“There are no heroes…in life. The monsters win.” – George R. R. Martin.
•••
“Idiot, look where you dey go.”
A grey haired man, flanked by a mat of shoes roared at him in caution to keep him far away from his goods. He didn’t blame the man, he didn’t blame everyone else that had walked past him on the pavement either—for scrunching up their nose at him, and stuffing the opening of their nostrils with a piece of their garment. He hadn’t bathed well and thoroughly in a year since he had been locked up in prison, and the stench of his body was one he wished he could escape also. So he couldn’t blame anyone really.
He felt rotten both within and without. His once well primed face, had now been overcome with a severe case of acne and skin bumps. His rich velvet hair had transformed into a wilderness of black forage with strong, uneven lumps of hair that protruded all over his head. His nose that had been once crooked in an immaculate, masculine appealing way was now disfigured, as a result of collisions it had suffered with fists and walls. He was nothing like the man he was a year ago.
He had been released from the detention facility about an hour ago, and no one had turned up to receive him. He didn’t know why he had hoped for someone to show up—but his green self wanted to hold on to the thought that no one had completely forgotten him. He had received news in the prison about some minutes ago that his mom had slumped to her death, after she slipped in the bathroom and the back of her head crashed into the floor – opening a ghastly, irreparable wound that took her life. He wasn’t even given the luxury to mourn her for a moment, before the police men had thrown him out of the compound.
No one cared about him.
His sentence in prison wasn’t supposed to have lasted for so long, but ever since Tiolu gave up the ghost in the hospital and stopped fighting—it sent Dayo into a rage and made him insist that he remain locked up. To be honest, he thought the young powerful author would keep on pulling strings to ensure that he never saw through the high fences of prison anymore, but the news of his release had come in suddenly and the series of action preceding his release had kicked into motion straight away. He didn’t exactly know if he was happy to be free from his captivity, but one thing he knew for sure – was that he hadn’t seen the worst yet. It was bidding its time, waiting for the ideal moment to strike.
The array of newspapers and bulletins, arranged on the bare ground on a cotton mat for purchasing purposes drew his attention once again. It was a busy day, with road life at its highest activity yet for some reason the noise reaching him on the pavement was suppressed, and tuned—probably because of the wrath his ears had incurred as well. They weren’t functioning properly anymore. His eyes remained fixated on the newspapers, but he didn’t dare move closer, yet he suffered another reprimanding from the ware owner but the headlines in big, bold watermark were visible from his distance and it read.
Dayo Tijani moves on with romantic life, and proposes to long term girlfriend by name – Lani Olaere.
His heart beat ceased.
Underneath it, in a slightly smaller print – the headline continued.
After a couple of months after his fiancée gave up the ghost in the hospital after suffering life threatening injuries in a building that was supposed to be their home, but as a result of the carelessness of the architect – raged to the ground with fire, the young author has finally decided to move on with his life and was spotted proposing to a certain Lani Olaere at an amusement park this Friday. People weren’t able to get close enough to know their exact expressions, but one thing was for sure—they both seemed happy and madly in love with each other…
He feared that if he continued to read more, the pain searing through his chest on the inside might rip him open like a knife with an apple, and his heart will tumble to the ground like a seed. He couldn’t believe this. Of course, he had been the one to encourage her to move on with her life and go on to forget him but this…this was unfathomable. Never would he have thought it was possible in several millions of alternate dimensions and parallel universes. He just couldn’t bear it anymore.
Of what use was living in a life, where no one seemed to care about him and the few people who previously cared had either met their death or had moved on. His career, the one thing he prided himself on with his accomplishments and laurels, had been swept away by the tornado of disaster that was borne out of the fire at the Tijanis. He literally had nothing left. There was no point in living anymore.
His time had come.
And so he turned towards the busy road of mobile cars, zooming to and fro in great velocity, and began to walk towards it. This was the way to end it all. He knew he wasn’t a fortunate person that could survive a car accident. If the past few months was anything to go by in terms of tragedy that befell those in his life in relation to him, it said a lot about a curse of great disaster bounty on his head. There was no way he could survive this. Gaining momentum, he leaned forward and dashed into the road at the greatest speed his thin, haggard, scrawny legs could muster, halting in the path of an incoming commercial bus—waiting for the ensuing collision and his carriage to heaven, or hell. The latter was pretty much better than living here on earth.
And it did come.
