Continuation
I was scared that he might do something rash, as my sweat palm got hold the pen on the table, I removed the cover of the pen slowly, waiting on him to strike first but all he did was say
“I want to be your guardian, don’t worry I’ll protect you from other students and teachers if you promise to be good to me” he said
I made my first request the moment those words left his mouth, I needed my skirts back, the exact one seized by his wife, he looked at me for a while, walked back to his seat and then replied
“I’ll get them for you that’s a promise” he assured
I wore the skirt which Mr Ekpo obviously sneaked out of his own house, his countenance showed his stole it as he tucked it inside his shirt wrapped inside a black polythene bag, he invited me to his office as he unravel the mystery behind his shirt, he handed me the skirt with an instruction,
“If my wife ask how you got them, tell her these are new ones you made” He said
I took my skirts back, wearing to school the next day, not knowing that Amanda had reported me to her new partner in their partisan hatred for me, I was seated in the class prior to Assembly time, when a junior student walked into our class greeted us all and called my name
“Senior Diana, wili-wili is calling you in his office”
I could not phantom how wili-wili would be looking for me, that was the nickname we gave our principal, he is the most fear human in that school compound, his red eyes, big beards and his long whip always likened to that of a horse whip, there is this myth that he once used his whip and flogged a student to death, and that the spirit of the student was haunting him that’s why his eyes are always red, my father use to make mockery of Wili-wili, he would say how he was dissappointed with him, how he was sent abroad with the tax payers money by the goverment to study medicine but he came back with only his big vocabularies, thick beards and a drinking problem, he would say because the government couldn’t find where to fix him in the society so they gave him the principal job just to bury the hatchet, this was a man shrewded in mysteries, the moment the junior student broke the news to the class, Amanda and her Charlies Angels burst into laughter as they were seated at a corner of the class, I stood up immediately for Wili-wili is one person not meant to be kept waiting, Stella rushed out of the class, chasing me behind as she ran to meet me, she gave me a path on the shoulder and said
“Don’t be afraid, whatever it is be strong” she said
If I was afraid before her consoling made it worst, I was now scared as my heartbeat was throbbing so fast and loud, the sound was like loudspeaker plugged to my ears, each step lead me closer to the dreaded office which I have only imagined what it looked like, I knocked on the door with the inscription boldly written on it “Office of the Principal” the old squeaky door opened by itself, I walked in slowly in his office, he had pictures of him and the president hung on the wall, his shelved was stocked with old books, he was sitting on his chair sipping a hot coffe as the bitter yet invitingly warm smell filled the room, he starred at me through his glasses that was placed on his nose in an untoward funny way without saying a word, I stood there fighting so hard not to run away in fear, minutes later Mr and Mrs Ekpo walked into the office the same way,
“That’s the thief Principal, that’s the thief that broke into our house, stole her skirt and thousand naira I collected from the student for their hostel dues” Mrs Ekpo lamented
“Young lady have you seen the behemoth indictment levelled against your being? What do you have to say?” Wili-wili asked.
To be continued