Chapter 5: Real Wahala Burst

I give fat guy five thousand naira, tell am make Halima dey tutor am, buy food for her.

The money na big thing for fat guy. Him eye shine, him mouth open like say I dash am car.

Fat guy mouth open, I raise hand: “I no like people like you, just dey copy homework, no dey try, how you wan be better person? Just say yes.”

I dey use authority. I no wan make e feel say na pity. E just gree quick, dey nod.

Fat guy fear, gree.

Him no wan wahala. He say "yes" sharp sharp, collect money, dey look ground.

Every afternoon and night prep, she dey teach fat guy.

Dem dey sit together, dey talk, dey laugh small. She dey explain, he dey listen, even though him no dey hear anything.

Funny enough, I no dey understand teacher, but as she dey explain, fat guy no dey understand, but me I dey understand.

As she dey break down maths, chemistry, everything clear for my head. E shock me.

E be like say our sense dey the same level.

I dey laugh for mind. Maybe na destiny join us together for book.

To carry second for exam no go hard me. I be hidden genius.

The thing dey ginger me. I dey write test, dey feel like professor.

One night for test, I submit paper early, sneak go toilet.

I waka quietly, no wan make teacher see me. Toilet cold, breeze dey blow.

Suddenly, noise burst outside.

I hear shout, the whole corridor dey shake. My heart skip.

I think say na discipline master dey come, I panic, then hear her shout.

Fear catch me. I rush finish, clean hand, run go see wetin dey happen.

I run out, one guy slap my shoulder: “Guy, you no go check? Your wife dey collect beating from your mama-in-law!”

I hiss. Boys dey always like carry gist.

“Abeg shift.”

I no get time for their play. I waka fast.

I rush go. The thing wey I see, I no go ever forget.

Na real gbege. My body freeze.

One woman wey still fine, dey drag her by her goat-bite hair, dey beat her from third floor down reach first floor.

People dey gather for stairwell, dey watch as she dey drag am. The slap loud, the curses no end. Her mama slap loud, the sound echo for corridor like NEPA wire spark. People dey peep from louvre window, dey hold mouth.

Stair by stair.

Every level, na new insult. The humiliation dey complete.

She dey curse Halima, say she no get shame, say both of them na Musa family pikin, why her sister good and she useless, say if nobody tell her, she no go know person fit fall reach that level.

The voice loud, everybody dey hear. No mercy at all.

For five hundred naira and bread, she hold boy hand, even kiss.

The gist don spread, the woman dey shout. For small bread and five hundred, say she sell herself.

Fat guy just dey there, dey sweat, dey talk say dem no kiss, na only food he buy for her.

Fat guy dey beg, dey shake, but nobody dey listen.

Her mama curse am, call am hungry spirit.

Insult full everywhere. Even cleaner stop dey watch.

She finally burst: say, Mama, I dey hungry.

Her voice weak, but the hunger real. She no fit hide again.

Her mama say: “I no give you enough money? Every month your sister dey bring you allowance, you never do? How much you want?”

The woman dey vex. Her voice dey high, hand dey fly everywhere.

Dem argue till she cry, talk say okay, give me papa own money, I no want the one wey you leave for my sister, I want papa own.

Halima dey beg, tears dey run face. Her body dey shake.

“So na wetin you dey wait for, na so, ungrateful child.”

The curse heavy. People dey shift, dey whisper.

Her mama dey shake, look around, carry flowerpot, break am for her head, say make she no dream say she go share inheritance unless she die.

The sound loud, blood spray. Everybody shock. My leg weak.

Blood dey flow for her face.

Her white shirt don red. I dey see small flesh. My eye dey pain me.

Na real wahala.

Na so teacher run come. No fit separate dem, the woman strong. Halima just dey cry.

Na this mama wey she dey talk say love her so?

The love story wey she dey tell, na so e dey end?

Na this mama she dey save money for, dey skip snack to buy gift for?

All her sacrifice na waste. My heart dey heavy.

Classmates dey point dey gossip.

Some dey laugh, others dey fear. Everybody get opinion.

I rush go, class fine girl hold me: “No try am, you wan make dem finish her?”

She hold my arm tight. Her eye dey warn me. I gats calm.

Halima just dey like plucked chicken, dey cry: “Mama, you talk say make you treat us equal? My sister do well, she travel. I sef carry third, third for whole grade, more than two hundred students. Mama, see me.”

Her voice dey crack. Her body dey shiver. Rain dey fall for window.

“You talk say you go carry first? You sabi boast, only third. Useless.”

Her mama no send am. The words dey cut deep.

Her mama collect her ID, waka.

She grab her file, purse, dey bounce. Halima still dey beg.

“If... I get stomach pain during exam. Mama, I just want money to chop, I want chop meat, I want run make I no faint, I want make my period no pain me, na too much?”

Her voice low, but people dey hear. Girls dey nod, boys dey shift.

Her mama no look back: “No be your own. I no get pikin wey dey date early, dey give man food.”

The insult choke. Halima drop for ground, dey wail.

She put head for ground, kneel dey cry.

She dey beat ground, the pain too much. Some girls dey wipe eye.

Thunder dey rumble for sky, every sound dey shake her body.

Rain dey fall, window dey tap. The air cold.

Her mama waka, but she still dey beg: “Mama, abeg no go, next time I go carry first!”

The desperation for her voice no get part two. I feel am inside my bone.

I free class fine girl hand, carry umbrella go give her, she just grab am, run go cover her mama as she dey waka.

Her leg dey shake as she run. The umbrella no even cover finish, but she dey use am pursue her mama.

I vex, waka.

I no fit stay again. My chest tight.

Tomorrow, tomorrow, I go give her serious talk, why she dey like this? Her mama use jazz for her?

I dey plan, dey form big man for mind. I go confront her, ask her why she dey suffer for nothing.

I no sleep, dey think of wetin to tell her. For midnight, I order medicine and bandage for her.

Online I dey browse, dey check best medicine for wound. I dey price, dey plan.

I think say, maybe na me dey craze.

As I dey think, I dey ask myself if na me dey wrong. Maybe na me dey wicked.

But after all the thinking, next morning as I reach class, I see my umbrella for my desk.

E dey wait for me, cold, wet.

One note dey: “Thank you. Sorry, umbrella spoil small, I no repair am, I go pay you next time.”

Her handwriting fine, but I see tear drop for edge. My chest pain me.

Umbrella don scatter, some bones break.

The ribs bend, handle tear. I dey look am, dey remember everything.

No be mistake, na serious wahala break am.

E show say e no easy yesterday. The umbrella carry story.

I hold the umbrella, my mind just dey run.

I dey turn am for hand, dey replay all the wahala.

Halima no come back, she collect leave.

People dey whisper. Teacher say she sick, some say dem send her home.

My umbrella, two thousand naira, no pay me back. For my mind, e pain me. But the pain pass umbrella matter.

I dey wonder if I ever go see her again, or if my own heart don follow her waka.