As promised, this is TM David-West with Take Me As I Am. Please share on FB and Twitter. It’s just a click away. Thanks!
PROLOGUE
IN ONE PART of the semi-detached house, right down the hall of the three-bedroom apartment, the small figure in peacock-blue pyjamas was curled on his left side in the middle of the six-inch wood-frame bed. The cotton coverlet was now lying just a little over his upper thighs. His sister was in the opposite bed, her head loosely supported by her right hand facing him as she made soft childlike snores in her sleep, but he wasn’t conscious of her presence… not anymore.
He was in a special world. A world that was bright and colourful. He could see all the rainbow colours there and they gave the spacious, gorgeous room a dazzling, lustrous appearance. The large room was packed full of assorted toys and play things and children of his age or younger were playing and having fun with them. It was a happy world and he felt especially happy to be a part of it.
He was playing with a bottle-green toy elephant when she swept past him. She seemed to be looking for something… or someone because her bright pretty eyes darted all over the room. She must have just come because he hadn’t noticed her before and she was the only big person in the room. With the elephant still in his hand, he got up and went after her, leaving behind the little sweet-smiling girl he’d been playing with.
Though he was walking as fast as his small legs could go, he couldn’t reach her. She seemed to be floating along with her sunny-yellow free-flowing maxi dress. A desperate need to catch up with her suddenly filled him. Something in him seemed to need her. He picked up his pace, moving his tiny white sneakers-covered feet until he was practically running after her long swaying frame.
His front leg caught on something… he wasn’t sure what, could have been a toy, there was a lot of them lying around on the floor. He tried to steady himself but couldn’t and fell down to the glass-marble tiled floor. A small cry escaped him as he felt the instant shooting pain on his right foot. All at once he grabbed it, his eyes still focused on the lady, she’d stopped almost at once at his cry. She turned and looked at him and her pretty eyes darkened with concern. She quickly made her way back towards him.
When she reached his side, she bent down and picked him up. He felt so secure and safe in her arms and his small mouth curved in a dazzling smile, dropping the green elephant, he curled his hands round her neck.
His lips moved as he adjusted his small body on the bed and turned to his right side.
****
In the room just across the semi-lit hallway, the lean-framed figure on the bed with a rich, brownish complexion tussled and turned, strangling noises slipping out through his slightly parted lips. The room was only partially dark as light from the fluorescent-lit side house crept in through the drawn curtains.
His eyes were tightly shut, even as his lashes flickered in rhythm with his head movements. He was lying on his back, legs flung apart on the now crumpled sheets covering the king-sized bed.
Behind the shut eyes, he saw himself behind the wheel of a dusky-grey Toyota Camry, chatting with the glowing chubby light-skinned lady in a knitted mint-green brocade dress. Her braided hair was bundled up in chignon style on top her head making her face more round than oval. Her mouth, lightly coated in matte pink colour was moving as she talked, her heavy-browed eyes crinkled in laughter.
He briefly took his eyes off the not-so-busy road to look at her. He couldn’t help it. He never could resist watching her when she talked so animatedly. He simply loved the way her slightly-wide lips curved and her nubian nose twitched with each laughing statement she made. Her voice was warm and almost girlish, the tickling sound of it had his lips widening in a smile.
Neither of them saw the left-sided dim-lit truck as it headed towards them. They only heard the panicked, repeated honking as the truck suddenly came upon them.
One minute they were laughing at something she’d said. The next, they were screaming and crying out, grabbing at just about anything they could reach as they twisted and tumbled along with the vehicle as the truck sent them off the road.
He held tightly to the wheel with one hand and tried to reach out the other to the screaming woman beside him. He twisted his neck just in time to see the jutted end of the fallen log pierce through the broken windscreen and ram right into her.
His ear-splitting scream merged with shrilling sound of the alarm clock. He swung out of the nightmare, his hand knocking down the clock on the side table as he bolted to sitting position, panting and heaving. Whooshing out ragged breaths, he swept shaky hands over his sweat-clad face, trying to steady himself… he hadn’t screamed aloud, thank God.
But once again he couldn’t stop the accident and he couldn’t keep her alive. A single tear slipped down his cheek.
****
Somewhere far away at the other end of the never-sleeping city, a flowery-yellowcotton dressed feminine figure was lying on her right side, her curved hand just under her chin. She had a faint smile on her sleep-parted lips.
