"THE ROAD AHEAD" Chapter 1

Our next story is titled THE ROAD AHEAD, which was culled from Busola Akinniyi's blog..so enjoy the story

CHAPTER ONE

It’s around 4pm on Maloney Street. The street is quiet as usual as a black Mercedes Benz 230 pulls up, few houses away from Roland guest house. A man steps out of the car checking if what he had kept inside his pocket is intact. He is wearing a Yoruba native attire, one looking a size bigger than him. He locks the car and heads for the guest house, ensuring much eyes are not on him as he walks towards his destination.

He gets to the guest house and goes straight in without asking any of the security men any question. The guest house is a three storey building, made up of ten single rooms and six double. The employees are quite few and hardly seen except for the two security men at the entrance.

The stranger walks into the reception and gives the receptionist a sign of greeting while heading for the stairs. He got to the last floor, heading for the corridor where one of the double on that floor has its door. He knocks and walks in at the beckon of his host.

With the reception from his host, one can tell that he was expected. Both men started an heated discussion as his host blurts out “why did you demand to see me so urgently?”, closing the door as his guest walks in.
“We need to talk. I still think you should tell the chairman that he should allow me for this term instead of you,” the man in the native attire says as he turns to face his host.
“This same issue again? I thought we’re over this…”
“No we’re not.” the guest cuts in.
“Then why didn’t you say all these before the chairman?”
“Because it’s all in your hands, Teluwo. You are the one that should step down”
“But my stepping down doesn’t change anything. You still won’t be used…”
“Says who!” the man in the native attire cuts in, “of course I will. They will have no other choice but to give me that position. So that’s why I’ve come to tell you to step down for me.” giving him a stern look.
“I’m sorry I can’t and I won’t.”
“You won’t?”
“I won’t.” Turning away from him as goes towards his bedside table reaching for the landline by the side of his bed. Before he could pick up the phone the man in the native attire brings out a knife and stabs him from behind. The host looks at his guest in pain and agony wondering why he had to result to this as he manages to say something in pain “why did you have to do this?” trying to maintain his balance as he falls on the ground.

“That’s because you have refused to step down willingly.” He goes towards the phone and picks it up, dialing it, “hello Amode….please come over to the guest house there’s something you really need to attend to. Teluwo and I are here already.” He listens for a while and continues, “okay, how long will it take you?.....okay” he hangs up trying not to step on the stream of blood which is now flowing towards him and looks at his victim whose eyes are now very red. He checks his pulse and sees that he’s still alive, “won’t you just die on time so that I can leave already?” he hisses in sit on the chair by the bed.

He waits for a while and goes towards the window, looking out through it. After some time, he looks at the body on the floor and leaves the room immediately rushing out without being suspected. He gets to his car and drives off.

Few minutes later, another man arrives and goes straight into the guest house, the same room room the stranger had left, finding the body of his friend on the floor. He quickly removes the knife hoping to free him from the pain while trying to wake him but he was too late. With the knife on the floor and the blood stain on his hands he picks up the phone and dials it calling for an ambulance.

Less than an hour later, policemen arrive, running into the room where the murder had being committed. The man with the blood stained hands was taken as a suspect in the murder of his friend, Teluwo.


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James Akande is a man in his fifties, both he and his wife had been childless for several years before they finally had a son. They named him Olajide. Olajide grew up to be a very intelligent and brilliant boy.

Although James and his wife had been childless for so long, they never failed to inculcate the right norms and values in their son Jide. Though he is from a humble background, Jide was the kind of child any parent would pray to have.

Mr. James works in a security firm. Due to the hard economic condition of the country, his monthly earning is barely enough to take care of his family, pay his house rent and other bills that comes with living in an urban area, therefore, he was only able to send his son to a public primary school.

Abike, James' wife is a good and hard working woman, wife and mother. Though she's beautiful, she remains faithful and loyal to her husband despite the hard conditions of the country. A praying mother she is; always praying for her family, especially her dear son.


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The governor’s wife started a spelling bee competition among public primary schools, one where different primary schools across Lagos state would bring their best students to compete for the first second and third positions where scholarship will not only be awarded but the best pupil will be allowed to govern the state for one day. During the competition, words will be pronounced for pupils to spell orally.

Being a very bright student, Jide was made to join in the competition alongside some other pupils of the school and coming out as the best student, he was not only made a one day governor but was also given a scholarship by a telecommunication company for winning the Spelling-Bee competition.

During the competition, the Proprietress of one of the most prestigious and expensive private schools, Mrs. Baker, was invited to the competition by the Governor's wife. She was so impressed by Jide’s brilliance and also thought of how Jide can be a good potential to her school; she therefore offered him a full secondary school scholarship immediately.

Since the scholarship was in two folds, the telecommunication company decided to give him a university scholarship instead.

Mrs. Baker is the owner of Atlantic College, an expensive and prestigious secondary school, where you find mostly children of the rich and mighty in the society. She took a liking to Jide during the competition because of his extra-ordinary brilliance and knew that he would be able to help out the school in their various competitions.

Having got the scholarship, Jide did not continue with the public primary school, according to the advice of Mrs. Baker, he skipped his primary six class and got into Junior Secondary School One (JSS1) and from the day he resumed in Atlantic College, Mrs. Baker paid a special attention to Jide.

