UNLIKELY NEW FRIENDS
When Somayina opened his eyes the next morning, he did not remember where he was. He found himself on a high white bed in a very spacious room. Looking around, he observed long, white curtains, several chairs, and a sofa covered with cretonne. In a corner of the room, he saw a wash-stand with many curious things on it.
Suddenly, he remembered all the happenings of the previous day. Jumping out of bed, he dressed in a great hurry. He was eager to look up at the sky and down on the ground below, as he had always done in Udokamma.
He hurried to the windows, shoved the thick white curtains, and found the windows too high for him to see anything except the walls and windows opposite. Trying to open one of the windows, he turned from one to the other, but in vain. The poor child felt like a little bird placed in a golden cage. At last, he gave up! He sat down on a low stool, thinking of the rising sun and the fresh leaves and flowers of Udokamma. He missed the sight but enjoyed the memory with great delight.
Suddenly, Ekaete opened the door and said curtly, "Breakfast's ready."
Somayina was not sure if the lady was talking to him or not. She just dropped the words without even looking in his direction. He was waiting patiently for what would happen next when Uncle Spike burst into the room.
"What is the matter with you, little rascal?" he said, "Didn't you understand the word 'breakfast? Come for breakfast, you imp!"
Somayina immediately followed the grumpy man into the dining room. Gozie Osisiego greeted him with a very warm smile. He looked much happier than usual, for he expected new things to happen that day. When breakfast had passed without any hitch, the two children were allowed to go to the library together, alone.
"How can I see down to the ground?" Somayina asked.
"Open a window and peep out," replied Gozie Osisiego, amused at the question.
"But it is impossible to open them," Somayina said sadly.
"Oh no, you can't do it, and I can't help you, either, but if you ask Saraki, he'll open it for you."
Somayina was relieved. He felt like a prisoner in his room. Hopefully, Saraki would open the window so he could have a glimpse of the sky.
When the tutor arrived, he was not led to the study as usual. Uncle Spike was very anxious about Somayina's arrival and all the complications it presented. He explained the unfortunate case to Mr. Aloysius, the tutor, hoping to use their discussion as an excuse to get rid of the child. But Mr. Aloysius was always careful of his judgments and not afraid of teaching beginners.
When Uncle Spike saw that Mr. Aloysius would not side with him. He let him enter the study alone. As they were about to part ways, a frightful noise as of something falling was heard in the adjoining room, followed by a cry to Saraki for help. Running in, they saw a pile of books and papers on the floor, with the table cover on top. A black stream of ink flowed across the length of the room. Most surprisingly, Somayina had
disappeared. "Oh dear!" Uncle Spike exclaimed, wringing his hands. "Everything is drenched with ink. Such a thing
has never happened before? This child brings nothing but misfortunes on us."
Though Uncle Spike was enraged, Gozie was highly entertained by these events. "Somayina has not done it on purpose and must not be punished," he said, "in his hurry to get away, he caught on the table cover and pulled it down. I don't think he has ever seen a bus in all his life because when he heard the staff coach rumbling by, he rushed out like mad."
"Didn't I alert you, Mr. Aloysius... he lacks etiquette and has no idea whatsoever about behaviour? He may not even know that he has to sit quietly during his lessons. But where has he vamoosed to? What would people say if the nincompoop should flce?"
When Uncle Spike went downstairs to look for the child, he saw him standing at the open gate, looking down the street with his two hands on his waist. "What are you strategizing to accomplish here? How can you attempt to vamoose like that?" scolded Uncle Spike.
"I heard the wild forest pine trees rustle, but I can't see them and do not hear them anymore," replied Somayina, looking emptily down the street. The noise of the passing staff coach had reminded him of the roaring south-wind on the pine trees of the Udokamma Valley.
"Forest pine trees rustle? What arrant nonsense! We are in Port Harcourt cosmopolis, not in a wood or any God damned forest. Come with me now to see what you have accomplished in trying to vamoose."
When Somayina saw the devastation that he had caused, he was greatly surprised, for he had not noticed it in his hurry.
"This occurrence must never reoccur in this dynasty!" said Uncle Spike sternly. "You must sit quietly during your lessons. If you try to rigmarole again, I shall tie you to your chair. Do you comprehend?"
Though Somayina did not understand the big words as usual, he gave a promise to sit quietly during his lessons from that time on. By the time the staff had tidied up the room, there was no more time for studies. Nobody had time to yawn that morning. There was no room for boredom. They did not even notice time to fly by.
In the afternoon, while Gozie was resting, Somayina was left to himself. He planted himself in the hall and waited for Saraki to come upstairs. When he reached the head of the stairs, he said to him, "I want to ask you something."
