” It ain’t happening again mom, I can’t leave, no we can’t leave ” I protested vehemently as mom informed me that we’ve got to relocate from where we’re leaving .
Life I will say hasn’t been fair to me and mom after dad died leaving a huge debt hanging on mom’s neck.
My dad was a contractor always having his nose functioning twofourseven to sniff out any contract up for grab, especially government and foreign own.
He’s been in the game long enough to possess many connection in the government circuit to lay his hand on any contract he’s able to sniff out.
I lived a lavish life having the golden spoon in my mouth from the moment I graced the earth with my appearance. God didn’t want me to feel insecure about my parent’s love, so He shut the door against any kids trying to join me from heaven.
I didn’t know the meaning of hunger during the time dad was alive and I was very popular in my school tho I didn’t know I owe it to my dad’s success and mom’s philanthropist act at that moment. I was sure to utilize the popularity to misbehave, always rebelling against the school laid down protocols. My popularity wasn’t limited among the students only, I was treated differently by the staffs of the school too.
I was attending a government owned secondary school because dad, even tho he’s capable to send me to the most costliest school in the country, after my graduation from one of the most reputable primary school in Lagos State, he said I’ve got to be enrolled in a government owned school so that I won’t grow up to be a spoilt brat and to prepare me for the future because I was the heir to his company, he insisted I must be brought up rigidly to prepare me for it. Mom was against it but her voice wasn’t strong enough to change my dad’s mind.
I was enrolled in one of the best government owned secondary school but mom played her way into the school with gifts, supporting the school projects and also handling of bulky envelopes to every staffs in the school at the end and beginning of every terms.
This act from mom brought my immunity in the school as I was treated differently from other kids and with the way I spend lavishly courtesy of my mom. I got many of my classmates flocking around me.
I was simply the prince of the school and I was enjoying every of my moment in the school rather than detest it. I didn’t have to do well or study hard to get good grade in school even in exams I didn’t place my pen on its answering sheet.
Dad was too engrossed with different kinda projects and contracts he’s handling to keep a keen tab on me, we hardly see each other during the weeks except on Sundays.
Looks like y’all are curious to know my name but I’m not telling you now, call me rude but that’s my personality and I don’t hate it.
The string used to hold things in order started slacking when I got to Jss3.
Dad was murdered tho no evidence backed it up but mom wouldn’t keep quiet about it. He was found dead in his car on the third mainland bridge and autopsy showed that he had a heart attack inside his car but it wasn’t a proof enough to get mom forsake the idea that dad was murdered .
Like everything was been set up, one of the corporate banks in Nigeria appeared in our house to inform mom that all dad’s property was going to be acclaimed by them if mom failed to pay the debt dad owe them which he used his properties as collateral.
I thought dad was rich enough to buy the whole of Nigeria but hearing that my dad too was borrowing money was something unexpected, maybe because of my age but it hit me more than his death.
Dad’s reputation of completing his project by collecting ¼ of payment from his client no matter the amount needed to complete the project was how he’s able to get many contracts been issued to him from different sectors.
Dad was able to obtain a contract worth millions of dollar from a foreign country who are trying to establish themselves in Nigeria.
Building a large company which was to occupy the total of ten hectares of land was sure to absorb a lot of cash which prompted dad to borrow the cash which made us lose all of his properties to the bank.
After we’re sent packing from our house, mom had us relocated to Badagry, a place I detest at first because of the wierd culture of the indigene residing there.
Mom in no time set herself up there with the little cash which she possess and not inside her bank account, because all her bank account including dad’s own were freezed immediately all his properties was claimed by the bank.
She took me down to check on the two most popular secondary schools there, Government College Ajara Badagry and Ajara grammar school to select the one which I would love to attend. But I forbore it at first in a bid to make her change her mind and let us leave the land which I didn’t want to have anything to do with.
I was chided by her for the first time because I threatened not to go to any school unless we return to Lekki, maybe lease a house there since ours is already a lost course.
Her chide mixed with her tears which she shed when she was chiding me touched my heart and made me change my mind.
I selected Government college and rejected Ajara grammar school because of their school uniforms. The senior students of GCA used butter colored shirt and brown trouser/shirt while the junior student used ash and white. AGC was using a flashy uniform of stripe blue and blue for the senior and red for the junior. I detest flashy things and thinking about the thought wearing such combination for three years always make me want to puke.
