Yellow Tales of a Nigerian Housemaid (completed)

Chapter Two

We followed him sheepishly to our fate but the sight of it and the accompanying shock made me cry the more.

Our punishment was the L-shaped Boys Quater located behind the laboratory units, and which housed the student's toilets. The building was very old with the once beautiful green walls crying for a repaint. Lines of caked paintings, thanks to the leaking roof, ran from the zinc down to the small sized windows. Wide open cracks are visible all over the almost fallen walls. Green algae had made the base of the building it's abode with the door almost falling off it's hinges.

The teacher was standing a bit off from the house, his right palm clenched over his nose. He raised his cane strictly and motioned at us to move to the toilets.

I did. Slowly.

Intuitively, I pushed my lips and nose together to fight off the overwhelming stench from the toilets, but it didn't work much. Right at the door, I slowly pushed my head in to peep but the gory sight I beheld made me want to puke.

I pulled my head out. Fast.

"Now!" He screamed which had me jumping into the poorly dimmed miniature room with the poorest ventilation I'd ever seen.

"I want them sparkling clean" I could hear him scream from outside, followed by subtle footsteps which faded away.

Staring at such stinky and dirty toilets before me, I wished he had just flogged me mercilessly, believe me that would have been better.

I was still wallowing in self pity when I remembered my test, the sudden thought of missing it pushing tremendous adrenaline into my system and forcing me to immediately set to work.

Glancing down the floor beside the already brown WC, my eyes fell on an old toilet brush, it's brush almost ripped off due to extremely long usage. I shook my head in pity as I wondered how I was going to hold the dilapidated handle, with my bare hands.

No glove.

No nylon, at least to fake protection with.

I glanced up just above the spoilt water reservoir where the small window stood, an old water bottle sat on the edge with an almost transparent green liquid shining from within.

I smiled.

That was supposed to be the toilet wash but thanks to the management or whoever is in charge, for adding extra water to an already watery toilet wash just to make it last a lifetime. Or so maybe, he too can get some cash off the planned budget.

The downside? This wash will never foam no matter how much you pour in. And? The students, now turned sanitory washers waste an entire bottle or more trying to get it to foam so they could wash the toilets clean.

And then? The management still refuse to learn that adding extra water to an already watery toilet wash doesn't make it last longer, rather leads to waste.

So? The cycle continues. Nothing is done.

Carefully stretching my hands towards the window, I reached the bottle but took it by wrapping my fingers on the almost black cap. I shook the liquid which moved quickly within the bottle space, showing how watery it was.

I exhaled and uncapped it, pouring some into the toilet. With one last long breath, I shut my eyes not so firmly, peeking out a little as I guided my hands to the toilet brush. The immediate touch forcing me to withdraw my hands.

I'm wasting a lot of time!

I tried again but held unto it this time around, lifting and guiding it to the toilet and watching as brown liquids left in it's cup from previous washes trickled on the toilet's brown surface.