"All right, Master Somayina, what is it?"
"My name is not master, why don't you just call me Somayina?"
"Uncle Spike told me to always call you Master Somayina."
"Did he? Well then, it must be so. I have three names already," sighed the child.
"What can I do for you?" asked Saraki.
"Can you open a window for me?"
"Certainly," he replied.
Saraki got a stool for Somayina, for the window-sill was too high for him to see over. In great disappointment, Somayina turned his head away.
"I don't see anything but a street of houses. Is it the same way on the other side of the house?"
"Yes."
"Where do you go to look far down on everything?"
"From any very tall building, you can overlook everything. Do you see that high-rise building over there with a big sign?" Saraki said, pointing at a business complex some distance away, "from there, you can overlook everything." Somayina immediately stepped down from the stool and ran downstairs. Opening the small comer gate, he found himself in the street, but he could not see the business complex anymore. He wandered on from street to street, not daring to accost any of the busy people. Passing a corner, he saw a young sweet hawker, a tall, slim, neat boy of about fourteen years old. Somayina ran to him and asked, "Please, where is the high-rise building with a big sign?"
"Don't know," the boy coyly replied.
"Who can tell me?"
"Don't know."
"Can you show me any high-rise building with a big sign?"
"Of course I can."
"Then come and show me, please!"
"What are you going to give me for it?" said the boy, holding out his hand. Somayina had nothing in his pocket but a little flower picture. Gozie had only given it to him this morning, so he was reluctant to part with it. But the temptation to look far down into the valley was so great that he offered him the gift.
To Somayina's satisfaction, the boy declined the little picture.
"What else do you want?"
"Money."
"I have none, but Gozie has some. How much must I give you?"
"One hundred naira."
"All right, let's go!"
The hawker was, in fact, a very friendly boy. He asked Somayina why he was looking for a tall building with a big sign. Somayina summarized his recent life. Soon, the two children were conversing as if they had known each other for years. They became friends immediately because Somayina had a likeable personality. Uncle Spike is the only person to ever dislike Somayina at first sight.
The journey was taking a while, and the two children were getting tired.
"Here it is!" the hawker announced in front of a tall business complex. "Here it is; a high-rise building with a big sign."
Somayina was puzzled at what he saw. He was not sure what to do next. Having discovered an open gate, he banged on it with all his might while the hawker waited, as he had agreed to do. He also agreed to show Somayina the way home for a double fee.
The lock creaked from inside, and an old man opened the door. In an angry voice, he growled, "Come! you no dey fear? Why do you come wake me up? You don't know say today na Saturday? Which office dey open today? Wetin you dey look for? Abi na boko haram send you?"
"This boy na my friend. He came from the village and him wan see all the city from the top of the last floor," the hawker quickly replied before Somayina could open his scared mouth.
"Wetin you wan see? Na waoh Wetin, you think say you go see for here? Abi na God you wan see? I say, wetin you wan see? You be a surveyor? I say na person send you?"
"Nobody send am. He is from Udokamma village. He wants to look down from up there, cilcinal"
"A beg make una comot from here before I count five. One two three... you still dey here? Get out of here and don't try me next time." With that, the gate man was going to shut the giant gate, but Somayina held his bogus Senegalese jumper and pleaded with him to let them in. The gate man looked at the child's eyes, which were tired and nearly full of tears.
"Okay! No problem. Make you no cry," he said, taking Somayina by the hand. The three climbed up
many, many steps, which got narrower all the time. When they had arrived on top, the old man lifted Somayina up to the open window.
Somayina saw nothing but a sea of roofs, electric poles, cables, and more roofs. His heart sank. "Oh, dear, it's different from the way I thought it would be," he said, "but, thank you for letting us up, sir."
"Okay. Make we dey go down quick before my manager go come. I beg, make we dey go!" the gateman pleaded as he led them on the way down. Under the staircase, Somayina saw some guinea pigs in a huge cage. He gazed at them in surprise.
Somayina was delighted when the animals faced the old gateman and began to chirp like birds. The gateman bent down and caressed the back of one of the guinea pigs.
"What charming guinea pigs, what cunning little creatures!" Somayina delightfully exclaimed, watching the guinea pigs crawl about, jumping and tumbling.
"These guinea pigs wey you see so na good pets. I want to go sell them for the market." The gateman explained."Na me go bring them from my mama for village.
"I love the guinea pigs. They are so beautiful. Look at that one... look at this one..." Somayina said, going closer to the staircase.
"If you like them, you fit take one. You need me?" the old man asked.
