Not This Time, Love Pt 4

When the day came that I had to go to school, I packed my bag and baggage and sent them into an awaiting taxi. My mum was attending a program so I had to go with the taxi driver. I had never been to the school, but the taxi driver assured my mum that he knew there so he would take me there safe and sound. I sat at the front seat, with my chop box, luggage, bucket, mattress and my school bag at the back seat. I didn't like the idea of going to school in a taxi, but I took solace in the fact that it was a brand new car. I sat comfortably in the car, and the country music the taxi driver played just blew me away.

"Seein' you in my dreams
Holdin' you close to me
Oh, what else can it be?
It must be love.
It must be love
It must be love
I fall like a sparrow
Fly like a dove
You must be the dream
I've been dreamin' of
Oh, what a feelin'
It must be love."
That's my favorite part of Don Williams' song, "it must be love." it was as if someone had whispered into the ears of the taxi driver that I was faced with a love conundrum, so he should play the song over and over again to heal me.

When I finally got to the school, the taxi driver helped me to take my stuff to the boarding house. He helped me through all the necessary processes until I was shown my room and got a bed. I thanked him, and he went away. It was the first time the school was housing students as boarders. Although it was a mixed school, the boarding house was for boys only. The school was built on a piece of land, so one could take a tour of the school in 10 minutes. I sat on my bed and started arranging my stuff. We were supposed to be thirty students in the room, but only ten had reported.

After arranging my stuff, I laid on my bed and rested for a while. While I was on the bed, one boy came to my bed and initiated a conversation. He spoke so maturely, but his face looked young. I kept wondering if he was old or young. Although he was a first-year student like myself, he seemed to know a lot about life in the boarding house. He advised me to pray always, and read my Bible regularly. He said one more thing, and it got me frightened. It shook me and made me suspect every student in the school. He told me that some of the students carried bad spirits so I should be very careful. When I heard that, I became afraid and petrified. I decided not to make friends with anyone whether male or female.

The following day we went to the classroom. One senior came and handed over a bell to me when it was time for our first break. I felt ashamed. I wondered why of all the form one students, I had to be chosen as the bell boy. I told the senior that I wasn't going to ring the bell. He forcibly put the bell into my hand but I dropped the bell, and it fell on his left foot. He got infuriated and dragged me out of the classroom. Within a twinkle of an eye, I was surrounded by five seniors. They pushed me around until I fell very hard on my butt. I wanted to fight them, but I remembered I wasn't that strong to fight five well-built seniors. They made me kneel down. I started sobbing. Tears were running down my cheeks. I saw a girl approaching. Her face looked familiar. I quickly wiped away my tears, because I didn't want her to see me crying. That would be a sign of weakness. "But who could be this girl? She's definitely not one of my JSS mates.  She's not my church member, but her pretty face is very familiar," I muttered.
#to_be_continued

Not This Time, Love Pt 3

Before Lucy's mum left my room, she gave me an envelope. She told me to keep it on me and use it when I go to school. I thanked him profusely because I knew definitely that what was in the envelope was a lot of money. When she left me in the room and I was finally alone, I opened the envelope carefully, and I couldn't believe what I saw. All that while I knew that a lot of money was in the envelope, but I never imagined it was that much. Gh₵1000? Wow, I couldn't believe it. I had to count and recount the money several times before I accepted the fact that that was the amount of money she had given me. I spread the money on my bed as if it was my bedsheet, and slept on it. I couldn't lie still. I rolled from one end of the bed to the other. It was then I realized that money is sweet. While I was practically swimming in the pool of money on my bed, my mum entered the room.

She didn't look surprised or shocked. She just ordered me to arrange the money and put them back in the envelope. I did exactly that. Just when I was about to put the envelope in my school bag, she told me to hand over the envelope to her. Wait a minute! That was my money. It was given to me by Lucy's mum. Why should my mum take it away from me? She thought I could not keep that amount of money on me? Well, I didn't have any other choice than to hand over the money to her. When she finally got hold of the money, she took Gh₵50 out of the envelope and gave it to me. "Take this, and take good care of it. You will not get any money from me until you have vacated. If you lose it, you have lost the money meant for the whole term. I'll keep the rest of the money for you," she told me that and left my room right away. My head was pregnant with unanswered questions, but my mum wasn't ready for my "unnecessary" questions so she went out.

