MARIE'S HIGH - CHAPTER SIXTEEN

A STITCH IN TIME
Since my uniform became too dirty to be seen by the eyes of a prefect, I sneaked into the girls' locker room to change into another pair of uniform, as well as dryclean the stained pair. But to my utmost surprise, my oppressors didn't stop at humiliating me in the cafeteria alone, they went as far as ransacking my locker and messing with everything inside so much that I couldn't use them again.

Confused about what to do next, I moved out of the locker room and then turned my back on the exit door, which is a few steps away from the boys' locker room. Though it was out of bound for me due my gender obviously, I looked in that direction for no reason and Cleo popped out.

I honestly wasn't expecting him to show up.

"Oh, thank God I found you, Nife", He smiled and moved close to my standing spot, then gave me a pitiful look." I'm sorry for what happened," he said. "Take this", He also gave me a pair of uniform in a shopping bag.

Instead of saying thank you, or asking how he knew I needed a new pair of uniforms, I remained dumbfounded.

"Marie considers showcasing her uniform like this the highest form of indiscipline. It has greater implications than you can imagine!" He pushed me verbally to have a change of uniform and stop looking at him like I've just seen a vampire.

"Ohh!" I got a hold of myself and rushed back to the locker room to change quickly, hoping to catch up with him. Before my return, he already disappeared.

Uncle B called to tell me he was already waiting for us at the car park which I was so happy about. As soon as Mr. Elegbede did the final summary for our Yoruba lesson assignment, I dashed out of the classroom so I don't get caught up in more humiliation. Yet, some students found it funny and relaxing to laugh at my running style.

"I don't understand how you could let them do too awful things to you", Bola scolded me in the car."I couldn't come out of the class because we had to fill up some important details for our upcoming examination".

"Please, can you just stop talking about that? I beg you", I pulled off my new school jacket.

"No. I won't stop until you learn how to stand up for yourself ", She insisted.

"How do you expect me to do that? Maybe fight them back because my family has no name? Besides, do I even have any fighting skills?" I replied angrily.

"Look, Nife. I got 10/10 on the maths assignment today, all thanks to you!" Gbemi said in between our dispute.

"Oh! That's great!" I smiled genuinely.

"And one pretty boy in my class asked for my number because I helped him out as you taught me", She blushed.

"And you gave it out?"I yelled while she looks at me, bewildered. "How could you act so dumb?"

I knew what I said to Gbemi was harsh but it wasn't intentional. I was out of frustration. I didn't want my sisters to go through what Marie's boys did to me.

The Yoruba adage that says, "What a child needs to climb the top of a tree to see, an elder only needs to stay beneath to observe it" is indeed true. Just as I was about to enter our house, Grandma gave me funny stares which indicated that she knew the uniform I was putting on is new.

In the kitchen, she watched Bola and I cut round and peel yams for porridge but still didn't say anything as I expected. Even when I cut too much yam white with the peel, which she's always advised me against. However, Bola the expert carried on perfectly. Thereafter, Bola washed the slices of yam and arranged them in the boiling water on the hot plate while I cleared off the yam peels from the kitchen's marble slab.

A few minutes later, she added the remaining ingredients, pepper, fresh chopped pepper with tomatoes and onions, seasoning, smoked fish, chopped vegetables, crayfish, salt, and sugar) while I watched her like someone just trying to learn a thing, though I've seen her preparing this particular dish a lot of times. As usual, she saved palm oil for the grand finale, then a burnt and nice yam porridge aroma fills the air. After leaving it to simmer for a few more minutes, she started serving from the eldest (grandma) to the youngest (Segun). Grandma prefers it the other way, but she never listened to her.

Even Scott was allowed to deal with his bowl of porridge in the dining room. Segun insisted he ate with us and grandma couldn't say no since as her youngest grandson.

"Grandma, how come Segun has more fish chunks than me", Tominwa complained, though he still has a piece of chicken that was bigger than Segun's."I'm older than him now "

Greediness was one of the things grandma hated and he knew, but he couldn't stop exhibiting that bad trait.

"And he's younger than you and is still growing!" Grandma replied.

"Does he need to grow?", Tominwa asked with a serious look on his face. But instead of answering him likewise, we made a mockery of him.

"Y-E-S", Tominwa spelled and pronounces the word in quote afterward. "Our Aunty said food makes us grow and gives us energy. When I grow and have energy, I'll be able to beat those girls who beat my big sister", He continued.

What Segun said made me feel happy and loved. Yet, I didn't want him to turn into a gangster because of me.

"Is she not grown up? Why can't she beat the person that beat her" Tominwa opposed me.

"Because she's a good person", Segun replied.

" No. It's because she's stupid", Tominwa replied.

"How dare you?" Bola gave him a dirty slap, without bothering to warn him against it like Nigerians do most of the time."Don't you ever say that kind of thing to our Big sis!"

