On getting home, being myself wasn't easy. I had to wear a happy face to hide my troubled heart. But we all know mothers, super-sensitive creatures. They "always" get the feeling when something wrong/unlawful is going on/happening. My mother wasn't an exception. She asked me if I had had any bad encounter in school. "Uh-oh!" a bell rang in my head! What should I tell her? The truth? No! She'll take it too seriously. "Mum....school was fine! You know how lecturers behave,teaching for over 3hours like they don't have a family to go home to/take care of. I'm just having a slight headache that's all." "Are you sure?" She asked. "Absolutely!". She told me to go to her bedroom drawer and get 2 tablets of panadol. Phew! I had finally induced her to believing my story. "Duh..... I didn't really lie to her" I tried telling my good conscience."I still have an headache after all". I took the pills, had my bath, and dashed off to bed. "This the part where you close your eyes, leave aside all the day's thoughts and events and wander far far away" I told myself. As I closed my eyes, all I could see was the little boy with the big cut on his head.I opened my eyes and shook my head,willing myself not to call up every single memory in that scene.I picked up my phone and dialed Ifeoma's number, "My head's still at the front gate, if you know what I mean. I wish we had a sleepover". "Sorry Coop. I warned you about drooling over that boy's situation, but you wouldn't listen. See you at school tomorrow. Better sleep with the light on". "Yea! So much for a good friend", I thought.
It wasn't the dark that frightened me. It was the fact that out there, below my window, was a sick and dying child. I stared out at the lights of 'uyo', for the next hour, watching them gradually go off as people went to sleep. And all the time, as i sat awake, I thought about the living dead who walked among us and how we could help them. As soon as I got to school the following day, I rushed up to the main gate, right to the spot where I knew I'd find the boy. Surprisingly, he wasn't there! I checked the other school gate and the annex gate. Still couldn't find him. I decided to go for my lectures and checkup on him after classes. He still was nowhere to be found. For a whole month, I kept looking for him but to no avail. Confusion set on me. Where did he go? Could he be dead? Would I have disappeared too if I had helped him? I wasn't sure if I was to be glad I didn't offer to help[ him. Anyway! I hope he's still alive and finds favor in the eyes of men. Ah! What a mystery!
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