I didn't agree with her plans, but I had not much to say because she was my mum and I was depending on her for everything. I sat on my bed, and I started to imagine how secondary school life was going to be like. I have heard a lot about how the seniors molest and maltreat the juniors. I have also heard the extent some boys go to win the hearts of girls. It's true I had promised myself never to fall in love with any girl apart from Lucy, but I was wondering if I would be able to keep this promise, especially after Lucy's mum told me there would be beautiful girls in the school, and I would get the opportunity to make friends with some of them. The more I thought about how campus life was going to be, the more I became tensed and confused.

I fell on my bed, and in no time, I was asleep. About one hour into my sleep, my mum came into my room and woke me up.

Not This Time, Love Pt 2

I sat down and cried. I cried because I couldn't believe I wouldn't get the chance to learn in the same school as my friends. JK, EK, and MA got OWASS, while Frank got Prempeh. And me? ADASS! Yeah, that was the school I got. I had not even heard the name before. I was so embarrassed to tell anyone about my school. I also didn't want to lie about the school I got, so I chose to stay in my room. I locked myself up in the room and refused to speak to anyone. Not my mum. Not Frank. Not EK. Not MA. Not even my pastor. I felt so disappointed. I had the same grade as Frank had, so why would I not gain,  admission to the same secondary school he did? The funny part was that I didn't even get the Science program I was looking for, but they gave me General Arts.

My mum was getting worried. She went out to call someone again. I wondered who else she would bring to my door. I was inside my room, still sobbing. I felt cheated. Yes, cheated. I couldn't get the school of my choice. I lost the only girl I had ever loved. I lost the opportunity to talk to that cute girl, who helped me find my post office box key. And now, I'm about to lose my friends. My partners in crime. Our beloved friendship would now be lost. Now, I would have to start afresh and make new friends. I wanted a single-sex school, but the school I got was mixed. If that wasn't an attempt by an invisible person to make me unhappy in school, then I wouldn't know what else he/she was trying to achieve. Just when I was crying over my woes, I heard a tap at the door. The person called my name. It wasn't my mum, but someone else. Who could it be?

At first, I didn't want to respond, but the person kept knocking and calling my name. I went to the door, opened the door gently but not widely. I was shocked to see her. She was the least of the people I was expecting to see in my house at that particular point in time. I knew my act got my mum worried, but I never imagined it would drive her that far to go and convince her to come and speak to me. I didn't even know she was in the country. That was the first time I was seeing her after I saw her in the car some time ago. I didn't know what the motivation of her coming to my room to talk to me would be, especially now that she had succeeded in sending Lucy abroad to continue her education there. Oh, wait a minute. Has Lucy returned to Ghana? Did she come to our house with Lucy?

The thought made me open the door widely and invited her in. She looked happy to see me. I wanted to ask if she came to our house alone or with someone else, but I couldn't ask. She sat on my bed, while I stood there speechless in my boxer shorts and singlet. How I wished she wasn't Lucy's mum, but Lucy herself. "When your mum told me you were acting weird because you didn't get your school of choice, I became worried. I couldn't finish my food. I stopped eating and came here right away. You know, Lucy had the same way of protesting against my decisions. She would always lock herself up in the room and not come out for days. Yeah. It took persistent pleads before she opened the door. I'm glad her dad came for her. She was becoming uncontrollable." I sat beside her on the bed and listened to her long speech.

Eventually, she was able to convince me that it wasn't that bad to attend a mixed school. The part I didn't like about her advice was when she told me I would get an opportunity to make both male and female friends. I wish she knew what I had planned. I wish she knew that I had promised myself not to fall in love with any girl again. I wish I could tell her that I loved Lucy so much so that I would not be able to love any other girl aside from her. I wish she knew the only person who could mend my broken heart was Lucy. I wish I could also convince her to bring Lucy back to Ghana, but from what I heard her say, it would only take a miracle for that to happen. A miracle? Yes, a miracle. How do I make a miracle happen, so that I can get back my Lucy?
#to_be_continued

Not This Time, Love Pt 1

Not This Time Love

When Frank, the new guy, told me he had received a letter from Prempeh College, I was certain that I would also be accepted by the same school. I grabbed our post office box key and rushed to the post office. I was so nervous that I missed a step, tripped, and fell hard to the ground. I heard one of the women selling by the roadside scream, "You are the fourth boy to fall in the same spot today! What is wrong with boys these days? Do you always have to stare at my sweet granddaughter? Can't you just glance at her once and move on?" she yelled.

