Chapter 96: Frolic in the Cab
***Frolic in the Cab***
That very day, after all the celebrations and events drafted by the MC. was exhausted, we all went home, I went home with Cynthia after a couple of hugs from the super Cee. Cynthia felt so proud around me, she felt like the First Lady of Nigeria, she just kept grabbing me by the hands at every opportunity she had just to prove to everyone that I am hers. Girls and their ways of owning men. It was fun at first but later grew funny when I noticed the reason she was doing it. Even, my heart grew in pride, it was not easy to be showered with much love as I had been today. Even the principal called me to the office and showered with lots of praises, telling me how many names I have made for myself, and how I will bring more fame to the school when the journalists published the news they had compiled about my swimming. He also told me to invite my mom to school on Friday, that the Director of the school will be coming around and he will like to meet with the both of us.
Though I agreed to come with her, but deep within me, I knew that there was no way I could let my mom come to this school again, at least not when I'm still known as the Merman. Common... Mom will kill me, or worse due to a heart attack. The last time that something similar happened, mom almost died of panic, and her asthma kicked up that day.
It was a very hot noon that very unfortunate day, that was when we're still at our former place. Our neighbor's children were going to the stream to do their laundry, and one of them persuaded me to escort. I hardly did my laundry myself at that time, so I had no reason to go the river with them, but after much persuasion, I agreed to join them. Though I was conscious of the water, I knew I was never to go into it. In fact, I was too terrified to go near it, but mom never knew of that. So when we got to the riverside, just as most rivers that I have seen, this one's surroundings was filthy, decay, decaying, and freshly fallen leaves were all over the place, I actually found the place irritating so I chose to stay at the rocky side which was dried and clean the breeze had swept off all the specks of dirt around there. Though I got many offers to come to the water but I refused. I just sat by the rocky side and enjoyed the view, though the weather was visibly hot, this place was still cold and calm, the stream was located somewhere in the woods, there were trees and bushes almost everywhere except for the rocky place where I found comfort. We passed through bushes and listened to the singing of birds as we came to the place.
Now while we were there, come came home to meet my absence, so she went to our neighbors to confirm my whereabouts only to get the shocking news that I, along with her sons and daughters, plus other neighbor's children had gone to the stream to do laundry. My mom almost died the moment she shared about this. She screamed with her hands placed on her head, later she used the same hand on her mouth.
The woman tried to confirm the reason for the Panic,
"Your son only went to do laundry, he is not missing."
So the woman said, but my mom paid no attention to her, she actually will never understand her reasons. My mom quickly confirmed the location of the stream only to realize that it was the same stream notoriously known for its evil water spirits that take kids seasonally. Though I never believed it, I have always believed that it was coincidental. Maybe all the kids that when missing in that river were stubborn kids who knew that can't swim, yet go inside to swim and the current sweeps them away. Well, that's my theory, the villagers had their own theory, and it was very different from mine.
When my mom found out about the river, immediately she fell into an attack of asthma. Before long after the asthma attack, the news came to me in the river, a kid named Chimamkpam ran to the river in search of me, he broke the news to me and I fled home to administer help to her.
So that was the last experience I had with mom knowing that I got close to the river, now you can imagine how she will feel knowing that I even swam. So will never let her come to the school, I will hide this statue very well and ill keep it till the day ill return it to school. So I had decided.
So that day after school, I and Cynthia walked hand in hand to the motor pack to get a cab that will fare us home.
All the while in the park we were both discussing my victory, oh... Cynthia truly knows her ways with words of praise, she just kept making me feel so proud of myself, and I bet she was proud of me too. Today I noticed how possessive Cynthia could be, she just kept hauling me to herself. When we finally got into the cab, we were the only two in the cab that day, so when the car started moving we felt we had to take a little smooch before we get home, but we were stuck by the cab drive speech who saw us through his rare mirror.
"What is the meaning of that? Are you two kids mad? What is wrong with you? So even if you don't have respect you don't have fear? Look at the rubbish you are trying to do in my car. All these children that they did not give a proper home training, God forbid! You these rich kids, my child can ever try this kind of rubbish, I'll just kill them with beaten. Chai, I just feel like dropping you kids here now and going away, but I just need the money, if not... You would have seen what I would have done to you."
The cab driver said continuously and non-stop, we felt so embarrassed, Cynthia felt it the most, she wished there was a way she could sink into herself and hide. In no time we got to our destination in shame and calmness, when we got down we paid him his money and he zoomed off with a couple of curses at us, as soon as he left, we burst into laughter, Cynthia blamed me for everything, though funnily, she never truly blamed me, she was joking about it.