Chapter 1: Chapter 1

PROLOGUE

It was a quarter past twelve; the sun was taking charge of the firmament as she emerged gracefully behind the clouds with a sort of audacity that could not be challenged but rather marvelled at. Mrs. Basma Shaphat, a burly woman of forty-two drove her black Nissan pathfinder Jeep into the ever-busy mechanic village. She was somehow hopeful she would sell; she tried her best to smile but it fell flat. Her fifteen years old son, Nabeel worried her because all her attempts to cheer him up were met with sullen scowls. She gave him a sideways glance, “You still don’t like this idea, Nabeel. Do you?” she asked and stroked his hair with her right hand while she held the steering with the left hand. She pulled up under a big mango tree and kicked off the ignition. “Here we are, son,” She announced and heaved a sigh of relief. “There is no going back now.”

“I am not discouraging you, Mum,” Nabeel said as he stared at his mother worriedly, “It is just that I don’t feel comfortable about this…” He hesitated and shrugged his shoulder. “I think we are supposed to find out how things are done here before we start the business.”

“Nabeel, I don’t want us to go over this issue again; as you can see, I have gone far already to start retracing my steps.” She snapped. She knew she took a hasty decision by coming up with the idea of the food business and implementing it immediately without carrying out a feasibility study; she believed desperate times call for desperate measures. She needed to take a step in helping the family, regret might come later.

“It’s alright ma’am,” Nabeel murmured, “I will support you in every way I can.”

She smiled at him with understanding, “That is my boy; your support is what I needed most right now because I don’t like this better than you do but we have got to survive somehow,” She gave him a peck and got out of the jeep, leaving the driver’s door hanging open. She went to the boot while Nabeel got out and walked up to help her.

A mechanic walked towards the jeep. “Madam, what’s wrong with your jeep? I am the best hand around here.” He boasted and flaunted the spanner and screwdriver in his hands.”

“I am not here to repair my car but to serve you lunch.” She intoned with a smile, observing the middle-aged mechanic who could not hide his astonishment. “Lunch?” He asked, raising a quizzical eyebrow.

“Yes, I operate a mobile restaurant.”

A tall gangling young mechanic known as Ajax walked up to them, “Madam, what is wrong with your jeep? I can help you fix it very fast.”

“It’s like she has a mental disorder.” The middle-aged mechanic moved closer to Ajax and spoke to him, sotto voce.

Nabeel stood near his mother, watching while she informed them what she had prepared for sale. “I have rice, beans, spaghetti, fried plantain with salad, and chicken stew. I also have local delicacies like semolina, ‘eba’ and ‘akpu’, so which one do you prefer?”

Ajax stepped forward, “Madam, have you seen the chairman?” He asked with a sly grin on his pimple-infested face. The mechanic village which looked like a garage with lots of abandoned and rickety vehicles and vehicle parts also had some row of shops where different vehicle parts were being sold. A small crowd had been attracted to the scene; she opened the boot and pull out the inbuilt large drawer on which were the big coolers which contained the food. “Go and close the driver’s side of the car.” She ordered Nabeel who quickly went to obey.

“How much do you sell a plate of food?” One elderly mechanic asked with a smile,

“It varies;” She replied quickly, “A plate of ordinary rice and beans with meat is Three hundred Naira but with salad and plantain is five hundred while semolina, ‘eba’ and ‘akpu’ is Four hundred Naira per plate.

“Hmmm, I won’t expect anything less from a mobile restaurant.” He mumbled, “Anyway, let me encourage you as this is your first time coming here.” She brought out two plastic chairs from the back seat of her jeep which the man used to sit. Ajax wanted to protest but after a second thought, he called some other mechanics that converged and discussed in hushed tones after which he went to the woman and ordered a plate of rice and plantain with salad. Nabeel served as his mother dished the food. He went to one side of the row of shops and brought a bench to be used by the customers, when he returned with the bench, he saw his mother arguing with Ajax, “Kindly pay me for the food you ate!” He heard his mother asked angrily. He put down the bench and walked near to his mother. “Listen, woman, we do not need your service here, okay?” Ajax retorted.

“You are not the one to tell me whether my service here is needed or not; let others decide for themselves. Kindly give me my money.”

“I will not pay you a dime!” he snarled and made to walk away but she held his dirty shirt. “Pay me for the food I served you!”

The other mechanics that converged started giggling and praising Ajax. “Ajax, the great! You have eaten from Madam’s ‘honey pot’ and you don’t want to pay?”