I hadn't even noticed the girl the woman was talking about until I got up and saw her laughing uncontrollably at me. I thought about explaining to the woman that I wasn't staring at her granddaughter, but I decided to stay silent, smile, and walk away quietly. I resolved not to take that route on my way back. After all, our elders say, “It is only a fool whose testicles are stepped on twice.” But wait a minute—the girl beside the woman was genuinely pretty. When did such a beautiful angel fall from heaven? I couldn't believe there had been any other banishment apart from that major one that expelled Satan and his cohorts from heaven.

So who could this girl be? I had never seen her in our not-so-big town before. Could she be spending the vacation with her grandmother? Oh, how I wished I could see her again and perhaps get to know her better. But I had already decided not to take that route on my return. I just hoped against hope that one day, somehow, I would get the opportunity to meet her and have a chat.

When I arrived at the post office and reached into my pocket, I realized that the key wasn't there. The only thought that crossed my mind was that the key must have fallen out of my pocket when I fell. I didn't like the idea of going back to search for it, but I had no choice. I returned to the spot to look for the key. Luckily, the woman wasn't there, just her granddaughter. I explained my missing key to her, and she offered to help me search. A few minutes into our search, she found the key. Just as she was about to hand it to me, her grandmother appeared. "You again? What do you want from my granddaughter? By the time I count to three, you must be gone," she commanded angrily. Not wanting any trouble, I took the key from the girl and quickly left.

At the post office, I opened my box and found several letters inside. I took them all home, eager to see if the one I was expecting from Prempeh College was among them. Sadly, it wasn’t in the pile. Disappointed, I suddenly remembered that I hadn’t used our post office number; I had used the one for my church. Just as I was about to head to the mission house to check for the letter, I met the pastor's son at the gate. He handed me a letter and walked away. Since EK and MA had already been accepted to continue their secondary education at OWASS, I was confident that I would also be accepted into my first-choice school, Prempeh College.

I looked at the address written on the back of the letter and was shocked. "This must be a mistake," I said to myself. Yes, it was from a secondary school, but it wasn't Prempeh College or OWASS. It was from a school I had never heard of before. How on earth would I be posted to such a school? Can you guess where I ended up?

Kofi Anan

Bosommuru Kofi Anan
Dammirifua due,
Due, due, due
Due ne amanehunu

Yɛwɔ barima, ɛnna yɛwɔ barima
Tweaduampɔn kyɛɛ yɛn Kofi
Ɔde no kyɛɛ yɛn no nso,
Kofi ammɔ yɛn aborɔ
Kofi Kyini de ne nyansa ne nimdeɛ
Kyinkyinii amanhodoɔ so
Pataa ntɔkwa brane a, mmarima
Akantinanwam mpo suro sɛ wɔbɛkɔ ho.
Mente -me-ho ase ne atirimka,
Menasepɔ ne anantitwitwa
Wati-me ne waka me
Ɔtan ne nitan
Sɛ Anan duru hɔ pɛ,
Na ne nyinaa anane.
Barima bɛyɛɛ bi
Na wammɛyɛ ne nyinaa
Kofi due
Anan due
Bosommuru due
Due ne amanehunu.

The girl I never had Pt 23

The headmaster was seated in his comfortable chair, and five teachers were also with him. The room was quite small to occupy all of them. The room temperature was high. They were all sweating. JK was not an exception. It was as if water had been poured on him. His uniform was soaked with sweat. I could also see him sobbing uncontrollably. It was actually the first time I saw JK crying. I couldn't stand such an ugly face shedding tears. Ewww, it was such a pitiful sight. There wasn't any seat to sit on, so I stood there with the senior boys' prefect. I didn't like the experience I got the other time I came to the office. The images of what happened started rolling in my head as I stood there.

"Are you the senior on duty? " the headmaster asked me.
" Yes please " I responded
" I guess you are in the same class with JK so tell me what you know about this theft case. " he asked again
" ermmm sir, I didn't see him take it. I was outside supervising the juniors to work so I only came back to class when it was time for classes. It was during the lesson that I heard one girl complaining that her purse had been stolen. When a search was conducted, we found the purse in JK's bag" I explained.
" Alright, do you think JK is the one who stole the purse? "
" Sir, although I didn't see him steal it,   I think he can. He's a human being. Looking at how hard the times have become, if one doesn't take care, he or she can steal. " I added.  The headmaster looked at me for some seconds and discharged me without asking any further questions. When I got out of the office, I heard JK being lashed and also screaming. He was asked to confess but he didn't talk. I decided to stay behind the door and listen to what else will follow.

