Love, Lust And Lost - Season 1 Episode 67

Episode 8 years ago

Love, Lust And Lost - Season 1 Episode 67

“You see am? You see wetin I talk?” Mrs. Smalls said without looking back from the stool she sat on.

“I tell you say that madam get something for you. As you be fine boy so, make sure say you no leave her. Make you hold her well well.”


Sincerely, Mrs. Small was being delusional somehow but at the same time, one might reason with what she said base on the fact she claimed to be a wise one. One who sees and reads the mind. Didn’t she use some eyes contact to speak to Miss Yemisi the morning when she came to have breakfast? Might be that she was lucid somehow!

“Adefemi,” Zainob couldn’t hold it back any longer. She wanted to fight for her love. “Are you telling me all she said is true?”

“What do you mean by that? Are you trying to say you believe her?” He retorted.

Fatimah just sat down amazed at the confrontation that was going on. The students in the cafeteria too were nonplussed by what wasn’t their concern.

They didn’t know actually what was wrong but they’ve heard the little, Mrs. Smalls had said and formed a story in their minds. Some of them stopped eating, their mouths oily as they held their doughnuts or whatever snack they were eating close to the mouth, but it couldn’t meet the mouth, couldn’t touch their tongues.

Some of the coded ones amongst them sipped their drinks, looking away but their minds were focused on Zainob’s reaction. Was she going to slap Adefemi or a fight was going to happen? They didn’t know what Zainob’s own was but they made sure not to speak.

“What’s your own na?” Fatimah broke in “leave him to do whatever he wants. And who even told you they are dating? What if they are just being close? Haven’t we seen teachers liking students they found active in their class!.”

Zainob’s gave her a quizzical look. She stared at her from head to toe as if she had messed up her body as she did in the junior school. She had often despised Fatimah but they had never had the time to talk face to face. They were not friends and so nothing could have brought them to talk. Not even any group assignment could have made them talk. She didn’t like Fatimah cause she was too beautiful. She beefed her beauty silently, In the depth of her mind.

But funny enough, they stayed close to each other. Yet, they never greeted each other, no matter how close they might pass by each other.

“You better shut your mouth and stay out of this!”

Zainob wanted to shut her off totally by striking her a cover-slap but cautioned her manners. She stood up and made to leave when Adefemi held her hand and pleaded.

“Not what you think. She is my teacher as well as yours, so how do you expect anything to be going on between the two of us. Moreover, she is older than I am.”

She didn’t even listen to his explanation as she raised her hand and `kpoai’ was the next sound that graced his right cheek. Almost everyone in the cafeteria stared at her. The slap seemed to have awaken the whole people in the cafeteria.

It felt as if it had unsettled the snacks of Mrs. Smalls, may be by shock or so but the buns she had arranged on one another all fell to the showcase floor. They made a certain sound, `crispy-turds’ inside the showcase

Mrs. Smalls was `gobsmacked’ by the thunder of a slap. She almost fell from the stool she sat on. It was as though a disaster had suddenly occurred. The place was silent, more silent than a graveyard. The only sound that could be heard were that of flies that hover around, trying to perch on snacks and straws and bottle-opening. It seemed as if a movie had been paused at the cinema, peoples faces glared at the direction the slap had come from, startled and unable to speak.

It dawn on Mrs. Smalls she had caused the sh1t but she rebuked the thought. It hadn’t gone that far she had said. It was the `Radio Nigeria’ of a girl that had complicated issues. Anyway, none of them had done Adefemi any good.

Fatimah tried to gather courage. “Why did you slap him? What rubbish is this?” But she didn’t get a reply as Zainob hissed and walked out on her, snapping her fingers as if saying `you will see!!’

“Zainob, Zainob, Zainob,” he shouted to no avail but she didn’t come back.

Mrs. Smalls laughed mockingly “so na you wan dey follow teacher drag husband. Yeye dey worry you! You never see your size,” she spoke as if Adefemi was the same age with Miss Yemisi, as though that would have prevented the hot slap.

He wasn’t pleased with Mrs. Smalls but he couldn’t say anything as he respected her. He caressed his right cheek to examine may be her hand had stock there, made after-mark print of fingers, – because the hot-ness of the slap was still trying to cool. He stood up and wanted to go after Zainob but Fatimah held him back.

“Do you have sense at all?”

He scratched his head. He was clueless, not knowing what he was going to do. The girl he had been pestering to have as his girlfriend and had just accepted his resquest yesterday was going away very angry and here was Fatimah, the girl he should be dating if not for his foolishness. He almost forgot Miss Yemisi was calling him.

May be the slap took away his senses, only him knew. What was he going to do now? Though Fatimah was occupied but why the heck was she trying to prevent him from going after Zainob?.

“But,…..Fatimah, why,… don’t,…. you,.. let me,.. go,.. after,.. her?.” He finally gathered courage but the courage wasn’t even courageous enough.

He was picking the words one by one. A nut was let loosed in his throat. Yap, he was going to shed tears because of the slap. Such slap that inflicted instant childishness, – makes one cry like a dummy.

“See George, you don’t have to stoop so low to that girl’s level. Imagine the slap she gave you and you still want to chase her and beg her! Something must be wrong with your number six.

That girl is too saucy. She is even a `dullard’, she knows nothing. Why the hell is she angry? Because Miss Yemisi your subject tutor asked to see you? Then the slap, what for? Don’t you see she is senseless? And who is she to you? Just a mere friend. You need to have common sense and dignity George. You have to!!!”

He was a bit reasonable now. Yes, why was she angry anyway and why the slap? Wasn’t it just his teacher calling him? But he couldn’t correct Fatimah – Zainob was now his girlfriend. The girl that had dominated the longing-for-her Tournament in his heart. Oh, what fool love can be!!!

“Let me go answer Miss Yemisi then.” He felt shy as the people in the kiosk stared at him. They shook their heads in disbelieve.

Mrs. Smalls giggled and mocked his cowardice. She later felt sorry for the young man. Felt sorry for herself too. She reasoned about what she had done. She had been the one who complicated all these issues because of her guesses or presumption`s’. She felt like consoling him but she didn’t have the heart to open her mouth.

“That should be cool, don’t let that girl disturb your mind. I don’t like her George. She is certainly not your type with her display just now. But I hope nothing is going on between you and the NYSC teacher?”

Was Fatimah also jealous?

“Don’t you trust me?” He forced a dry smile.

She laughed in return “of course I do. Don’t mind my silly butt0ckz.”

She caressed his right cheek with her wet palm. Then moment, they stared into each other’s eyes. Their pupils focused and it pierced into the apples that appeared in the iris.
There was the longing for each other’s warmth. The joy to be together between them. That feeling of the best person in the world I could ever be happy with, yet – they didn’t know what to do to be together.

Their faces stood like a full stop, then it moved and lines started to appear till it all faded into a smile. She slid her hands down as they were brought back into reality by the clearing of the throat by one of the students in the cafeteria.

“Ermm, Mrs. Smalls, please make the snacks for just a person with a drink. I’ll bring the bottle once my friend is done with it.” He tried to divert their minds.

Fatimah collected the packaged doughnuts, a drink and a straw held to its body. He paid her and they made for the school.
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