K.C Philips

Chapter Two

K.C was not ready to meet anyone.....at least so soon. Approaching him and his mother at that moment was a slender, sparkling young lady. She couldn't have been more than thirty-three years of age.

"Good morning Aunty Obianuju! How is your husband and the family?" she said as she warmly embraced K.C's mother, smiles on their faces.

"We are all fine, Ifeoma. Your boy is here to start school", she said, patting a jittery K.C on his back.

Ifeoma looked at K.C and smiled. "K.C! How are you doing? I hope you're ready for the first lap of your six-year journey here."

"Good morning ma," K.C said, shyly. "I should be ready by now". He was uneasy; his legs were vibrating against his will.

"You should be. I am Ifeoma Mojekwu. Your mother is my eldest sister. I teach Physical and Health Education at the junior level and Health Education at the senior level. Nova Gus is highly competitive. You need to double your efforts, though I know you are a brainy one. Yes or yes?"

K.C began to palpitate. As his mother and his aunt slipped into a discussion, slowly, he became oblivious to the both of them. He looked at his fellow freshers, some of whom, although yet unknown to him, would become his classmates. He turned left, then right, and left again. At that very moment, he saw her. He shouldn't have looked left again. K.C Philips would fall in love.

She seemed to sparkle in the tropical morning sun. She looked as anxious as he did. Suddenly, she smiled. K.C's heart skipped a beat. Then a woman, who seemed to be her mother, called her.

"Fisayo! Registration is about to begin. Let's enter the hall now."

Fisayo.

"Okay mum," she said, and followed her mother. Her voice was angelic. She never looked in his direction. K.C was lost, so lost that he didn't hear his mother calling him or feel her nudging him for the previous ten seconds.

"K.C! What is wrong with you? Why didn't you hear me? Registration will soon begin. Let's go in the hall. Ify, we will see later. Take care of yourself." His mother said to Miss Ifeoma, who said a word of goodbye before leaving. His mother led him into the hall. Everyone was registered and took their seats. K.C's mother told him she would come for him by the time the orientation concluded. She bade him goodbye and left for work.

Every student was seated according to their admission numbers. He scanned the hall for Fisayo. She sat down far ahead of him. Throughout the orientation, he couldn't take his eyes off her. Unfortunately for him, the distance between himself and Fisayo in the hall was going to metaphorically remain that way for the next six years. He would never have her.

Back to the present, K.C was already dressed up. He had eaten and was ready to leave for school. On his way out, he caught a glimpse of a portrait of his mum in the living room. He sighed and bowed his head.

"If only you were here," he thought. Mrs. Obianuju Philips died three years prior, during K.C's BECE exams.

The driver was waiting for him downstairs. His dad was away, as he had always been from K.C. K.C's eldest brother, Ikenna, lived in the U.S with his wife and two children. K.C's immediate elder sibling, Vivian, was in Canada for her university education, studying medicine. The three of them rarely phoned K.C. He was practically all alone.

He got into the car. In no time, he arrived in school. It was 8:03 a.m. Morning assembly had already commenced. Unsurprisingly, the Year Six students were conspicuously but characteristically absent from the morning assembly. Taking cognisance of that, he strode down the walkway. Suddenly,he heard his name from behind. It was Jessica, one of his closest friends. He stopped walking to enable her catch up with him.

"Hey K.C. Ready for today?" She said, smiling. She was light-skinned and shorter than K.C.

K.C muttered a "Hi", after which he took a deep breath and said "I really don't know. They should give us our certificates already. All these frivolities aren't necessary."

The smile disappeared from Jessica's face.

"You would have been saying the reverse if you and Fisayo were prom dates, if she ever liked you." K.C looked away, saying nothing. Jessica continued, "You should be over Fisayo by now. She isn't the only girl alive, you know." K.C still did not say anything.

At that moment, K.C and Jessica were upstairs, walking down the corridor of the 'immortals'. They entered a seemingly empty class, where they saw Fisayo and Dotun up to some romance-love play, like the students of Nova Gus would say. Immediately, K.C began to boil with jealousy. He would have reacted, if not for self-restraint. He called out to the duo.

"Guys, um......sorry to, you know, interrupt. Social committee meeting would soon commence in Class J. You both should get going." Fisayo and Dotun were both members of the social committee. Fisayo was an honorary member; she was a popular figure. Dotun, on the other hand, was a social prefect like K.C. He was K.C's best friend, but in recent months they endured a strained friendship. Dotun was spending so much time with Fisayo that he forgot about K.C, his best friend.

"Dude! That was fast though. Don't worry, we'll be there in no time," Dotun said. K.C turned and headed for Class J without waiting for Dotun and Fisayo.

"How did it feel seeing her with Dotun?" Jessica asked, when they were outside.

"Painful," K.C said as he entered Class J.