AMAYA’S DESTINY
(NIGHT RAIN)
Episode 6
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Once again, Mr Kim’s office opened and Rachael stepped in slowly followed by Jimmy. Her eyes caught with that of Kris instantly. The three students stood before the table, having the scenario of rapists and a victim. Rachael, in between the two boys, wondered why the master wasn’t sitting on his seat rather stood beside it, staring at the wall in a way he turned his back on them. The quietness got her worried. She could sense that it wasn’t about the fight anymore but something else which she tried her damndest to comprehend. She looked at Kris, “What’s the matter?” her voice trailed in the silence as a whisper.
Kris didn’t give her a face talk more of a voice. Rachael averted her eyes from him. “It might be about the kizz.” She concluded in her mind.
With a great consternation, Mr Kim turned to them from the wall. “Miss Ojile?” he called.
“Sir.” the poor girl replied.
“We want to know if your name is Amaya.”
Rachael looked from Jimmy to Kris then back to the disciplinary master. “No sir. But may I ask why you’re asking.”
“It’s nothing. You may go.”
Rachael reluctantly walked to the door. She felt something fishy among the men, unspoken secret which she couldn’t leave without getting the revelation. But she was just but a student who was obeying her master’s instruction without interrogation. Just before she clutched the doorknob, Mr Kim called her, “Miss Ojile.”
The speed in which the poor girl responded to the call by turning swiftly still with a hand on the doorknob could tell the level of her curiosity. “Sir..sir…” she stammered then glanced at the boys.
“Jimmy regrets hitting you. Sorry for the red eye. With time, it will clear.”
“Okay, sir” she turned again to open the door, yet hesitated. The master just made the whole thing more confusing and mentally frustrating as she anxiously wondered what was going on. “First, it was Jimmy apologizing, and now..? What are they not telling me?” she thought, refusing to leave the office as the men waited like conspiring spies. Unabashedly, she gathered morale and turned for the second time. “Sir, what are you not telling me?” she boldly asked.
“Nothing serious, miss Ojile.”
Rachael glanced at the boys for the last time then finally clutched the doorknob. Zoom, she left with that suspense.
Jimmy took a step forward to the master angrily like a lion about to devour its prey. “Why did you let her go without feeling her with the details?!”
“That’s because she will start seeing herself as a freak, more or less possessed!” the master retorted, raising his voice that suddenly dwindled. “Moreover we’re not yet sure of our encounters.”
“I’m very sure of mine.” Kris said.
“But we still don’t know if miss Ojile is behind it.” Mr Kim reluctantly sat down. “Both of you should calm down and pretend as nothing happened.”
“I’m sorry, sir. I’m afraid i don’t know how to pretend.” Jimmy cheeped in.
“You must try.” The master concluded then discharged both of them.
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Ghene High School was as quiet as a grave yard as the two boys was walking to their cl@$$room coz both shared the same room in school with Rachael, while Antonia with Festus but in the same final grade. Jimmy and Kris could hear teachers from different cl@$$rooms set-inducing the students while some were at the peek of the lesson about to conclude. … They never exchanged words until they entered to their cl@$$room to see the whole cl@$$, listening to Mrs Helen, their physical and health education teacher. Rachael monito-red the boys especially Kris until they joined the lesson.
Mrs Helen, in her slim body and pitch voice said, “We can now go out for physical exercise. Please, quiet and steady.”
Students rose from their seats. It was a happy moment coz some finds the exercise fun and funny. Before Kris left his seat, Rachael met him in a hurry, while Jimmy watched them from his seat which he had refuse to leave to the PE.
“Why were you guys acting weird with the black man?” she asked.
“Nothing” Kris tried to p@$$, yet the girl blocked him, then lowered her voice.
“Is it about the kizz?”
“No, but I’ll suggest you stay far away from me.”
The words broke the heart of the young girl. Jimmy could see it as the only person remaining in the cl@$$room.
“Kris, but.. but..you kizzed me.” her li-ps quivered.
“It was just a game, Rachael”
“Why are you behaving as if I have a scary mask on my face? Why are you pretending as if you’ve not noticed me all this while?”
Kris still wanted to leave but she blocked him again with tears that had formed in her eyes. Just then, Antonia and Festus entered but stood at the door watching and listening to them as Jimmy had been doing.
