CHAPTER ELEVEN

" mum, I do not like this lesson teacher" Tola told her mother who sat glued to the TV screen. She was not going to give up on her mother; she needed to understand what she was saying.

" mum, mum, mum!"

" leave me alone jor , it is my decision not yours. I can pick whoever I want as your lesson teacher"

" but mum please…."

" leave me alone Tola and get ready for your lesson, I shouldn't hear any complaints from him or you else you will be punished"

Tola now knew her mother was not going to listen to her. She ran upstairs to her room in tears. Why couldn't her mother understand? That man was a bad man-a villain in reality; he always wanted to touch her on places one ought not to and she was taught in school to avoid such a person.

Just then, her room's door burst open with a thud," miss, madam said you should come downstairs for your lesson" Bisi, the house maid said

not again! She thought of telling her maid to lie that she was asleep but she had already tried that before and it wasn't successful. She reluctantly got out of bed and went to the study room to meet her lesson teacher brushing Bisi as she went.

" hello Tola, did you do my assignment?" Mr. Uche, her lesson teacher asked

" yes sir…good afternoon sir" Tola replied

" let me see the assignment; did you have any trouble with it?"

" no sir" Tola sat down and opened her book

" let me see" the teacher pretended to want to open her book and placed his hands on hers. He pushed down her pen deliberately and when she reached down to it, his hand despicably landed on her chest. She reached back in fear and irritation; she was young but she most certainly knew that a man was not allowed to touch a girl's chest so casually.

" stop it! Stop it I say or I will tell on you" She shouted at him

" ah ah…. Remember what I told you? You will regret it if you do; I'll tell your mum you are not behaving yourself" he threatened.

She frowned; she hated this man so much. She wished she was allowed to use a phone so she would call her dad and tell him everything as her mum never believed anything she said but instead gobbled up all the words of the pedophile.

Bisi stood watching at a distance; what was this man doing to her mistress. How did his hand touch her like that? She glared so much at the teacher that she did not realize she was being spoken to.

" Bisi, Bisi, Bisi!" the gateman called and Bisi jerked back

" wetin now? You want scare me die?" Bisi replied in pidgin english

" no ooo… na your 'amebo' spirit go kill you one day. Wetin concern you with the teach the madam's daughter dey do for there"

" Habib, you no see the thing wey that wicked man dey do to madam's daughter? She been dey complain about the man since but madam no give am eye. I no know say this man dey too wicked like this"

" you no need know, turn your face go other side…no be our business now. You want carry another person matter for head?" Habib scolded her as he reached into his pocket for something.

Bisi frowned " Habib, no talk that kind thing…. No be like say I want know everything or like say I want stick my nose here and there. Na assault that man dey do to that girl, I don experience am first hand to know that it get its own juju wey dey destroy person. Na suffer way I suffer from my uncle that time"

When she got no reply, she turned around to see a distracted Habib. He held something in his hand.

" wetin be that Habib?"

Habib showed her the phone, " na smart phone, you no see say I don upgrade?" he bragged

" I see am. You fit borrow me small?"

Habib gives Bisi a perplexed look but gives her the phone after warning her strictly. She opened the camera on the phone and tapped video record. She began to record Tola and her teacher who continued to assault her. She recorded them sneakily without them knowing. She saved the video and Habib stared at her with his mouth open wide in amazement.

" Habib , I want show madam, I go come give you when I show her…. why you dey look me like so?"

" Bisi, you fit use smart phone?"

" I used to get one before my jamb but I don loose am" she said as she goes into the house to show her madam the video she had just recorded.

Shirley laughed at the movie she was watching; the characters were behaving stupid

" madam" Bisi called

" wetin, I no call you" Shirley fussed

" it get something wey I want show you" Bisi said

" what? I do not have time for all your rubbish talks and showcase."

" but madam, they dem assault your daughter for outside"

" what! Bisi are you crazy?"

" I get proof, madam please see it"

Shirley watches the video in horror; it was true, very true. If her husband should find out he would be very angry with her. How could she have missed it? She hurried away to confront him

" what is the meaning of this?" she showed him the phone on arrival at the study, Bisi was behind her.

The teacher was astonished but soon started to shiver as he watched the video. How could he have been discovered? He remained speechless while Shirley fumed hot with anger and fury. What was he to say? Tola is confused too at the sight but relieved somehow.

" has a cat got your tongue?" Shirley said infuriated at his silence

" er…. Madam" he struggled to get up

" er what? Mr. Uche, what have you been doing to Tola? What have you been doing to my daughter?" she approached him in anger

" it was the devil" he said once he was finally up on his feet.

Shirley grabbed him by the collar" you and your devil can now rot in jail"