I was still little when my mum would complain of how aggressive I was, but I would not listen. I became more destructive through my aggression. The belligerence would come on me like a spirit and cause me to execute repugnant behaviours. I would be punished and tormented severely but were to no avail. It even became worse.
My widow mother got so tired of me that she had to dump me in my father’s younger brother’s house. My Uncle who was a middle-class man could not make the situation better as he hardly spent time with me except for weekends. He was married to a wife and both have a 4-year old child. He would leave the house for work as early as 7 o’clock and probably come back around 8 o clock. He would always drop me with our neighbour’s son off at school.
It was on a sunny day when my neighbour’s son, Danyon and I left as usual in my foster Dad’s car. From the onset, I have hated the guy. I would not know why on earth my Uncle would care for him that He would not mind waiting for him even when he is not yet ready every morning. Everybody liked Him because He was a brilliant and handsome young man. As we both stepped out of the car reaching our school, cheerful clamour filled the air by students who had waited for His arrival. This was fueled by the news that had spread early that morning of how Danyon had won in the National Essay Competition, beating down other 51 participants. Indeed He had brought prestige to the school as they all thought. Myself, on the other hand, was an arrogant, dull guy who was obviously hated by most students. I was in more detest for Danyon by this phenomenon. ‘How could they be praising Him as if He is an immortal or supernatural person, just for what?‘ I thought within myself ‘Is he the first person to win something of such?‘
During the school daily devotion, He was presented and decorated by the Principal as the school’s most outstanding student of the year. Unlike everybody else, I would rather put on my black look than expressing commendation to that ‘prick’. I thought the adulation had ended on the devotional ground, but no, it continued. All eyes could not stop staring at Him in class. Each teacher that came to the class would acknowledge His great achievement. My temper rose to the level that I could not take any more. Then in a split second, I thought within myself ‘I would make sure I do something – just something‘.
I excogitated a plan that I have prepared to carry out during break time. A plan that I thought would wreck down Danyon’s dignity. I was greatly anticipating break time to execute my plan so that I could be alleviated. Behold, it came. I watched everyone one out of the class as they were jubilating and celebrating Danyon along the corridor of the class. Immediately I noticed I was the only one left in class, I swiftly walked towards Danyon’s bag. Earlier, during the first period, I heard Danyon discussing with His close friend, Fredrick, regarding the gold medal that was dedicated to Him by the Principal on the devotional ground. I heard Him say He would keep it safely in His bag So that it would not get lost. I searched briskly for the gold medal in His bag. I grabbed it then walked smartly towards the Principal’s office. I could not enter at first because I wanted to ensure that the Principal was not in the office and that no one saw me enter. Fortunately, I saw the Principal driving off in His car from where I was. After a while that I noticed no one, I stylishly walked into His office.
Everybody knew something about the Principal. That was His most peculiar pen, p square – as He would call it. The pen was awarded to Him for His greatest achievement as a teenager. At 12 years old He represented Nigeria in the International Teenage Science Competition. Despite being the youngest participant, He was the first runner-up. The peculiar pen was specially awarded to Him by a German engineer who saw great potential in Him. The exterior of the pen was made of gold and had an ink-generator box that could generate ink to it. He had been keeping the pen for 48 years. On a daily basis, He would not stop promising to give the peculiar pen to anyone who truly deserves it. For 25 years He had been in a quest to merit it but found no one yet.
I searched for the pen in His office but I could not find it. I had spent about 10 minutes searching for this peculiar pen thinking that I was unlucky until I noticed an uncommonly shaped key on His desk. ‘This must be a key that would open a special lockage‘ I thought to myself. Again, I began searching for the lockage. As I bent down beneath the shelf, I saw a box wrapped with linen. I quickly dragged it out of its position. I noticed a lockage on the left length of the box. I could not wait for a second to try my luck if I was fortunate. Behold, I was lucky, the key opened it. I could not stop staring at the shining pen I saw in it and a small box beside. ‘This is it, the peculiar pen‘ I concluded ‘He must have forgotten the key on His desk‘. Without wasting time, I packed the pen and the ink-generator inside a small bag I carried along. As I was preparing to leave, I dropped Danyon’s gold medal in His office to frame Him as the one who had come to steal in his office.
I was happy that I was lucky for a successful plan as I rushed through the door. But no, I was unlucky. As I reached the door I saw the Principal and five other school councils looking like grooms waiting for their prides. Unknown to my knowledge that a CCTV camera was installed in His office that caught all my acts. They saw it all in the technical room. As soon as the technical operators caught me entering the Principal’s office, they called for the attention of the councils which made the Principal drive back. They had all been waiting for me all along.
What an embarrassing moment it was. I, unlike Danyon, was molested publicly and suspended from school indefinitely. The praises of Danyon increased as they learnt that I was trying to frame Him. As I was announced suspended from the school premises, Danyon, on the other hand, was later dedicated the p-square. It was truly a sunny, awful and unlucky day.
Matthew Oduola a student of Industrial Mathematics at the Federal University of Technology, Akure wrote in from matthewoduola@gmail.com