“Fine!” Rachael’s voice went high. “You want me to say It? Yes, I’ll swallow my pride; Kris, I love you. I’m in love with you! What is wrong with you boys!” the tears began to pour like rain. Yet, Kris left her without uttering a word which suddenly became a catalyst to the tears of the poor girl. As she bent down crying, Antonia came from behind, raised her up then embr-aced her.
Meanwhile Festus had left with his friend. Jimmy could also see Antonia leaving the cl@$$room with Rachael, thus being the only one left inside. He reluctantly stood up, hung his bag, straight home. His head had been filled up and his eyes seen enough. Truly, he couldn’t bear the jealousy.
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TIME CHECKED 9:00PM
Jimmy had not come out from his room neither had Rachael since both came back from school.
Jimmy had only a mother who sells food in a popular restaurant. Mrs. Okenagba, the mother, who expected her son to come meet her at the restaurant as usual whenever he comes back from school but didn’t see him, walked inside the house, knocked on the door of his room before opening it to see him seating on the ground like a hostage.
“Jimmy, why didn’t you meet me as usual?”
The boy kept quiet.
“Are you okay, Jimmy?” she persuaded.
The boy raised his head up. His vision had become as weak as his body. “I’m not, mama.” he stood up, walking to and fro as he continued. “I don’t know what is wrong with me? How can I suddenly develop feelings for the girl I hate most?”
“A girl?” the mother frowned.
“I know it sounds odd, but something is happening, mama. Something I can’t explain!”
The mother walked to her son. “The feelings of love can’t be explained when it strikes. It’s normal. Just calm down.”
Jimmy wished the mother fully un-derstood him. Throu-ghout the night he thought of nobody but Rachael, while the girl in quote was busy thinking about Kris.
Very early in the morning, Jimmy rose, grabbed their refuse, briskly walking to the public refuse-bin with the hope of seeing Rachael. He wouldn’t hesitate to lie on the floor, begging her to forgive him and also making his feelings known to her. Unfortunately, he became disappointed when he got there but didn’t see Rachael. He waited and waited before losing hope, reluctantly leaving the place sadly. Just then, he heard a noise from behind, turned to see Rachael duping a refuse. Thank God he made it known to Mr Kim that he doesn’t know how to pretend.
“Rachael!” he called on her…..
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AMAYA’S DESTINY
(NIGHT RAIN)
Episode 7
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The saturated cloud accu-mulated by the morning mist indicated how early it was at the public refuse-bin where Racahel was dumping a refuse. As usual, she wore a black leggings, stockings and a black jacket to reduce the cold temperature produced by the mist. Rachael dusted her palms after dumping the refuse, paying deaf ear to the voice of her greatest enemy, calling from a distant.
“Rachael!” Jimmy called again from a close range, yet Rachael kept walking away unconcerned like one avoiding troubles. Of course Jimmy gives her nothing but trouble which always ruin her day. How would she know that the boy, unusual had seen something in her which he could not explain regardless of the surrealistic an-alysis about her?
Jimmy finally met her, held her by the hand in order to stop her, but she angrily flung his hand away. Though finally became static.
“Jimmy, what again this early morning?! You want to throw me inside the bin again?! When did we even start dumping refuse together?! Be yourself and let me be, please!” her voice soared throu-ghthe early morning tranquillity.
Jimmy faced her. “Calm down, Rachael.” he began as the girl glared at him. “We only step off on the wrong foot. And I’m sorry about that. I want you to forgive me. In fact, I want to be your friend starting from today.”
Rachael stepped backward. She couldn’t believe her ears! A boy asking to be her friend which had never occured since her teenage-hood. But why must it come from a boy she hates and disgust the most? She couldn’t tell coz she didn’t know about her own life.
“Jimmy, what has come over you? Why are….”
“That, Rachael, is a very good question!” Jimmy interpolated, placed his two hands on her shoulders and staring into her eyes. “But it’s very sad that I do not know the charm you used on me.”
“God forbid!” she moved away from him. “What do you want from me?”
“That, Amaya, is another good question”
Rachael narrowed her face. “Who’s Amaya? Wait, Mr Kim asked me if I’m Amaya, and now you’re calling me that?”
Jimmy realized himself coz he didn’t know when and why he called her that. It was a surreal act, even to him. Therefore he lowered his voice. “I’m sorry, it was a sli-p of tongue. Though i don’t know about Mr Kim’s curiosity regarding who Amaya is.”
