It had been two years since Obi had her encounter with the two strangers all thanks to her cousin. She was different now, her bubs had slowly developed into full grown breasts. Stepping into adolescence was not a pleasant journey for Obi. There were many things and people she had to avoid even when the only thing she wanted to do was to be around them.
As she walked to school that morning, she had prepared herself for her"nso nwaanyị "menstruation, as her grandmother had called it. Thoughts of the previous day dwelled on her mind. Chukwudi her troublesome cousin had fallen off a mango tree which earned him a dislocation. She had sympathized with him openly but secretly thanked the heavens for the immobility it would cause him.
His bad leg would make him stay put and keep him from coming to their house to tease her. Mma had diverted to amusing stories during their midnight fiesta and all the children present left with aches from laughing so hard. Mma's audience had begun to reduce owing to the fact that young boys thought it manly to set traps for bush rats, rather than listening to an old woman tell tales that were unreal.
Mma's biggest threat surprisingly had become maturity;the older the children became the less believing they were. Obi never missed their gatherings and even though she was older she enjoyed every bit of the stories she heard. She believed that she'd pass the stories on to her children one day.
The taste of the cassava cake lingered on her taste buds and she relished the memory that came with it.
"Uchulu eh Uchulu ee" Mma had
called out
and they all sang the chorus
Dele lele nda nunu dele lele
Uchulu wepụ nụ m iko, iko n'adum na-ọnụ
Dele lele nda nunu dele lele
"Did he remove the cup that got stuck on her mouth? " Amaka a young girl with bowlegs had questioned
"He didn't, Uchulu wanted her to respect him and call him her husband. Remember he was the one who gave the cup to the herbalist to rub the potion. Adaeze was too proud and arrogant to show her husband any iota of respect, so he left her while she struggled to remove the stuck cup. Remember Uchulu had done so many things to get her to respect him, bought her clothes and cowries but she refused. He begged her to call him "dị" husband but she refused too. The only thing Uchulu did was to relax and take sips from his own cup while his wife battled with her insolence. Finally when the struggle knocked sense into her she called him "dị".
All the children laughed at how mma demonstrated Adaeze's ordeal. The lesson she taught that night would not be forgotten in a haste. Obi couldn't help but think it was karma that paid Adaeze a visit and she likened Chukwudi's condition to hers. "serves them both right, she thought to herself"
She smiled quietly again to herself as she walked the bushy track road that led to her school. Obi knew she had run so late to school but the cramps her period gave her,only permitted her feet to gait slowly. The only joy adolescence brought her was the shape she had developed overnight. God heard her prayers and blessed her with a very feminine shape. Her hips were broader and her buttocks well curved. One thing to save her from the teases she got from boys.
Her large pleated skirts and oversized white shirt hid all the features she appreciated. Her father was not the type to sew three uniforms in a term. She was beginning Junior secondary school class 3 and the uniform her father bought would have to serve till senior secondary class 2 at least. She had to grow into the uniform.
As the school gates appeared before Obi she gulped in enough air and prayed that her punishment would not be so severe. The grasses in the school compound had sprouted up and though the clearing school field was the job of the male students, Miss Akachukwu would be so delighted to make her earn blisters just to feel good. The gigantic ugly woman was the devil's incarnate who students were unfortunate to get as a Christian religious teacher and a labor supervisor as well. Her character opposed what she was teaching, Lucifer preaching the word. Many of the students blamed it on her inability to find a husband because of her appearance, she passed her frustration to poor children who came to learn.
The lady always dished out punishments that made students shed tears, it was either picking a pin, sitting on the air or kneeling for hours or receiving enough strokes of the cane to numb ones butt before her sadistic self was sated. Many teachers feared her and rumors were that she had once beaten the principal and stuffed his mouth with sand.
The sound of the bell startled Obi and she tried to escape her current predicament. She barely made it pass the school gate before she was standing face to face with the she devil. Her long cane was swinging back and forth and a huge smirk was plastered on her face. Beside her was a student who was rubbing his butt furiously to abate the sting he had probably received from her cane. Obi began to sweat profusely and her heart rate went up.
Heees! Come here, you are late! "
The words delivered by the woman sealed her already disastrous fate. Obi had pinched her butt to reassure them and apologize ahead for the strokes that would soon kiss them.
"Miss miss, please i can explain"
"Oh you are still running your mouth, 15 strokes for you" Mrs Akachukwu barked
On the hand? " Obi suggested hoping that she'd agree
ON YOUR BUTTOCKS! She spelled out.
The boy beside miss Akachukwu threw an encouraging smile at Obi after his pain seemed to have subsided a bit.
Obi was to deal with cramps and a swollen buttocks today, maybe Karma had paid her back for laughing at her cousin.
She walked towards the giant lady and when Obi was within her grasp, she turned Obi so that her butt was facing her right hand. The devil didn't stop at that, she drew Obi's skirt so hard that it lapped her buttocks to make the sting of the cane prominent. Obi had only received one stroke of the cane before a vehicle approached them. It was a white beetle with only two occupants. Miss Akachukwu released Obi and sent her away then adjusted her oversized clothing to meet the visitors.
Obi had a glance and recognized the young girl who was in the passenger's seat. Though miss Akachukwu was more interested in the handsome man driving Obi thought.
Whoever this particular girl was, she was an angel. Who always seemed to help her out of trouble. Obi ran into her classroom after she made a gesture of the cross on her face. She ran as fast as she could before the pain of rejection would make miss Akachukwu change her mind.
She also couldn't wait to talk with her guardian angel.
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Author's notes
Hey everyone!
Hope we enjoyed this chapter!. What other forms of tedious punishments did you face in school? I hated pick the pin " the most.
Here's the meaning of the song mma sang.
Uchulu eh Uchulu eh dele lele nda nunu dele lele
No basic meaning, just the man's name and an expression.
Uchulu remove the cup, remove the cup. It is poking my mouth 😂😂
Ladies don't be too proud to call your husbands romantic names 😂
YOU ARE READING
Against All Odds
Romance"What is your name? " he enquired with a staid expression. Obi's eyes roamed around still trying to ascertain the safety of their current surrounding. Her lips were still quivering out of shock and her breathing distorted. "Obiukwu" She finally le...
