“What is wrong with your son?” the fat man turned to Mr. Jason as he watched Gabriel leave his office.
“Wait, I will go talk to him” Mr. Jason said and accompanied by his wife, they both went out.
“Gabriel!!” Mr. Jason called his son who was now heading for the main door,
“Yes “Gabriel turned back slowly to face his dad and his Mom who were approaching him, his dad as he could see was visibly angry.
“What is the meaning of what you just pulled up over there?” his dad asked him,
“Nothing Dad” Gabriel answered staring at the tiled floor.
“What do you mean by nothing?” his Dad asked him again, it was like he was getting angrier.
“Dad, I don’t want someone else result, I don’t want to be involved in destroying someone’s life” Gabriel told his Dad.
“But someone else took your result. See that is how it is done, they take yours, you take someone else’s own” Mr. Jason tried to be calm,
“That is how they do it, that is not how I do it, I won’t want a student who worked hard to pass his Jamb feel the way I feel right now” Gabriel told his dad.
“Gabriel listen to your Dad, that is the only way out here” his mom tried to explain to him,
“Mom, if that is the only way out, then am sorry I am not following that way. I don’t want to be involved in this dirty business” he said and almost immediately, his Dad slapped him, a thunderous slap.
“Do you have to do that?” Mrs. Helen shouted at her husband as Gabriel held his cheek in pain. Gabriel stared at his father and smiled, he always knew his father to be a very strict man. When he was much younger, he thought his dad derived pleasure from beating himself and his siblings mercilessly whenever they erred a little, as he grew older, he was forced to believe that his Dad was only trying to discipline them. He always knew his Dad to always love to embarrass them in public, he would shout them down and insult them in public but that was when they were much younger, he thought he had outgrown it now.
The workers in the hall that moment all stopped to face the man who had slapped his son, Gabriel smiled and stared at his Dad.
“Daddy, you know I always thought you were embarrassing me whenever you beat or shout me down in public then like you just did now, but no, the truth is that you are actually embarrassing yourself whenever you do such things. How can you slap me because I don’t want you to buy someone else’s result for me?” Gabriel shouted to the hearing of the working personnel in the hall, murmurs could now be heard around the hall, all eyes turning to Mr. Jason who was obviously taken aback by the words Gabriel had spoken. From the stares he was receiving, Mr. Jason knew the people were not in support of him, he was obviously embarrassed. His wife on her side seem to be confused, she didn’t know what to do. Gabriel smiled again and walked closer to his dad,
“Now you know how it feels to be embarrassed” He said to the hearing of just his dad and mom, after that he walked out leaving them behind. He had always waited for this day, a day when his father will feel how they felt whenever he embarrassed them in public, a day when his father would wish he never tried embarrassing them in public, a day when his father would know that being embarrassed is not fun.
“Gabriel!!!” his Mom shouted as he walked outside, “I will talk to him” She turned to her husband and almost immediately, ran towards her son. “Gabriel, what was the meaning of that?” She asked him,
“What was the meaning of the slap he slapped me?” Gabriel asked her back.
“What evil have come upon you Gabriel, he is your father” His mom said,
“Am sure fathers don’t go about embarrassing their sons in public” he said and followed it with a long hiss,
“Are you guys not going home? Or do you want me to take public transportation home, I got some money here” He said to his mom,
“Don’t try that” she stared at him angrily,
“Then let’s go” he said and his mom turned back towards the hall probably to call her husband who was still standing on the same spot.
That was three years ago, all those happened three years ago. Gabriel had taken another Jamb two years later and he was admitted by the university of Benin to study Biochemistry, exactly the same year he was admitted, Queen was also admitted into the University of Benin to study Science Lab and technology, it was like God was on her side that year as she had gotten 201 in jamb. Gabriel now a 100 level student in the university finally became a roommate to his best friend, Israel who happens to be a 300 level petroleum engineering student.
Israel had grown in all aspect, he was now more muscular than Gabriel, has a strong face and thick beards surrounding his face. It was like Israel had come to the school to gym up, he had grown big, way far than Gabriel could imagine.
It was about two weeks after the beginning of the new session, queen was taking a stroll round the school environment, she was obviously looking for where to catch fun. By the way she walked and behaved, one won’t know she is a fresher, you might mistake her for an old student, there was this air of confidence around her. She was just about passing through the popular green park {a place dedicated to students to charge their phones, laptops and also relax} when she thought she saw someone familiar, she walked back a little and stared at the person, it was John Femi, he was sitting with a very beautiful young Damsel, in one of his hands was his phone and the other was wrapped around the girl’s shoulder.
“John” she shouted happily as she ran towards him and hugged him not minding the number of people in the park. “Ah, have missed you” she smiled not noticing the eye signal John was giving her.
“John, who is she?” The girl he was with asked him, he smiled and stared directly at Queen.
“She is my cousin, her name is Queen and she lives in Delta state” john said still staring at Queen and smiling.
to be continued