In her dream world, she was in some kind of colourful, luminous toy factory. It had to be a toy factory since there were so many of them strewn all around the golden glass-marbled floor and there seemed a multitude of children everywhere. She was in fact the only adult in the spacious room where the only sounds were babbling noises from babies, gurgling laughter, sloshing feet and excited giggly screeches.
For some reason it was like all the children were her own… she could tell she hadn’t birthed them, yet deep in her heart she felt such affinity towards every one of them like they’d each come forth from her.
She picked up the army-green war truck with its pointy arsenal and studied it, absently wondering if such a toy was suitable for children. A gurgling sound from the other end of the room struck her… it seemed to call out to her. Her brown eyes scanned the room trying to make out which child had made the bubbling throaty sound. She let go off the war truck and sweeping up her sunny-yellow long dress turned in the direction it had come, allowing the sheer beauty of the toy paradise to fill her with joy and peace.
She walked a long distance not quite recognising which child that gurgling sound had come from… many of them were giggling and gurgling as they played with the toys either alone or in company. She was about giving up her search when a sharp cry of pain came behind her. It stirred something within her just as the gurgle had done, and she knew it came from the same child.
Swinging her head around, she spotted him, crumpled on the floor cradling his right foot, his small cherubic light-skinned face wrinkled with pain as he looked up at her. He needed her. She sensed it immediately and swiftly backtracked towards him. He had on a glowing blue pyjamas-like top and trousers and he looked so angelic.
She stooped over and scooped him up into her arms, cradling him against her chest. He gave her a dazzling smile as he slipped his small hands round her neck and cuddled there.
“Mummy.” He whispered making the gurgling sound again.
A stream of joy flowed into her at his words and she opened her mouth to respond but a foreign screeching sound that seemed to come afar stopped her and seemed to send her colourful toy paradise into a toppling, disappearing slide.
Struggling to hold onto it, she turned and twisted on the bed, her mouth moving in an indistinct moan as her netted-head swung from side to side.
The screeching sound refused to stop even as she willed it to and her beautiful paradise completely vanished. Her eyes flustered open and mumbling groggily she reached for the screeching handset beside her on the other pillow and pressed the red button, that instantly stopped the annoying screeches.
Lifting up the phone, she managed to focus her bleary eyes on its screen – 5:05 a.m.
EPISODE 1
ELIZABETH STARED AT her image in the nailed-to-the-wall mirror, she looked like a modern-day school teacher she decided, all cheerful-looking and professional.
She had on a flaxen-yellow pencil, knee-length skirt. The tucked-in camisole was the lightest champagne colour and the one-button black blazer covered most of it. On her feet a pair of black velvet wedge shoes lifted her smooth fair legs and added some two and half inches to her average 5̍ 5̎ length.
Yellow always had a calming and soothing effect on her. Maybe it was the bright, clear colour so like the sun… whatever it was, yellow usually left her cheerful, optimistic and boosted. And this morning, she needed all the cheery boosts she can get.
Her wood-hinged door creaked open, through the mirror she saw Tonye stroll in. He was her younger brother… well her only brother. And although there was a good five years between them, they were as close as two peas in a pod. He was not just her brother, he was her best friend too. And their unerring resemblance seemed to further deepen the bond. Of course he dwarfed her with a good four inches.
“I thought you were going to wear the navy-blue skirt suit?” He asked with a little frown walking over to lean against the book-packed desk.
That’s what they’d agreed on the night before, but she’d woken up with a need for something to brighten her heavy mood.
“I changed my mind.” She said lightly turning from the mirror and coming to stand by him. “This feels better.”
The frown deepened. “You had the dream again last night.”
It wasn’t a question. It was a statement of fact. He alone knew of the dreams that had been plaguing her for the last couple of months, no one else did.
She lifted her shoulders in a light shrug. “It’s becoming more frequent.” Running her hand over the front of her blazer, she looked up at him. “Nonetheless, this does look great, right?”
Tonye crossed his feet at the ankle and angled his head to observe her. She did look beautiful… well, he was her brother and always thought her beautiful. But beyond that she looked perfectly composed, completely at ease and ready to face her first day at a new school. So maybe the dream hadn’t been that bad this time.
“Hmm, you do look pretty amazing and totally a hawt professional.” He told her with a wink.
A smile of pleasure curved her light-brown coated lips. “Thanks. But I’ve got to run. I’m running late.”
