CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR; THE REPEATERS

I stared furiously at every one in the Class room. I walked boldly to every one of the to ask if they took my table or if they saw anybody doing that.

"Ah ahn.. why are you asking us JAMB questions? didn't you mark your table? check for it and stop disturbing people please!" A new girl responded to me harshly. I looked at her from head to toe before it dawned on me that she is a repeater in this class and therefore, way older than me.

I didn't go out fir assembly when I heard the bell. I stayed in the classroom with some rebellious repeaters. I wasn't afraid of being punished or beaten if caught by any of the prefects or teachers.

After searching for a long time, I sat down on my chair and gave up totally. I started strategizing on how I was going to Pounce on Cynthia when she confesses that she's the thief.

When I looked through the windows of my class room, I saw students running on the corridor like mad dogs. Some ran into the class room too 'why on earth are they running? ' I thought.

'Is someone chasing them? '

"Ah ahn.. where is our table?" I heard Mathew ask from behind me.

"To be honest, I've been asking around since."

"Are you mad !?" He asked angrily.

" No, I'm not mad. I-"

" You.. you what? we're you not supposed to look for the table? "

" I did-"

" See you mouth.. 'I did'... Why were you just sitting down when I came? "

" Because I was tired of searching-"

" Yes,tired if searching, you won't be tired when the table comes oo.. you'll please your book on it and be reading like a professor." Ayomide Chimed in mockingly.

" Eh ehn.. you see? Can you imagine. I know you are the one that hid that table. You better find it or else... if we find that table.. I swear to God .. We would not allow you to sit down here again. " Matthew added angrily. He was now gesticulating dramatically and furiously.

" But why? I know nothing about it-"

" See you are just making noise, you better go and find our table. " Ayomide added irritatedly.

" okay. " I answered almost in tears.

I kept walking around the whole class room and asking if anyone had seen our table while they sat comfortably eating like wolves from the same plate.

Everyone I asked, asked me to describe my table and when I couldn't the called me a dummy tell me that I'm supposed to mark my table.

I went to the back of the class this time despite all the rumors I've heard about the back benchers-the REPEATERS.

There was a lot of space there because the repeaters were very selective when it came to choosing sit mates.

"Yes .. what do you want?" Eniola the notorious female student asked. I felt like a celebrity was talking to me because I've heard a lot about Eniola; the number of boys she has beaten up and the number of people she has stabbed during the Friday 'cultist fights'.

"Good morning ma." I greeted her while prostrating and the fellow repeaters looked at her surprisingly before bursting into laughter. "Ah! na wetin this one de talk? she well so? ( what is this one saying? is she sick?)" Eniola asked as she looked at me from head to toes sizing me with her tiny round eyes. I looked closely at her and noticed the discoloration on her face. She was faire and dark at the same time. Her bare feet was leaning on the table now so I saw the darkness of her toes. It then dawned on me that Eniola was bleaching her skin. The penalty for bleaching in Osa School is EXPULSION. 'Why has Eniola not been Expelled from School' I wondered in amazement as I stared at her.

"Ah.. shé na boss lady you de follow talk like his so? ah omobirin yi ya were gan.... nitooto o ya were se e o jade nihin bayi! (this girl is very crazy.. in fact she is mad.. would you get out of here now?)" Janet her sit mate shouted at me in Yoruba and I didn't understand what she said so I asked politely "what did you say?" I knew Janet was equally as notorious and rough like her friend Eniola.

"ah bee ko gbo ede yoruba?... dada emi ko gbo English . " (ah! so you don't understand Yoruba. Well me I don't understand English." She said and to be honest, I thought she was joking but it immediately dawned on me that she is a repeater.

"I'm looking for my table." I said as I turned to Eniola.

" Why are you talking to me like that? see le me tell you... teachers de fear me for this School o ( teachers are afraid of me in this School).Eniola shouted at me while hitting her chest like an ape. She kept mentioning the names of the prefects and teachers she had beaten up in School.

When she stood up, I felt hot tears running down my cheeks. I started crying.

They looked at each other in surprise and asked "ah ahn.. why are you crying?"

"kilode ti o fi n sunkun? kini o jẹ aṣiṣe pẹlu rẹ? (why is she crying what is wrong with her?)" Janet asked Eniola in Yoruba.

" Stop crying.... why you de cry? ( why are you crying?)" Eniola asked me calmly.

I tried explaining to her but I couldn't. I looked behind me and saw my mean sit mates laughing and eating their food joyfully. They were now four of them eating from the same plate. I didn't recognize the remaining two.

" Hey wetin dé worry you? I dé follow you talk you dé look man.. sé you well so? (hey what's wrong with you? I'm talking to you and you are looking at boys. are you okay?)" Eniola asked me angryily.

" ko ṣe pataki (she is not serious.)" Janet added irritatedly.

I apologized and explained it to them.

When I was done, I noticed the way Eniola was looking at me with pity.

" hnmm... this is serious." Eniola said.

" Kí ló sọ? (what did she say)" asked Janet.

"dake enu re! ( shut up)" Eniola shouted at her irritatedly and she kept quiet like a small girl. I was surprised to see this.

I was also surprised that Eniola understands English but doesn't speak it fluently but Janet doesn't understand and can not speak either.

