The Teacher's Exit

Chapter 8

As the bus took off from the station, Emeka began to reflect over his stay in Laraba Community School. What an eventful year it's been. When he first got posted to the northern part of the country, fear gripped him – being from the south. Would he be able to cope with the harsh weather? Would he survive with the people whose ethnic background and culture differed from his? Those were beside the fear of the dreaded boko haram and marauding bandits. His list of worries was long.

But with benefit of hindsight, he lived and worked with loving and clear-headed people who made his stay eventful. His service year would have been perfect if not for the misadventure of the last few days, largely brought about by his own poor judgments which made him skip the passing out-parade.

Be as it may, he was now wiser.

A smile formed on his face as he spared a thought for his Laraba colleagues. What an interesting bunch of people. The principal was hardworking and result-driven, kind. He believed in excellence and strived to achieve it, but his staff didn't show such ambition, and students didn't care much about excelling.

Whatever academic reforms a teacher introduced to the students, if he didn't back it up with romantic reforms, he would be seen as a rabble-rouser and that might lead to his failure. Luckily, he managed to scale through.

The trip to Abuja was quiet. For the most part, Emeka slept off as the bus travelled through different states. He had to make up for the sleep Binta denied him last night. The lady just couldn't watch him close his eyes.

"Oh, what a special Val's Day," he whispered on the window-side couch. To be honest, it was the best he ever had with a lady.

Throughout his stay with Binta, her versatility challenged his loyalty to Nkechi. The Hausa lady demonstrated that little things could make a difference in a relationship. Not until one travelled to distant places and stayed in exotic hotels could one make a day truly special. Normal household items could be employed to express love to loved ones.

Without a doubt, men would fight over such enigmatic ladies like Binta, owing to her uncommon skills. She made his last day in the north a memorable one and, for that reason, he would keep in touch with her regularly, if only for friendship sake.

But as the bus distanced itself from Kano, so did Emeka feel pulled away from Binta, in an awkward twist of emotions. His over-the-roof fondness of her began to wilt, replaced by memories of his familiar Abuja life where Nkechi used to pay a visit. Goodbye to Kano, Abuja was beckoning.

Prospect of meeting his beloved Nkechi brought smiles to his face, but imageries of the time spent with Binta continued to becloud his thoughts. It became a struggle on whom to focus his thoughts. But on recognising that he'd invested two years of his life and emotions on Nkechi, his thought got clearer. One or two days of intimacy aren't enough to sweep away two years of nurtured love.

Despite Binta's countless talents and bed-time gymnastics, she would likely cheat when in a relationship. He stayed with her long enough to know that. She once confided in him that her last relationship didn't end well, absolving her ex of any wrongdoing.

Besides, her album pictures clearly showed that she had a long string of boyfriends. Such a lady would hardly stay committed to one man. Moreover, keeping a lady in Kano where his eyes couldn't reach would be taking his trust in her a step too far. Over all, Binta might even have secrets she had yet to let out. It would be too risky to be swayed by mere visible traits.

Oh, Dear Nkechi! She also had pleasing qualities, anyway. Tall, curvy and chocolaty. Beautiful, smart and polite. Charming, charismatic and loyal. She paid attention to details when it mattered and was always focused on her goals. Not once had he caught her cheating, and her good family background was always a plus. Nkechi's traits formed a mirage on the road as the bus cruised on.

Sometimes, all a man needed was a lady from a good home. Whenever she erred, her family would caution her following which she would adjust accordingly. Nkechi had strong family-oriented values in heaps – values no one could buy from Wuse market or Shoprite mall.

Kano could keep its beautiful ladies. Nkechi was enough for him. It would be risky to consider Binta whose culture and Islamic faith might be obstacles to a peaceful union. Her people would find it hard to hand over their daughter to a non-Muslim.

Just then, Emeka's phone buzzed, announcing Binta's text. He picked it up to read but quickly deleted it before sentiments swayed him. There would be no need to encourage the lady. He was done with the service year. Whatever happened in Gwarzo must remain there.