But it didn’t slam into the side of his body and send him into a spiraling, projectile motion into the air. No, it came in the force of a flat, skinny surface and hit him hard on the side of his face alone and instead of finding himself the next moment soaring through dense clouds, in a upward ascending motion or sinking down a hollow pit to the cries of agony and pain of the souls trapped in the lake of fire, he found himself back in prison—a chubby jailer with a balled fist, frowning down hard at him.
“You sleep a lot for someone who is in big trouble, boy.” The jailer’s voice jerked him up from the bed and into a sitting position. He could sense the studious gaze of his eccentric cellmate on him also, fascinated at his comport. So it was all a dream, he thought. It didn’t feel like one at all. He had had multiple nightmares, but none had felt so vaguely real like the one he had just woke up from. Now that he pondered on it, he came to grips with the fact that it definitely wasn’t a dream. It felt like a glimpse into the future.
“You have a visitor,” The jailer continued, stepping away to give him space to get down from his bed. “And you better be on your best behavior, because he is the person who put you here in the first place. If you’re lucky, this might be your last day in prison.”
Or if I’m unlucky, the first official day of my sentence after he breaks the news of Tiolu’s death.
He knew better than to say that aloud, so he only trailed behind the jailer and stepped out into the hallway. His cellmate arose from his bed, and crossed over to the door to question him as he walked away to the receptive room.
“You sure do receive a lot of visits, young man. You must have a lot of ghosts. Just how many people did you kill?”
The jailer wasn’t moved by the absurdity of the man’s speech, as he was obviously used to it or his level of apathy was so great that he couldn’t care less about whatever came out from any of the prisoner, be it a snake or something that could spur chaos. As far as it didn’t endanger their lives, they couldn’t care less about it.
They arrived at the receptive room in no time, and he found himself sitting face to face with Dayo Tijani for the first time ever he realized. In all their previous meetings, they had either been walking as they conversed or seated with Lani and Tiolu. It was the first time they were going to have a man to man dialogue while on seat.
And he looked more serious than ever.
He was wearing a black leather beige jacket, and his hair was combed in a carefree way, that managed to exude a casual swagger that he was sure the young author didn’t know he was exerting. He didn’t look happy, but he didn’t look stricken with sobriety either. His profile was mostly neutral and taken into consideration of how immense his offence was, Tari deduced that it was a good thing.
“Once again, sir I want to apologize that I’m incredibly sorry for what happened.” He found himself saying before Dayo spoke, with the telephone glued to his ear. “I know it doesn’t change anything, and doesn’t make Tiolu automatically well and you should know that I’m not saying it just so you can have mercy on me, and release me from here. No, I just want you to know that I’m deeply sorry for what I did. Sincerely, truly and that anything you do would be appropriate.”
Dayo furrowed a brow. “Really? And so if I bribe these police men here with a large amount of money to execute you right now with a shooting squad, you will take it in good faith?”
Tari’s heart skipped several beats. “Well, I’d gladly accept it in good faith truly. There is nothing I can do about it and I do deserve it—”
“Spare me this pity talk, Mr. Ibiyemi it doesn’t suit you in anyway.” Dayo spat, a bored expression taking up residence on his face. “You and I both know that is extremely overboard. You mistakenly set fire to my house. You didn’t visit my fiancée in the midnight so slit her throat in her sleep. You’re not a murderer; you’re just an unlucky man with a very, very unfortunate fate.”
He bit his lower lip. “That’s one way to put it.”
“That’s the only way to put it actually,” Dayo clarified, sitting up on his chair. “And so in your mind, you must be wondering – why is this man here? Surely, he has better things to do with his time than visiting me the man who inflicted serious injuries on the love of his life, so of course he can’t be here without a reason. And said reason of course can’t be a good one, because well he has every reason in the world to hate me right now.’ I’m guessing such thoughts must be streaming through your head currently.”
Tari almost laughed, Dayo had quite the personality. “Yeah, something like that.”
“Good, cos you know I’m a novelist and I can simulate the character of literally anyone that I wish. So as I was saying, and you were thinking – why am I here exactly? I’m here with news that concerns you. You know last week, I had done what any reasonable man in anger would have done in my position—”
“Not really,” Tari felt compelled to cut him off.
“I’m sorry?”
“A regular man would have gone into a rage and lashed out at me. Given me a few punches and kicks before ordering the policemen to whisk me off to prison.”
“Exactly, a regular man with probably height and brawns not someone like me? I mean look at me and look at you? The height difference between us is the height of some so called average people.”
