Living In The Ghetto - Episode 31

 

He held the luggage by its handle and rolled it on the ground, while it moved with its little tyres. Getting to the down of the stair, he had to drag it up till he climbed the staircases, left with the last one. He stopped and looked up, a boy stood at the second floor and gazed at him and smiled. His physique was tautly built and he wore a sleeveless shirt that exposed his bulk arm. Chimaobim thought he wanted to help him and smiled back at him but he never reciprocated . He rested his back to the wall and folded his hand while he looked down at him and moved his lips. Chimaobim ignored him and climbed the stairs till he got to the second floor. 

"Good evening," he muttered in a faintest voice.

He guessed the boy didn't hear him as he didn't answer. His hand only flew in the air while he gesticulated and Chimaobim thought he was going to beat him. His body smelt of sweats immediately Chimaobim walked past him. Dropping his luggage on the floor, he kept dragging it till he got to the front of his room. He opened the door and entered. Not so long, there was a knock on the door after Chimaobim had finished arranging his luggages into his wardrobe. It was a four-man room and the room had four wardrobes and two bunks. He had arranged the bed of the down bunk with a bedsheet

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. The room was clean but dusty. After he had finished, he stood and admired the whole room till someone knocked on the door. The fan shook repeatedly while it kept moving like a dancing bride. He walked towards the door, held the door knob and it opened. It was the same boy he saw at the stair. He had a cigarette on his hand and puffed out smokes while he smoked. Chimaobim observed they were exactly same height as he stood close to him, but he was bulkier than Chimaobim. He got bulky from excessive gymming and could pass for a bouncer.

Chimaobim looked at him from his head to toe, then to his face and let out a smile. He expected him to smile back but he didn't. Rather, he stiffened his look.

"Hey guy," he said.

His eyes looked red and dimmed. Chimaobim could smell his breath; it was a mixture of alcohol and cigarette. What's this kind of person doing in school? he thought while he kept staring at him.

He brushed the edge of his nose with his hand. "Anything for the boy? Wetin you bring come?"

Chimaobim had opened the flask and the aroma of the stew saturated all over the room. He could still smell the aroma.

"I dey smell the stew smell. You get rice I dey H," he said in a nonchalant manner.

Chimaobim hestitated before he spoke. "I have only stew and if you don't mind, I'll give you some. But I don't I have rice. You can cook that yourself."

The room opposite them creaked open immediately and a boy walked out. He looked at them, laughed and walked into a place Chimaobim guessed was a toilet.

"You dey tell me to cook rice abi?" the boy said in a low but angry tone. 

His voice was cracked and hoarse. He spat on the floor and Chimaobim shifted his leg a bit and wriggled his face at his spittle. Frowning his face angrily he fumed. "What's this? You are beginning to get on my nerves," Chimaobim said. "You can't just come to the front of my room and mess it up. I don't know you, you don't know me. I can't wrap around my head what you are trying to do now."

His voice was calm and sober but he attracted thr attention of other students. They stood at their doors and peered out. Some came out and stared at them. The hall was quarter filled. People hadn't resumed. 

"You dey para for me abi?" he asked.

Chimaobim wasn't having it but challenged him back. He stiffened his look to match up to his not smiling face.

Read " The Odds Are Against Me " by the same author ( Obinna Tony )

. The boy pushed him backward and made to hold his neck with a hand. Chimaobim grabbed his hand and flung it off, pushing him to the wall.

"Yaay!" the students screeched.

"Yepa!" other voices said.

Angrily, the boy lunged towards Chimaobim and made to throw the first blow but he bent slowly and escaped from his underneath while the boy fell flat to the ground, inside the room.

"Yeah! Scorpion is being dealt with," some voices screamed.

The hall porters came in immediately and found it was scorpion. He was dangerous that the porters' were scared of him. Alpha base - the security unit were always on his case and would release him after he had settled them. This would be his second year as an extra year student and the school rule was just a two year extra year for undergraduates. He was in Economics department. A porter held him and calmed him down. Chimaobim panted heavily while sweats ran down his face like a slow moving vehicle. He wondered what would have happened if the blow had touched him.

The porters' took him down to their lodge and some students gathered around Chimaobim. "You be fresher abi? Abeg be careful. There are boys to avoid in this school," some students warned.