The elderly mechanic walked up to them, “Madam, leave him alone; I will settle the bills.” He said and dipped his hands into his pockets. She hissed and left him alone but as she turned to go, she felt someone smacked her buttocks, “Madam, your food is sweet; I am sure this cruiser at your backside will be sweeter?” Ajax cooed with lustful eyes.

“Are you mad?” She retorted and gave him a slap across the cheeks. “How dare you?”

Ajax retaliated and slapped her twice and immediately two mechanics emerged from the crowd and upturned her cooler of food, scattering it everywhere. “You idiot! You came to our market through the backdoor and you think we will just accept you like that!” One of the thugs snarled savagely.

“`It is okay!” A voice said and everyone stood still. He was a middle-aged man who just arrived at the scene. He turned to Mrs. Shaphat and spoke calmly and smoothly.

“Madam, I am the chairman of the Mechanic Village Association, (MVA) by the name of Chief Niccolo. We have the ways we do things here; people don’t just bring business anyhow because we monitor all businesses for orderliness and decency so, in a nutshell, you supposed to have come to my office before you brought your wares here, assuming I am the one who introduced you to them, they won’t treat you like this, I think you deliberately decided to evade the little levy, I would have to charge you or maybe you have an ulterior motive.”

“You got it wrong sir; I did not deliberately evade your office. I did not know I was supposed to do that; I thought as I am not renting a shop, I do not need to see anybody. I am sorry about that but the way your boys here treated me is unfair…” Her breath came in convulsive gasps, and she found it difficult to speak coherently.

“I am sorry about that too but right now; you have to pack your wares and leave. We have enough food vendors around here, so we don’t need anymore.”

Mrs. Basma Shaphat whose face had become swollen packed what remains of her wares and with lack of anything concrete to say further drew her son who had been staring at Ajax with a grim expression on his face and drove out of the village with bitter tears in her eyes. “What even made me come to this kind of place to sell in the first place?” she pondered, “I’m totally confused and cannot think straight again.” She sighed worriedly.

Nabeel on his part was short of words. “Stupid woman! Only God knows what she has put in her food.” Chief Niccolo wondered. “That is how they look for victims for their get rich quick sacrifice.” One of the mechanics answered as if he could read the Chief’s mind. The Chief turned to no one and ordered. “Now everybody, get back to work!” he turned to Ajax, “Ajax, Tony, and Chuks meet me in the office now!”

“Yes sir!” Ajax answered grudgingly and summoned others.

Meanwhile, flies, chickens, and goats have converged to eat the remains of the food scattered all over the ground under the big mango tree.

ΩΩ

A few days later, it was few minutes past seven in the morning, Mrs. Shaphat went to her children’s room and was surprised that they were still sleeping, “Majeed, Barira, aren’t you going to school? Where is Nabeel?” she asked as she switched on the electric light and tapped them to wake up.

Majeed stretched luxuriously and sat upright, squinting at the sudden brightness of the room. “I’m not going to school, Mum,” He answered and turned to another side.

“What is the problem?” She asked as if she wasn’t aware. “I have already discussed with the principal, and he agreed to allow you to attend classes till the examination period.”

“Mum, he just said that to get you off his back; he threatened to cane Barira and me if we should come to school today without our tuition fees.”

Nabeel emerged from the bathroom, dripping with water. He tied a green towel around his waist. “Good morning, Mum.” He greeted and smiled at his mother.

“Good morning, Nabeel,” she answered and stared at him quizzically as he mopped his body.

“I told Majeed and Barira to go to school that I will come and see the principal by nine with the tuition fees, but they refused that the principal gave then stern warning not to come without their fees,” Nabeel informed his mother.

“Where will you get the tuition fees before nine this morning, Nabeel?” Mrs. Shaphat asked with a gasp. She glanced at the wall clock casually. “We are yet to get a serious buyer for the jeep.”

“Mum, please for God’s sake! Don’t worry about that,” he said lovingly and gave his brother a loving thump on the back. “Come on, sleepyhead; time to go to school,” He picked a pillow and threw it at Barira. “Baby girl, get up!” Barira gave a loud yawn and turned to face the wall. He went to his wardrobe and picked his clothes.

“Nabeel, you are still too young to hide things from me, will you put me in the picture of what you are up to?” His mother asked worriedly. He walked up to her and gave her a peck. “Mum, I promise I won’t bring shame to the family.” He said with sincerity, “I’m late for now but when I come back, I promise I will open up to you.” He turned to his siblings, “Don’t be late to school, I will be in your school by nine to pay the tuition fees.”

