Death can wait

DEATH CAN WAIT : EPISODE 1 & 2

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DEATH CAN WAIT.

EPISODE ONE.

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(BRIGHT FUTURE ACADEMY)

Mrs. Anderson pulled up in front of her daughter's school gate. This was the same route she took to work every morning, and dropping off her eldest daughter had become a part of her routine.

Just as she parked in front of the school and turned off the car ignition, she noticed a troubled look on her daughter's face and decided to ask her what was wrong.

"Shola, you have been quiet all morning, and I noticed that right from home. Is everything okay with you?" Mrs Anderson asked.

"Yes, Mom. I'm fine," Shola said, forcing a smile at her mother. She reached for the door handle and was about to step out of the car when her mother held her back.

"Wait first, Shola. Maybe we should pray about your worries," Mrs. Anderson said.

Shola relaxed back into the car seat. It was a habit from their Christian upbringing, as Shola's father is a pastor. They prayed briefly, and Shola gave her mother a peck on her cheek before stepping out of the car.

"Take care of yourself today, okay?" Mrs. Anderson said and turned on the ignition of her car.

Shola nodded and waved goodbye to her mother, standing briefly to watch her drive away to work. However, her troubled expression soon returned, and with heavy steps, she walked into her school compound.

On her way to her classroom, Shola spotted Senior Samuel standing with friends and chatting happily. She then approached him and asked for a moment alone.

"Samuel, can I talk to you privately?" Shola asked.

"Sure," Samuel replied and followed Shola to a quiet corner of the school.

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"I missed my period, Samuel," Shola said with her voice almost cracking.

"And so what?" Samuel replied. "What's the big deal about missing your period?"

"The big deal is that I am pregnant," Shola said, glancing around cautiously to ensure they were alone. "My friend, who is a nursing assistant at a chemist shop by the road, examined me; she said I am pregnant."

"So what do you expect me to do?" Samuel asked. "It is just an ordinary pregnancy, and I expected you to be able to handle that yourself."

"You call this an ordinary pregnancy?" Shola said, almost shouting at him. But she quickly lowered her voice because she never wanted anyone to hear their conversation. "Remember, I never wanted to do this, Samuel, but you for-cēd yourself on me." Shola complained, almost with teary eyes.

"Yeah, I for-cēd myself on you," Samuel said. "But didn't you give in to it later? We both had fun, and I am glad you enjoyed yourself."

"I never enjoyed any bit of it," Shola protested. "I simply let you have your way because I love you, and you have been disturbing me too much."

"Well, I never loved you in return," Samuel said. "Whatever happened between us was a game, a mere deal between me and my friends. You have been turning down every guy in this school, acting all pompous as if you are the most religious and beautiful."

"Listen, Shola," Samuel continued. "The guys set you up knowing you couldn't resist a handsome guy like me. I won the 1million naira prize money, so get the hē-ll out of my sight."

Tears flowed freely from Shola's face as Samuel said those cruel words to her. She watched Samuel walk away and then collapsed to the floor, crying.

Just then, Shola began hearing footsteps and chatter from female students approaching, so she quickly wiped her tears and composed herself as if nothing had happened.

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(SS-2 B CLASSROOM)

Meanwhile, in Shola's classroom, a group of male students gathered around a locker, banging on it to create a beat for Israel as he sang.

During Israel's freestyle performance, he spotted Shola walking into the classroom, looking distressed. So, he quickly adjusted his Freestyle lyrics and approached Shola in an attempt to lift her spirits and brighten her day with his song.

When Israel reached Shola's locker, he leaned toward her and began singing while the drumming boys cheered him on.

Almost everyone in the classroom was enjoying Israel's freestyle and nodding their heads to the rhythm of his melodies.

But Shola wasn't even paying attention to the music. Her life was already in a big mess, and she was heartbroken by Senior Samuel's words. She imagined the shock that would be on her father's face if he found out she was no longer a vìr-gìn, let alone pregnant.

All this thought was going through Shola's mind, while Israel continued to disturb her with his freestyle session, refusing to let a troubled heart find rest.

Suddenly, Shola grabbed Israel by his school uniform collar and pulled him closer. She then reached for her pen and was about to injure the upcoming musician when the rest of the classroom quickly intervened.

"Leave me the hē-ll alone and take your music freestyle elsewhere," Shola shouted, transferring all her aggression toward Israel who was only trying to brighten her up.

The whole classroom was shocked by this outburst; none of them had ever seen Shola in such anger before, and the room was quiet for a moment.

"I am sorry to bother you, Shola," Israel apologized. "I didn't mean to annoy you with my song. But if you don't like pop music and are upset because of that, I can switch to Gospel."

"Just leave me alone and take your music somewhere else," Shola said and sat in her seat. She buried her head in her locker, and tears continued to flow as she wept silently.

Mirabel, who was also in the same class with them, suddenly burst out laughing, mocking Israel after his confrontation with Shola.

"You think you'll make it big with that style of music?" Mirabel told Israel. "The only label you'll get is when you're labeled a criminal. I doubt any record label in their right mind would want to invest in you."

"Shut up, Mirabel," Tunde said, standing up for Israel, his best friend. He turned to Israel and continued, "Don't mind Mirabel, We know your quality, and Mirabel is just jealous. You are talented, and you will succeed musically."

"Speaking of record labels," Tunde continued, "YBNL could sign you one day. You are that good."

"Thank you, Tunde," Israel replied, turning to his best friend. "But I am not interested in YBNL though. I just want Mavin Records; if they come knocking, I'll go for them."

"He's even choosing labels," Mirabel said, laughing again. "You'll never make it as a musician. I have this belief that you'll end up like your older sister, who couldn't complete secondary school. You'll end up working at a food restaurant like her by the roadside."

Israel was angered by Mirabel's remark about his elder sister, and he wanted to charge toward her in anger, but Tunde quickly held him back and persuaded him to ignore her.

"Let it go, Israel," Tunde said. "You've known Mirabel for a long time, and she's just trying to provoke you."

"She has no right to disrespect my sister like that!" Israel said, fuming. "That's absolutely uncalled for."

"I know," Tunde said, still trying to calm him down. "Don't engage with her. She's a lady, and we're in school. If this spirals out of control and you get rusticated, your sister will be disappointed in you."

Israel returned to his seat calmly, and the thought of Serah, his eldest sister, crossed his mind. Ever since their parents' death in an accident, the family members who had vowed to support their education during the funeral service at church had stopped answering their calls.

Feeding became a problem, let alone being able to afford school. For that reason, Serah decided to withdraw from school, so Israel, who is more intelligent than she is, could continue.

Serah works all day at a canteen by the roadside, earning barely enough to take care of their basic needs and ensure Israel remains in school.

Now, if there's any reason Israel ever wanted to succeed musically and academically, it is because of the sacrifices Serah made for him.

Serah is golden and more like a sister playing the role of a mother in his life. He would never sit and watch anyone make fun of her status.