Decision Virus

It’s that time of the year the final years students turns from kids to adults. Last ceremony till results comes to determine most of their fates. If government, parents and students knew how that final year result determines the fate of their wards and students even their communities, they would have done everything to see it’s success. He sat behind the thick Mahogany table, the staffs by his right and students by his left. They are they staffs and students of Ife Community secondary school. Cloudy Tuesday morning and they all were on more than one layer of clothes. Weather were changing from mild to intense harmattan season and no one needs announcement to know that sweaters are the fashion now.

They were putting finishing touches to their inter-house games and sendoff party of the final year students. They had been at it for the past thirty minutes and most of them had been wondering what was wrong with otherwise talkative principal, he was suddenly quiet ten minutes into the meeting that gets others eyeing him askance. 

“Is anything the matter Mr. Principal?” game master Mr. Chris asked

The principal eyed him and indicated the ceiling with his eyes. All turned their gaze towards that direction, seeing nothing, they turned their gaze towards him again in surprised and serious concern. They kept mute waiting for him to say something.

“Are you okay sir?” one asked

“ Sure, I am okay. Just little confused about where it’s coming from”

“ What is coming from Sir?”

“we have been here for about thirty-something minutes right?, I tell you that we had not been alone for about thirty minutes of that time” they kept quiet waiting for clarifications.

“This is my second time of having this feeling within three weeks. Someone had always come and hang up there monitoring our talks for reasons I am yet to know because I am yet to know who is playing that game with me and this school and am determined to find Out who the person is”

“ Sir, I am confused just like others. How would a person as you called him came to monitor us or do you mean to say spirits?”

“ I mean to say what you heard. Human, not the deads. They don’t have that time contrary to what many believed. Humans. If it is a staff or student, I tend to know who is violating my privacy and when I do, it will not be a pleasant excursion for that person” they all kept quiet observing him. “let finish what we came for. The person have left alone” they continued with their inter house games and send off preparation meeting. “You said that we will invite three different girls schools? Ha, is that number not too much? If we invite three girls schools and three boys schools, it will be six and we have to carter for then and their staffs. It will cost a bit to host them. Two each will do”

“ Even one school can do if you are worrying about money aspect. We treat them as they do to us quota. Number of staffs and students we want. It’s that simple. The reason behind the move is nothing but political Mr. Charles. You must learn how to play this game” the man kept watching him as he again went into his quiet mood with hands cross on the chest Staring at a spot. Five minutes later, the meeting ended and the staffs went back to their staff room and students heading back to their classrooms. Dozie the games prefect, okiro the senior prefect, ichaka the labour prefect and Akin the chapel prefect. Just as they passed the staffs room out of earshot of the teachers, Akin suddenly halted and did the sign of the cross, shaking like one naked on harmattan weather. The rest halted, was taken aback confused. “ What is the matter?” Dozie asked. “we are not alone. Be quiet” It took others seconds to understand what was happening and they burst out laughing all the way to the classroom. 

Three weeks later, the appointed day arrived. Students had invited their parents to come and cheer then on. The leaders of the PTA meeting were invited by the school and other students has right to invite anyone they want and those in year one never failed to invite their parents and senior students mostly their girlfriends. Those that represent their various houses in the games are mainly junior students. Seniors don’t need the points and recognition that comes from it all anymore. They are more interested in impressing their girlfriends than in getting the points. Dozie never invited his parents.

He has done that for almost three years and did not last year and this year he is in his last year in secondary level, he did not even tell them this time around. He had invited a girl he met in the same event he attended in another school with his school two months ago. He had ideas running around like drugs in his heads. He wants to break, deflower and smash that thing called virginity in his last days in secondary school. Someone had told him it’s only time he can get it free. Outside secondary school, it cost a lot in everything. Money, time, health and prestige. He decided that it is the best advice anyone has ever given him on skirts, therefore, he must implement it without delay. He had been saving for the occasion. Eating for the occasion, showering, talking to the walls and exercising for the occasion.

