A Drop In The Ocean

part 14

“Hmm! I see”, he said thoughtfully, “was the principal aware that she came?”

“I'm not sure he was”

Nonso came in with Mrs Peter as she went straight to her locker and begins to search, Mrs Peter went close to her to see what she was doing, “be fast with it", she commanded.

Mr Nnadi went to her, “what did she came to school with this time?”

“We are still on the phone matter"

“Oh really! That’s the reason I’m here too"

“Good! She must provide it, if not I’m handing her over to the principal straight"

Mr Nnadi wasn't comfortable with what she said and he also doesn't like how she’s  involved in the matter, he just wants to handle it by himself as his job is at stake.

Nonso starts to arrange her books back in to the locker.

“Where is it?, asked Mrs Peter.

“I didn't see it here ma, I think is in the bag.

“You think? Weren't you the one that kept it? Now hand me that bag!”

Nonso knew that it wasn't in her locker all along but her bag, it was part of her delay  strategy as she hopes for a miracle to happen, she took her bag from were  it was hanged on the chair and slowly gave it to her, Mrs  Peter snatched it from her hand and opened it, this time Mr Nnadi went close as she turned it upside down and poured out everything from it, where is it?”, she repeated as she couldn't find the phone among the scattered things on the floor, “someone should get me my cane”, she said and Nonye rushed out. “ I give you one minute to provide it else I will take you to the principal and that will be after I’ve flogged you mercilessly of course”

Nonso was confused herself, she wrapped it in her handkerchief  and kept it in her bag, now it's nowhere to be found. She picked the empty bag from the floor and looked inside putting her hand in to it to ensure that it's not there.

Mr Nnadi tapped Mrs peter lightly on the shoulder, “excuse me!”, he told her and went outside, she followed him and stopped where he was, “I don't think you taking her to the principal  is the best”

“I don't understand”

“If the principal  ask if you really saw her with a phone what would be your answer?”

“I will tell him that you did"

“ you see! He will have to call me to narrate how it happened?”

“So what are you saying?”

“I'm saying that you should  let me handle this issue myself"

“Alright! I’ve washed my hands off it", she said and went to the staffroom.

Mr Nnadi went back to the class and told Nonso to see him in his lab.

**************************************

Kamsi was walking home, she was feeling happy for saving Nonso’s phone, now Mr Nnadi won't be able to get his hands on it. She remembered how she told her about recording him and Nonye's sex scene and couldn't wait to get home and watch it, she imagined  how they would look like in the video,  she hasn't watched such before but have heard about uploaded sex videos on the Internet, now she has one in the phone she's holding, real one performed by people she knew.

She got to Nonso's house and unlocked the door, went inside and sat on one of the sofas, she noticed that the hanky was light and doesn't have weight like before, she immediately unwrapped it and saw that it was empty, she couldn't believe  her eyes, ‘what could have happened!’, she thought and got up, she flung the hanky to know if it will fall off, but it didn’t instead it blew a cold breeze on her face. She carried the handkerchief and rushed out of the house locking the door in a haste, she jumped the staircase in twos as she runs, she reached down and stopped, she was confused and doesn’t  know what to do. All she could ever think of is to look for the phone but doesn’t  know where to begin, she decided  to start from where she was to wherever  she could find it, if possible to school. She began, walking slowly, her eyes fixed  to the ground hoping and praying to see it soon. After sometime she became exhausted, her eyes was tired from severe strain and her legs from prolonged walking.
She thought of looking for somewhere  to rest but couldn’t proceed when she remembered that wasting more time would reduce her chance of retrieving the phone so she kept going till she reached the school gate and felt like crying, someone might have seen it before her and picked it.

She remembered  that she bought a biscuit from a store on her way going and decided to go and check if it's there by chance. The store was located halfway from the school and halfway to Nonso's house meaning that her journey  has not ended. She began to trek back not minding looking down anymore. When she got to the store, she greeted the owner and asked if she left her phone there by mistake, the woman refused to respond but kept quiet and Kamsi wondered what would be going on in her mind, the woman's daughter came out from the store and met her mother, what does she say she wants?”

“Ask her yourself! Hmm! There is nothing Agnes won't see in this life!”, she exclaimed.

“what do you want?”, asked her daughter.

“Please I’m looking for my friend's phone and i came to know if I left it here", said Kamsi.

“There is no phone here except mine and my mother's unless you check by yourself", she told her and Kamsi was about shifting a basin of garri on the table to search for it when the woman shouted at her, “don't touch my basin!”

“Sorry ma!”, kamsi apologised.

“You are calling  me a thief? My shop is now where they steal phone, right? Now get out! Just because you bought biscuit from me is now a reason for you to call me a thief! Were you not the girl that bought biscuit here?”