“It’s not that big a gap.”
“I’m willing to bet my money that it is.”
He couldn’t believe his eyes and ears. Was he engaging in a bickering with Dayo Tijani? A man who had all the rights in the world to drive a sword through his skull? He might not know much from the man’s hostile glare but one thing was for sure. Tiolu wasn’t dead or close to death either. If she was, his demeanor would be slightly less friendly. And that was an understatement.
“As I was saying, why am I here Mr. Ibiyemi. Last week, I did what every reasonable man in my shoes would have done, but as time went by and I continued to think about it I realized that it wasn’t what I wanted…”
This was it. This was the moment that Dayo would declare his temporal imprisonment as inadequate and set to motion the plan to make it permanent or bid for a capital execution. If the dream he had several minutes ago was the future like it felt, he guessed he’d never live to see such day.
“…and most importantly, what Tiolu would want if she were conscious. Locking you up here doesn’t change the fact that she is in the hospital and honestly, she doesn’t have to wake up to tell me that what I’m doing isn’t right. You made a mistake, a blunder, it’s quite different from doing something on purpose. And so I shouldn’t punish you like you’re a murderer.”
Tari sat up.
“It kind of makes me feel like an hypocrite, because this situation brings to memory of my childhood days with a strict Yoruba mother. You’re Yoruba too, I trust you can relate to that. And then those times that I’d go on to break plates, glass cups and other ceramic wares – she’d explode and start screaming all over the place like I took the plate in question I smashed it hard on the floor intentionally, you know? Like it wasn’t an accident.”
“Yeah, I understand.” Tari replied.
“And I understood too that she had to react in a way that wouldn’t encourage me and would make me more careful with such stuff in the future, but she took it way over the limit almost as if it wasn’t just a simple accident. And when I was steaming all over with anger, but of course I can’t say anything or reply even if she asks me questions – my dad will come into my room later in the evening and go on to explain her view and make me see reason with her. The reason being that she was raised in a home, where the tiniest of slip ups resulted in serious scolding and so it wasn’t like she enjoyed doing it. Matter of fact, she was doing it on impulse.
“There then, I told myself that I wasn’t going to behave in the same way to my kids or anyone else for that matter. When a plate that belongs to me is broken by accident, I shouldn’t punish the offender as if they did it on purpose. I should only warn them to be careful next time and express my disappointment that’s all. You get that in this analogy, you’re the person who broke the plate which is my house and refused to sweep the broken pieces away making Tiolu to step on them and get injured. In this case there was a casualty, and that clouded my judgment but still it doesn’t change the fact that it’s still an accident.
“If it’s about warning you so you won’t break another plate next time, there is no need to do that since I won’t be giving you the opportunity to be in the position to make that happen. You’re not going to get contracted by me anymore so there won’t be need for that. And if it’s disappointment also, I think the public and press has taken care of that area quite well and have vented their anger at you on social media and other mediums, that I know definitely reached you here despite your state here in prison. So what’s left? Why am I still holding you here?”
Tari’s heart beat picked up, as he waited for Dayo to come up with a cogent reason out of the blues that’d justify the pronouncement of life imprisonment or capital punishment, but none came.
“Nothing is left,” Dayo said. “I shouldn’t be holding you here again, as I’m talking to you the police are already processing your release documents so you can leave this facility as soon as possible. There is no need holding you here anymore.”
The tears streaked down his cheeks instantly and he swatted at them swiftly. “I—I don’t know what to say. I’m so grateful and filled with thanks. Thank you so much, sir. I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve to go scot free, I should be punished and—”
Dayo let out a devilish cackle, that made Tari’s blood turn cold. It was the type of chuckle that came, before he announced that he was only kidding with his release news and that he was going to spend the rest of his miserable life in prison. And so he waited.
“Who said you’re going to go scot free? I’m sure you know how this thing has affected you all in all. Sure, I’m releasing you and not punishing but I don’t need to. Life is going to punish you enough with hardship in the coming days. I don’t need to compound your pain. Have a good life, Mr. Ibiyemi and I truly wish you the best of whatever it is that you have left.”
And with that, Dayo slammed the telephone back into the cradle and took his leave, disappearing down the narrow corridor. Tari was still frozen on the spot, as his brain continued to process the information that had just been dished out to him. He was a free man? Acquitted and cleared of his charges? It might not be close to recovering all what he had lost, but it was a happy development he didn’t see coming.