"That's right!" Grandma smiled."Now go to the library!", She ordered him."No video games for one week".

"Grandma, pleassssse", He cried while taking steps to make it to the library upstairs.

"Good for you", Segun stuck out his tongue at him.

" Oluwasegun mi", Grandma called her favorite grandson.

"Yes, Grandma. I love you. Hug, hug, hug", He sat on her lap and hugged her.

"You must never beat anyone no matter what they do to you, okay?" She told him.

"Yes, ma", he nodded.

" You must be a good person like your big sister, okay", Sae pulls her ear slightly as a warning sign to him.

"Yes, ma", he nodded twice.

"Now, let's go and do my baby's assignment", She allowed him to take the last gulp of water in his special cup and took him upstairs.

Bola and I retired to her room afterward, leaving Gbemi to wash the dirty plates alone in the kitchen. Uncle B left for a job as usual so we had his food kept in a cooler as always. If he still feels like eating when he's back, he can. And if not, he can just put it in the refrigerator so it doesn't spoil.

"Las las, all na scam", Bola said, referring to the "be a good boy" preaching grandma gave Segun. Thereafter, she mimicked her and laughed.

"I'm sorry too", She found a spot to sit beside me on her bed, after ironing her school outfit for the next day, made from the local tie and dye material - the area of specialization in my hometown which I was proud of, though I knew nothing about it.

"I think he got that from me. I disrespect you a lot, which is not intentional anyway", She continued.

"It's my fault. I know I can be annoying", I say, unable to look her in the eye.

"Did you at some point crush on Loveboy?"She asked all of a sudden, fastening her gaze on me." You have to be honest with me".

"I don't know", I say honestly." It is complicated".

"Really? Some days ago, it looked like you guys were really into each other", she eyed me.

"I need a break, Bola", I sighed heavily. "Let's talk about something else".

"What about Freaky?"She asked awkwardly.

"You must be kidding", I laughed. "He's good with Rose Biko. I don't want to die before my time".

"She's not God who kills and makes alive so why do we need to be scared of her?" Bola hissed.

I searched everywhere I knew in Marie's high for Cleo the next morning but couldn't come in contact with him as I'd wished. However, his class register showed he's never missed school once, which meant I either missed his footsteps or he chose to avoid me like everyone else!

During lunch, I found my way to the cafeteria for Elementary School students to see Gbemi after doing the needful.

" It's so nice to see you here", Gbemi gifted me a big hug and bright smile which brightened my mood.

"Same here", I smiled. "Big sister is here so you can order the whole restaurant! I'll get it for you, within the twinkle of an eye", I said with a few hiccups and she laughed, then we move to the counter to order for some hot noodles with chunks of pepper and onions, fish, smashed eggs, and chicken.

Since one of the young attendants in the cafe offered me our bill with a grin, I did the same while giving her the sum of two thousand naira for our meal.

"Do you like it?" I asked her while we were eating our meals. The meal was one of a kind.

"Yes", She said excitedly. "Can I have more?".

"Next time, baby", I smiled.

" Okay", She devoured the rest of her meal.

"I'm sorry for what happened the other day", I fulfilled the purpose for which I came to hang out with her in the first place.

"I know you're just trying to protect me from boys because they're bad. Thank you", she gulped water.

"Yes, but not all boys are bad", I took a sip from my bottle of cold Pepsi.

"Like Cleo Martins?" She gave me an example that I didn't even ask for.

"What do you know about Cleo Martins?" I interrogated her.

In the evening, the kids went on a walk with the dogs while Uncle B directed them, after which I and Bola went to our respective bedrooms, leaving Grandma alone to enjoy the comfort of lying underneath the mango tree. However, she soon called us on her mobile phone to join her. Then, my guilty conscience almost made me wet my pants. I was scared that she might have found out about the sleepover or finally decided to talk about the new uniform she didn't pay for.

"Join me", She said with no venom in her voice when she got to where she was biting a portion of her favorite peppered puff puff snack.

"Thank you, ma", We said but declined her offer politely.

" You're welcome", She removed her gaze from the bowl holding the snack and saw us standing. "Have your seats!"

"Thank you ma", We cleaned the seats beside her with our bare hands, ignoring the germs it will cause us.

"I called you here because ", She cleared her throat to enable her to speak more clearly." I've seen how you're been mistreated in Marie's high, and got your new uniform".

"It's my fault, grandma. I'm very sorry. I promise to do something about it", I got worked up, because I was afraid that she'll go make a complaint at the principal's office, and make things worse.

"No, it's not your fault. It's how you were raised", She sighed."And I regret enrolling you in Marie's high. You should go back to your former school".

"You want her to go back to the slums.", Bola said, laying more emphasis on the last word.

