The young Cavalry

Chapter 2

**** MY LIFE AT THE SCHOOL ****

We arrived at the city safely but late in the night, so we stayed at the bus stop till morning which we slept there.We left there early and headed to the school.

As we reached the school we saw hundreds of students which many of them were my age mates. There were no classrooms there not to talk of students hostel. We went toward the students and Mr Mudi asked one among them "where is your teacher?" "he has gone out but you can wait for him." The student replied.

We sat there for about two hours before he came back and he told Mr Mudi that he went to the police station and had to bail two of his students there because they were caught in a stealing act.

Mr Mudi left us there despite to what he heard about the students behaviour. He called Sani and I and asked us if we had something in mind to say, which we both kept quiet and he held our ears and furiously said "I don't want to see you soon, good bye."

He left us standing there wondering of what he meant with his statement. We heard a vocal voice saying "hey!, you two come over." Which happened to be the teacher's voice, we went to him and he pointed a tree in front of his house and asked us to drop our bags under it and returned to where the other students were.

The teacher's name was Malam Idi, he had four wives and 30 children and most of them were females.

Two days later, Malam Idi noticed we had no writing materials and he called two of us Sani and I.

Malam Idi: Where are you writing materials?

Sani: We don't have any sir.

Malam Idi brought out his twisted dried animal skin under his mat that was made from animal skin too which he used it as a whip.

He pointed at both of us and said "get out of my school and don't come back without writing materials." We stood up from our knees and go, Sani held my hand and said "Ali, we have to go around the city." I agreed.

People in the city chased us away like rats, we spent the whole day begging for money which no one gave us a kobo. While we were starving, I asked my brother " can we go back to school now?"

Sani: No, we have no idea what Malam Idi is capable of doing if we go back without what he asked.

I began to cry because I was so hungry. There we sighted a garbage can near to an old restaurant which we picked from it and ate.

It was getting dark,

Sani: Ali, I think we're close to the bus stop we slept in the day we came.

We went there and saw the gate man who gave us place where we slept the other day. We greeted the gate man "good evening sir."

G-man: Good evening, how are you?

Sani: We fine, thank your sir.

G-man: What brought you here and why are you alone?

Sani: Our father brought us to school and he went back home.

G-man: Then what are you doing here in this night?

Sani: Our teacher asked us go and get writing material and without it we shouldn't go back to the school.

The gate man felt sorry for us and he said " don't worry, tomorrow I'll buy you the writing materials and take you to the school my self."

He asked us to enter a room near his gate so we can sleep inside.

It was late in the night, I felt someone trying to pull down my trousers down. I was shocked and I shouted, when I opened my eyes I saw the gate man who helped us. He light-on his lighter and asked me to keep quiet, I felt very strange and I shouted louder again. Then my brother waked up.

The gate man was shocked he heard people outside the room asking of what was happening. He quickly brought out some money from his pocket and gave to my brother, he said very quickly " I'll be traveling tomorrow very early in the morning, when you wake up you should go without looking for me." And he went out with his head down.

We returned to the school as early in the morning because we had no idea of where to get the writing materials after gotten the money. Sani asked one of the students to escort us to where we can get it.

Unluckily, Malam Idi saw us while we were trying to sneak and he called the three of us and asked " where are you going to and where are you writing materials you two?" Sani replied "we are going to the market to buy it sir."

Malam Idi: Where is the money?

Sani" here is it sir.

Sani gave him the money and Malam Idi asked the other student to go and the two of us should follow him.

We followed him into his house and he gave us some old wooden notepads as the writing materials.

We started to cope with the begging around for food, clean water, clothes, money and alot more that a human being needs to survive.

A year went bye and it started raining, if rain started falling in the night all the students will be gathered and squeezed under a leaky roof of the school till it stopped.

I never wanted to opened my eyes in that miserableness life when ever I slept. Death had always been my wished at the school.

One day I felt sick.