The Externals Reloaded - Chapter Twentyfour

 

Quinn was completely shocked by his dad's statement but remained calm and chose not to embarrass him in public. After he did that, every pressman in the building took interest in having an interview with him. The questions they asked him included how he felt to be back home and if he was going to pursue his advocacy to the detriment of his dad's political career. Of course, the other question didn't go down with Quinn who felt his dad did everything on purpose and confronted him about it.

"Minister, now you want to play dirty?" Quinn had to follow him to the restroom in order to achieve his aim.

"When is a father acknowledging his child ever a bad thing?" The minister replied him.

"Stop pretending! Everything you did was for your own selfish political ambition and I'm going to make sure the entire country sees that", He said amidst gritted teeth and left him alone.

"Tokunbo, you have to hear me out. What you're insinuating isn't true", The minister tried to make him return.

"Don't ever call me that again. My name's Quinn. I'm my mom's son, not yours", He returned to tell him and moved out again to join Lily at the venue of the party.

There, a little girl who looked familiar approached her for a conversation, "Hi. Are you the girl who's been with my brother?"

"Your brother?" Lily was confused because Quinn never told her he had any sibling.

"Yes", She said confidently. "I was so thrilled when dad told me about him yesterday. I've longing for a big brother. I envy my friends when their brother's come to pick them up from school".

"Oh, I feel your pain. Then again, congratulations", Lily smiled.

"Thanks", The little girl blushed and brought out a bracelet made with beads. "Can you help me give this to him?"

"Why not give it to him yourself?" Lily was curious to know why she didn't want to do that.

"Mom's making the chaffeur take us home before bedtime", She explained.

"Alright. I'll deliver your message to him", Lily assured her. "Take care!"

"Sorry for making you feel lonely", Quinn came to meet her few seconds after his sister left.

"Don't feel bad. Your sister who was keeping me company just left", she told him.

"My sister?" Quinn was as confused as she was earlier.

"One of the minister's daughter", Lily fed his ignorance.

"Lily, you understand how I feel, don't you?" she could see the hurt in his eyes.

"Of course. I'm really sorry for what you're going through", She also wished she could take away the pain he was feeling.

"It's alright. Having you here is enough consolation", He looked deeply into her dark-brown eyes.

"Hmm...have you gotten something to eat or drink?" Lily had to find something to distract him.

"I'd rather go have bush meat and palmwine with the men folks at home", Quinn thought about the great lessons he was going to learn by sitting with them.

"Alright. Let me go get my stepmom", Lily went to look for her.

Lily who expected her stepmom to be at the food stand trying to get a package to take home from her mom felt betrayed when she found her receiving a cash envelope from the minister in the car park. Apparently, she plotted with the minister to bring Quinn to the party and was being paid. Since she hadn't completely lost the will to respect people, she didn't insult neither of them but resolved never to trust her again. Back at the hall, she lied to Quinn about not seeing her and made them go home without her.

"Brother, my papa talk say make you come meet him for the palmwine joint", Quinn had barely reached home when a young man came to deliver a message which he found quite favorable.

"That's good. Let's go tear bush meat apart and empty calabashes", Lily said excitedly.

"I'm sorry, pumpkin but this occasion is for men", Quinn replied apologetically.

"Seriously? So you're now like other men who stereotype against women?" She wasn't pleased with his reply.

"Of course not, pumpkin. Come on, I know a palmwine joint association is not really your scene", He tickled her.

"Okay, fine", She laughed out.

"Why not roll with the other girls? Romoke", He called out the girls so they could keep her company.

"Oh my God! You didn't have to do that!" Lily covered his mouth but he kept calling the names of the girls.

"Quinn, why you dey call us?" The girls came out with blushing lips, determined to meet his request.

As the night got darker, Quinn enjoyed his gathering with the men even more. They made more roasted bushmeat under the influence of a wild fire made with wood and gulped more fresh palmwine. Discussions about the clan's cultural heritage didn't seize from their mouths as they wanted Quinn to benefit from it. However, when a man brought out the subject of the minister's welcome party which was said to be one of the top parties celebrated in the city for a while, he had to leave.

Lily had fun playing ten-ten with the girls. That aside, they told funny stories of guys asking them out and embarrassing moments of their family members catching them walking down forest paths alongside young men. The most funny one was that of Romoke whose father caught her almost kissing her boyfriend who had insisted on them practicing an interesting act which he learnt during his short visit to Lagos.

Prior to the time Quinn returned from his gathering, Akugbe also mentioned the tradition of young virgins in which the king chose their last friend to be his bride because she went out at the wrong time. Some felt she was so lucky and imagined the life of luxury she must be enjoying while others like Lily found being married to an old man disgusting, regardless of the wealth and fame that comes with it.

