Love, Lust And Lost - Season 1 Episode 63

8 years ago

Love, Lust And Lost - Season 1 Episode 63

As he raced off to search for him, he didn’t take caution of where to run through. He was constantly stamping his foots on water-log paths across the grasses. His shoes that had not really been polished was now stained with muds while the tip of his trousers were mottled around.

He was a fast runner and before he could take a deep breath, he was at the middle of the field. He met someone and asked may be he had seen Adefemi but the reply was negative. He stood rooted to that spot for 3minutes to survey amongst those who stood at various Kiosk or Canteen may be he could find him but he didn’t. No one looked like him amongst them.

He thought about what he was going to do. Should he wait till the assembly was over before looking for him? By then, he surely would be in class. However, he knew that might be rendered futile by teachers who would come in to teach. Today being a Friday was fully occupied by various subjects that had teachers. There was no single free period today and that alone was clear indication, they were going to be busy throughout the day.

He walked on to search for him in the Kiosks and canteens in case he was sitting down and was unable to catch a glimpse of him. He searched and searched up to no avail but couldn’t see anyone like Adefemi. Or had he gone back home or something? Yet, his bag was inside the class according to Izu. Or may be he had forgotten something at home. He thought severally about what he was going to do now that he couldn’t find him.

And putting into consideration Adefemi was his last hope of getting Fatimah, he decided he was going to really look for him. He trudged along the soil, his shoes making footprint on the soaked soil – the pitch which was filled with sands that drew one back in a football game.

Then, it came to his mind may be Adefemi might have gone to see someone in other schools in the complex. Yap, that should be the case, he thought but which of the school does he head to now? There were 5 other schools in the complex apart theirs and he wouldn’t know which of them Adefemi might have gone to if his guesses were right.

He stopped abruptly and removed his hands from his side pockets. He fashioned them on his hips, hands akimbo and looked straight.

There he saw people working in front of his school. It was the SS3 commercial class that were on duty that week and today was their last for the week. He saw student sweeping; carrying buckets to fetch water; cutting grasses and some held rakes, – to clear the grasses as they were being cut.

Without much gaze, he removed one hand from his hips and caressed his beards that was filled with bumps at almost all part of his jaw. Then he turned left and saw a pink uniform from afar. He saw another person with the one in uniform but the pink was more revealing and he knew the person was surely a student of his school. No other school in that complex wore that colour.

He was walking slowly now towards the direction yet it was still far. He just wanted to get a distance close so he could view may be the person in pink was a girl or a boy. Still as he approached and closed the bearing, he couldn’t figure out.

If the person were standing, he could have easily figured out with the skirt or trousers but the person was seated. The sun arose and sent a piercing rays into his eyes, he covered his face. Then walked on using his right hand as a shield like an Albino would do.

Once he got to the ‘Red Sand’ famously called by students who played football there, he saw the face and knew it was a boy. He was hopeful that was Adefemi as he now saw Miss Yemisi clearly.
What was she doing seated here with a student? Teaching P.H.E? He shrugged it off as it were not his concern.

“Femo, how far na,” by David some few steps closer to them startled the two who were engrossed in discussion.

They had been talking about Miss Yemisi’s past experience and all she had faced in her life; family, friends, love and all. She had really shed enough tears on Adefemi’s shoulders. It was still revealing through the wet patches on his pink uniform across his shoulders. If that wasn’t a clue, he saw her face which looked a bit tired, may be from sleep or whatever but they were evident she wasn’t happy.

David being a `coded’ guy was less concerned about what they might be doing all alone here. Moreover, she was his teacher and could give him lectures anywhere. She could decide to take him special classes or she might be trying to make sure the little tensed Adefemi could cheer up in her next class.

Many teachers had done such before as it was advisable to do so, – so as not to seclude a wanting pupil from those that were all round okay in class.

When he saw David, he rose up, dusting his butt0ckz to shake grasses off it and went to meet David.

“I’ll be back soon. Please give me some few minutes,” he excused himself from her.

She adjusted where she sat and looked at him as he walked on.

“Yes, can I help you?” Adefemi said but David didn’t let him arrive before grabbing his hand and walking a bit further, they stopped.

“Abeg, I want make you help me,”

“Help you with what?” Adefemi asked surprised what he was going to help this big bros with! Assignment or what?. His face were written in form of question marks.