She grabbed her black leather handbag and quickly scanned through to make sure everything was inside. It looked like it so she swapped the clipper handle shut and hung it over her left arm.
“What about your breakfast?” Tonye asked following her to the door. “I made pancakes.”
“Oh boy!” She moaned, the thought of pancakes making her mouth water. Tonye made mean, delicious, yummy pancakes. “I can’t wait to eat breakfast. I’m hoping to be in school before seven-thirty and it’s already…” she twisted her wrist to look at her leather-strap wristwatch, “it’s already six-O-eight… you know what the crowd is like on a Monday morning at the bus terminal.”
They went through the door and down the hall that led into the living room.
“Which is why I have your pancakes all nicely wrapped in a paper foil and packed in your food flask along with your soy milk pack.” Tonye responded moving towards the wood-framed glass centre table to pick the paper-bagged package.
She grinned. “You are the best brother ever.” She said taking the pack and giving him a quick hug.
“I know.” He grinned back. “Okay, c’mon hit the road, teacher, your eager pupils await you.”
Elizabeth gave him one last sunny smile before making past the steel front door and bustling past the open pedestrian gate into their always busy Durosinmi street.
In just about ten minutes she was at the LAGBUS terminal. Obviously today was her lucky day, because there weren’t that much people already in line before her. Just about twenty to twenty-five and there were still a couple of buses on ground.
Great!
Soon she was getting into a bus. Soon she was sitting on a nice seat by the window. Soon they were on the highway. And soon they were stopping at the Palmgrove bus terminal. She flicked her left hand to glance at her wristwatch – 7:16 a.m.
Brilliant! She was just right on time.
She walked into the street that led to the school. From the short distance, she could clearly see the high roof of the school’s administrative block. She walked at a steady, swift pace along the colourful picture-designed wall fence. The huge sign post held up by two iron poles standing just a few feet away from the open gate, had her lips curling in a smile. It simply read – LIVING SPRING MONTESSORI NURSERY AND PRIMARY SCHOOL in bold orange colours.
The term ‘Montessori’ seemed to have come to stay and every school seemed to want to be associated with that term. Hadn’t she gotten a certified training on this internationally recognised educational approach just so to hype her employability capacity? And hadn’t that nice little certificate gotten her this job which was not only a great improvement from her last but also a definite challenge since Living Spring was a far bigger and much more developed and organised school.
She exchanged quick greetings with the uniformed security personnel at the gate and made past it into the large, awe-inspiring school compound. School buses were now streaming into the school yard and excited children where jumping down from them and making their way towards their various classrooms.
It didn’t take her long to mingle with her new colleagues, she’d changed jobs often enough to know how it works when you are the new face. The trick lay in being humble as well as confident and cheerful as well as firm.
In no time at all, they were all gathered right in front of the administrative block – the children lined up and their teachers standing beside them. She of course had to stand in front with the other new teacher, Mr. Simon Ogan, until the Head-Teacher – Mrs Sonia Briggs – introduced them to the entire school and then to their newly assigned classes. After the assembly both children and teachers marched back to their respective classes and lessons immediately started.
In the rather large class room with BASIC 1-Alpha engraved neatly at the door, she was now standing right in front of her desk facing the twenty-six pair of eyes staring right back at her with open curiosity. Mrs Briggs had explained that the ‘Alpha’ was just a formal Greek way of saying ‘A’ and not an indication of the mental ability of pupils in each class.
The classroom was decorated in a cheerful, friendly and welcoming way. The wall paint itself was a powder-blue colour and it had a portrait hanging on each of its four sides. There were flower pots at both edges of the room. Right in front of the room, a few feet away from her desk were two three-step shelves. One containing crayons, drawing pencils, water colour palettes and other drawing materials and the other was a book shelf with an assortment of books and reading materials. The back of the classroom was covered by a wooden frame board where the children art works, write ups and top performances were on display.
The children were seated in a four-row setting, the girls sat on orange coloured plastic chairs and the boys in blue chairs and desks.
“Though you’ve heard it repeated again and again, I just feel I should introduce myself again for the benefit of those who didn’t quite grasp it.” She began clasping her hands together in front of her skirt.
“I grasped it.” A gleaming eyed boy from the second row cried out causing the rest of his classmates to laugh.
His ‘grasped’ had sounded more like ‘glapped’ and looking up at his beaming face, Elizabeth noted the two missing front teeth.