One that was worth smiling over.
The next half hour activities was burdened with signing of documents and other protocol procedures that he saw no need for but as a result of his gladdened state, he couldn’t find it in himself to express his repugnance for it. When he was all done, freshened up after a hurried bath in a shower that dispensed water colder than ice – he was finally clothed in the clothes he had worn on the day of the tragedy. The first thing he did with his new found freedom was place a call to the person, he was sure still cared about him in the land of the living.
“Tari?”
“Mom,” He choked on his own tears, finally not giving a care in the world for what his audience consisting of visiting folk and policemen thought of him. “Yes, it’s me. Tari.”
“Oh my, Tari! Omo mi!” My child. “How are you doing! They allow you make phone calls now! Were you the one who told them that you wanted to speak with your mom?” To say she was elated, was understating things. He didn’t think there was a word that he could use to ascribe the level of euphoria in her voice.
“No, no mom. Prisoners are not allowed to make phone calls.” He sniffled.
Her voice lowered. “Is anything happening, Tari? Do they want to do anything to you? Are you getting—”
“No, hold up nothing is happening. I just wanted to be dramatic and make you put two and two together that prisoners aren’t allowed to make phone calls, yet I’m making a phone call so what does that mean?”
“That it’s a special privilege?”
“Nope,” He shook his head.
“One of the police men there is a friend of yours who took pity on you?”
“That’s still sort off your previous point.”
“I don’t know,” She was becoming more edgy. “Your cellmate snuck a phone into your cell and you’re calling from it?”
“Hell no,” He laughed. “It’s not possible to sneak anything into prison. You know that make you go naked right?”
“How would I know? Have I been arrested before?” As if sensing the indirect shot she had fired at him, she recoiled and quickly said. “What’s going on? You’re sure nothing bad is happening and they’re not about to sentence you to life or death, and they’re given you a last chance to speak to your mom?”
“Oh, God no. I’ve been released, that’s the truth.”
“Release?” Several shuffling sound followed that muffled her voice out before it came back on. She must had been sitting and hopped on her feet instantly. “Released, Tari? Wan ti release e?” They have released you?
“Yes, Mom. Dayo Tijani came in today and after giving me a strange speech on how keeping me in prison isn’t exactly doing the right thing, he sanctioned my release and for the past thirty minutes I’ve signed so many papers—that I started to wonder at some point if I haven’t signed over my right to step out of prison and it was all and elaborate trick, until I was finally ordered to remove the prison wear and put on my clothes. So yeah, I’m a free man I’m just calling you to tell you and well—to come pick me up.”
“I’d be there in the next second, if I could!” The shuffling noise continued, and he knew it had to do with the padding of feet on the ground. She was obviously dancing in celebration. “I’m really happy and flattered that it was your mom you called and not one of your friends…”
Like I have any.
“…do you want me to call any of them? I mean I don’t have their numbers, but I can figure out a way to reach them and—”
“No, Mom don’t call anyone. Matter of fact don’t tell anyone I’m being released. It’d soon be all over the news anyway, but I need the little time that no one would know about. I need it to act.”
“Act, what. Now you’re scaring me Tari. What are you talking about?”
“Never mind, I’d explain when we see. Just come down here and come pick me. And if you don’t mind could you bring some food along? Like maybe bread and Nutella? Just something light to pre occupy my stomach until I actually eat dinner in the night. I’m very hungry.”
“I don’t have bread at home, Tari. You know it isn’t that good for old people like me, but I have left over Semo and Gbegiri soup from last night that I didn’t finish. If you want, I can quickly steam up the soup and bring along the Semo also.”
“Really, Mom? You think I’m going to eat something that heavy in the car?”
“Ta lon wo e?” Who is watching you? “The glasses of the car are tinted and you could sit in the back seat if you want so you can eat freely.”
“All right, bring it then and don’t forget to—”
“Throw in chunks of fish, just the way you like it. I won’t forget, I’d be there as fast as I can.”
And she kept to her promise. It didn’t take her more than an hour to arrive in her grey Lexus RC Coupe that he had purchased for her, a couple of months ago for an early new year birthday present. She looked radiantly beautiful and affectionately maternal in her native wear of a champagne glitter lace gown that was pleated at its flamboyant end, swallowing up her entire feet. She also had a silver head gear on, locally called gele, tied in a convoluted way that made him wonder how she had tied it without assistance and in so short a time.
