Ha! Where do I start from? Felix okigbe is this nice,tall,dark and handsome dude that every girl wanted in my "Hostel". He was very nice and was very well to do, in fact Felix okigbe had one of the nicest rooms in the hostel if not the best.
On entering Felix's room,one will have to admire the beauty within. The walls were colourfully painted with art works that would put many interior decorators to shame, the paintings hanging on the walls was a beauty to behold, the rug under lay was so thick and rich that it could be compared with a mini foam, the rug was neat and new and when it comes to gadgets!! Oh my. Felix had this big plasma hanging on his wall with a wicked sound system and woofers and whenever we wanted to throw a party we never looked too far for a DJ. His Ac was even top notch and generally Felix lived a good life and the ladies never ceased from his room! There was a different girl for every night.
Felix lived a good life in school and we never doubted that his parents were well to do and to be sincere, everybody loved Felix okigbe including yours truly.
On that monday morning, I dressed hurriedly as usual and left my room mate who was still sleeping loudly like a dead wood in the room and tried to meet up with my 1pm class! I stepped outside and winced as the fierce sun hit my face, I was about turning back to get an umbrella when a woman dressed shabbily came up to me, Her son walked beside her with a huge sack bag on his head, probably loaded with garri and some other foodstuffs, the woman herself clutched a bunch of plantain with a small bag on her head. "My pikin,good afternoon," she said and I quickly replied "good afternoon ma" the boy greeted me too and I replied, I realised they could be indigenes and it was normal for the farmers amongst them to want to sell their produce to students who usually bought them at high rates. "My pikin abeg I dey look for FE-LIX room" she said again and I smiled. Felix has done it again, maybe these were his customers and he had ordered for these things, "oboy Felix is a big spender o" I said to myself as I took in the bags, "madam follow me" I said to them as I led them to Felix's room. When I got there I knocked and a scantily dressed girl came to open the door, I knew her, she was in bussiness administration 300level and she waved at me while I told her that these people were looking for Felix. She went inside and Felix came out wearing his shorts. "Tiffany, wetin happen na?" He said groggily and then he saw the woman and her son and his expression changed. "Mama!" He shouted, "james!" He shouted again
"Wetin una dey do here?"
I stood there in shock as I watched, this was Felix's mother? I quickly went to my room to get my umbrella but before I could find it I heard the woman shouting and crying.
We ran out to see what was happening and before you knew it the hallway was crowded. I stretched my neck to see the woman holding Felix's short.
"Felix you don kill me o, so na this kind life you they live for school oooo, hei! I go dey farm from morning till night,I go harvest,I go fry garri,carry am go market, na so I dey work like jacky so that you go fit go school, so na wetin u dey do be this?"
His mother wept again and when her eyes rested on the girl that had been with felix, she threw herself on the girl, beating her and tearing at her hair, the girl ran out like a mad dog and I managed to hold my laugh.
"Felix?? Felix?? Your brother comot from school because of you, Felix see my hand!" She said again amidst tears as she showed us the onlookers her hands, they were the worst hands I have ever seen. Blisters and scars and they were so black. I felt for the woman.
She ceased crying for a minute and walked towards the crowd, she went to Lara and asked "my pikin how much be the highest school fees abeg?" Lara looked uneasy as she tried to think, "apart from medicine, the normal school fees na 15 thousand a year because this school na federal school" when the woman heard this, she started rolling on the floor, our care taker's wife rushed towards her to comfort her but she wailed more. The other son just cried along with his mother.
"Felix o, I don die o, felix dey collect me 30 thousand every 3months o, see your room felix, you don forget how we dey sleep for house? Felix I no get wetin to tell you but you no be better pikin" the woman said as she stood up and started walking out, she called to the other son who followed her without looking at his brother! Felix sat there in remorse and perhaps shame as he watched his family leave. The woman cried till she left out view, occasionaly wiping her face with the edge of her wrapper.
FELIX parked out of the hostel a short while later, I guess he couldn't bear the shame and I learnt a lesson from that incident. All that really glitters is not GOLD.
ENI
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