Chapter 9: Chapter 9
Part Three
Memory Lane
A figurative place to which lost or forgotten details, mostly in the past are revisited. Usually deliberately; nowhere.
Chapter Seven
Memory Lane; June(sometime around 1999)
Girls Highschool( somewhere in Lagos)
"I think you should run for class president, seriously Halal you're beautiful, people like you. If you don't run for class president that kimora girl will win and she'll make the rest of us miserable" Oma said to Halal as the walked to the buttery.
Halal shook her head amused, she turned to her class mate "Listen Oma, class presidency is not all about beauty or popularity. It's more than that, I'm not ready to take on that responsibility" Halal protested skipping ahead of her friend.
Oma rolled her eyes and followed her "It's about beauty and popularity here, asides that you're smart and everyone likes you apart from kimora. Well that one is jealous of you" Oma hissed.
Kimora was the most brilliant and beautiful girl in the whole of the SS one, all that beauty didn't matter because she had a terrible attitude.
"Let Kimora run for class president, I think she deserves it too. If she wasn't so snobby all the time, we'd have been good friends" Halal shrugged.
Oma gasped in disbelief "Kimora! She's terrible. Do you know she told everyone that kachi was pregnant for the chemistry teacher?" Oma gasped. "Poor kachi only had malaria, Kimora is a terrible person. If you don't run for class president she'll win. If you contest with her, people will vote for you instead" Oma insisted.
"Omachi, I've heard you. I'll think about it. I'll talk to my father, if he thinks I'm fit to be class president then I'll contest too. You'll be my campaign manager won't you?" Halal teased.
Oma simply laughed and hit Halal's arm lightly. Halal was still thinking about Oma's proposition when they got to the field.
There was Kimora pulling the ears of a junior student. "Speak of the she devil" Oma hissed as the both of them walked to Kimora.
"Kimi, what has this girl done to you, do you realize she's someone's daughter? Stop pulling her ears, stop being a bully" Halal said gently.
"Shut up and mind your own business, the stupid girl is an orphan. No one will complain if I beat her" Kimora kicked the girl who fell over with tears in her eyes.
Halal gasped and took the girl's arm "Don't hit her again, why are you so mean kimora?" Halal asked as she pulled the girl gently to her feet.
Kimora pushed Halal roughly daring her for a fight. "If I beat her what will you do?" Kimora asked.
"I'll report you to the teachers, do not touch this girl again" Halal warned.
Kimora laughed harshly "teacher's pet, you're so weak. I'll kill this useless girl if I want to and you have no right to stop me" Kimora said angrily.
"You can't touch her, she's my school daughter" Halal lied, she didn't know the helpless girl but she wanted Kimora to stop picking on the girl so she lied.
"Halal, you're daring me. One day you will push me to the wall and you won't like what I'll do. You and your school daughter should go to hell" Kimora hissed and walked away angrily.
"Thank you" the girl whispered brushing the dust away from her faded blue skirt.
Halal turned to the girl "What did you do to kimora?" she asked curiously.
"Nothing, she hit me because I didn't greet her when I passed" the girl said. Oma shook her head in disgust.
"What's your name?" Halal asked handing the girl her white handkerchief to wipe the dirt of her face.
"My name is Daria, thank you very much. This is not the first time she's hitting me, she hates me" Daria sobbed.
"Kimora hates everyone, this is why you should be class president and not Kimora" Oma said furiously.
"Fine oma, I will do it. As for you Daria, go to your class. Kimora won't hurt you anymore, you're now under my care. If you provoke her, I'll not interfere in whatever she'll do to you" Halal said sternly.
Daria smiled "Thank you, thank you so much" Daria said before running off to her class.
Halal sighed and turned to Oma. "So campaign manager what's the plan?" she asked.
"You know you'll make a great mother when you eventually have children, I hope I'll be their God mother too" Oma smiled.
Halal laughed "God mother, I don't even have a boyfriend yet, please let's go joor" Halal said.