“Ermm! I meet Izu for one thing like that and him talk say na you dey help am write letter.”

“Oh, Izu! Okay, what is it you want?”

“I wan make you help me write letter to Fatimah!” David said to the amazement of Adefemi.

Fatimah? He was surprised greatly about what David was saying! His own crush, the girl he should be dating now if not for the st^pid mistake he made in JSS3 telling her when she came to ask may be he had a girlfriend and he responded with a yes.

He had told her he had one Florence but now, she had left him calling him a beast of the jungle. He really cried that day but on realising he should get back to Fatimah about it. He was told Clinton had gone to drop a flower and `a letter of toasting’ in her bag and she had acceded to his love.

That was probably the greatest mistake he had made in his life. He often savoured still getting Fatimah but he resolved he was waiting too long and had to try his luck on someone else. Settling for less cause his crush was occupied. Settling for someone who can never be compared to Fatimah’s beauty or intelligence in the next 2 decades. Yet, Fatimah had never stopped calling him her husband.

“Wait, which Fatimah are you talking about?” He questioned still puzzled someone of David’s standard be having the ambition of dating Fatimah.

His mind drifted to what Florence had called him. David was the one who deserved that statement if Florence had used her `number six.’ This standing before him was supposed to be the Beast of the Jungle Florence was referring him as. May be she was blind anyway, he thought.

“Na same Fatimah na, the one wey dey our class,” David grumbled a little and spoke on “see, I wan make you do am as you do Izu own. I wan make that girl be my own. Make you help we write the letter make e sweet and make sense.”

Adefemi nodded. Well, he was expecting David to not long matters again as he looked away from him towards where Miss Yemisi was seated. She didn’t meet his gaze but he was sure she would be uncomfortable sitting there all alone. He saw her pull a pollen from a grass that was hidden between some rocks beside her.

David brought him back to his presence “shey you go help me cause I need to give her today today.”

“Okay okay! I’ve heard you. I will!” He assured him without giving it much thought.

He was a friend to Clinton but not as a very close one. He didn’t consider what he might be stepping into with this case, however, Miss Yemisi filled his thoughts. He had even forgotten what had brought him to school early that morning – the text message he received yesterday.

Immediately he made to leave, David drew him back and told him he wanted him to complete the mission by giving Fatimah the letter and soon as the coast was clear, he would surfaced and talk to Fatimah the little he can and Adefemi replied without waiting.

The moment he got to Miss Yemisi’s side to sit down was when the morning assembly bell went off.

Wrang! Wrang!! Wrang!!!

Oh, poo! It had ruined their discussion. No, it was David that had done that with his unnecessary mission.

“I’m sorry it has to end this way. I mean David coming to interrupt.” He pleaded, his face so sober.

“Don’t worry dear. We’ll make up for that later. Why don’t you run to the assembly so as not to be caught to have stayed longer on the pitch when the bell went!” She advised and he took off running towards the school while she walked slowly, thinking about all that had been discussed by them since they had been alone.

She longed for his warmth and wish she could run after him, run to catch up with him as it felt he was slipping away from her; leaving her to the harsh conditions she had suffered from her past lovers. She ran her left hand against her right arm, she felt cold.

They had never treated her right, the last one being someone who always pounced on her and inflict beating on her. She remembered vividly how she was rushed to the hospital cause she passed out from his tortures.

It had all been gloomy when it happened until she woke from the bed at the hospital and her kid sister narrated how they saw her lifeless in her apartment. Then, she recollected what had happened before then.

Adefemi was not the age she should date but she was starting to love him now. Oh God! If this would be the love that would care so much for me, don’t let him slip away. I won’t let this go, she thought.

Before she was brought back from the train of thoughts, Adefemi had gone out of sight and the only thing she could see from far was the gathering of students.

Meanwhile, on the assembly ground

“Good morning students,” by the Principal brought every student to a complete silence. The place was so dead quiet like a graveyard.

The praise and worship had not been permitted to ring out for long today, neither was the 2 stanzas of the National Anthem and the 3 of the School Anthem sang. They had been allowed to just take a stanza each with the pledges, both the National and the School pledge.

“Today is a very Good day I would say,” she flashed her teeth. Many who knew or guessed what she was getting at looked towards David.

“First off, let me start by informing you all that your English teacher Miss Iton that taught you all in the Junior School had been transferred to the Senior School,” she said to the amazement of many students.

