Vagrants

Chapter 43

I woke up quite late. I knew this was bound to happen anyway. I slept late because I was busy looking for where to stay and I was cleaning up the messed up room I was given.

I got up and checked my phone. There were notifications on my phone. My Calendar said my students had Economics exams. I had SS2 and SS3 students that day. I had missed calls and texts from Mr. Akinola and Cassandra had the guts to send me a missed call. I hissed as I got up. I didn't know how I'm going to have my bath that morning.

Even though the Landlord said I had a special room, I didn't consider it to be special because it had no bathroom or toilet in it. It had just kitchen which is of no benefit to me because at that moment, I needed the bathroom like nothing else.

I got out of the room and stood on the long line of tenants wanting to have their bath. I got quite lucky because few people gave me space in front of them because of my condition.

After about two hours, I got in the bathroom and had a speedy bath. Some looked surprised that I had my bath within what seemed like seconds. I didn't care, I just rushed out and into my room. In another couple of minutes, I was out. I didn't care about my looks, all I wanted was to get teleported into the school and hopefully, no exam had taken place. I wished there was an issue with the printer so the questions won't get printed on time.

I had to stand on the streets waiting for a cab to take me to the school. But every free cab had a driver who looked at me, shook their head and drove away.

I waited for a long time before I got a tricycle to take me there. I was surprised because it was a female driver but I didn't care, I wanted to get there on time.

"Good morning!" I took a seat hastily.

"Good morning my customer." She said with a Igbo accent.

"Dowen College."

"Okay. You teach there?"

I nodded.

"My cousin finished from that school. Too expensive." She shook her head.

"Wow, that's good." I kept my eyes focused on the road, counting buildings as she drove past them.

"So you're pregnant?"

I eyed her. What kind of stupid question?

"Sorry. Sorry. I'm just surprised you're alone and have no husband to take you to..."

"Will you just keep driving?" It felt as though, the more she spoke the slower she drove.

"Oh yes." She paused. "Those people didn't carry you because you're pregnant."

"Which people?"

"The cab drivers you were trying to wave down."

"How do you know?" I asked, focusing more on her.

"I didn't want to carry you before too. I was parked at a distance, waiting for customers. When customers didn't come I just decided to carry you as my first customer." She sighed.

"Why didn't you want to carry me before?" I was already getting irritated.

"You see, most pregnant women are cranky, always wanting this and that. They could even stop you from taking other passengers rather than their husbands."

"And those that are not?"

"Are like you. They don't have husbands and are thought of as promiscuous people."

"What if my husband is at home?" I asked.

She laughed. "No husband in his right mind will allow his wife to go out alone in that condition and where is she going to that he can't go for her?"

"Ante natal?"

"My dear, husbands go with their wives. And you obviously are a single woman." She said as though she was mocking me.

I know I'm single. I got ditched. Why do you have to spell it out for me?

I smiled. "Sorry to burst your bubble, my husband went on a business trip. He left me with his brother and that one is sick so I had to go alone."

"Ahh! Okay." She looked ad though she didn't believe me. "But your husband sef, he can't prioritize you over his job?"

"If he does, he'd lose the job because he has a strict boss and we'd be out on the street then I'd have a bad pregnancy."

"Ehnehn? Okay." She sighed. "People will now be thinking you're one of those single pregnant women."

"You can help create awareness for that not to happen."

"I will, don't worry." She grinned.

Thankfully, she didn't say anything after that and she drove faster whilst cursing at the other drivers on the road and surprisingly, in yoruba. Her Yoruba wasn't that good because she pronounced the words with Igbo accent.

*

I got to the school very late. The SS2 students had written their exams and I walked in while the SS3 students had 15 minutes till the end of their exams.

"Good morning sir." I greeted Mr. Akinola and the Principal who seemed furious.

"Why are you late?" The Principal asked.

"I..."

"She was sleeping with her man." One of the students murmured in Yoruba.

"Sir, I..."

"Who said that?!" The Principal yelled.

No reply.

"I said who..."

The whole class pointed at a guy so the Principal walked over to his seat, slapped him and tore his paper then asked him to get out.

"That will serve as a lesson to you all. You think because you're in SS3, you can do and undo." The Principal hissed.

"So you were saying?" He asked.

"I got kicked out of where I was staying so I spent the night looking for an apartment, I was tired maybe that's why I slept in." I sighed.

"Did you find a nice place to stay?" He asked.

"Yes sir."

"Okay good. I suppose this won't repeat itself."

"No sir."

"Good for you. Carry on invigilating the exam. I have something else to do."

"Thank you sir." I smiled. At first, when I saw his furious face, I thought he was going to report me to my supervisor but now I was confident that he wouldn't.