"For me? To keep?" Somayina asked; he could not believe his ears.
"Yes, na. You fit take three if you wan. Manager no like them at all. Take them if you get where you go keep am. Manager go thank you well well."
How happy Somayina was! Of course, there was enough space in the huge Osisiego compound that contained a zoo if Chief Osisiego needed one. Gozie would be delighted when he saw the cunning things
"How can I take them with me?" the child asked after he had tried in vain to catch one.
"I can bring them to your house if you tell me where you live," said Somayina's new friend, while he caressed one of the guinea pigs.
"Do you know Chief Osisiego's house where there is a golden dog with a ring in his mouth carved on the door."
The old man had lived in Port Harcourt a long time and knew every wealthy person. Surprisingly, Saraki also
was a special friend of his. "I know Chief Osisiego's house," he said. "Does a Fulani man called Saraki still work there?"
"Yes!" Somayina replied excitedly. Do you know Saraki?"
"Well, well! I know Saraki well, well. Na all of us suffer before him get job for Eagle Island. Saraki, get luck well, well. Na Osisiego house you de stay?"
"Yes. I live in Chief Osisiego's house. When you bring the guinea pigs, tell the gaterman they are for Gozie; he will like them, I am sure."
But since Somayina could hardly tear himself away from the pretty things, the old man put three of the guinea pigs in a brown delivery carton to console him. After that, he saw the two boys off to the gate. They both thanked him and went away.
As they left the plaza, Somayina asked the hawker if he knew where Chief Osisiego's house was. Somayina became frightened when the hawker said "no" because he had no clue how to get home. Somayina tried to describe the Osisiego house, but the hawker had no clue where it was. Just when Somayina was about to give up, the sweet hawker screamed, "Ahaa! I know where it is, let's go!"
Off, they started through a shorter alley way, and soon Somayina found himself ringing the doorbell.
When Saraki arrived to open the gate, he said to Somayina, "Hurry up! I need the money so I can get home for dinner." Somayina went in, leaving the helpful hawker outside. In his panic, Saraki did not notice the boy waiting outside the gate.
"Come up quickly, little Master," he urged, "they are all waiting for you in the dining room. Uncle Spike is very angry. Where have you been for the past hours?"
Keeping his guinea pigs under the dining table, Somayina sat down quietly on his chair. Nobody said a word. At last, Uncle Spike began with a severe and solemn voice, "I shall engage you in a conversation later, Somayina. How can you vamoose from the house again without being accompanied? That behaviour is very atrocious. The idea to rigmarole till so late is highly controversial and can not be contained in this dynasty!"
"Wheek!" was the reply.
Uncle Spike shot a sharp, fiery look at Somayina. "I didn't," Somayina began - "wheek! wheek!"
"Shut your oesophagus up, you idiot." Uncle Spike roared.
Saraki walked away from the room, for he could not control the laughter that was about to escape from his mouth. He also did not want to witness what could go wrong between Uncle Spike and the little boy.
"That's enough," Uncle Spike tried to say, but his voice was hoarse with fury. "Arise and exit this arena before I unleash attack on you."
Somayina got up. He began again. "I made-wheek! wheek!"
"Come on, Somayina, stop this joke." Gozie Osisiego howled, "Why do you keep saying 'wheek! wheek!" Can't you see Uncle Spike is angry?"
"I am not doing it. It's the guinea pigs," Somayina explained.
"What? Oh my God! Guinea pigs? Guinea pigs!" screamed Uncle Spike, "Saraki, Ekaete, come and take the horrible things away!" With that, Uncle Spike ran, screaming into the study, locking himself in, for he feared guinea pigs more than anything on Earth.
When Saraki heard Spike calling him, he came back into the room. He had foreseen the excitement, having noticed the guinea pigs when Somayina came into the dining room. But once Uncle Spike left the room, the scene was very peaceful; Gozie Osisiego held one of the little guinea pigs in his lap, and Somayina was kneeling beside him. They both played happily with the graceful creature. Saraki did not want to get involved with guinea pigs because of his religion, so Ekaete promised to look after the newcomers and prepared a corner for them in the disused poultry house around the fence.
A long time afterwards, Uncle Spike summoned courage and cautiously opened the door. "Is he away with the horrible creatures?" he asked.
"Yes," replied Saraki, quickly signalling Ekaete to pick up the little guinea pigs and take them to their new home.
Uncle Spike could not speak because he was still in shock. His conversation with Somayina was postponed to the following day. They all went away quietly. The children were happy that Ekaete was looking after their new friends, the guinea pigs.
See you in the next episode!
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