After a lengthy hug prolonged with further bouts of tears and cries of gratitude, they proceeded finally into her car—his stomach already rumbling at the prospect of being paid a pleasant visit by much needed company. While he ate ravenously in the back seat, she didn’t hesitate in filling him on the details of her life – both consequential and inconsequential and other things he had missed out on, as a result of being imprisoned. Unknown to her and him also, he wasn’t listening. Rather, his mind was fixated on the big, defining decision he was about to make that’d change his life totally.
*****
“Is this seat taken?”
She looked up at him, with a blank expression on her face. He expected her hostility, heck he even thought she might respond with a slap or a series of slurs but she only nodded her head to imply that the seat was indeed taken. Which came as a surprise to him, because he never saw her as a petty person. He thought she wouldn’t break character, no matter the condition.
Monday had come, and as instructed he had gone about the campus soliciting for the help of fellow students who harbored feelings of a distasteful inclination for Mr. Patrick. The task had been no meager one but it wasn’t insurmountable either. He had eventually come out on top and trumped the difficulty. Right outside the deans’ office were students, who he had no sort of relationship with and were only present because like him – they wanted Mr. Patrick gone.
He couldn’t believe it was that easy.
“I didn’t see anyone coming in earlier to occupy it,” He pressed on. He was determined to sit down beside her today all through the proceeding, so that he could give her that sly smile when victory was awarded to him. So that he could go on and rub it in her face, that she had only been excessively paranoid in thinking that they couldn’t defeat their nemesis and didn’t stand a chance in winning. So that he could tell her that he was right, and she was wrong.
She flashed him another withering look but he didn’t come all the way here to back down. Plus, the proceeding would begin in a couple of minutes anyway. There was no use keeping a bitter spat with her.
“You’re not saying anything, so I’d go on and sit down.” He let out a sigh of relief, as he sunk down into the chair – grabbing the arm rests by his sides. “So, how are you doing?”
She didn’t look at him this time. Her gaze was so concentrated on the dean’s unoccupied desk, like she was a welder trying to penetrate it with her gaze which was her welding equipment.
“What makes you think that you’re entitled to ask me that question?”
He flinched. “Uh, I don’t know. I didn’t say I was entitled to ask you. If you don’t reply, I won’t put a knife to your throat or take you to the court to prosecute you, you know. The decision of whether to reply stays with you.”
“Good, cos I don’t want to reply that.” She said, flatly once again. “Matter of fact, I don’t want to reply anything that comes from your mouth. So, if that’s what you came here for – I’d advise you to take your leave nicely. If you care that much about my wellbeing, you wouldn’t be doing what you’re doing today.”
That was his cue to continue talking.
“C’mon Lani, you can’t deny the fact that things are actually going our way in some way.” Despite the fact that she looked so cross, she was still dashing still. She wore a deep green shift gown, her black braids was bounded by a bandana of radiant colors and her golden hooped earrings dangled and made little sounds as she moved her head. “I have ten people outside there, like the dean ordered me to assemble. They’d testify against Mr. Patrick and that’s it. We’re free from this and we get our marks, and nobody needs to spend an extra year in school.”
She shook her head, and looked at him. Her expression so cold, that he thought the surface of his face might freeze from close proximity. “You really think it’s that easy, Tari? You really think this is going to be a walk in the park? Just assemble ten people that will support you and that’s it? The man is going to leave the school and isn’t going to bother us again? If that’s it, why hasn’t no one that done that since?”
“I don’t know. It’s just like the dean said. This is the third time he is being reported, and so it helps that its not the first time and can’t continue to be a constant coincidence—”
“Oh, please—” She faced the front, once again.
“And, who said that getting the people outside was so easy? Do you know how long and hard I toiled to get people that I don’t even know at all? It was no easy task, trust me. So how about you give me a little credit instead of just hating me for the rest of your life.”
“Sorry, sorry for breathing down on your neck.” Her voice contradicted her words. She wasn’t sorry in anyway.
“I don’t want to keep on fighting with you, Lani. I’m tired of it, it sucks. Being on the battle ground with you, with our words flying about the place, wounding each other. It’s not fun.”
“Sorry, but you let go of the right to be on good terms with me when you went behind my back, wait, what am I saying? When you stabbed me in the back—”
“I didn’t stab you in the back—”
“You see? You don’t even see anything wrong in what you did? How can I work with this? This entire thing is pointless, Tari. Just leave me to my silence. If and if you do come out on tops with this, just know that it doesn’t justify what you did. You’re still a self absorbed, inconsiderate person who never puts others first.”