"Nifemi is not like you, Bola. I think staying there will be more convenient for her", She took a deep breath and continues. "At least for now. I'll get a private tutor to prepare her for ssce at sss2, then I'll also register her for jamb the same year, and off she goes to Babcock University".

"Oh, that's so cool", Bola laughed. "You're going to let that huge amount you paid for her school fees at Marie's High go to waste?"

"I will if that will keep her safe", Grandma was confident about her decision.

"And how are we so sure this plan B will work because you also told her to attend Marie's high in the first place", Bo's words caused a change in Grandma's facial expression.

"I won't take that from you!" Grandma stood up to give Bola a dirty slap also but she was lucky enough to dodge it, unlike Tominwa.

"I didn't mean to disrespect you, ma", Bola moved further away from Grandma." I just think you should ask Nifemi what she wants. Don't always plan her life behind her back, just because she's a minor. You should at least listen to her opinion".

"I brought you here because I thought you'd gained some sense, but you're still as stupid as always", Grandma left for her bedroom angrily.

While passing through the first floor's living room, to enable her reach her destination, she slammed its alternative door which is closer to our mango tree shade, not minding the huge amount of money she used in purchasing it.

Honestly, I was the most confused person in the world. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go back to being alone or being in an educational setting that lacked the facilities to make learning fun and easy. However, there hasn't been a time I hated my previous school, I still cherished every moment I spent there though I wasn't too close to anyone.

Once I leave, I knew there won't be any cause for Bola to defend me against Grandma, who loved to control every aspect of my life. There will be no Gbemi who thinks highly of me or the time or the boys who go against each other, only for my sake. But the good part of it is, there won't be Loveboy whose presence brought doom into my life, or Marie's Angels and juniors who decided to make each day a living hell for me. Moreover, I also thought of Cleo who brought succor into my life. I wanted to get to know him better. I didn't want history to repeat itself.

"Bola, you like to spoil someone's plan oo", I told her while we sat on the veranda after dinner, checking updates on wattsap and commenting on Instagram posts.

"What have done oo? Is it because your grandma did not eat dinner?" She said to me as she was still typing on her phone.

"Yeah..." I pinched her cheek slightly.

I tried to always do things that will satisfy her because I didn't see her angry so I hated the fact that she didn't even help Tominwa to bring his assignment and stayed in her bedroom listening to her favorite solemn old-school spiritual songs while we were having dinner.

"That's your problem. Ah ah", she laughed." You worry too much! She might still be filled up because of the puff puff she took then!"

"Fine", I said inaudibly." But I also wanted to ask her permission to go somewhere".

"Hmmm", she tickled me.

When I asked her what Gbemi knew about Cleo Martins, she told me he was a babysitter to her best friend. The girl in question told her series of stories he told to keep her happy, his cooking skills which I can attest to, and his great sports skills. Before leaving, I interrogated the girl through Gbemi and she told me what I needed to know to reach him. She told me he's been busy lately, and even unable to visit her.

The following morning, Grandma woke up full of energy. Since it was a no-school day, she didn't bother to wake us up but since I wanted to impress her, I got out of bed pretty early to do home chores, which included cooking.

Did I just hear you laugh at me? That's so unfair!

"Grandma, do you want me to serve your food now?" I asked while stirring my pot of stew, so the little piece of salt which I just added to it can circulate.

"Yes, please", she said while setting her radio to hear," Breakfast in Bed" by Fola on Smooth 98.1 FM.

But on weekdays, she loved listening to none other than Front Page News and Analysis on Classic FM with Uncle Jimi Disu and Lady Bukola. She said hearing the man alone, brings back memories of "the good old days", and we need more people like him who are outspoken to make this country a better place. Grandpa was so lucky she didn't get a chance to meet him, while they were young.

" This is it, ma", I gave her the tray of food I was holding, then got a table for her to put it on since she decided not to use the dining room.

"Ose, omo a ke iwo no(Thanks, my daughter, your children will also take care of you", she said.

"Amin", I replied."Please manage it ma", I knew she preferred Bola's cooking to mine.

"Isi gini?", she says like someone from the eastern part, making me laugh." This food is enough for someone to win a prize at Knorr Taste Quest".

"Ohhh. You can sign Bola up for that when she comes of age. I've never for once doubted her cooking skills", I sat opposite her.

" O de ri so oo (That's a good idea)", She stated as if interested, then changed her tone. "So she can become more of a madam and start ruling this family? Olorun maje! Over my dead body. She can do whatever she likes with her mother, but not with me".

"Grandma, please", I knelt." I don't want you to be angry with Bola because of me".

"It's not your fault, dear", She took a sip from the glass of orange juice which I brought along with the food tray." That girl is mannerless and needs to be taught a bitter lesson. I'll be the one to do that for her if her mum can't. You'll hear from me in Agbado".