“I will prefer the tuition fees to be paid before I return to school.” Majeed said and made to return to bed, but Nabeel’s serious statement brought him back to his senses “Majeed, you will not miss a day’s class if I can help it?” He spoke with a look of entreaty. “I want you to trust me; go and take your bath, eat your breakfast and leave for school immediately. Mrs. Shaphat clamped her teeth together and watched as Majeed and Barira got to their feet and began to prepare for school. She forced a smile, laid a companionable hand on Nabeel’s shoulder. “My husband…” She mumbled as tears seeped up in her eyes and rendered her speechless.

“I’ve got to go now, Mum,” Nabeel said, trying very hard to avoid his mother’s eyes. “Everything will be alright by the grace of Almighty Allah.”

“Be careful, Nabeel,” She warned tenderly.

“I will, Mum,” He answered and went out quietly. She followed him to the doorstep. “Aren’t you going in the car?”

“No, you can use it to take them to school.” He answered without a backward glance. “How I wish I could get a buyer for the jeep quickly.” She pondered as she went into the kitchen to prepare the table for Majeed and Barira. “Allah knows I didn’t envisage this dilemma; she closed her tear-filled eyes for a moment and clung to the kitchen sink as tightly as she could. Her husband, Badmus Shaphat had never allowed her to work, “I want you to be there for the children.” he had instructed her when she raised the issue on the need to start work.

“By the grace of Almighty Allah, you will never lack anything.” He had promised her. Like an obedient wife, she had obeyed and never raised the issue again; after all, he was doing well as a Medical Doctor and Senior Personal Physician to the President. She was contented and eternally grateful for the kind of man she married, very hardworking and principled. Not too long after, her hopes were dashed when the first daughter’s corpse was discovered in his private hospital by the President himself. She had died of a complicated abortion. That was the beginning of their tales of woe, everything just happened too fast for the once lovely family to comprehend. Her husband was arrested, detained, tortured and his properties confiscated. The house that wasn’t seized was the one he built when he began his career as a Medical Doctor at the General Hospital. All that he worked and stood for over the years went down the drain within a twinkle of an eye; he died mysteriously a few days after.

“Mum, we are set for school,” Barira broke into her trail of thought after observing her mother critically. “What is the problem, Mum? You don’t look happy.”

Majeed watched her quietly. “Oh yeah! Let’s go!” she answered sweetly, turning her face away so that they wouldn’t see the tears coursed down her eyelids. She quickly wiped them with the back of her palm and led the confused children out towards the jeep.

ΩΩ

Mr. Hastrup, the Principal of Rainbow College paused in the doorway of the large classroom as the thirty-five students stoop up in greetings of welcome. The subject teacher stood at a corner, watching the principal who had placed his register on the teacher’s table in front of the class and adjusted his eyeglass as he scanned the students with a scorn on his face. The students who were still standing waited eagerly for his response to their greeting, but none seemed to be forthcoming, so the bold ones sat down, and the others followed suit when he didn’t reprimand them. Mr. Hastrup cleared his throat and began to speak. “I told you yesterday during the morning assembly that if you have not paid your school fees, don’t bother to come to school today, didn’t I?”

The students were not sure if it was a question or a statement as it was not directed at anyone.

“Everybody should stand on his or her feet!” The principal bellowed, his face registering his displeasure. The students hurriedly stood to their feet. “I will cane all of you right now if you don’t answer me! Forget the fact that you are children and wards of highly placed personalities. This is Rainbow College where discipline and standards are highly maintained. Didn’t I warn you not to come to school today if your school fees have not been paid?”

“Yes, you did warn us, sir!” The students chorused,

“Some of you are yet to pay and I’m going to use you as a scapegoat; attending Rainbow College isn’t a do or dies affair. I want you to know that nothing good comes easy; this is not a school for every Tom, Dick, and Harry so if you can’t meet our requirements; there are a countless number of schools in the city, where you can attend!” He turned to the subject teacher. “Please, go to my office and get my cane for me.” He began to read from the register, “Clarisse Macarthy, Majeed Shaphat, and Gabriel Olatomi.”

The trio came out quietly while the principal eye them with scorn. “I specifically warned you, Majeed, not to come until your mother pays your school fees. This school isn’t a charity organization; it is a school of international repute! What happened to all the wealth your late father acquired while in government? It is not up to a year he passed on, is it?”