The words stung, hard but he kept the pain in by biting hard on his lower lip and as if on cue, the dean strolled in after awarding them an acknowledging glance and behind her, the villain himself – Mr. Patrick followed in a formulaic white and black corporate wear and a tie that was bigger than his body frame. The people he assembled on the other hand, took vantage point by the entrance and remained there.
“Let’s get down to business, please.” The dress of the dean was heavily decorated with flowers of varying shape and color and almost made it look like a maternity gown. Like that was an important thing to be studying at the moment. He and Lani both rose to their feet, and stepped out of their seats.
“Mr. Ibiyemi,” The dean started to address him. “You tended in a complaint against Mr. Patrick here, about two weeks ago now and we convened on this past Friday and came to an agreement that if you can find ten other students who will support this claim of yours then the school will take this case in serious light. Am I correct then?”
“Yes, you are Ma.” He nodded, in a quite profuse manner. He just wanted to get it over with and savor the taste of victory.
“Good, and where are these people? Are they joining us today?”
“They’re just by the entrance, Ma.” He motioned to the sea of heads, peering at them from the archway on their right. “On your call, we could begin to call them in one by one if that’s the way you want it.”
“No, I just need one representative from the group in all.” Her head was tilted in the direction of the group now. “Can someone there step forward please?”
A fair complexioned girl, clad in a black tee shirt and black bum shorts strutted forward in confidence, and Tari could only beam proudly. Things were definitely going according to plan. She was going to stand for his motion, just like the rest would and the school would have no choice than to dismiss Mr. Patrick. This was only the beginning, if he were the man he’d wipe the smug smile that had been on his face since Friday.
“What’s your name and department, please?” The dean enquired.
“Daphnie Okoye,” The dean’s addressee replied. “100 Level, architecture.”
“And you’re speaking for yourself and the rest of the group by the door there that you’re all from the same department in this faculty?”
At this, Daphnie only nodded
“Good, now do you support the claim of Mr. Ibiyemi here,” Once again, the dean paused to motion to him. Tari didn’t understand why she saw the need to keep pointing at them, as if the people in reference didn’t know their own names but he kept his mouth shut. He was this close to victory. He wasn’t going to let anything soil it.
“No, I do not support it, Ma.” His heart beat ceased and his face wrinkled instantly. What the hell was she saying? They had all agreed collectively as a group to support him! What the hell was going on? He tried to make contact with the face of the girl to decipher if she was playing a wild, reckless game but he couldn’t. It wasn’t until he saw the twinkle of mischief in the eyes of Mr. Patrick that he knew and accepted that all was lost.
Oh God, what have I done?
He wasn’t the only one taken aback. The dean sat up and asked. “What do you mean?”
“We definitely do not support Tari in this wild attack on our dear lecturer,” Daphnie continued. Dear lecturer? Oh it had gone over the railings already. Mr. Patrick didn’t associate with his own colleagues, not to talk of students. They were only pawns in his agenda. What did he have on them? What had he done to make them turn to his side?
He couldn’t bear to look at Lani’s face yet, and see the all knowing, I-told-you-so-look on her face. She had warned him that it wouldn’t be that easy, but he had being naïve in his quest and had dreamt too big, inordinately to the point that it blinded him. Now he was going to pay the price, big time and it wasn’t just going to be him. Lani was going to be a casualty.
All because of him.
“Mr. Patrick is the last person in the world that would make such an advance on a person, so I really don’t understand why anyone would lodge this complaint at him. I am truly lost just like the man, sir.”
“And yet you agreed to follow Mr. Ibiyemi down here despite the fact that you’re on opposing sides?” The dean pressed on, looking more intrigued and amused by the moment. It was all entertaining to her.
“We only saw an opportunity to say the real truth, and we took it. Ma’am. It’s what any good person in our shoes would have done.” Daphnie replied.
The dean paused, skimming the girls’ length thoroughly as if to make sure there was nothing she was missing before projecting her gaze to the rest by the doorpost. “And you all?” She bellowed at them. “You all stand together and agree with Daphnie, here?”
They all cried “Yes.” In unison, and it took all the resistance in the world for Tari not to stagger and fall to his feet at the moment. All was indeed lost, now judgment had come.
“It would seem that we have a criminal then,” The dean’s gaze narrowed in on him. “Mr. Patrick here said it that you were among the few that didn’t do the project but because you wanted to wriggle out of it and pull a fast one, you thought of implicating a lecturer that is a jewel of this school!”