"Okay.. okay, shébi na table you want abí? I go give you table oya .. no vex again clean your face( it's a table you want right? I'll give you a Table. now stop crying. don't be angry again clean your face ). Fine girl, I would give you a Table.

She assured me g getting a table from her . I was about to ask when and whose when her next statement stopped mine from coming out of me.

"hey! oya Audu, give her that table wè dé there. make she Carry go. ( hey Audu, giver her that table that's there.) Eniola commanded a very dark skinned boy sitting at her far left. To my surprise, he stood up, went to the place Eniola pointed at , which is the window side. He took the table and brought it to me. I was so full of surprise. "Um.. Eniola thank-"

"are you mad? why are you calling me by my name?"

"sorry I mean thank you ma." I said timidly.

"nisinsinyi fi ibí yìí sílẹ̀ ní òmùgọ̀ . isọkusọ ( now leave this place silly. Nonsense)". Janet added angrily as she pours a sachet of alcohol inside her half drunk Pepsi.

I left without a word. I only took two steps with the table before stopping and shouting Matthew and Ayomide's name to come help me. The class was really noisy so I had to shout louder. They finally heard me and walked up to where I was standing holding on to the table like it was a treasure -my treasure.

"ah ahn is this our table?" Matthew asked.

" No-"

" Ah ! whose table did you thief?" Ayomide asked quietly.

"first of all, it's not whose table did you thief? it's whose table did you steal? "

" Na you Know. " Matthew interrupted.

" I didn't steal it Eniola gave it to me." I lowered my voice when I said her name afraid that she would hear me . I also noticed the look on Matthew and Ayomide's face when I mentioned mentioned her name .

"Ah! we dón die ! ( we are dead!). Ayomide exclaimed.

"oya carry the chair now! can't you carry it? lazy girl-" Matthew shouted at me.

" "Hey! you dé mad? why you dé shout for that girl head like that. hey be careful ó( hey, are you mad? why are you shouting at that girl like that. be careful.)" Eniola interrupted him. She looked at him like she was ready to fight him. He quickly backed off and carried the table along with Ayomide.

It was when I sat down that Mr.Dele walked into the class room . He didn't let the students greet him. he just asked of me and when I stood up, he tossed his note book towards me and when I caught it he said " Write the note in your book. then copy it from your book to the board when you are done. Check well, you'll see where I marked for you to copy." I was still standing and staring at the book when He walked out and tye class went back to it's usual noise. He didn't even ask how I was. He doesn't even Care. He just threw his note at me and asked me to copy my -

" Hey múmú( dummy) what are you doing. you are still standing." I heard Matthew insulting me from behind. I sat down quickly ignoring their insults and laughter. I didn't know how I ended up with such mean and wicked people. I didn't know how I was going to cope with them.

As I looked through Mr. Dele's Social studies note I felt like the saddest person in the world. The sadness I felt was so tangible that I felt I could just shove my hand into chest and pull it out. I was unhappy and helpless.

Sure enough, School closed and I didn't see Cynthia. She didn't come to School today. 'How would she ? when she has done me evil. how dare her. '

I marked every where on my new table and left the School feeling like I had secured my table with the ink from my pen.

I walked home alone. Thinking about my life and how sad and Unhappy and unfortunate I am. I touched my head as the scorching heat from the sun gained access to my brain because of my hairless scalp. Is this what it feels like to be a widow?

"When I got home, I did the usual; opened the door, entered my house, had my bath, ate and slept off till the next day. The notes , stress and tears really exhausted me.

The next morning, I was standing when Mr. Dele entered the class to ask of me.

"Obinna why are you standing?"

"Sir, my table and chair was stolen." I responded sadly to him .

"what? who stole her table and chair?" He asked generally and nobody answered.

I was staring at Cynthia who is in School now to see if she would move toss or adjust in her sit but no movement from her. She didn't even look at me. She was acting really strange. She didn't look at me when she came to School this morning. She kept ignoring me. I overheard her telling Elsa her sit mate from JSS 1 that she wasn't in School yesterday because she had to go to the hospital. She looked sick but she doesn't look innocent.

"okay then let me know when you find your table and your chair." Mr. Dele announced before leaving the class room with his note. He showed me again how worthless I was to him.

I didn't see my table and chair until break time and I also couldn't ask Eniola again. I was still standing when I noticed that there was still space beside Jeremiah. I decided to ask him if I should sit beside him.

"Um .. Jeremiah, please can I sit down?"

"Yes. sit down." I at beside him and his sit mate Bayo and they welcomed me warmly. I noticed how cam they were towards me.

I sat down there until School closed.

I didn't feel sorry for Matthew and Jeremiah for standing and sitting on the floor the whole day. 'it served them right for treating me harshly ' I thought happily.

The next morning, I noticed that the table and chair that went missing, was back now. I also noticed that it wasn't the table Eniola gave to me that was there but the first table that Mathew and Ayomide were fixing on the corridor when I met them was back there.

"What! oh my God! how is this possible?!" I asked myself loudly but I didn't get an answer.

After the assembly, when we went back to the class room I noticed that Matthew and Ayomide now had a new sit mate to replace me. So quick?'hnmm something is fishy'

"Winner. I have a secret you'll like to know. " Jeremiah Said interrupting my thoughts.

" what is it? "

" Your table wasn't stolen. "

" What?! "