DAYA

Ungwan Rimi, Kaduna state, Nigeria.

MARIAM

"Mariam!" My mother called or shouted my name from downstairs.

"Ma, I’m coming". I replied and carried my bag as I went down.

"Do you want to be late for school? It's already seven fifteen you know the gates are going to be closed by seven thirty in the morning".

"Mummy you worry too much. It's first week of resumption, nothing will happen and besides I'm in Ss 2 now".

"Ss2 or Ss3, still ki yi sauri ki tafi. Your father sent money for the week into your account, he had to leave early for work". She replied.

"I know, he's busy as usual". I answered dryly and tired.

"Habah Mariam he's trying fah, Baban ki nei", my mum said trying to be the peacemaker as usual.

"Sai anjima". I choose to reply instead.

There is never a day that my father is not busy, I thought to myself in the car as the driver drove me to school.

Pacesetters International College, a thirty-forty-minute drive from my house. Due to the fact that it was in Barnawa and I lived in Ungwan rimi.

It was the school where you could find the crème dè la crème and, the fact, that my father worked with an oil and gas company, it wasn't much of an issue as to why I will also be there with the likes of ministers, senators and commissioners’ children. Maybe one of the president's child even graduated from there. Who knows?

The school had a strange policy, if you were able to pass your WAEC papers; that's your Secondary school examinations, on your own without external help or cheating; then the proprietress will sponsor eighty percent of your schooling to whatever university of choice you wanted. However, if you made your WAEC papers through cheating, that’s your cup of tea. Well, the rich people's children couldn't care less about the scholarship but an average student struggling financially, would...So, the competition is still there.

I looked around the school, senior girls wore blue and white stripped pleated skirts, with white long-sleeved shirts and matching tie along with a dark blue blazer to go with it. The junior girls on the other hand wore short-sleeved white shirts and striped pinafore.

The senior boys wore the same thing with the senior girls with trousers, while the junior boys wore short-sleeved shirts without blazers. Then the SS3 prefects had name tags with the position they were occupying. While we the SS2 that were acting prefects before the position was handed to them, wore sashes with their prefectship position on it.

I don’t even know who made that rule, it was flamboyant and annoying. I looked at my silver sash with uniform prefect female written in black on it and sighed.

I stood and waited by the gate along with our head boy; Lawal. I was the uniform prefect female and I was supposed to stand along with the head-boy, head-girl and the uniform prefect male. In fact, virtually all the prefects were to stand at the gate first week of resumption.

Then the following week, all the prefects would follow the prefect daily rooster.

However, the uniform prefects didn’t have a duty rooster, we stood there every morning to make sure they wore their uniforms correctly, their hair wasn’t unkempt, the girls didn’t pencil or cut their skit, their nails clean and cut and even if they didn’t use perfumes, at least deodorant. Basically, everything about neatness and school uniform tidiness. I sighed as I noticed that my male counterpart, Yama; the male uniform prefect had not come. Most of us whom our prefectship required a male and a female stood in pairs for our duty day and resumption week to present a united front and moral support but well, welcome to my world.

Yama and I always quarrelled, due to the fact that he was always late and he saw me as someone who wouldn't mind her business about his late coming.

I rolled my eyes in exasperation as I remembered one of our quarrels, I mean does he expect me to also be checking whether the boys didn't dress well? Habah, they would say am trying to touch them. Perverted children. The head boy silently laughed at my predicament and stood in for him till he came. I mean those were one of the things of being a head-boy or head-girl. They were to stand in for prefects that were late or couldn’t come to school amidst their other responsibility. Around seven thirty-five in the morning, we closed the gates after giving the students five minutes grace. Lawal handled the late comers by giving them punishment of weeding the grass while as for me, I told the girls to not try it again. Yama on the other hand didn't agree with the letting them go as he told the boys and girls to sweep and mop the staff room.

Well, the teachers didn't mind, as they temporarily moved to the common room. I didn't want to waste so much time on supervising them so I sent an Ss 1 student to check them. I stopped along the way to my class like I was forgetting something.

"Kawana" okay! yes, I have a best friend. I turned to see the short devil smiling at me.

"Kucheli, please stop shouting and you are late again" I sighed.

"Kai why would I want to catch-up on assembly, we do the same thing every day. Pray, sing national anthem, hear announcements, say grace. Why won't somebody just stand up one day and oppose Principal Rachael and I mean by raising chairs up kin gani. Anyways babes I have gist for you".

"You always have gist Kuchi and what actually goes through your head, which one is someone should raise chair" I looked at her incredulously

"Do you want to hear the gist or not? Madam uniform” she responded in fake anger.

“Sorry Ma, I’m ready for the gist”.

