TÓDÙN: CHAPTER 6

~TODUN~

It had been a while since I received the result for my JAMB and the school did not go through any post UTME system so all we did was an online screening.

I got down from the bike and placed the bag I was carrying on the floor carefully with the help of a passer-by. I paid the cyclist and carried the bag inside the house, with the help of my mother.

She closed the door and we placed the bag on the mat which she had already spread on the ground. I unzipped the bag and took everything I bought from it. The things included a few new clothes, second hand clothes, shoes, some other necessities and two kerosene stoves.

“Why do we have two of them.” My Mum pointed to the kerosene stoves.

“This is more than what you budgeted for, isn’t it?” She continued

“It isn’t Mum, I want you to have this while I will take this to school.” I placed one kerosene stove in-between her outstretched legs and moved the other one closer to myself.

“rara o, was da pa da ni o(No, you will return it).” She placed it at my front.

“Mum you don’t have to reject it, I can’t imagine you cooking with firewood in my absence. Please take this you can accept it as a birthday gift since I haven’t gotten anyone for you before.” I pleaded with her.

I could already see tears gathering in her eyes as she pulled me closer to herself and hugged me tight.

“Thank you my baby.” She whispered into my ear.

I took the clothes one after the other and wore them on my nineteen year old body while my Mum either approved or disapproved them. After the joyful moment of showing off the things I bought, I went to a nearby shop and purchased a stove wool and kerosene for the stove. Preparing the meal that night wasn’t as stressful as it used to be and I and my Mum chatted late into the night.

***

I went to the filling station earlier than I used to go. Bisi was not at the usual place and it was another co-worker that was doing the usual. So, I walked straight to the manager’s office and knocked on the door.

After several knocks as usual, a girl of about my age came out of the room with her horrible make up. She greeted me hurriedly and left while I stepped into the room to perceive the faint smell of her perfume.

“Good morning sir, I bent down slightly.”

“Morning.” He replied me with a bright smile. “How was your night?” He asked still smiling.

“It was good sir.”

“How about your mother too? My regards to, her. Tell her it has been a long time.” He continued.

“She is fine sir, I will deliver your message to her sir.” I replied in the same vein, amazed by the sudden change of attitude. He must think I came to resume as a full timer. Let him be deceiving himself, I smiled.

“So you have finally decided to do what is right, ehn?” He asked smiling again.

“No sir.” The smile disappeared from his face as it appeared with my reply.

“I am here to tell you that I will stop working here for now. My school resumes in few months time.”

“So why are you telling me all that, you should have just stayed at home, instead you stopped my early morning exercise.” He growled while I smiled at the realisation of what he meant by early morning exercise.

“You can leave now, I have other important things at hand to attend to.” He shooed me out.

“Goodbye sir.” I continued, trying to give a proper goodbye to the man who paid me my salary for the past two years.

“Leave my office young lady.” He growled again. I eyed the shack he referred to as an office and closed the door behind me. As soon as the girl who came out of his office earlier saw me, she stood up from where she was seated and went back into his office.

I went to the shed hoping to see Bisi already at work but she was nowhere to be found. I took my phone from my bag and called her and she picked up almost immediately. I asked her for the direction of her house and she described it. Bidding a good bye to a co-worker whom we hardly talked, I traced my way to Bisi’s house.

The street she lived in was nothing better than the one I lived in too. Several dirt littered the ground and the noises booming from the speakers of individual show worsened the case. As I walked into a turning she described earlier, I came face to face with her. She was looking unhappy and her eyes were puffy, she also had a slightly swollen cheek.

“What going on with you.” I said as I looked her over.

“You are not looking good at all?” I continued.

“I am getting married.” she sobbed uncontrollably. I patted her back while she cried the more.

“Sorry dear.” I pulled her to a pavement and we sat down.

“They want me to get married to one Alhaji like that.”

“I thought you told me before that you are going to continue working for now, to sponsor your siblings, abi? I asked her.

“That was what I thought o, only to come home yesterday and I met the Alhaji making marriage arrangements with my father. They told me it’s my way of helping my siblings out since he is a rich man. I told my father I wasn’t ready and he slapped me.” She touched her swollen cheek.

“Shouldn’t he be the one to look after you? Why do some parents not know their responsibilities towards we their children?” I asked with pent up anger.

“I wonder o, I don’t know what to do. They told me to stop working.” She sobbed. I stared into space for a long time with my hands on her back.

“What’s your Mum saying?” I asked confused.

” Nothing, she isn’t comfortable with the plan but she doesn’t have a choice.” She burst into another round of tears which gained us attention from passers-by.

“You have to stop crying, all you need to do is think of a way out. Something to save you from what they are putting before you.”

“There is no way anywhere, I don’t have any saved money. Every penny I earn goes into my father’s hands. I have not even taking my secondary school level certificate.” She looked at me with tears in her eyes. I looked away not knowing what to say nor do.

After a few minutes, she took her handkerchief which was clutching in her hands all along and used it to wipe her face. She blew her nose into the handkerchief and cleared her throat.

“What is the next step now.” I asked her as she stood up and dusted her skirt.

“I don’t know, but the events that come after now will teach me what to do. I never saw this coming, if I did I would have planned something. I will just go with the flow for now.”

“Okay” I said and stood up as well.

“So you will be the only one at work now, without me.” She said and I remembered that my main reason for calling her and coming to her street was to tell her that I quit and that I will soon go to school.

“I left already.” I replied and she stopped dead in her track.

“Why?”

“My school will soon resume,I am already making arrangements.” Before I finished talking she hugged me and I heard her whimper.

“You don’t have to cry. I will make sure to call you from time to time and I can always come back to visit.” I reciprocated the hug.

“Okay.” She released me and cleaned her face with her hand.

“Why am I so emotional? It is not as if you aren’t coming back.” She tried holding back the tears in her eyes. I hugged her again as tears dropped from my eyes. I have never felt a pang in my heart for leaving someone the way I did towards her.

After several minutes of mixed emotions, she saw me off to the main road and I took a bike back home.

©Ann

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope you enjoyed this chapter?

Note: This story is already at chapter 16 on Wattpad. So to read it easily, kindly click on the link below. https://my.w.tt/31LKbbdgL8