The both of them raced over to the buttery to get soft drinks.
If only she knew how soon that was about to change
July(Still around 1999)
Girls Highschool.
"So promise me you're going to be a good girl, and read a lot of books, no partying and write me lot of letters too even if you can't post them" Halal said throwing her arm around Daria as they walked over to the school's exit.
It was already a few weeks to August and the school was vacating for summer break. Ever since Halal rescued Daria from the school's villain, Daria and Halal had been like two peas in a pod.
They were inseparable, Daria was a boarder while Halal was a day student. Halal felt oddly responsible for Daria, especially because she knew the girl was alone and barely had friends.
Daria smiled and nodded "Who knows maybe I'll visit you before summer break is over" Daria suggested. Halal cocked her head thoughtfully "Maybe" Halal agreed.
Daria looked forward and saw her brother standing by the school's gate wearing his signature black attire. Daria had told him countless times that his outfit made him look like a cultist but he'd always brush her off.
"Nkemjika!" Daria pulled away from Halal and ran to her brother excitedly. Halal followed at a much slower pace.
When she got to the duo, she felt a tinge of jealousy. Daria was all over her brother, telling him how much she missed him and bits and bits of everything. She wished she had a sibling, sadly she was the only one.
Daria finally pulled away from her brother and Halal got a picture of what this Nkemjika really looked like. He was handsome, well if you like the rugged kind of handsome, he was dark and tall, the bushy eyebrows and dark straight lips on his face stood out attractively. His other cute feature was the adorable pointed nose. His eyes were really interesting, she decided as she watched them dart all over her. She felt a little heated as she watched his eyes.
"And you are?" His voice came out rather deeper than she was expecting.
"Errr...." she couldn't think of anything to say now. Luckily for her Daria came to the rescue, "Darrell this is my school mother Halal, I wrote to you about her" Daria said smiling up at Halal.
Halal smiled politely still unable to say anything, she could see he was sporting a goatee. "Ahhh, okay. You're the one who has been looking after my junior sister. Thank you very much" His stretched out his hands to shake Halal.
Halal took his hand immediately, his hands were quite different, they were rough but he had very neat nails that were clipped short. "You're welcome, Daria is like a sister to me. You don't have to thank me" Halal said smiling up at him. He returned her smile revealing perfect set of dentition.
"Daria speaks highly of you, thanks a lot. Are you going home also?" Darrell asked his eyes sizing her up.
"Yes, my house isn't far away. How about you?" Halal asked while playing with her shoulder length braids.
"I have to take Daria to Ibadan, my aunt has an apartment there" Darrell replied.
Daria immediately looked to her brother, she was clearly upset now "Ibadan! I thought I was going to stay with you!" Daria protested. Darrell turned to his little sister "D, you know I stay in an all boys lodge. You can't live with me till I get my own apartment, for now you have to stay with Aunt Clarion" Darrell said.
"I don't want to stay with Aunt Clarion, she's so mean and she forces me to eat beans everytime" Daria said upset. Halal stifled a laugh because while it was very amusing to her, Daria was clearly upset.
"What's wrong with eating beans?" Darrell frowned now getting impatient. "Everything is wrong when you have to eat it thrice a day in an entire week. I don't want to go to Ibadan" Daria said starting to cry now.
"How about you let Daria stay at my house, it's just me and my mum for the summer. My dad goes to London every summer, he teaches there. And we don't serve beans everyday" Halal suggested with a wide grin.
Daria immediately stopped crying and looked to her brother. "Halal is very nice, I'm in safe hands. You don't have to worry Nkemjika" Daria said.
Halal bit her lips nervously as she anticipated his response. "You can come home with me now and talk to my mother. I assure you, we'll take care of Daria" Halal said.
Darrell sighed before nodding. "Come on D, let's go see your friend's mother" Darrell said.
