EPISODE 7: Choices
February 3rd 2009, All the bad choices
All choices have consequences. You make a bad choice and a chain reaction of bad things happen. Same thing goes for good choices. As I remember, February 3rd was when I made a milestone of bad choices! It all started with a good choice, I don’t know how it all turned out bad. I was sent out of the class for trying to sneak a kiss with Angie in the middle of the class but Angie wasn’t sent out because Mr. James liked her. I was in the library reading a book on American history and as usual, I dozed off…
“I hate you!” the voice was soft; the image around me was blurry. There were two people in front of me. I was getting pissed of; it was Angelina and Mustafa… again. They were a bit older. I followed them when I realized that they could not see me. We were in some house, the walls were high up and the house was expensively furnished, I recognized the house somewhere.
“Listen, Angie, Ahmar was all over me! I swear!” Mustafa replied.
“I know you were kissing her back, why are you lying to me?” she was breaking up into short sobs.
“Angie listen! I swear I wasn’t kissing her back. She was all over me! Why won’t you believe me?”
“I know what I saw! I don’t need you to continue lying to me! I suspected that you’d start liking her. For gods sakes she’s been obsessing over you for ages now!”
“Angelina, how can you not believe me? Should I prove that I love you?”
“Go on then. Prove it!”
“You’re the only person outside my family who really knows me for who I am! I’ve told you literally told you everything about my life!”
“Like what?” she quickly retorted.
Mustafa’s figure transformed to a more bigger, lighter skinned body.
“I told you about my vitamin deficiency problems! I’ve told you about my type one juvenile diabetes! For gods sakes I’ve let you give me an insulin injection!”
Angie was turning red. I knew she was blushing.
“Yeah, you’re right. Sorry Lee!”
‘Lee!’ I thought to myself. I can’t believe I never realized, my fear was that I would lose Angie to Mustafa all this time, the image of Mustafa wasn’t really him, It was who I wanted to be, someone I thought Angelina liked more than me. I was the one who kissed Ahmar, or as I was saying, Ahmar kissed me. Angie kissed me and everything was good again and I felt a warm feeling in my heart…
“Oi!” shouted a girl in front of me. I lifted my head up and realized that it wasn’t a girl but only Corey. Damn his voice was girly!
“Yeah, what?” I snapped at him.
“What d’yu get sent here for?”
“Coz I tried to kiss Angie in the middle of class,”
“I know I’m not smart but that’s a dumb thing to do!”
“Yeah you’re right… You are dumb!”
“Eff you! Oi you got a ps3”
“Yeah… how bout you?”
“Yeah, that’s why I asked you!”
“Even when you sound smart you’re still thick!”
“And you’re still fat Lee!”
“Shut up! Look at yourself you Umpa Lumpa!”
“Eff you man!”
If you’re dumb and haven’t noticed, the good choice was that I made a new friend. Sure he was fat, stupid and annoying but he was cool. That was probably the highlight of the day but then everything changed after that!
It started off with the math lesson. Mr. Kaombwe was teaching function machines. He made a small mistake and my natural English self pounced on it!
“Sir, you have no brains, how can this be seventy three when nine times seven is…” Kaombwe interrupted me.
“What did you tell me? You say I have no brains eh! You think I am stupid eh! You boy come here!” He grabbed me by the collar and pulled me towards him off my chair.
“I have no brains eh!”
He was kicking me everywhere he could, Angelina tried to stop him but she was pushed out the was and was left immobile on the floor, drenched in her tears. He carried on kicking me until my legs were numb, then he dropped me on the floor and started kicking me in the face, good thing I was covering my face though. He dragged me on the floor up the stairs and into the staffroom as I was screaming “Please! Stop!” but all he had to say was “You said I have no brains so I can not stop!” I was in the staffroom as he was brutally kicking my body. I was yelping in pain, bruised all over. Some teachers just looked at me but did not react. He stepped on my hand and gave me one last hard kick on my back and I fell on the ground with my arms and feet cross-sprawled on the cold, smooth ground. I was crying from the pain, my legs were numb, my face was swollen and my stomach felt as if someone pouched a hole in it! Someone pulled me off the ground, and lifted me towards his face. It was Mr. Kilumbu; our
Kiswahili teacher and the upper secondary chemistry teacher. My vision was blurry and I did not recognize him at first.
“Is that you Kilumbu? Or are you his brother, Hilumbu?” the sound came out harsh, it was because I was winded and I was struggling for air.
“Yes! I am the one!” he replied. I faked a smile and he smiled back. He carried me on his back towards the school owner/vice principal Miss. Huxtable.
“What happened to him?” she bellowed.
“Ah. Mr. Kaombwe has given him his foot!” Kilumbu replied.
“What? You mean Kaombwe kicked him!”
“Yes, that is what I said!”
“Call him to my office now!”
“Yes, I will be the one!”
Mr. Kilumbu ran off into the shadows and five minutes later he returned to the office with Mr. Kaombwe.
“You stupid boy!” Kaombwe shouted. He grabbed me by my hair, slammed be on the ground and continuously kicked my head. He grabbed my hair and pulled me to a sitting position and before he could kick me Mrs. Huxtable shouted, “What are you doing?”
“I am beating him!”
“Get of him!”
I was sent home that day, and was suspended for basically calling a teacher stupid, but I looked hideous! Half my face was swollen, my eye was bulging out and my body was sore.
I wasn’t surprised when Angelina came knocking on my gate. I opened the gate for her anxiously and she was taken aback.
“What did he do to you?” she shouted out.
“Its not that bad! Is it?” I replied.
“I’m so sorry…” she kissed me on my lips and I felt a lot better.
“I brought someone along, is it cool?”
I stretched my head around her to see Corey standing outside my gate with a playstation three controller and a game. I smiled.
“Yeah… It’s cool!” I replied.
He came inside and played his game, it was called Civilization or some shit like that! I might of gotten injuries and scars and a damn good beating, but I met a new friend and he was cool.
“We will always be together right?” said Angelina, her and an older version of me were right in front of me. They kissed and I was mad-happy. “I will always love you… Mustafa!” Angelina’s words struck me, the older version of me turned into Mustafa’s figure and he turned to look at me with a cocky smile. “Isn’t that right Lee?” he said. My heart spiraled and I felt as if my inner organs were bursting.
I woke up. Angelina was right in front of me, sleeping on my bed. I sat up and Corey was sleeping with the playstation three controller in his hand and a packet of crisps in his other hand. My heart was still pumping vigorously in my body. I stretched my hand, trying to grab the packet of crisps but an unconscious Corey growled at me. I couldn’t help but laugh and so did Angelina, she was awake. I crept over and kissed her on the lips.