Sing Of A Tree In The Wild

Mission Report

I'm back home; the party is already winding up. Almost all the guests are gone and the canopies outside are being disassembled. However, my necessary evil for the day, Ehis, is hanging around the front yard, waiting to hear whatever good news I have for him. I walk towards him and instantly, his eyes have started asking questions. Ignoring him, I walk inside.

"Ahan, Dennis baba! How did your parole go? Come on now, spill for your guy." He says as we both walk towards the kitchen, where my food is. I haven't had a proper meal all day, and I'm starving. I take it and head upstairs, Ehis still hot on my trail. In an effort to pacify him, I look at him, narrow my eyes and move my hand around my chest, in a 'calm down' gesture..

"Guy! I can't calm down" He rings out excitedly. "I watched you guys from outside. You were killing it!"

"Seriously, Ehis. Did I spy on you when you were setting it with Hadiza?" I say as I sink to my bed. Ehis looks away briefly and turns to me.

"Guy, forget that one. Your case is special. Very special. Veeeeryy..."

Before he says more, I prod him in his side to shut him up. And yes, it works. He laughs it off, walks towards my T.V and sits on the chair beside it. I guess this is my cue to spill everything out. After grinding down a few spoonfuls of jollof rice, I begin.

"It didn't go bad at all. In fact, I'm really amazed that no one talks to Elfrida. She's actually pretty cool."

Ehis cuts in. "More pretty or more cool?"

"I reserve my comments on that. Would you believe me if I told you she writes poems?"

"Poems?" Ehis says, almost laughing. I give him a straight face.

"Yes. She has written twenty-four since last year."

Ehis literally falls, grasping his chest. Based on his facial expression, I can tell that he is genuinely stunned by the information.

"So, twenty-four poems is equivalent to one year of not talking to anybody, eh? Two poems per month?" He asks, still recumbent.

"Whatever logic you chose to envisage, my friend. And dude, she has family members she can talk to. Speaking of two poems per month, won't she go off and on irregularly? The ideas can't always be there."

"Writer's block. You're right. As regards family, Elfrida is an only child." Ehis says.

Something just clicked in my head.

She's the only child, and she's looking for an avenue to leave her house? Something's really wrong. If I had this house all to myself, I'd never want to leave.

"I never knew she was the only child, Ehis."

"And I'm sure you never knew she is a Year Four transferee." He retorts.

I actually didn't know that. If Year Four began by September 2013 and Elfrida moved into the neighbourhood August 2013....

Ehis continues, interrupting my thought. "It was so funny how all the boys in the set started chasing her. But she just wouldn't talk to any of us. Not even the girls. A hell of a lone wolf she is. All the girls see her as proud and all the boys think she's forming. I'm sure you know she isn't."

"I know. There's something going on with her. I'm just not aware of it yet. And wait, if you knew Elfrida isn't what people see her to be, why did you fix her for me?" Honestly, I shouldn't have asked such question. The answer is just too glaring.

Ehis stifles a laugh. "You set me up with a hard-to-get extrovert . I basically returned the favour, the only difference being that she's an introvert. I've seen the way you look at her in school; she's the perfect one for you."