Dear MIMsters: Looking At The Man I Married, No One Truly Knows Tomorrow
The first time I noticed Bayo was in JSS 2. My friend, Rekia had made a snide remark and I turned to see who she was referring to.
“Na by force to come school?” Rekia had said.
I turned to her to ask what she meant and she hissed while pointing at a shoe-less boy in tattered uniforms and said, “If his parents can’t afford to pay this small PTA levy of N500, they should keep him at home now. He has no shoes, his school uniform is tattered, he has no books, no textbooks, upon that, the boy no know book. Abeg! People like this get on my nerves jare.”
Rekia’s statement ignited my interest in the poor boy and I was determined to find out more about him.
As the school principal dispersed us except for students like Bayo who were yet to pay one levy or the other, I turned back to look at him again, and I saw tears rolling down his eyes. I felt pain in my young heart.
You see, I had then recently lost my dad and my mom was saddled with taking care of my brother and I. Immediately my dad passed on, my mom took us out of private schools and enrolled us in public school. I was in JSS 2 while my brother, Bukunmi was in JSS 1. Now no matter what, my mom ensured we strived hard for us never to be in Bayo’s shoes so I never experienced that level of poverty; it was deep but I also did not like Rekia’s stand-offish attitude.
I had just joined IGS some weeks before then and Rekia was the first friend I made. I liked her very much because I saw her as someone who did not pretend but I did not think she judged Bayo fairly.
When I got home that day, I couldn’t take Bayo’s issue away from my mind so I told my mom about it. She was sympathetic towards his plight and she warned me to stay away from friends like Rekia who do not empathize with other people.
The following day at school, I sought Bayo’s attention and I asked him questions. I found out that his father sent his mother out of the house but did not allow her take him with her. He then re-married a woman who had four kids of her own and they all moved in with Bayo’s father. Bayo who was his father’s only child soon had three other kids after him because his step-mom had three other children in quick succession making it 10 (Including father and new wife) mouths for his father to feed.
Bayo told me things were not so bad when his mother was with them. He also told me that when his mother got to know about what he was passing through, she made efforts to pick him but his father wouldn’t let her. Sadly, his mother passed away a few months after she attempted to pick him forcefully and his mother’s people wouldn’t have anything to do with him.
Bayo further told me that his step-mother ensured that his life was miserable. He made him do a lot of house chores, wouldn’t let him study and would punish him for every flimsy reason that could be imagined.
By the time Bayo was done sharing his story with me, I was in tears.
I found out that apart from myself and a few boys in our class, every other person stayed away from Bayo. He would always come to school looking tattered and unkempt.
I told my mom about him again and she would sometimes pack food for me to give him when I go to school. Rekia saw my efforts at helping Bayo and she bullied every girl in our class to stay away from me. She was a happening girl in school then so students- both male and female courted her favour.
I became very lonely and sad in school and could not wait to get back home every day.
At the end of that school year, my mom’s business was doing so well that she could afford to move us to the Island and change us back into private school. That was how I lost touch with Bayo and everything that had to do with IGS.
Fast forward to many years later, I found Rekia on Facebook and added her as a friend. She accepted my request and we picked up our friendship or lack of it thereof, from where we left off.
I couldn’t help but ask after Bayo from her. Rekia laughed hard and said to me over the phone, “Bimbo, you still dey crush after that guy?”
I smiled and replied, “Of course not. I am only showing concern for him. Do you know where he is? I have also looked for him on Facebook but I couldn’t find him.”
“Na you sabi o! Anyways, the boy was sent out of school when he couldn’t pay his levies nor pass his exams. Person like that boy suppose don commit suicide taytay.” Rekia said laughing so hard and long.
I remembered my mom’s advice to stay away from someone like Rekia and I made a mental note to block her after our conversation.
Rekia told me she was married and her husband was based abroad. She also asked me why I was not married and I told her I haven’t met the one then she jokingly said, “You still dey find your Bayo?”
Truth be told, that hurt but since I was determined to block her afterwards, I allowed her catch her fun. She told me there was going to be a reunion of our IGS set and asked if I would like to come but before I could respond, she added “Your Bayo fit be security man for the hotel where we go hold the programme, you know?”
I felt I had had enough of Rekia and I told her I would be at the reunion. My intention was to attend so that I could look her straight in the eyes while I told her how much of a b***h she has always being.
The D-Day for the reunion arrived and we all got the shock of our lives!
(Continues in Part Two)