Serendipity [BoyxBoy]

Chapter Nine

On Nosakare’s first day at St. Pere Guttman of Paos Secondary School, Benin City, he was paired with a teacher for orientation.

He was supposed to have a buddy like everyone else. Being paired with a buddy for the JSS1 orientation tour was tradition, a way for the students to get to know each other. After which, boarding students would be introduced to their senior caregivers and day students would be free to go back home with their parents.

The school administration was especially proud of this system, a lot of alumni had spoken about how it helped them loosen up on their first days and how they ended up being best friends with their buddy.

Nosa not getting a buddy was neither his fault nor that of the school administration. It was a coincidence, a mishap that occurred because the twenty-sixth member of his class moved to Australia with his parents just before the start of the term. But, somehow, that first day bad luck stuck. 

Eleven year old Nosa was hung up on the prospect of forever friends and, when he couldn’t make any, he shut down for a while. 

The school administration looked at Nosa as a reminder of the importance of the buddy system. They made a rule that school fees would not be refunded for new entrants to discourage parents from pulling out their ward last minute.

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Nosa walked into the house to Ehi screaming her little head off in the dining room . He winced. Why did Irekan have to be around to witness a toddler meltdown? He wasn’t even bothered by the pain his ears were being put through—he was used to it. But Irekan had never met Ehi on her worst days. And, from the sound of it, today was a worst day.

Behind him, Irekanmi laughed wildly. “Bad day?” He lightened his laughter just enough to hear Nosa’s response.

“Looks like it,” Nosa replied then called out. “Ehi, Nosa’s home!”

Immediately, Ehi burst into the living room, still screaming as she tackled his legs. She was buck naked, with snot streaming down her nostrils, the same snot she was now rubbing on his uniform pants. A frantic looking Egho came rushing into the room a moment after.

“Ehi, you better--” She began, stopping short when she spotted Irekanmi behind Nosa. She blinked, opened her mouth and closed it, then blinked again. Ehi had stopped crying and was now looking at Irekanmi curiously.

Nosa wanted to dissolve.

Irekanmi moved around Nosa and held out his hand to Egho. “Irekanmi.” He introduced.

She took his hand and shook it. “Eghosa.”

“My name is Ehi,” Ehi said from her place at Nosa’s leg, her voice small.

Nosa glared playfully down at her. “Nobody asked you, madam.”

Egho laughed nervously. “It’s nice to meet you,” She said to Irekanmi. Then to Nosa, “I wanted to bathe her and she ran mad.”

“The water is too coooold.” Ehi moaned dejectedly.

Egho hissed. “I swear, this water can literally burn your skin off.”

“The water is too hooooot.” Ehi moaned again.

Irekan burst out laughing. If Nosa had never before felt embarrassment so deep he wanted to reach into himself and pull it out, he felt it now.

He crouched down to Ehi’s level. “My friend here has a dog. A very big one.”

“Yeah,” Irekan helpfully agreed. “His name is Uvo.”