Double Spear- Episode Two

Pic Credit- Google

Dayo paced his room, the second class had gone really well. Tayo taught the course in-depth but then, passing the course wasn’t his problem. Professor Osarodion just had an issue with anyone who didn’t pay for his handouts, if he had known the evil man will fail him for that, he would have paid.

He remembered that he had avoided calling his mother for a while. Since they learned of his failure, his parents had been disappointed and did not want to believe his fate was a result of a witch hunt by his professor.

He took his phone and called his mother “Hello Ma”

“Oladayo omo mi” she began and followed with his family’s eulogy. It warmed his heart to hear her.

“Mama how are you?” he smiled.

“I’m fine my dear, o to ojo meta (meaning it has been a while)?” she queried.

 “I was worried you may not want to hear from me after the whole school wahala”

“Ahh that is in the past, we won’t throw the baby out with the bath water, you’ve been long forgiven”.

“Thank you mummy,” he whispered.

“Yes, but this time, please my child, do well. I don’t expect you to repeat the same mistakes, lahor (meaning please)”

He laughed, his mother was Bini, which was why he chose to attend Uniben in the first place. She was fluent in Yoruba and had even studied the language at the Obafemi Awolowo university, Ife while, his father was a medical doctor assigned to the university medical centre at the time. Serendipity had brought them together and she had graduated with a degree, a husband and daughter-his parents had his older sister before their mother had graduated.

“How’s everyone?”

“We are fine, your sister got a job in Dubai, she leaves next week”

“That’s great news”

“It is!”

“Where’s daddy?”

“It will take a while; your daddy is still not happy with you”.

“Mummy, I promise I’ll fix things this time, I promise”.

“Thank you, and please come home soon”

“I will, but I need to face school, the strike just ended.”

“I know, but it’s been over 8 months since we saw you last. You did not come home throughout the period of the strike”.

He sighed, “You know why mum”

She sighed, “Ok, I need to get ready for the news, my producer is calling; talk to you soon, love you” his mum was a newscaster for the Yoruba news segment at a local radio station.

 “Love you too” he said as the call ended. He would have tuned in as usual, but he wanted to spend more time planning his exit from this school.

********************

Dayo was excited to see Tayo’s call when his phone rang; since their first meet, they had spent some more time together and he knew she was the one he had sought for years. 

“Hey Tee”

“Hey Dayo, how are you?”

“Good”

“Errm, I was wondering if you want to grab lunch?”

 “Why not?”, he replied. As much as he liked her, he felt unworthy, who wouldn’t? Tayo looked like a goddess and thought like one too.

Over the next few weeks, they hung out together a lot, it was easy since she lived in the staff quarters, so he always escorted her to the quarters before driving to BDPA.

She liked him too; they had been schoolmates at primary and secondary levels (and those Lagos circles ran pretty small). As for circles, some of Dayo’s classmates had noticed they were closer and soon, tongues began wagging. He didn’t care much, he just wanted to bag his degree and the woman of his dreams.

 

*********

Evenings were the nicest at Dr Bamidele’s home. He would enjoy a warm meal with his wife while they watched the news together. He reached for the snack placed on the side stool. - Fresh Garden Eggs with groundnuts were his favourite snack. He had first experienced the delicious pleasure of the combo while working in the East, plus the health benefits of the fruit allowed him to enjoy it without caution. It reminded him of the good life he had been living in the East where he met his amazing wife. He had loved Nkechi at first sight, she was a naïve medical student assigned to the ward he was resident. Thirty-three years later, she was still that innocent girl he fell for, and he still found her attractive. She shifted to get comfortable. Nkechi liked to lie in his lap while he snacked after dinner.

“Nkem”, she muttered.

“Yes dear”, he crunched a few nuts.

“Have you heard from Tayo?” she had tried to call her earlier.

“You know your child only wants to call when it suits her”, he laughed.

“It’s been one week since we heard from her”, she sighed.

“Let me try to call her,'' he replied.

“Papa!!!” Tayo’s voice came through seconds later.

“Omooba!” Dr Bamidele laughed. “How are you?” he asked.

“Daddy-, I’m fine, settling into work, it’s been quite busy…” they went on to chat for a while.

“Nkem, let me speak with my child”, Nkechi raised her hands to take the phone from her husband.

“Okay o, your mother wants to greet you” he handed the phone to his wife.

“My dear, you should call more often” she tutted

“I should mummy, I’m totally sorry, I got carried away with work”.

“Are you sure it’s just work”, she teased. 

Dr Bamidele rolled his eyes.

“Mummy, I promise it is”, she chuckled and rolled her eyes at the thought of Dayo.

“Ehen, mummy, remember Oladayo?”

“Which Dayo?” Nkechi sat up.

“Dr Gbadebo’s son”, Tayo answered with a smile in her voice 

“Yes, let me put the phone on speaker, your daddy is getting jealous” she laughed.

“You both suddenly forget I’m part of this family” her father joked.

“Sorry dad, anyway he’s in this school”

“As a lecturer too?” her mum asked

“No mum, the Nigerian schooling system is so terrible…” She began explaining Dayo’s woes and how she had found his old scores showing he had actually passed the course.

“Nkem, just be careful, you don’t want to step on toes” her mother responded.

“Mummy, I need to help him, if I don’t, he may not even graduate this year”

“Omooba, you can do all you need to help. If you need me to call the Dean, let me know. I wonder why his father did not step in”. Bamidele and Gbadebo were active alumni of Uniben’s medical college and among the finest medical practitioners in Africa.

“Thanks for the support dad. Mum, I’ll be careful, I promise”. They discussed other issues before rounding up the “impromptu family meeting” as Dr. Bamidele called it.

to be continued.....

Disclaimer- All stories on this blog are completely fictional and are products of the writer's imagination.