Chapter Three

Ogola got enticed. I mean, who would not be. Arnold was sweet, he was handsome and was always there for her. She always felt safe whenever they were together. He always offered her a listening ear and in often cases offered some of the greatest advices in relation to her situations, well, according to her though. Love is the greatest disease in the whole universe. It impairs judgements and makes all imperfections seem perfect. I think I should make one of my future children do a research on this course love.

It was almost April and schools were about to be closed for a short holiday. It had been a month since the two met and life was actually better. Not, better better but it was better. One thing about love is that it does not want divided attention and Ogola did not fail it. She gave it her all. All that was at the cost of her studies. Her grades dropped drastically. Mr Wadiaga was alerted. That was one of his best students and the sudden drop in her grades was unlike her. She was not the kind to take it easy on failure, let alone even thinking of it. She would fail but then work so hard to get her good grades back. She failed in the midterm test and was again not doing good in the end term exams. The papers were being marked and each teacher was complaining, complaining about her to her class teacher, Mr Wadiaga. She had also grown fond of missing school and usually sent Angujo to ask for permission for her absentism from the teachers on her behalf. She would always be like, "Dani tuo to an ema nyaka abed kode (Grandmother is unwell and you know I just have to look after her)," then spend the rest of the day with the love of her life, a.k.a Arnold. They called each other ' evol ', only spelt backwards to mean love. It is funny how love leads to crazy and weird inventions.

When schools were closed and students broke home for the holidays, Mr Wadiaga went to Mama Marsella's home the next morning to look for her granddaughter for one, she did not go to school to collect her report form and two, he wanted to know about her truancy and talk to her about her sudden drop in performance. She was a candidate about to sit her national examinations in a few months time. Many students did lose their way when they were nearing their final examinations and Mr Wadiaga was not about to let that happen to her top student. Students always showed great determination at the beginning of their studies but would lose their focus just when the finish line was so close. That morning, Wadiaga arrived quite early in the compound and found Ogola bent over beside their house. Mama Marsella was tending to her crops as always. Mr Wadiaga wanted to so much talk to her as well but he would never distract her from what she was doing, God knows how much she cherished her crops and farm at large.

Ogola was embarrassed, very embarrassed. She just stood there looking at her teacher without saying anything. Somehow someone had to do something to get rid of that awkwardness so Mr Wadiaga asked," Good morning, aren't you going to invite me in or something." She invited him inside and offered him a cup of tea with some sweet potatoes they had prepared last night. They greeted each other. Wadiaga asked how the grandmother was doing because he had heard that she was ailing, from Angujo whom Ogola used to send to school. Ogola explained that she was okay and that she had gone to harvest some cassava that and sweet potatoes that she was to take to the market that afternoon.

The whole conversation was between the two, much of her delight because she knew she had been lying. So he started,"Ogola, I know you have never heard my story. Well, I was the only son to my mother. My mother, the late Lilian Achego was the third wife to my father. The other two wives hated her so much and I have never understood why. All of the children she bore died except myself. It was said that she was cursed only latterly to be discovered that it was indeed the eldest wife that killed them through witchery. My mother would get pregnant but a few days to delivery she would develop a very severe pain in the stomach until the delivery day when she would have a still birth. The same case happened to me, only I was a blessing and blessings cannot be got rid of that easily. Unfortunately, I could not take more of the whipping so I yelled my lungs out.

My education was not an easy one, mainly because of my background but despite all that I was determined, I was determined to be a great teacher someday. My father was a drunkard. A drunkard tgatyhad a great charm for women. My homemates made fun of me for going to school but I never let any of those bar me from attaining that goal that I had set. I wanted to be like the fish, you know, always propelling forward. You and I are not so different Ogola, you know."

"Sir, you don't know what you are talking about, just stop it please!" Ogola said with a shaky voice, almost like she was about to burst down in tears.

"I worked so hard and even though I lost my mom when I was almost sitting for ny last paper I still held that faith in me, that I had to be a teacher. I consoled myself that at least she would not have been happy if I gave up. Ogola, challenges are meant to make us stronger, mistakes are meant to make us wiser. Ogola, what is wrong?"