"Thank you so much brother" Daria jumped for joy. "I think it's Halal you should thank" Darrell looked at Halal who looked away shyly.
There was something quite different about this girl, he wanted to know everything about her.
Halal's mother was the most friendly woman he'd ever met, Darrell decided after spending thirty minutes in Halal's home. Daria would be safe and happier here, he had nothing to worry about.
"Do you need anything else son?" Mrs Abraham asked smiling. Darrell shook his head and looked at Halal who was standing behind her mother. "Are you sure, don't be shy. Any friend of Hallie is family here, if you need anything just ask" Mrs Abraham continued sending a caring glance his way.
Darrell could see where Halal had gotten her lovely traits from, she was well behaved and extremely nice because of the home she'd been brought up in. "Thank you very much ma, you've done a lot already" Darrell said appreciatively.
Mrs Abraham simply waved a hand signifying it was really nothing. "So where are you going to now?" she asked Darrell curiously. "I have to head back to school now, I don't have lectures but I guess I could look for a few student jobs to engage in" Darrell said.
Daria looked at her brother admirable, ever since they lost their parents, Darrell had played the role of both mother and father. He alone bore the responsibility of Daria's care, not even his wealthy aunt at Ibadan.
"Darrell is a genius, he tutors a lot of students. That's how he gets money to pay my school fees" Daria grinned up at her brother. Darrell flushed and rubbed his neck a little embarrassed at Daria's revelation but this information only intrigued Halal the more.
"Wow, it would be nice if every of the youths in the country could be so sensible, there are so many thugs these days" Mrs Abraham shook her head now.
Halal placed her hand on her mother's shoulder comfortingly, "You know mum, I was thinking of getting a tutor too. Maybe Darrell could tutor me, there are some areas of mathematics that are still very confusing to me. You know dad isn't around to tutor me" Halal suggested looking at her mother who smiled back.
Halal knew her mother would agree but she wondered If Darrell would be free to tutor her too. She didn't actually need a tutor but it wouldn't be bad to get a little help in preparation of her scholarship exams.
Her father wanted her to sit for a scholarship exam the following year, if she aced her papers she would go to London for her college education. It wasn't the exams that bothered her now, it was this Darrell. He made her feel foreign feelings she couldn't explain, feelings she'd never had before, feelings she so desperately wanted to explore. She briefly wondered if he was feeling the same way, was he getting a warm, fuzzy feeling in the pit of his belly?
Mrs Abraham turned to Darrell waiting for his reply. "Well I guess I could make out time for you, let's say two hours every two to three days in a week?" Darrell questioned.
Halal nodded unable to say anything, she let her mother do all the talking instead. "God bless you son. When you begin, we can discuss your charge" Mrs Abraham said.
Darrell shook his head immediately in disapproval "Charge? After everything you've done for me, I'll tutor Halal for free" Darrell said. 'So humble and selfless' Halal couldn't stop herself from smiling now.
"I insist" her mother said stubbornly. After a few more attempts to get Mrs Abraham to change her mind about paying him, Darrell gave up. He looked up at Halal and saw a look of admiration on her face, admiration for her mother of course. It would be stupid to think a girl like Halal would like him, she was beautiful and bright, girls like that didn't go for broke college boys like him.
If only wishes were horses, he would ride like a mad man towards her and tell her about the feelings that had been building inside him since he laid eyes on her.
August 1999.
Halal looked at the textbook dumbly, she knew this equation. She'd solved this equation over and over so why now did it look like an equation from Mars? Only one answer to that, it was the way Darrell was standing there watching her intently as she battled with her pencil.
"Can we do this later?" Halal asked finally giving up on trying to solve the maths problem.
Darrell simply cocked an eyebrow in her direction, he was confused. They'd discussed this topic yesterday and she'd been excellent, what exactly was the problem now?
"Another pee break Halal, are you hungry? or perhaps you want me to explain again?" Darrell asked curiously.