“Ah, I am sure you did.” Elizabeth acquiesced smiling. “But this is so we can all get properly introduced.” She lifted her brows in a wink which caused the children to laugh again. “So, my name is Elizabeth Harcourt. And as it is the tradition here at Living Spring you’ll all call me – Miss Elizabeth. Ooh, that sounds so British.” She wrinkled her nose and most of them giggle again.
“Now it’s your turn. You just stand up and introduce yourself by simply telling me your name… a much broader introduction would be done another time. We’ll start with the class rep.”
A light-skinned boy in the first row, looking smart in his pale-pink short-sleeved shirt neatly ticked into the deep-pink checked shorts with a pink-and-white bow-tie round his neck got to his feet, fixing his brown eyes on her. He was of slim-build, though the usual baby fat gave his oval face a round cherubic look. His small mouth was a little wide and pinkish as it’s common with kiddies’ lips. But he had this smallish nubian-like nose that gave him a girlish adorable look.
“My name is Rukevwe Onofighe.” He said in his clear childlike yet monotone voice. “You may call me Rukky, Miss Elizabeth… everyone does.”
The smile on her lips widened at the absolute charming manners. “Well, hello Rukky, nice to meet you. I am sure as class rep we will work well together.”
Rukky nodded his head. “I’m sure we will, Miss Elizabeth.” He beamed resuming his seat.
The pretty girl just behind him sprung to her feet. She was wearing the girls’ school uniform of pink checked dress with heart-shaped white button fastenings in the front, a tie-back waist and flared skirt.
“My name is Nonye Douglas.” She introduced herself giggling a little.
“Hello, Nonye.” She smiled at her and gestured for her to sit down.
It was the turn of the chubby boy behind Nonye and he seemed to be having a bit of hard time getting to his feet. The button at his slightly-bulging stomach caught the edge of his desk and he struggled to get it free as he shuffled to his feet.
Free at last he raised dark cheerful face to Elizabeth. “I am Olufemi Oladapo. Everyone at home calls me bobo Femi.” He grinned at her.
“Ah.” She inclined her head. “Well, I do think we’ll just do with ‘Femi’ here in the class.” She told him enjoying his bold cheerfulness.
“Okay, Miss Elizabeth.” He beamed pushing his body back into his blue seat.
The rest of the introductions continued in the same strain and thereafter their very first lesson for the last school term was introduced.
****
Caleb was there right on time to see the children rush out of their classroom screeching and chattering. He usually had to leave the office early enough to get here in time to pick them up since he preferred doing the school runs instead of paying for the school bus. That way he was always there with them after school and not have them left at the mercy of housekeepers or nannies.
Rukky ran towards the car leaving his big sister behind.
“Good afternoon, daddy.” He greeted giving him a quick hug before diving into the back seat of the biro-blue Ford Edge.
“You are quite excited today.” Caleb observed waiting for Stella to reach them and get into the car before closing the door.
“I’m always excited daddy you said so before.” Rukky giggled pulling off his backpack and dropping it on the space between him and Stella.
“Ah, so you are.” Caleb got behind the wheel and started the car, reversing and cutting his way back to the school gate and out into the street.
“But today is special, daddy.” Rukky continued his brown eyes glowing with brimming excitement. “We have a new teacher – Miss Elizabeth.”
“Really?” Caleb rejoined appropriately, eyes on the road as he headed down towards Jibowu.
“Yes. You know that Miss Maureen had to travel to go live in Abuja.” Rukky went on in his chirpy voice. “So we got a new teacher today.”
“Aha. So how was she?” He made a turn at the flyover bridge that went straight through to Yaba.
“She is so beautiful – fair and beautiful. Fairer than me.” Rukky giggled as he thought of Miss Elizabeth’s glowing fair skin on her face and legs.
“Aha! So my little boy is now looking at beautiful ladies, eh?”
Caleb gave him a wink through the rear-view mirror. That tickled Rukky even more because a deep gurgle escaped his throat.
“Daddy, it’s true. She is beautiful and she can sing. She sings like an angel.”
He used that comparison because Aunty Mabel from Sunday School had said that angels had the most beautiful voices. And Miss Elizabeth’s voce was the most beautiful voice he’d ever heard. She even sang better than grandma and grandma really had a sweet tickling voice.
“Really? She can sing like an angel?” Caleb was amused.