I stood outside and enjoyed how JK was suffering inside the headmaster's office. "Who's that standing outside?" one of the teachers shouted. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, when I heard that. When I got to my class, almost all my mates came to surround me. They all wanted to know what transpired. I told them everything. Oh, and the part about JK being lashed, I exaggerated it. They resolved to teach JK a bitter lesson in their own small way. While we were all scheming on how to add more pains to what we had already inflicted on JK, the headmaster entered our classroom. Everyone kept quiet. He was joined later by the teacher who was in our class when the incident happened, and JK, the thief. I was so happy to see him suffer that humiliation.

The headmaster told us all to remain calm and wait until they had completed their investigation. Investigation? What again are they waiting for? Can't they just sack him or suspend him? I only hope they don't drag the issue. The headmaster also admonished us not to call JK names or cast insinuation at him. "Until we're done with our investigation, we can't conclude he  stole it," he added. I got so furious. Why was JK being given a preferential treatment? If it were any other student, would the headmaster have treated him that way? I got so pissed. The headmaster asked JK to take his seat. They left our class. I felt we had been cheated. "How can we sit in this class with a thief?"  EK screamed. I, Frank and MA supported him. Other mates also joined. JK could not hold back his tears. He wept uncontrollably like a baby.

He couldn't stand the insults being rained on him. He got up, and started walking towards the door. Almost all of my mates hooted at him until he went out of the class. I was not satisfied. I told my partners in crime to go out and teach him a bitter lesson of his life. I wanted him to suffer physically and psychologically. My friends left the class immediately after I had given them the instruction. Just when I was about to join them, one girl pulled my shirt and warned me to sit down.
"Hey leave my shirt. What's wrong with you? "
"if you go out, I'll let the cat out of the bag." she whispered into my ears. I got so scared. Could she be the one who took the purse and put it in JK's bag? I had no option than to sit down.
#to_be_continued

The girl I never had Pt 22

Everyone was quiet. They couldn't believe JK stole someone's purse. The teacher was a bit shocked too. And JK? He was screaming on top of his voice, denying that he took the purse. I felt sorry for him, but when I thought of how he spread falsehood about me and which eventually landed me on a hospital bed, I stopped having pity on him. He deserved everything. In fact, that was just a tip of the iceberg. I'll unleash more fire on him. He would have to come and beg me, before he could have his peace.

While he was still screaming and saying vehemently that he didn't take it, the teacher got hold of his shorts and dragged him straight to the headmaster's office. I looked at the faces of my partners in crime, and what I saw was a relief. I had not fully recovered from the shock I had in class that morning during the inspection. I was still wondering who took the purse under my desk and placed it in JK's bag. I wanted to ask my friends which of them did that, but I thought the classroom wasn't a suitable place to discuss such a topic, so I held my peace. I remained calm and waited for the bell to go.

When we went out for the first break, I decided to ask my friends, which one of them went and put the purse into JK's bag. Before I could open my mouth, Frank asked me how I was able to slip the purse into JK's bag. I told him I didn't do it. He didn't believe me. MA and EK also didn't believe that I was not the one who did it. "Come on guys, so you mean none of you took the purse under my desk, and slipped it into JK's bag?" I asked them. They all told me emphatically that they didn't do it. I believed them. Then who did it? While we were standing there, trying to figure out who did it, the bell went. It was break over.

We went to the classroom and promised ourselves that no one would talk about what we've done to anyone. JK had not still returned from the headmaster's office. What was happening to him? Was he receiving some dirty lashes at his back? Was he crying? Was he still denying the fact that he actually stole someone's purse? Has he finally conceded? I wish I was in the headmaster's office to see every little detail of what was going on. The news of JK stealing a girl's purse spread to other classes. Soon, it was all over the school. It was then that I realized how super fast bad news can run. Most of the teachers had gone to the headmaster's office, so even when the break was over, we didn't have any teacher in our class.

The topic we discussed in our class was "JK and the stolen purse." I loved every bit of the discussion. While some students were defending JK, others were seriously accusing him of actually stealing the girl's purse. It was then that I realized the true nature of man. One gets to know his true friends in times of trouble. One girl went as far as saying that she saw JK stealing the purse. While we were enjoying the discussion, the senior boys' prefect entered our classroom. Everyone kept mute and waited anxiously to hear what he had to tell us. He pointed at me, and asked me to follow him to the headmaster's office. "Oh not again," I said to myself, "what could be the problem again? I hope that guy hasn't mentioned my name to them as his accomplice. Or could it be that person who transferred the purse from my desk to JK's bag? What about him? Who could that person be?" we got to the headmaster's office, knocked at the door and we entered. JK was on his knees crying, with his hands raised up. His eyes, so red.
#to_be_continued