"No, I understand this....." I just don't understand you, she wanted to say this but she held her breath instead . It's been three weeks of tutoring and he still hadn't made a move at her despite every sign she'd thrown his way.
All the suggestions Omachi had given her everytime they talked on phone proved useless.
"Then take a few minutes to think again, we only have twenty minutes more before I leave" Darrell said rubbing his jaw. Halal sat straighter now and glared at him.
"Why do you have to leave anyway, do you have a girlfriend waiting for you?" Halal couldn't stop the ugly head of jealousy from surfacing.
Darrell was rather taken aback by the attack. "I don't think that's any business of yours Halal, I'm only your tutor. With that being said, let's concentrate on the equation on board" Darrell said calmly although he couldn't fathom what had gotten her knickers in a twist. She seemed perfectly fine minutes ago.
Halal got up abruptly disgusted that she was nothing more than a job to him. "I have a headache, goodbye tutor" She said walking away from the veranda quickly. Darrell knew it would be best to let her be but he couldn't resist going after her.
He caught her right before she got into her room, good thing Daria and her mother had gone to the market, he could do without their attention right now.
"What's wrong Halal? Talk to me" Darrell said softly. Halal pulled away from his hold immediately rubbing her arm as if his touch burned.
"Why should I tell you anything Tutor?" she asked a little irritated. Darrell frowned, was there more to her anger than the statement about him being just her tutor?
"Halal, I'm sorry. You're a friend to me, I'm sorry I made you feel...." he was saying when she cut him off immediately.
"I don't want to be just a friend!" she sparked. His eyes widened in surprise, he'd never heard her yell. She quietened a bit "I like you, like...I really like you. It's okay if you don't feel the same way" Halal mumbled averting her eyes from his chest to his eyes. She wanted to catch his expression, her father often said you could spot the truth by looking in one's eyes.
Darrell's face mirrored surprise "Halal...I... " he began but didn't get to finish because she interrupted. "It's okay, I know what you're going to say. I'm too young, I'm still in highschool my sole focus for now should be my education and nothing more. I'll get over it" she whispered the last part. She'd never been in love with anyone before, Darrell was her first. How do you get over first love? Perhaps there was a manual for it.
Darrell grinned now and touched her chin "Actually I was going to say I like you too" Darrell said adopting a teasing note. "You do?" Halal looked genuinely surprised, her heart fluttered. "Who wouldn't? You're beautiful, smart, kind, intelligent and a whole lot of other fantastic things. Plus you make awesome vegetable soup" Darrell winked.
Halal burst into laughter, her eyes crinkled amused. "Well, if you liked me why didn't you say anything? I've been going out of my mind for the past few weeks" Halal said still smiling. It would have been a lot easier if he had hinted her or something but he was always so serious all the time.
Darrell sighed before replying "I didn't think you'd be interested in a broke college student like me, I have nothing to offer you" Darrell said. Halal shook her head a little offended "I'm not shallow Darrell, you might be a broke college student now but you won't be forever. You have a bright future, and you're not a broke college student to me Darrell. You're strong, you're brilliant, you're responsible, caring and everything real men should be made of" Halal said placing a hand on his shoulder.
Darrell closed his eyes briefly letting out a little laugh. "Can you continue? all this talk is massaging my nonexistent ego" Darrell joked. Halal giggled moving closer to him "What does this mean for us Darrell?" she asked.
Darrell cleared his throat and continued with all seriousness "It means I'm going to save every cent that I get this week, then I'm going to take you out on a proper date. With your mother's consent of course, after fine dining, I'm going to ask you to be my woman" Darrell winked. Halal flushed, she was still a girl but she relished the fact that he referred to her as his woman.
"I can't wait" Halal said grinning. "I can't wait either, but for now let's entertain ourselves by solving the equation from earlier. Will you be able to concentrate now?" Darrell teased her pinching her cheeks.
"Definitely" Halal smiled back. That moment she decided she couldn't be happier with anyone else that wasn't Darrell.