It was obvious that Rukky had been bowled over by his new teacher. He’d really liked Miss Maureen but he’d never raved like this about her or any of his other teachers. This Miss Elizabeth has no doubt made a big impression on him.
“It’s true dad.” Stella affirmed in her usual quiet tone. “I heard her sing as I passed by their classroom on my way to the Teachers’ Lodge. She really had a nice voice.”
“An angel voice.” Rukky asserted, his eyes gleaming with wonder like he could hear her voice right in his head. “She even sings better than Miss Pauline.”
“Well, I’m not really sure about that.” Stella edged not quite comfortable having their school’s music teacher so easily displaced by a new teacher.
“She does.” Rukky declared twisting his neck to give his sister an earnest look. “Miss Pauline sings really nice but Miss Elizabeth sings like an angel.”
Stella was quiet for a beat, then she gave a mild shrug. “Well, let’s just say that they both have different singing voices.” She conceded in her usual amicable manner.
Caleb smiled privately to himself. Stella was the model big sister – always affable and never failing to find amicable ways of deflating any argument or resolve any issue.
The rest of the drive home was spent with both of them listening to Rukky chatter on about Miss Elizabeth. Once inside their three-bedroom apartment, Caleb managed to shut him down long enough for them to eat their usual after school snacks and milk drink and send them off to do their home works.
With both of them out of the way, he focused on preparing dinner. Since this was Spaghetti night, he didn’t really have much to do. He’d had to create the food timetable when he found himself constantly battling with what to prepare for each meal time. The timetable was drawn out and had been a welcome development, he never had inner debates anymore and the kids had a defined eating guideline.
Of course it was quite predictable and boring when you really thought about it, but it simplified his life and in his opinion the kids’ as well.
He was going for simple white spaghetti tonight, since they had some leftover chicken stew. With dinner ready and dished into the warm food dishes and laid out on the dining table, and with about twenty-five left before their 7:00 p.m. dinner time, he decided to check on the kids to see if they needed his help with any of their home works.
His help wasn’t needed. So he made for his room to have a quick bathe and attend to some calls.
Dinner was a chirpy affair as Rukky was still rattling on about his angelic-singing, soft-spoken and beautiful Miss Elizabeth. He and Stella endured it with quietshmms and a few appropriate rejoinders.
As Caleb tucked him in for the night after a protracted night prayers led by him where they’d profusely prayed for God to bless over and over sweet Miss Elizabeth, Rukky clasped his right hand in between his soft small hands.
“Daddy, do you think you’ll ever marry again?”
The question jolted Caleb. He’d not been expecting. Why should he be expecting it? Rukky was two months shy of six years old. And they’d never talked marriage in the house. Had they discussed it in school?
“Whoa! That’s a big question.” He edged tweaking his nose.
“But every question has got an answer.” Rukky responded smartly.
Yeah, two months shy of six years, as sharp as a tack and as bright and intelligent as they come.
“You are absolutely correct, brainy.” He agreed tickling his side, making him to squirm and giggle. “So, here’s your answer… I will only marry again when I find the perfect mother for you and Stella.”
Rukky nodded his head against the pillow, he hadn’t missed the emphasis on ‘only’, which simply meant his getting a new wife simply depended on them.
“I understand, daddy. Mummies are really very important.”
“Indeed they are. But daddies are pretty important too, right?”
Rukky grinned. “Yes, they are. And you are the best daddy in the whole wide world.” He lifted his small frame to wrap his hands round his daddy.
Caleb held him tightly in a warm clasp, kissing the top of his low-cut hair. “That’s because I have the best children in the whole wide world.” He pushed him back into the bed. “Now, sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite.”
He used his popular good night slogan from the Lion King, eliciting a gurgle as Rukky settled into the light-blue sheets.
Walking over to the opposite bed, Caleb bent over to kiss the already drowsy Stella’s braided hair and wish her a goodnight before marching out of the room, leaving the door ajar so rays of light from the semi-lit hallway could slip into their room.
He did his usual last minute checks to make sure the entire house was properly secured before heading to his room. Slipping into his bed he lay on his left side and stared at the silver-framed picture on his nightstand. The light-complexioned pretty face smiled at him.
No, he wasn’t sure he’d ever marry again.
Turning off the bulb from the switch just beside the table, he shut his eyes and sighed as he relaxed his body into sleep mode.
TM David-West www.alifediary.wordpress.com