As outgoing game prefect, he supposed like tradition stipulate be present in the field were the competition was going on and help the game master in cheering and talking to the athletes and their families. He detailed his deputy and new incoming game prefect to carryout that part of the occasion. He had for the past three day been putting on act, claiming to be little sick knowing his presence won't be where it was needed that day. So, to confuse the staffs, he decided that three days of antibiotics and blood capsules will do the rest of confusing for him. He feed well, exercise well out of sight, while resorting to frowning acts in front of the students and staffs. He calculated well when the whole dorm will be free of humans for at least one and half hour and detailed three junior boys to come and call him when his visitor came asking for him. The boys had mounted themselves at the place he told the girl to report once in school compound. He had told her when to come. She missed the inter-house games but send off party, he told her to come thirty minutes before the time.

  But humans are humans. We plan, perfect but heaven has their way of entering our life and businesses uninvited. Dozie could not believe it when one of the detailed watchers ran back to the dormitory where he kept peeping through the window when they will come for him. The students have finished their games and some of their parents gone, it was getting toward 3 in the afternoon when he saw one of the boys coming for him. He smiled to himself, got up, eye around the made bed with double foam on and went for the bearer of the good news. Good news he received alright, but it was another kind of good news that made his mouth to hang open and when he managed to closed it, he realized that his face had turned into crimson. 

 “Yes, your parents. Your father asked me to come and call you” when he recovered from staring at the bewildered boy, he eyed himself all over and went to meet his parents.

“We heard from Chikere that you are not feeling all that well. He told us that you are having sendoff party today and we decided to wait for today to come kill two birds with one visit” the mother said while keeping at him. He was eyeing them as if it was the first time he is seeing them. He kept glancing towards the gate and back at his parents and all they came with. Cooler of food, two cartons of malt drinks and a carton of biscuits and another he mental knew was full of other snacks. 

 “ Yeah, I was little disturbed two days ago but I was alright the same day” he told them. He was sighing inside from a lot of things. He feels bad lying even to his parents about his health and decided that using ‘little disturb' and feeling ‘little sick' is not the same thing. They have told him and his siblings never to use their health as excuse when they are well. All that did that later fall seriously sick months later. That part hit home from other stories he have heard about lying about ones health. When he kept glancing at his watch and gate, his father have to asked him if he is expecting someone.

 “Yes, my football and piano friends said they will come and see me”

He checked his watch, it was thirty minutes late from the time he asked the girl to come. He sighed silently and murmured something only him heard. “let the party start” his mother said. Invite your buddies. We are loaded. “Some are still inside the hall were the speech ceremony is going on. Those that am expecting is yet to come. Maybe I should reserve some. They might still come” he invited some few junior students hanging around like Hawks there knowing something better will drop from the family after helping to offload the carton. One hour into their fest he spied the girl heading towards them, he excused himself and went half way to meet her and directed her towards the hall and promised to come for her in thirty minutes. When his parents final left, he packed what he reserved for five people and took the girl to the dormitory expecting it to be still empty. For sure, they are still time to hump before others start coming back. He was still feet away when he started hearing “Christ is king, Christ is able and we will never walk alone, we are never alone with him as our guide” and thunderous Amen that followed it. Akin was there with about seven prayer group shouting out prayers and walking up and down the dormitory casting demons only them are seeing. On sighting them with their carton, one woman called on them to join the prayers and it shall be well with them beyond this school compound.

 “Confirm your result and admission letter now brother and collect them latter. I can see them. Claim them brother, claim them” Dozie sighed loudly, eyed the girl and eyed the woman talking to him. Eyed the girl again and the prayer lady who is still shouting claim it bro, claim it. Sighed loudly again and quietly dropped his carton on the bed and drag the girl towards the prayer group. They were still at it with eyes closed and hthe ands on air when others started coming up the dormitory.