Victoria, a charming and beautiful young lady. She was about nineteen years of age
when I knew her. Victoria was a high flying student and she proved herself to
be outstanding when she led a school debate in our class. In spite of the fact
we did compete with other eggheads from other well know schools she beat them
hands down. To be sincere this charming lady was naturally gifted with the gift
of the gab i.e. the ability to argue, debate and win ,above all with the
ability to speak up with great confidence and courage that will simply amaze
you. I have never seen any other girl as gifted and intelligent as she was.
Because of her enigma then in school coupled with the fact that she was our
assistant health prefect she became cynosure of all eyes. Everyone wanted to befriend her. Most boys in my class then wanted to date her. If the truth be
told I also began to like her myself. But was I attracted to her just because
she was beautiful? As a young person then I could not answer this question
myself. I knew the answer few years later down the line.
Being
a very shy boy I was back then, I never musterd enough effrontery to approach her. ‘This girl will
never give me listening ears; she is really not in my class’ I thought to
myself on several occasions. But one day, I had the opportunity to meet her.
Back then in secondary school, I was pretty good in drawing so it really help
me in Biology, so a time arose when we were given a project to do that involves
more of the sketching work. Victoria was not quite good in drawing, in fact she
finds it very boring [you need to see her drawing, quite scary] so, some other
lady introduce her to me. That afternoon was a delightful one for me. So I QUICKLY
accepted her request and help her drew those diagrams. That event began a new
friendship for me and Victoria.
Victoria
was quite humble and kindhearted. But what baffles me was her degree of
giftedness I saw buried inside of her. Within a couple of weeks I learnt so
much from her, she explain math [which was my weakest subject] despite the fact
she was not science inclined. She encouraged me to always give my best and made
me connect with other bright students like herself. In grade S.S.S.3 Victoria
met a young guy called Charles. Charles was from a wealthy
background, cool, handsome and a heavy spender in school then. According to the
story I was told, he spends money like there was no tomorrow. Well the only
thing I noticed back then was the fact that he used exotic phones.
Somehow a relationship commenced between these folks. We began to see her
clinging always to Charles around every corner of the school premises. They go on break
together, eat together, leave for home together, come to school together and
did virtually everything together. The relationship became so close that people
began to addressed them as ‘Oko ati Iyawo’. As a result of this, many
other male folks became very vexed with Charles since he has ‘snatch’
Victoria away from them.
Towards
our preparations for the most feared examinations in school then called ‘SENIOR
W.A.E.C’ something happened. Victoria all of a sudden stopped coming
to school. For days, we thought she went for some sort of break and we
hoped earnestly to welcome her back again. But do you know the shocking
thing. She never came back again. Teachers, students, friends, enemies became
worried about Victoria since she had been away from school for a very long
time. The practical sessions that would prepare us for W.A.E.C has already
begun and she missed her practical classes. Lectures became intensive as well
as reading. ‘Maybe she decided to write an External Examination’ we all
concluded. But how true is this? What really kept Victoria away from school? We
waited patiently as investigations went on. Teachers were particularly interest
and perturbed because of her French leave. She left without dropping a
notice or telling anyone about her whereabouts. Her phone lines were not going
through.
One
fateful afternoon, on a Friday, a few minutes after break. The school
bell rung endlessly. ‘Is the school regulator insane? 'What is he
ringing that bell for? 'Doesn’t he realize we have to rest and wait for
our lectures to begin? As we peeped down from the corridor, we saw a crowd
of students filing themselves at the assembly ground. Anita the very girl I use
to sit with in class announced to the class that the principal herself
summoned that assembly of student, as soon we were notified, we quickly ran out
of the class in other to listen to what she had to say to us. ‘Perhaps she
has some news from the Examination council? Maybe the examination timetable is
out? Let us see? I said to myself with a mixture of anxiety and fear. As we
got to the assembly ground, we were first calmed by the vice principal. She
yelled out ‘Listen up the principal has a very important message for you’
then the Principal coughed cleared her throat and reiterated what the Vice
principal said ‘Listen up my children’ ‘I have............
WATCH OUT
FOR EPISODE TWO
Cyprian O. Henry
080 887 333 50
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