"Hey ladies",Quinn made his arrival known to the female species who were deeply engrossed in their conversation.

"Hi, pumpkin", Lily was the only one who replied him briefly.

"Women and ofofo oo", Quinn made them laugh with his comment.

"What about men that leave their women to go drink?" Lily defended them.

"Fine",Quinn accepted defeated. "I see you've heard about the virgin tradition in my hometown".

"Yeah. You also know about it?" Lily sensed he had known for a long time.

"My dad told me about it", He replied.

"How come you no tell us your papa na the minister for education?" Akugbe challenged him.

"Abeg, Shey you fit introduce me to the prince? I no even mind if na one time thing", Adesuwa fantasized about being intimate with the first son of the Oba.

"Adesuwa!!" Everyone chorused her name at once!

The following morning, Mrs. Allen went to the market early to get some expensive gifts for her guests and also made them an unusual meal since it was their last day in the village. When her mom asked her where she got the money to buy those since she had been complaining of being broke, she replied, "God works in mysterious ways". Lily who knew the real source of the money got angry and told her what she saw the previous night. Mrs. Allen made what Lily felt were excuses for her actions and she wouldn't buy them. Sadly, they weren't able to resolve their differences till Lily and Quinn went back to Lagos.

In Johnson's College, it was that period of the academic session where the students are grouped into the three major tribes in the country to celebrate culture. Like the proprietor for the school usually does, he told the head boy, junior and senior boy for the primary, junior and senior secondary school respectively to choose what tribe to represent by asking them to pick one of the wrapped pieces of paper in a basket which had had the names of the tribes on it. The youngest among them chose his tribe, Yoruba which he was very excited about. The junior was equally happy even though the tribe he chose wasn't his (Hausa) but the senior boy left the proprietor's office disgusted over his choice.

"Omo, by the time I step into the hall with my crown of beads, everybody go bow", Fatima told the class her plans for the cultural event.

"Looks like you're going to do more than me sef wey be Igbo girl", Jessica replied her.

"Instead of you people to be thinking about your exam, you're there talking about one stupid attire. It's like you people don't mind eating beans abi?" The head boy said angrily.

"Na you and your upcoming generation go chop beans bellefull", Fatima and Jessica fired back.

"Hey, guys. It's not up to that now", Dare's mediator act surprised  everyone."My guy, wetin happen? Who dey vex you make I go spoil him face?"

"Is it not those stupid Igbo attires that can take up all your life savings?" He hissed.

"I understand where you're coming from my brother but it's not by force to do cultural day. You won't be the only person dressing differently that day", Martha told him.

"Where are your senses, Martha? Clearly, you got them from your father", Mary rolled her eyes.

"What's wrong with you? I was just....." Martha was mad at her sister for always finding ways to insult even when she does the right thing. 

"What your twin meant was I'm the head boy so everyone will want to follow my lead. Heavy is the head that wears the crown", The head boy sighed.

"What the heck is going on?" Dare said as they're distracted by the scene of multiple students rushing down to the school's hallway.

The minister's wife didn't make her visit to Johnson's College a private affair as her official photographers followed her to capture every moment and post them on her social media accounts. There were also pressmen who tried to make her breakdown and paint her husband as a bad person for having children outside their marriage but she maintained her elegant look. After getting down from her Mercedes, she headed straight to the administrative block to make enquires about her stepson's academic performance from the principal who welcomed her in an extraordinary manner.

There was hardly any student in Johnson's College who wasn't a fan of Quinn so they got to know about his dad acknowledging him as his son online. When he returned to school, they wanted more stories but Quinn refused to talk about it. Some of them kept pestering him while others respected his decision. To make matters worse, his stepmom had to visit and certainly that would raise more questions. Quinn complained to Lily that he hated being the talk of town but even she felt that was hypocritic because he didn't have a problem with people talking about his advocacy. Soon, the principal called him to his office for a meeting with his stepmom.

"Do you mind telling me how long you and your husband plan on keeping up with this act? I'm sick and tired already", Quinn said to his stepmom vernomously.

"Clearly, it's you who needs to stop throwing tantrums like a seven year old Tokunbo", She told him frankly.

"Don't you dare turn this on me, whore. You destroyed my family", He found her speech insulting and sought revenge.

"Was I the one who infuriated my dad so he could beat me the hell out of me and go to jail for it?" She mocked him.

"He was the one who couldn't control his temper!" Quinn stuttered.

"Face the truth, dimwit. You started hating daddy because kids didn't want to play with a blackman's child so you had to separate your parents and make mommy get a new supercool white dad", Her words brought about a humble Quinn with guilt feeling.