Both became quiet, staring at each other and thinking different things: Rachael thought he was already insane, while Jimmy thought he was still going insane but by the sudden love he developed for her. They could hear distant motor horns, and chattering of people at a near-by market.
“What do you want from me?” Rachael broke the silence.
“I want you to love me.” Jimmy replied.
“What?” she exclaimed within her. “Is this for real? He’s the only boy who has said such a thing to me. But why him? I hate him! How i wish Kris is the one saying this. I wouldn’t have hesitated to jump on him happily.” she kept thinking as the young boy waited for her reaction. Sarcastically, she said aloud, “I’m sorry, I can’t love you.” She p@$$ed him, briskly leaving the place.
Jimmy became disappointed, staring at the direction she followed. “Rachael, you can come back and throw me inside the bin, punch my eye, I wouldn’t care!” he shouted in vain.
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Reluctantly, Jimmy pushed the door of his room opened. Nobody was home coz his mother had already gone to the restaurant to make breakfast for early customers. On the walls of his room appeared two images: one has the shape of an egg and the other was a long piece of wood fastened across the ne-ck of two oxen. It looks like the animals were heading into the large egg. Jimmy fell on the ground with goose bumps all over his body.
“Yoke, yolk.” he whispered from the ground, watching as the image disappeared. Quickly, he stood up like a fallen wrestler and ran out from the room.
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This is Halogate, join our hot seat programme tomorrow by 7 to 9pm. Author Ihechiluru Lyon will be the one on hot seat!!!
QUEST FOR LOVE (TIME DIARY), COMING NEXT ON HALOGATE MOVIES.
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The sun had fully aro-se from the East, Rachael could be seen at the dinning table with her parents, silently eating noodles for breakfast. The sound of ferks on the ceramic plates circulated the dining room. Mr. Ojile sat alone at the first edge of the table as the man of the house, while the wife sat opposite Rachael, watching as the young girl occasionally lost in thought.
“Rachael, what’s wrong?” she asked her.
“It’s nothing, mom” she replied, dishing a spoonful noodle.
The father glanced at her. “How has school been this week?”
Rachael swallowed ha-rd. “Weird” she replied.
“Is it still about the issue you told me?” the mother quit eating.
“Something like that. But they are behaving strange even Mr Kim, our disciplinary master.” She paused while the parents looked at each other, waiting for her to continued. “Dad, is my name Amaya?” the question came like a bomb.
Mr Ojile also quit eating. “No. Why asking?” he replied.
“Mr Kim asked me if my name is Amaya. My cl@$$mates also called me that this morning but claimed to be a sli-p of tongue”
“Your master must have been mistaking you with someone else. And this your cl@$$mate, who’s he to you?”
Rachael exhaled. “He’s the only boy who wants a relationship with me. But I hate him” she frowned.
The father cleared his throat. “You see, my daughter, it’s good to love and to be loved. But you should bear in mind that relationships aren’t meant for immorality but for love and care which you’ve spoken of.” he left the dinning room with his food unfinished. Rachael suspected his action to be as weird as Mr Kim’s. She also wondered why he tuto-red her on relationship, reasoning what he said.
“Who’s the boy in quote?” the mother asked.
“Jimmy Okenagba.” Rachael replied.
Mrs Ojile un-derstood the mother of the boy as the one in charge of popular restaurant in the city.
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Mr Kim’s residence was just a self contain apa-rtment. As he was eating a plate of rice, a knock came from the door. He abandoned the food to the door wearing a singlet and a short. He opened the door to see Jimmy staring at him.
“Master Okenagba, is everything alright?”
“Everything is not alright, sir.”
Mr Kim wi-dely opened the door for him to enter. Instanly, Jimmy located a pen and paper that was on a reading table.
“What’s it, young boy?” the master asked, but didn’t get a response. He watched Jimmy draw something on the paper, raised it up like a flag for him to see. That was actually the two images he saw on the wall of his room.
“Sir, what do you think these images are?” the boy unabashedly asked.
Mr Kim surprisingly and slowly took the paper from him. “A yoke on animals and… and…” he glanced at Jimmy. “I guess the egg represent a yolk”
“Bingo!” Jimmy shouted then threw the pen back to the table. “It appeared on my wall after I met Rachael this morning.”
“Wait, I have seen this sculpture before. In a museum! But the question is, how does it relate to miss Ojile?”
The men became not only quiet and thoughtful but also speechless………
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TO BE CONTINUED.