Sarafina

Good people!
Over the next few weeks, I will be presenting to you, Sarafina. I hope you enjoy this series and also learn, because like it or not, it REALLY happened.
So enjoy (and learn).

…inspired by true life events…

Demilade was a tad too smart for her age.
She was ten. And it was in those days when majority of ten-years-olds didn’t know the correct English name for their private parts. It was around the time when girls used to wear long, extremely bright-coloured gowns that had numerous layers underneath, with white socks that had net for lips and matching shoes that had little block heels.
It was not that long ago though. It was that time when ‘ten-ten’ and ‘suwe’ were the ‘games of life’ (for girls and some boys) and video games-family com was becoming the game that rock (for boys and some girls).
It was 1999.
Being smart, she was in her second year in junior secondary school and was among the smallest in the girls-only school: smallest, both in age and stature.
Luckily, she had a friend- Omolara who was few months older and had almost the same stature as her. Both of them were however victims of some of the bigger girls in their class, since the very first year in the school.

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Nneka and Benita were the class bullies who, whether knowingly or not, made Demilade and Omolara feel even smaller than they already were. The two little girls were usually sent on errands during break period by the bigger girls and they were damned if they stayed too long at the cafeteria, or if they bought the wrong items.
The errands gave the two girls time to talk and they got to know each other better. They also fantasised the day one of them would stand up to Nneka (she was like the leader). Then they would laugh about the thought of it and run towards the cafeteria.
Nneka was very light skinned while Benita was very dark skinned. They were about the same height but Benita was bigger than Nneka, while Nneka had way bigger breasts than Benita.

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Bayo just got admitted into the University-again, but his greatest challenge was where to stay. Yes, he had heard that there was hostel provision for freshmen particularly, but he was trying to economise all the resources he had. Staying in the hostel would take almost all he had, after payment of school fees and every other necessary due.
His father was dead and was not missed – he never was much of a father anyway. His mother was a road-side trader who tried her best to send him through secondary school, while his younger sister learnt a trade. When Bayo gained admission the first time and told his mom, she was so sad that she fell sick. She was sad about not been able to provide the money her son needed to further his studies. Therefore, Bayo had to stay back for two years. He did all sorts of menial jobs and gathered money. He was determined to go to the University.
Now, two years after his first admission offer, he was back at the same University and terribly needed a place he could stay, at least for his first year in school. He intended getting jobs he could do alongside schooling, so as to make ends meet.
It was one very sunny afternoon, after library registration that Bayo heard his name from his left, around where the school shuttles were parked. It was in the direction of the sun and he had to quickly shield his face with his hand. Someone was walking towards him with one of those student bags hanging on his right shoulder and big boots on his feet. Bayo couldn’t place the face, but he sure could see that this person was smiling rather too widely.
He slowly walked towards the man.

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Demilade was a music lover. She loved odd kinds of music- not the type her mates listened to. She loved listening to every word the singer said and tried to relate to the singer’s message. She liked Lagbaja’s Baby Tani ko fe wa (sugomu) and The Lijadu sisters’ Reincarnation the most, because her uncle- Layi, usually played it every day on his old gramophone that he inherited from his father, that is, Demilade’s grandpa
Layi was a younger brother to Demilade’s father and he lived with them. He was in his second year in the University- the same one Bayo got into. Layi had the luxury of a whole room to him and so was very possessive of his room-he furnished it to his taste and made it a ‘home’ for himself.
Demilade, against her mother’s instruction usually went to her uncle’s room whenever her mom was not around, to listen to music. Layi was always obedient to Demilade- he always played the songs for her, since she didn’t know how to operate the gramophone. If he refused to play it, or he delayed in playing it, she would pest him for the rest of the day. It was only when her mother was around that she was no pest, else Layi would tell on her. And Demilade’s mother was one big disciplinarian.

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Nneka and Benita wanted to ‘up’ their bullying, for they felt Omolara and Demilade were even enjoying the errands they ran. So Benita suggested that they still send them errands, but not with the complete money for the goods to be bought. At first Nneka felt it was too much. After little persuasion from Benita, it was the next line of action.
So it was that on a Friday break period, before the two ‘victims’ could run out of the large class, they were summoned by Nneka.
“Where do you think you’re running to, you little rascals?”
There was no reply from either of the girls.
“Can you not hear me? Or have you suddenly gone deaf and dumb?” Nneka said, trying to be calm.
Still, no answer.