“Ma—”
“Will you shut up! You do not have any right whatsoever to speak!” She cut him off. “This university is rated number one in the entire country. Yes, our very own University of Ibadan is ranked above the likes of the University of Lagos and other reputable institutions and for some reason you think we want to lose that acclaim? You think we wouldn’t lose that acclaim, if we sacked lecturers that are playing a huge role in maintaining that high status quo of education here in the school? But you for some reason think that you can easily remove a lecturer if you want, simply because you have a bone to pick with him or whatever. But let me make this clear to you.”
His heart rate escalated, and his entire body started to beat in fear not just his heart anymore. This was his end.
“You are not going to be here on the university grounds tomorrow, or even the next hour to try such stunt again. Now before I close my eyes and open it, I want you to disappear from my front, run to your hostel, pack your bags and get out of the school premises. Consider yourself officially rusticated from the University of Ibadan—”
He didn’t know he was crying profusely, until he spoke. “I’m so, sorry Ma. I can explain. I really did the project, I just—”
“I said, get out of my office now! I don’t want to see your face and I don’t want to ever see you on this campus anymore. Do you understand me!”
His entire world had collapsed, and the image in front of him had been reduced to a blurry one tainted with cataracts. He had given up hope already, and was about to step out of the room when the unexpected happened. Mr. Patrick came to his rescue.
“Now, let’s not get too angry on the boy, Mrs. Olanrewaju. It’s very clear that it’s not his fault.” Mr. Patrick stepped forward with a sly smile, throwing a knowing backward glance at Lani who had begun her own quivering. Whatever the man was up to, he didn’t know but if it kept him in the school premises then he was on board. “It’s quite clear that just like him and almost every other boy in the faculty, he is smitten by Miss Olaere here and is doing nothing other than her biding. Matter of fact, this entire ploy wasn’t his plan. It’s her plan. She is the one that has something against me, not Mr. Ibiyemi here.”
Tari froze as he looked from Mr. Patrick to Lani, dumbfounded. Lani was aghast in surprise, and her lower jaw had dropped.
“That is quite an accusation, Mr. Patrick.” The dean frowned. “Surely, I don’t think anyone can force Mr. Ibiyemi to do anything against his will. He was the one who went to the admin to slander you not her and if Miss Olaere’s participation is anything to go by, it says that she is hardly on board with his decision.”
“Don’t let us get side tracked, the poor boy has been swayed by her charm, nothing else.” Mr. Patrick went on to insist, and he could feel the intense heat of Lani’s gaze prickling his side but he couldn’t bring himself around to face her. He still didn’t know exactly what was going down. “If we should punish and expel any student, it should be Miss Olaere here not Mr. Ibiyemi who is only a pawn in her game.”
The dean didn’t look convinced, and then she turned to Lani. “What do you have to say for yourself, miss?”
“I don’t know what he’s saying, ma!” She burst into tears, instantly. “I don’t have anything against him. I just—”
“So why didn’t you say that Tari here was lying in the first place, when he made the claim that Mr. Patrick here made a sexual advancement towards you? Why didn’t you say the truth like the rest of your mates by the entrance? Tell me? Even if you’re not behind the entire plan like Mr. Patrick says you are, that is a very wrong thing to do. You’re an accomplice, but I wasn’t going to go on to expel you, now I’m thinking of expelling the both of you. We don’t need students like you in this university.”
“Trust me, Ma. I’m not the one behind this. I’m not lying,” She moved closer to Tari and nudged him hard. “Why are you quiet! Go on and tell them that I’m not the one behind it. Say the truth and say that you’re the mastermind behind the entire thing. What are you waiting for?”
Speaking had never been so difficult for him in his entire life.
The right thing to do was step up to assume the blame, and salvage whatever grace that was left in store for Lani. After all he had put her through, by initially betraying her trust and going behind her to expose her secret – it was the one, true way he could compensate for his crime and go out as a hero. So that when she thought of him in the future, her thoughts wouldn’t be bitter but pleasant ones.
But he couldn’t find it in himself to speak.
To think that he’d be expelled from the school, and made to start all over again from scratch, sent shivers racing down his spine. His numerous relatives were the sponsors of his education, and if there was a slight falter—they would withdraw their funds and abandon him like a castaway. University expulsion was no small falter, and he knew that if he accepted the blame and stepped out of the school, today would be his last day in a learning institution. His relatives would leave him to whatever bleak fate that was in store for him. He’d probably end up learning a trade or two to make ends meet and battle with poverty for the rest of his life.