Mrs. Baker did not regret her decision, most especially when Jide resumed JSS1, he would top the class, giving the second person to him a very long gap. Sometimes his teachers wonder if they really need to teach him, because he hardly got any question wrongly.

As time went on Jide would go on different competitions for the school and win different awards for them.
When Jide was in JSS3, his school uniform became worn out. One of the teachers who had taken note of this brought it to the notice of the principal.
“Ma,” Miss Chinwe says as she enters into the Principal’s office.
“Yes Miss Chinwe?” the principal says as she puts down the file in her hand.
“What do you think we can do about this boy’s uniform?” taking a seat in front of her Boss. “I mean Jide, I think we should talk to the proprietress about it…”
“Talk to the proprietress? Why should we? Hasn’t she done enough? She gave him a scholarship, do you still want her to buy him uniforms?”
“Em….ma, I was thinking since he has worn a lot of competitions for the school since he joined us, then we should…”
“Miss Chinwe…” the Principal cuts her short.
“Ma,” knowing that is how the principal calls out when she thinks they are being ridiculous.
“Do you know how much our school fee is?”
“Over half a million ma.”
“Good. And that boy’s school fees is covered from now till he finishes from this school, isn’t it? “Yes ma...”
“What else do you people what then? You can as well ask the proprietress to house him, his father, his mother and also feed them right?...” Miss Chinwe becomes numb “I mean if his school fees is covered, can’t his parents look for how to buy him ordinary school uniform?”
“Well ma…”
“Miss Chinwe,” the principal cuts in before she could continue, “the money we won during the competition, does it cover Jide’s school fees? Because you’re telling me about the money now as if it’s about a million dollars….”
“I’m sorry ma. I just wanted to tell you because the JSSCE competition will be coming up soon and…”
“Go and call the boy for me.”
“Okay ma….” Miss Chinwe leaves for Jide’s class and later returns with him.
“Jide Akande…” the principal looks at Jide through her thick glasses.
“Yes ma…” says Jide, wondering what he has done this time.
“Have you seen your uniform compared to that of the others?” looking at the grey shirt underneath his rumpled blazer almost turning to white.
“Yes…ma…” Jide answers her remorsefully.
“This school is a very reputable one, we need all our students to be good ambassadors outside and how else do you want to do that without looking good in a neat uniform of ours? Just look at your uniform, look at your shirt, it’s supposed to be grey, now its white, your black blazer is so rumpled and becoming tattered, I’m sure you don’t take it to the dry cleaners or do you?” Jide nods. “You wash them at home, isn’t it?” Jide nods. “Imagine? You are supposed to take it to the dry cleaners, you can’t possible wash them yourself…how many uniforms do you have?”
“One ma.”
“Just one?....why?
“Because…that’s the one they gave me when I came here.”
“Of course I know that, but your parents are supposed to buy, at least, an additional one…didn’t they?”
“No ma…”
“No wonder this one wore out on time….anyway, you will be going for the JSSCE competition very soon so please tell your parents to get you another one before then, okay?”
“Y…yes ma…” Knowing that will be very difficult.
“Tell them it’s just 25000 naira only, its nothing compared to the school fees of over half a million naira so tell them to get you the uniform, okay?”
“Yes ma…”
“You can go back to your class, make sure the next time I see you, your uniform has been changed…”
“Yes ma.” Jide leaves for his class, while the principal turns to Miss Chinwe...
“Miss Chinwe, if that is all, you can return to your desk.”
“Yes ma.” She leaves the principal’s office.


Throughout the day, Jide could not stop thinking of how to get a new uniform. His closest friend Anayo noticed his countenance and approached him. “What happened to you Jide what happened at the Principal’s office?” leaning on the table before Jide.
“The principal said I should change my uniform and the money is much, I don’t think my parents can afford it.”
“Oh…but why can’t they afford it?”
“My Daddy is feeling really sick, sometimes we would have to go to his workplace to bring him home. Some days ago, he fell down at work and we had to go and bring him home and mummy said any day he doesn’t go to work, they will remove from his salary.”
“But how do you know all this? My mummy doesn’t tell me anything about all this things.
“My mummy usually tell me everything…”
“So what will you do now?”
“I don’t know, I will still tell my mummy and hear what she will say…”
“I hope they will not tell you to leave the school because of it…”
“I hope so too.”



Later on that day, Jide got home and told his mother all that the principal had said and a distressed Abike could not but think of what to do, “oh my God…what do we do? Where will I get 25000 naira?...look at your father, since the beginning of this month, he has only gone to work for ten days and today is 24th.  Last month, they removed more than half of his salary…I don’t even know how we will pay the rent next month…”
“Mummy…maybe I should go and sell pure water and do small work for people to get money…”
“No…at this young age, how can I allow you to do that? No I won’t…”
“But mummy, if I don’t buy another uniform, they may ask me to leave the school”
“God forbid! Where will I get money to take you to another school?”
“But mummy the money is much…”
“No…you will not leave the school…may be I will go and borrow money from people,” thinking of how to go about doing that, she continues, “don’t worry, go and eat your food, I will think of what to do.”


Jide kept thinking about how to get another uniform. He thought of selling sachet water on the road, hawking in the market place and every other thing possible just to be able to get money.


To be continued...