The principal’s hairs were well oiled and combed, she looked so much like Margaret Thatcher as always. Same height and dimension of the skin. She never seizes to put on cloths that replicated the Iron Lady.

“Don’t you see you people are very lucky.”

“Wow,” and applause rang out from 80% of the students who admired Miss Iton.

She was the best English teacher they’ve ever come across. She was so good and took her classes with complete seriousness. Her accent were nothing different from the owners and founders of the English Language.

She thought the subject the way the British would love it from a foreigner. Though with the colour of her skin, one would say she had come from Britain, however, she was from Cross River State, Nigeria.

She was 6ft and had the resemblance of Micheal Jackson sometimes with the hair she did. Hairs grew on her chest and jaw, one would wonder what sort of lady she was.

As things were going, she surely would be made a University English lecturer soon but they all prayed she should see them through their WAEC first before that would happened.

“I know most of you are happy. It can be read from your faces.” She paused for a moment and looked towards Miss Iton who stood beside the podium and smiled broadly at the principal, turning her gaze to the students, she acknowledged their applause.

“So the one that had been taking you before had gone to take her place at the Junior school.

Not to delay for long, in our midst today is someone we’ll have to hold in high esteem for the rest of his days in this school and when the time comes for him to leave, his name would remain in the white book for life so long this school exist.

Before I break the good news. He the hero would also be representing our school with other colleagues in Abuja at the annual secondary school festival which starts on monday. He was confirmed a good swimmer and an extremely fast athlete by his peers so Mr. David, can you please come out so we can all see the new Super hero in our midst.”

The applause that rang out from the students were so much, they gave the man of the moment goose-bumps. Surely, the news had spread so fast amongst the student.

“I think you all know what this man had done,” she broke in, between the applause that was still ringing out.

“No ma, we don’t!” Some sections of the assembly chorused and the principal narrated all what David had done to save Fatimah and Mariam. The students were wowed at such brilliance. Such courage!

They all stared at him in amazement, even Fatimah and Mariam shed tears of joy, as their colleagues pat and pet them.

“You see, this is a day of joy as I had said. Mr. David, we thank you so much and we hope we are able to celebrate you more once you return from the competition.” The principal announced as David bowed and went back to his lane.

He knew it must have been Arizona that had given him in – to be a very good swimmer and an extremely fast athlete. He, David travelling to Abuja to represent this school kept resurfacing in his thoughts as he stood on his lane. Wasn’t it said that only brilliant people represented their schools? He thought. Wow, Lagos was surely going to offer him much than he had in his village.

“On the other hand. Miss Iton would be taking some students to the Nigeria Stock Exchange Essays and Debate Awards at the MUSON centre next week. She had compiled a list of those going with her this morning due to the fore knowledge she’s had with you all in the past at your Literary/Debating Club. Please be informed that the list would be called out in your classes before the day ends. Meanwhile, Fatimah, Mariam and David should see me in my office after the assembly.” She left the Podium.

When she stepped down from the podium, Miss Iton took centre stage and started the usual conduct she did in the Junior school where there was often impromptu debate by students.

Before she started given the details about what the topic would be, the doctor from the IPS appeared. He was in his Lab coat or doctor’s uniform as we’ll have it. He came forward towards the vice-principal’ male – and spoke into his ears.

The vice principal interrupted Miss Iton and called Tochukwu but he wasn’t on the assembly ground.

Izuchukwu’s friends who had given the doctor the name knew very well it wasn’t Tochukwu but Izuchukwu their friend. They knew Tochukwu to be a potential late comer and had thought the doctor might not take the chance if it should come to the worst – to wait till Tochukwu arrived.

“The topic for today would be why Farmers are better than Teachers. You either propose or oppose the motion,” she explained while students were starting to hide their faces. This was the reason why some 20% didn’t like the brilliant English teacher.

But rather than calling someone she knew would be able to debate, she decided to make a joke on her first day in the Senior school. May be it was a coincidence or something but luck didn’t smile on him today.

The person that was seeking him was still around. Then, Tochuckwu that was expected ran into the line. Once the vice principal saw him, summoned him and he went to answer him.

“Izuchukwu, can you please come outside and debate for us,” Miss Iton made a bad move. Izu surely will not forgive Miss Iton if things should go wrong.

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