Mom wanted to enroll me in Ss1 because during the interval at which all the incident happened, my classmates were all in Ss1 already. We met with a disappointment on getting to the school as they insisted that I must write the promotional examination before I can be admitted into Ss1.
Mom wasn’t happy about this because I was fourteen already and should be in Ss1 but she had no choice but to enroll me in jss3. I couldn’t also complain because I didn’t want my mom to be sad.
Visit pobsonline.com for more amazing stories and search for Pobsonline on Google Play store or click here to download our Android App
My first year in the school was kinda disastrous, especially my first term in jss3. I could be regarded as a critical blockhead. I was fluent in speaking English language with the correct diction with a handsome face to complement this feature, this made most of the teachers teaching in the school expecting me to be a genius but I roasted all their expectations with my academic performance. Mom on seeing my first term report sheet knew I was gonna have to spend more years in jss3 if I continued in such way, so she became strict on me in the aspect of education and even hired a private tutor.
I couldn’t help but try to buckle myself up because of mom. She wanted me to be successful. Even tho she only had a small container in front of our house which she sold menial stuffs in it, but not minding if the little business was going to bankrupt, she got me one of the best tutor in the vicinity.
Not been good academically didn’t made me less a cocky bastard that one might think I was the principal’s kid because of my behavior. I was rude and I knew it but I couldn’t change. Got into trouble with many teachers , some promising me to make sure that they make me exit the school for them but I sailed through .
I began to improve in my study after the introduction of the private tutor and my own zeal to finally learn.
I didn’t have any close friend both in school and in my house because of my behavior, but I was already familiar and acquainted to the small town.
By the time I got to ss1, I was already approachable by my fellow classmates, tho I didn’t have any close friend among them, same in my neighborhood at home and I made a lot of improvement concerning my studies.
Now I’m in ss2,second term, even close to the end of the term and mom is telling me that we’re living. No! , it can’t be right, not after I’ve developed interest in the place, their odd culture I take pleasure in trying to know it now, I even find myself trying to learn the Egun language from one of our neighbors which I was close with. I’ve erased all thought of living the place from my mind.
I’ve even gotten a girl which I was crushing on in school. Her name is Tope and if not for my cocky attitude, I would have humbled myself and ask her out because I’ve caught her many times stealing glances at me. I was sure she like me but she was waiting for me to make a move on her but I wasn’t ready to do that.
” why won’t you leave ” mom asked me with a surprised expression. She was wearing her nightie, sitting on the single chair inside our one room apartment while I lay on the bed reading a novel titled Angelz do weep by Horluwa~p1 before she had called my name to get my attention. The 100 watt bulb inside the room did a great job in making sure the darkness imposed by the night has no way to dominate our room.
” look mom, we’ve settled down here, your small container has even turned to a bigger one, no one know about our history, we blended in with this society perfectly and I’ll soon be through with my education too ” I listed trying hard to get mom to change her mind.
” will you rather stay here than return back to our house and will you rather school in that government school than get enroll in Hibiscus valley which you craved to attend before your dad dumped you in that government school ” mom asked staring at me and I looked dumbfounded for some seconds as I tried hard to process all she uttered.
” could I have heard it all wrong ” I asked myself looking perplexed.
” I don’t understand you mom ” I finally uttered when I couldn’t attach sense to what she said.
” Benjamin ” she called out lovingly as she stood up from the chair she was sitting on to join me on the bed. She wrapped my hands with hers and stared longly into my eye like I was her long lost love which she just got back recently from a journey. ” we’re going back to Lekki, back to our house which we were sent packing from ” she said smiling with tears accompanying the smile.
” what’s happening, how ” I asked withdrawing my hands from hers.
” why are the bank releasing it, they should have sold it off to balance up for the debt or does this have to do with the three days journey you embarked on and returned yesterday ” I asked still looking perplexed.
It wasn’t like the bank seized the house from us, then leased it out and after the money derived from leasing it out is enough to cover for the debt, then they gave it back to us.
” you’ll know when we get back home ” mom said staring at me with a guilty filled eye. The tears dropping from her eye had stopped.
” what did you do mom ” I asked her like a priest demanding for the confession of a sinner.
” you’ll understand when we get back and know this my jewel ” she said running her hand through my hair.
” all I do, it’s all because of you ” she added smiling, leaving me to ponder what it was she had done all because of me as she positioned herself to sleep on the bed. I didn’t know if I should be delighted or not.
” when are we leaving? ” I asked her after few minutes of thinking.
” in two days time ” she mumbled out drowsily.
TBC