“Mr. Ibiyemi, now is the time to speak and clarify if Mr. Patrick words are really true!” The dean voice jolted him out his reverie. “Speak, now!”
But he couldn’t. He remained frozen like a statue, not flinching or moving in the slightest bit.
“We really don’t need to drag this further, Mrs. Olanrewaju. Miss Olaere is the actual person behind all these—”
“Tari, speak up!” Lani screamed, tugging hard at both of his hands so that he turned to face her. Her face was a waterfall of tears. “Please, say something.”
But he didn’t.
“Ma,” Mr. Patrick continued. “This has dragged on for too long, surely we don’t need to remain here and watch this unfruitful drama unfold. Miss Olaere is the person who really has it out for me. Which is more plausible? That a lecturer like me would have it out against her for no reason and defend the person that went to report me to the admin, putting me at the risk of losing everything that I toiled so hard for in the past few years? C’mon, it doesn’t make sense. If I’m defending the person that almost ended my reputation, then it should say something. Lani Olaere is the criminal mastermind and she is the one who should be expelled. Mr. Ibiyemi here is nothing but an accomplice. A punishment would do in his case to remind him why he shouldn’t try such in the future anymore.”
The dean reclined in her chair and studied them all. Tari unconsciously pulled away from Lani, and edged closer to Mr. Patrick. He was a monster, he knew that within but that realization didn’t make him feel compelled to do the right thing. That’s why he was a monster anyway. He did care about Lani’s feelings and how she would feel about him for the rest of her life, but to the point that he’d throw away his own academic prospects? Nope, it was an easy choice. Stand down and let her take the fall.
I’m so sorry, Lani. I’m sure you’d still be able to get into school soon.
“That does it then, I have no reason to doubt Mr. Patrick.” The dean said finally, turning to Lani. “I’m sorry, Miss Olaere but you’re officially rusticated from the University of Ibadan. Please leave here immediately, go to your hostel if you have one on campus and pack your loads as soon as possible. I’d send a ward that’d accompany you and ensure—oh my God.”
The dean didn’t get to complete her statement, because somewhere along the lines of her sentence, Lani slumped to the ground and fainted. Campus security personnel positioned outside did their best to revive her but all to no avail. Without being ordered, the two sturdy men hoisted her onto their shoulders and took her out of the room with the dean following at their heels.
God, what have I done?
“You should be happy that I don’t forgive people,” Mr. Patrick was saying to him. “I told Miss Olaere explicitly that she shouldn’t tell anyone but she went on to tell you. You were the one with the balls that reported but she is the real offender. You’d get your punishment, trust me and it will be no small one but at least you’d still get to remain a student of this school. You made a good decision shutting up and playing along with my save. You owe me one.”
And with that, he headed the other way and exited the office through the entrance which still had a speculating audience of the people he had assembled earlier which had started to disperse. Daphnie began to head out, but he accosted her and questioned her.
“Why did you go back on your word and lie?”
“Guy, free me.” She eyed him. “The man offered to increase our marks so we all won’t fail his course, and you think that we wouldn’t take the opportunity?”
“But you guys agreed—”
“B—but what? You that you’re here, didn’t you shut up and let the man put the blame on the girl? So what right do you think you have here to question me when you’re the biggest devil in this room? A whole expulsion, you kept shut and you let the man pin the blame on her and you’re now coming here to interview me. Baba, please clear road jor.”
She brushed past him, and joined the rest outside. Everything she had said was indeed true. Everything Lani had told him in the past was indeed true. He was a self absorbed, inconsiderate, conceited person who did nothing but put himself first in every situation without considering the feelings of others. That was his identity, that was who Tari Ibiyemi was and that was what he was going to live by in the coming days. He wasn’t going to try and rectify his problem. Guilty he was, but relieved he was also. Let Lani take the fall, her parents had the wherewithal to send her to another school after all. No one could blame him and if they did blame him, it was their problem. Not his.
He did what he had to do to survive.
-------------------------------------------------
Finally! We get to see just what Tari did in the past! How did you find it? It sure did shook me, that's for sure. But I can't read your thoughts, so express them in the comments.
The story isn't over, of course. Two more chapters to go. Tap that lonely star, and join me again next week. Have a splendid weekend.