“Better for you, I heard that one new boy is coming to our class" she rubbed her hand in girl gossip.

"Really Kuchi of all classes he's coming in Ss2 I don't believe you" my voice came out in disbelief. I didn't believe this was the gist.

"Sometimes I wonder how your brain functions. As long as his parents have the money and his grades are good is that not all? You forget the school we are" she responded in mock annoyance.

I didn't say anything for a while as we walked to class. Routinely, we were going to waste our time, uniform and energy in school because first week of resumption wasn't serious. Kucheli just laid down on my laps slightly sleeping while I read a novel.

"If you touch my ass one more time Yama, I will personally castrate you before I report you to our form master" I looked between the two of them. Anyways, I couldn't deny it, I was no better than a guy as my friend has a great future behind her. And Yama is always looking for her trouble, guys! What can I say? She is beautiful but likes frowning her face.

Big black eyes, small nose, full stop mouth, small ears. But like I said she loves to squeeze her face, while Yama on the other hand, I really don't know what his problem is.

After wasting two periods which took ninety minutes, Principal Rachael came to our class, we quickly stood up to greet her as per the school rules but she told us not to worry because at the moment she didn’t look like she came for pleasantries.

Behind her stood a tall boy, his face blank, he wasn’t smiling neither was he frowning, it wasn’t a welcoming face and; he was looking at everyone and nobody in particular. I looked at Kucheli and she looked back at me. Maybe this is the new person she's talking of.

"Good day art class. I hope you all spent your holidays well and are back and eager to learn. Well not to beat around the bush, you will be having a new student joining you this year till you all graduate-"

"Nawawo how that one go take happen for Ss 2 for that matter"

"Kenneth. I have always told you to stop interrupting people, especially adults when they are talking it's rude, I've also warned you about speaking good English. This is an institution of learning not the streets. Yes, as I was saying please this is Samuel, he transferred from Lagos state due to personal reasons. Don't fight with him and don't disrespect him. That will be all for now. Samuel please let's go".

Immediately she left, Kenneth and some other boys began grumbling on how they were free to speak whatever they wanted and why "Princi" would behave like she grew up in Great Britain.

"But seriously class in Ss 2, a new student?" Yama questioned.

"That's why you always behave like undone pap. If he has the money and maybe good grades is that not all?". Kuchi retorted.

"Good episode eleven, of season fifty Yama and Kucheli". Kenneth whistled.

"You like looking for trouble you too, leave him now" I told my friend. She hissed already annoyed while I got back to reading my book yet I couldn't forget the new boy. Till the end of closing hours when the time keeper rang the bell, I still couldn't forget him.

SIMEON

A rare feature to find. With a heart of gold was the most closely appropriate definition of his life.

Yet anyone who has had a personal encounter and knew him well, knew that not everything is at seems with him.

"Simeon, I want to say welcome to Kaduna. I hope you enjoy your stay here and be happy" Doctor Dele said.

He didn't carry any writing materials or pen, in fact they were not even in an office, they were at Samuel's house and they were talking.

"I really am not comfortable here and even with you. I feel worthless because, at least it's a true but fun fact that almost every Nigerian has experienced Malaria and Typhoid but not Simeon. I'm having a stupid case". I retorted as I didn't want to hide anything from doctor Dele, Mummy Ishola trusts him, so why shouldn't I? He didn't keep a blank face, but he smiled and listened.

"Simeon, it's not your fault that these came about, and you experienced something heartbreaking, that caused this to come up to this point. I think you are remarkable. You should be grateful that your mother loves you. Most parents will take you to pastors because they have an obanje with them instead of really understanding you."

"Simeon we can take a rest next week. Don't bother about the money, just think and also understand what you like and want. You also know you are highly intelligent so follow up your dreams and don't let anything drag you down".

"Thank you, but with if a seizure comes that I can't control, I don't even want anybody to know".

"Simeon, in the end people will judge you, just find someone who has an open mind and can understand you and remember, wars aren't won alone. Your mother didn't win her war alone, she had you and is still having you. Even our historical leaders had help and they fought and won together-".

He hadn't finished talking when Simeon fell.

Doctor Dele sighed and with the help of Simeon's security man, they put him on the three-sitter in the parlour.

He had a feeling this would happen but at least he was able to say something that got him.

Ringing his mother, he said into the phone; "It's becoming better or worse depending on what happens after he wakes up".

He looked back at the boy and muttered a prayer of God take control.

___________________________

Ki yi sauri ki tafi = be fast and go. (When talking to a female)

Baban ki nei = he's your father

Sai anjima = until later

Kawana = my friend

Kin gani = you understand

Habah = exclamation like what!!! Why!!!

How that one go take happen = how is that possible.

Obanje = evil spirit/ witch.