FEGIDO TALES (Episode 4): The Seven

 ‘The Seven’

In the entire school, my house; Alani house, had only seven Js2 girls. Layo, Amara and I were in the same house, Rukewe was in Owena house. Layo, Amara, four other girls and I made up the seven Alani girls. In the dining hall during meal times we sat together at a particular table, during prep we also did, sometimes Rukewe could join us but most times she couldn’t. It was a rule then in school that every table must have 10 people on the table in order for them to be given food, this rule was mainly implemented when we were to eat rice, bread and butter, bread and egg, Akara and pap, sometimes eba, and porridge yam, but when it came to eating beans or eko and efo, this rule didn’t apply. Because most students didn’t really like beans then, or maybe acted to not like beans and for eko and efo, you had to line up with your plate to get your portion. 

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As we were only seven Js2 girls, three Ss3 girls  to complete our table. Most times they hardly came to the hall so we had to take their food to them. On the days we ate beans, they weren’t interested but on the days we ate other meals they were very interested. As we were seven Js2 girls, we decided to assign ourselves a particular day, where we’ll do the sharing of food, then in school we called this person the server. I hated serving, mostly because it was a trap with three Ss3 girls at your table, lucky enough I picked a day where we didn’t eat the too nice foods, a Friday. In the morning on Friday, we had bread and egg with tea, afternoon was eba and egusi soup (then with was oil, a little strands of leaves and water, mostly water), and in the evening we had porridge yam. So most time these Seniors were only interested in the morning meal. I pitied those who served on Thursday and Sunday, because on these two days we ate jollof rice, which this Seniors were very interested in. So most times in order not to get into trouble with this Seniors, we would heap their plates  and give ourselves measly portions, and on rare occasions our house captain (girl) was nice enough to give us extra food for them and also for us. But how lucky could we get before we got into trouble.

On the day our luck ran out was a faithful beautiful Saturday. We started the day with the usual routine of cleaning for inspection, after that, we had our meal of akara and pap in the morning, in the afternoon we had eba and egusi soup, then at night we were to eat rice, beans and fish stew, one of the seniors decided to show up that night and believe me this was a rare case. Shola was on serving duties on Saturday, Shola and I got along pretty well, she was in Js2 C. As senior Margaret showed up at the table, we were all on the edge, Shola was visibly shaken. It was one thing to serve and take the food to them and it was another thing to serve them while they were at the table. Our food had never been smaller, but still senior Margaret stood up in anger and left the table without saying anything. That was the first bad sign, her not saying anything, it left us on suspense. Layo, Amara and I were in the junior choir, so after the evening meal we went to the chapel for practice we met Rukewe there waiting for us, even Shola came with us to practice. A few moments later after the end of practice, we proceeded to the dining hall for the social night, if there was going to be any that night, when we saw the rest of our mate girls walking towards us, in anger. Mira, one of us, was in tears, angry tears, she attacked Shola immediately they got to us. It turned out that on getting to the hostel, Mira got slapped by Senior Margaret, who sent her to call all Js2 girls to the hostel. We walked to the hostel together, in anticipation and fear of what was to come. Some of us shouted at Shola, who by now was already in tears. We found Senior Margaret in room 2 of Alani house. Immediately we got there she ordered us to kneel down, after that she told us to ride okada, then she stood up and with an exaggerated anger, started using hanger to whip us. I call it exaggerated anger because it was nobody’s fault that the school gave us little food to share amongst ten people, I call it exaggerated anger because she just wanted a stupid reason to show her relevance. 

I also noticed this exaggerated anger that day, and unable to control myself I glared at her, wanting her to notice how I was looking at her. And too bad for me she did notice. Senior Margaret was short and petite, really petite, I was on the larger side compare to her. So too look at her I tint my head down a bit and I did this in a condescending manner. This infuriated her and made her rush me with all her anger, she used hanger and when it broke, she picked up a broom and started whipping me with in. Her mate ran to stop her. I was in pain but I refused to cry, instead I stood tall and folded my hands still looking at her in a condescending manner. She asked us to go and me to wait behind, then she provided me with a bucket of water to bath, I took my bath then left the hostel. I just didn’t want to be in the same space she was. 

I also avoided my friends too, I wanted to be left alone, so I walked around the dining hall area, to the mosque area, I sat down somewhere around the mosque and just stared into space, observing my environment, the way students gathered in different cliques, some only girls cliques and some boys and girls cliques.  Those who were dating were in more dark corner, probably doing what they weren’t suppose to do. Social night didn’t hold that Saturday because of some reason I didn’t bother to concern myself with. I was lost in my observation that I didn’t even notice when someone sat beside me. ‘Don’t you have friends?’ he asked. ‘I do’, I replied, still angry. ‘Did you get beaten?’ he asked pointedly. I chose to ignore him and walk off to the hostel, he grabbed my hand and made me sit back down. ‘With that nasty attitude, a lot of my mates will always find a reason to beat or punish you’, when he said this I realised that he was an Ss3 student, I looked at him, like really looked at him. 

A rumour was going on in the hostel a few weeks back about how a Ss3 student dumped his babe in his class to date a younger student. And sitting beside me was the senior student who the rumours were about. I was shocked and at the same time felt the utmost need to get away from him. Because we were in a very compromising situation, we were both sitting behind the mosque, in a dark place and he was still holding my hand. If anyone see us like this my life in school will be ten times fucked up. ‘So what’s your name?’ he asked smiling, ‘Moyin Clegg’, I replied shifting away from him. ‘Moyin Clegg, I’m Tayo but that’s senior Tayo to you, but when we’re alone or outside school, you may call me Tayo, you must be in…’ ‘Moyin’, I heard Senior Winner call me, he was standing a few steps away from us with some of his friends and me and Senior Tayo was still holding hands. I retracted my hands immediately and went to Senior Winner, the look he gave Senior Tayo, was so not a nice one, he didn’t even smile at me like he usually did. Immediately I got to him, he  ordered me to go to the hostel, as I left, I overheard some of the boys he was with, saying, ‘shey na the girl be that’. I ran to my hostel as I walked into my room, I met Senior Margaret who thanked me for forgiving her, I gave her a weak smile and ran to my corner. No one needed to tell me, I knew that the next few days or weeks won’t be easy… I was fucked…

Read Previous Episodes

FEGIDO TALES (Episode 1): The world after the gate

FEGIDO TALES (Episode 2): So it Begins

FEGIDO TALES (Episode 3): The first Crush and the first Run

Written by Chidiebere Ogbonna

IG @Ebbiedavies