Majeed didn’t answer but looked at him with misted eyes. He wished the ground would open and swallow him then. “You shouldn’t be going through all this humiliation of debts and what have you! Or your father made more enemies than friends while in the presidency? Anyway, since you don’t want to listen to my directive, maybe my cane will speak to you better. Get down on your knees!” He turned to Clarisse Macarthy, a white girl. “You, beauty without a brain, a whole daughter of a diplomat, I wonder what is wrong with your parents.” He lifted his hands in despair. “Can we come to your country and get anything free?”

“My parents are separated,” Clarisse murmured, her lips pouted in despair, “My father has gone back to Paris, abandoning my mother and me in the country.”

“Will you shut up?” He retorted, “Am I the one who separated your parents? Instead of you to cover your piggy head in shame; you still have the gut to open your stinking mouth to utter rubbish.”

The subject teacher returned with an evil-looking horsewhip which made Clarisse who happened to be the only female among them to burst out crying.

“Sir, my father travelled; my mum spoke with him on the phone last night. He promised to come and see you on Friday.” Gabriel explained tentatively, his countenanced wearing a sorrowful look.

Majeed who was looking out through the window intermittently, expecting his brother began to fidget; he hated being whipped. He looked at the time; it was half-past nine. The principal broke into his train of thought with another menacing statement. “Two strokes of the whip will send the message better since you don’t want to be treated like human beings!” He heard the principal said and he promised himself never to forgive Nabeel if the principal should make good his threat.

“If all parents were to give promises like you scallywags, how will the management run the school? How are we going to pay staff’s salaries?” He asked heatedly, his mouth twisted with unconcealed anger. “Majeed Shaphat, come here!” He ordered menacingly, the whip was well balanced in his right hand, “if you waste my time further, I will ask your classmates to come and hold you tight while I flog the living daylights out of you!”

A figure appeared in the doorway of the classroom. The students began to speak in hushed tones while the subject teacher tried to draw the attention of the principal who was engrossed with trying to steady Majeed for the onslaught, “I have paid the school fees.” The figure announced calmly and displayed the school receipt up for all to see. The principal whirled back to face the door where Nabeel stood calmly, “I have paid Majeed and Barira Shaphat’s school fees.” He walked to the principal who stood glaring at him while his mouth hung open and handed over the receipt to him. The students couldn’t help it, they began to discuss among themselves. They all knew Nabeel as an easy-going but ruthless senior who doesn’t take kindly to anyone molesting his younger brother and sister. He dropped out of school a few months after his father’s demise. The students didn’t know why until they heard the teachers discussing that they heard in the news that the Presidency had confiscated all properties of the late Physician and frozen his bank accounts because of the role he played in the death of the President’s daughter. “Follow me to my office! The principal ordered and packed his register from the table as he walked out of the classroom he turned back to the remaining two defaulters, “I pardon you for today; if you dare come to my school tomorrow without your fee…” he left the sentence hanging and walked away.

ΩΩ

Later in the evening while they were having their dinner, Majeed with admiration recounted how his elder brother saved him from the principal’s whip. Mrs. Shaphat looked at Nabeel for an explanation, but the latter avoided her eyes as he munched away at the fried rice and plantain.

“I noticed the principal didn’t come to my class again,” Barira said in between mouthfuls, and Mrs. Shaphat instantly lost appetite in her meal. “Something is wrong somewhere,” She pondered thoughtfully. She had loved and trusted her husband to the extent that she had never suspected him of engaging in an illegal practice in his profession. Why would she suspect? He was an open-minded man, very religious, loyal, and devoted, and doesn’t have any social life. He was a dedicated family man who valued his God, family, and job to the core. When the issue of the President’s daughter was discovered, it came as a rude shock to all who knew him. “Badmus, you betrayed me!” She had cried profusely, “Now, Nabeel seemed to be getting out of control. Where did he get money from to settle his siblings’ school fees within such a short time?” She felt sorry for him; he volunteered to drop out of school so that he could support the family when things were getting difficult. So far, he had been a pillar, engaging in odd jobs to keep the family going but that doesn’t mean she would allow him to keep her in the dark as to what he engaged in to raise money. “He is too young to be independent-minded.” She braced up as she made up her mind to probe him that night. “It might not be so bad after all.” She consoled herself as she gave her lovely children a big smile.