The hostel master

Chapter 1

 A tall, good-looking man stepped out of the Mercedes and walked gallantly into the corridor of the admin building. As he approached the Principal's office, he passed by some female staff who couldn't help but wave at him at which he winked back. He knocked on the door of the office and was ushered in by the secretary. "The Principal is on the phone, he will attend to you shortly," the lady said with a smile, offering the gentleman a seat. "You must be the new member of our staff," the woman said as she returned behind her desktop. "Yes ma'am," the man smiled, adjusting his tie. "I'm Loretta by the way," she said with a smile. Before the man could respond, the Principal's door swung open. "Mr. Lucas, welcome to Summit High Private school," a short chubby man said, walking out of his office and extending a hand to the guest who stood to his feet. "What a charming young man. I am Mr Atim, the Principal. So good to have you here. Step into my office for a second," the short man said, holding the door ajar for the gentleman who obliged. About ten minutes later, they were out of the office and shaking hands in front of the secretary. "This is my secretary Loretta, she'll put you through. Loretta, this is Mr. Lucas, our new hostel master. Help him get settled in". The principal said before returning into his office. "Alright let's get you started Mr. Lucas," Loretta said with a smile. She gave him the necessary documentation before leading him outside the Admin building where a slim middle aged man wearing dark sunglasses was standing next to the Mercedes. "Wow, is this your car? I see you've got great taste," Loretta complimented him. "This is our Chief Security Officer, Mr. Bako, he'll show you to your quarters. The students resume the day after tomorrow so you have enough time to get acquainted with the school environment. Here's my number, call me if you need anything," Loretta said with a smile before returning into the building. "I've never seen her that friendly with anyone, I think she likes you Mr.." the CSO started, "Lucas," the new staff completed. "Well, shall we?" Bako suggested and they both got into the Benz. "Nice car, what hostel master drives a Mercedes?" Bako asked with a chuckle. "A gift from a wealthy relative," Lucas replied, starting the engine. Bako directed him away from the admin block and down a tarred road with tall elegant palms, gracing the sidewalk. They drove past the blocks of classrooms and the sports complex where Bako pointed out the football field and the courts respectively. Just after the complex, the road split into two ways. "That leads to the female hostel," Bako indicated with his finger pointing left. "We are going right," he added and Lucas turned the steering wheel and drove down the road leading to the male hostel. It was a short drive and soon they arrived at the hostel gate. A security guard emerged and approached the vehicle. On seeing the CSO, the guard saluted and rushed to roll the gate open. "This way," Bako instructed as the car drove into the premises. They drove past a large two-storey building and another one behind it. "Those are the hostels, the junior hostel in front and the senior one behind. Your apartment is just right here," Bako said as they pulled over behind the second hostel. The guard caught up with them and helped offload the luggage into the apartment. "Welcome to Summit High Mr. Lucas," Bako said with a warm handshake. "It may seem calm and quiet now but when the students arrive on Sunday, it's total chaos. Try not to get into any trouble," he added. He gave Lucas his number along with a list of regulations before departing on foot with the guard. Lucas closed the apartment door and relaxed on the sofa. It was time to start adjusting to his new environment. The Summit High Private school was located in the outskirts of Calabar. It was a large property built by a wealthy businessman who was based in Ghana, visiting at intervals. The institution was located about a mile away from his hometown, Okuni and 30 miles from the heart of the city, Calabar. Its location made it secluded from the distractions of the busy city and a convenient place for learning. It was the end of August and the students were done with their holiday. Lucas couldn't wait to meet them but he would have to endure two nights alone before Sunday. He opened his bag and brought out a bottle of red wine, turned some of it into a disposable cup and took a stroll around the hostel premises. It was a quarter past five, the sun was down and the clouds were gathering. The rainfall in the region had just passed its peak and was on a decline, not raining as frequently but still as heavily. Lucas sipped from his cup as he took a tour of the entire hostel. The place was promising, he thought. It was serene just how he liked it. The school had seen better days. Due to the Proprietor's negligence, the institution had become a shadow of its former self. Most of the buildings had not been maintained in years and the bushes around were overgrown. The once prestigious school now couldn't match up to its counterparts in the city with the majority of its students from middle class homes who fancied the idea of their children attending a private institution. A few children of the elite still found themselves in the school, some out of punishment for bad behavior and others who found solace here after rustication from their previous secondary institutions. Even the quality of staff had drastically reduced and the security which used to consist of special members of the military and police had now been reduced to an average private security team with the only reputable personnel being Mr. Bako who was a retired police man. These factors however didn't seem to bother Lucas as he was happy to be here, away from his past life and the start of a new one. The rain started to drop and he returned back to his quarters.