.

‘They are all my lovers. I would have said the same thing to you if you gave any hugs and if I hadn’t seen you over the break’.

‘You two got sappier’. I mocked.

‘Shut up’. Vivian said as she took my school bag from me.

Henrietta was already going off with a story I wasn’t paying attention to as we climbed the administrative block, walking past the search party as prefects. Marcel had his book down now and was staring at me with a creepy grin.

‘Welcome back browny, how was the ride?’

‘Great, since someone wasn’t there’.

He picked up his book as I moved on with my friends. I didn’t know what Marcel was going to do when the entire school found out he was living in the same house as the outcast. They were going to find out, his friends knew and so did mine and nothing could stay hidden for long, especially not in Apex.

Our room was already cleaned out, courtesy of Vivian, Hen’s properties were still oh her bed, unpacked. We spent the rest of the afternoon organizing, exchanging stories and generally missing Abike.

‘My mom actually likes her’. Vivian had an incredulous look in her eyes.

‘And that portrait wasn’t a picture of my grandparents, it was something my brother was forced to buy at a friend’s art exhibit’.

‘Oh. Why do you have it in your living room then?’ Hen tried to hide her embarrassment.

‘Decoration?’

‘Believe me, it confuses your guests’.

‘Only brainless ones like you’.

‘Okay. Can you both act less coupley now that I’m here?’

They both rolled their eyes simultaneously, it was disturbing.

‘I’ve remembered sef, I wanted to ask you something Mandy’. Vivian said, causing me to focus on her.

‘What’s up with you and Marcel? I mean that one sentence convo you had out front was just weird’.

I looked to Henrietta but she was already speaking.

‘Amanda and Marcel are living together’. She broke the news. I was surprised she hadn’t told her before.

‘What? How?’

‘His dad and my mom are sort of dating’. I explained

‘How did I not know about this?’ She was pissed.

‘Because you too have been kicked out of the inner square’. Henrietta was never one to help situations.

‘I thought Hen would have told you’. She gave me a hard stare that softened quickly.

‘How is it like? Tell me everything’.

*****

I hadn’t liked it last term when I was sent to Humanities class because none of my roommates were there. Abike was in science class while Hen and Vivian were in Arts. Rasheed was in my class though and while it was a huge relief, having Becca in the same class almost clouded it. 

He was already in class when I walked in, perched on our seat at the second row, near the window. He looked a little weightier and a lot darker.

‘What happened to you?’ I asked as I took my seat next to him.

‘I know, I’m darker, too much exposure to sunlight’.

‘I’m not bothered about your complexion Rasheed. All I care about is your fat cheeks’. I pulled the one close to me and he yelped, pulling away.

‘They are not fat, just a little fleshier. My aunt made me eat four times a day and I had pap for breakfast every single day’. 

I laughed.

‘Did you give birth or something?’

‘The woman just wants everyone around her to be plump’.

‘Plump will be a good look for you. You should go there for the long holidays’.

‘Even if they promise me two million, I go nowhere’.

We were laughing when a face I had avoided made its way into the class. It was only as he walked towards it that I noticed the parcel atop his desk. She hadn’t mentioned it but I knew the gift was from Henrietta. I watched Christopher Lawal take his seat and unwrap the parcel, then I saw the unseen; he opened the box of chocolate and began eating from it.

The cafeteria was buzzing with energy. Fresh from home, students were still relaying their holiday tales to classmates and friends, too excited to actually eat the meat pie and Hollandia yoghurt before them. Henrietta was staring at me expectantly while Vivian ate her snack and tried to ignore us.

‘Tell me na. Did he like it?’

‘Did he throw it away again? As usual’. Vivian gave in to her savage instincts.

If I had a death list, Chris would be somewhere among the top five. I didn’t understand what game he was playing with Hen but I didn’t like it and I couldn’t talk to her about it because she was too far into the twilight zone she wouldn’t believe a single word against the boy.

‘He didn’t throw it’. I said

‘Oh. He gave it to someone else?’ Vivian was having her fun.

‘He ate it’.

The smile that broke out on Hen’s face left me conflicted. I didn’t want to be a bad friend but I didn’t know which would make me a good one; telling her about the conversation I heard at my house and robbing her of her smiles or letting her fester in the bliss of her ignorance. I didn’t have time to decide then because the bell rang and for the first time I wasn’t reluctant to head to where I needed to be.

‘Amanda’. Sir Dominic threw me one of those smiles that had to be a part of the job requirement. ‘I’m glad you are here’.

After I had opened up to him last term, our sessions have become more bearable and he says we are making progress.

‘Good day sir’. He nodded.

‘Sit’. The term had barely begun but his table was already crowded.

‘You look busy. You always look busy’. He smiled, gathering sheets of papers into a file.

‘Just organizing. Sorting through scheme of work and students profile’. 

He spent a few seconds trying to make his worktop look less crowdie. He then folded his hands on the table and beamed at me.

‘How are you?’

‘Better’. I had thought about it for a while, even with everything going on I still felt better than I had in a long time.

I saw a hint of surprise in his features.

‘That is good. How are things generally?’ I took a minute to analyze everything, I hadn’t really thought about it.

‘Different. Things are different’.