Essays, Writers

The Accused by Emmanuel Enaku.

You see,  being the first and only son of my parents, I was aware of the weighty responsibilities  that awaited my rapidly approaching  adolescence.   My parents made me aware of this in words and actions. They were firm disciplinarians who were not averse to using the whip when occasion demanded or when ever I was not behaving  according  to expectations. However,  they were loving and caring and provided everything  I needed to give nothing but my best. Mama always said to whom much is given,  much is expected and I had inculcated those words into the deepest part of my heart. Papa, on the other hand, was more demanding and his words were more challenging. He was always raising the stakes high and expecting  that I soar through.  For instance, Papa would return from the newspaper  vending station where he worked everyday with the exception  of Sundays, the Sabbath day and Saturday, what he called “the family day” and h would make straight for his room to change into something light, his usual wrapper with the huge knot just above the waist and a spotless white singlet. He was always neat and he made sure I maintained the norm as I grew up.   Upon returning from his room, he first asked for a glass of cold water and after drinking, the first few batch of words he would speak would be in proverbs.  I was expected to give responses in proverbs too to show that I understood. It was something  he did everyday to boost my logical ability and improve my thinking capacity. Proverb were an important  form of communication  to papa and if I got the meaning  of a proverb right and gave the right response, he smiled and gave me a pat on the head while nodding with satisfaction. If, however,  I got it wrong,  papa first shook his head in disappointment and his face broke into a sad countenance and then,  he would begin to break it down until I made the connection and gave the right response.   My papa always said to me,  “life is not limited to classroom  in schools. Life gives many other forms of classrooms where there are learning and examinations. You must learn all you can in whatever  classroom you find yourself  in, at any point in time and you must be the best student, nothing but the best!” To my younger sisters, Papa’s words were brief but as always,  they carried power. I once overheard him say to them,  “ you may be girls but do not think that is a limiting factor and you must not expect that I would go easy on you on that ground. No,  I will not.  I will expect only the best from all of you.” I had quietly tiptoed out of sight after hearing this.   We were not wealthy in my family,  papa being just a newspaper vendor and mama,  just a petty trader who dealt on little provisions. There was barely enough money for our upkeep but our parents always gave their best. Perhaps, it was the reason we never bothered about our inability to get new clothes sometimes and what accounted for our simple living and hard work, why we the children were encouraged to give our best. It was even more encouraging  knowing that papa took pride in us. We lived in a time when there were many negative influences, where the outside world and their cultures were beginning to affect our values as Africans and dangerously impact our way of life but we had not succumbed to these wiles and seeing that it made my parents happy,  I was willing to do more.  It was not surprising then that I always brought back the first position  as my result in school and was always recommended  and recognized for other prizes and awards in many other areas like that of extracurricular and sporting activities.   As I said earlier,  being in the spotlight always attracted enemies;  Those who would seek to pester and undermine and I had my fair share of the experience when I gained admission into a technical college and was later made school prefect.   I knew I had friends among the teachers and students but  there were those who hated me for reasons I may never get to know. It was not long after I assumed my position as prefect that I began receiving very rude confrontations from most of my classmates. This  made me worried at the various plans that were secretly being put in place for my downfall.   Indeed, uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.   While I bore all the weight alone, I did not fail to notice some special advances made by a girl in my class called Anita. I knew I was attractive,  neat and intelligent  but never gave thought on my ability to interest a girl and I kept my distance from them. On her part,  Anita never relented.  If anything,  she became more determined. It was not long before I began to like her for what I thought was her genuine care and we eventually became friends. I was careful not to let emotions come into play and I did not mince words in telling Anita that all I could offer was friendship. She initially disagreed to be just a “friend” and wanted something  more intimate as was the practice among my classmates and peers but when she saw that I wouldn’t budge,  she yielded, howbeit, reluctantly.   Anita kept being caring and I relaxed a little and told her of all my problems because I felt she was someone I could trust.  It was a mistake I was to regret in the time to come.   I soon started noticing a change in Anita. She had lost focus on her studies and had become less caring. She, times without number,  gave me the impression  that she was angry that I wouldn’t