GRASS TO GRACE, A NOVEL

CHAPTER TWO

BULLY GBENGA

    Going through Ijekun Grammar school was not easy for Bisi and Kunle whose parents had to work from dusk to dawn in order to provide for the family and pay their school fees as well. In fact, Mr. Taiwo had already decided that his children were not going to further their education seeing he could no longer pay their school fees without borrowing. The Ijekun town grammar school was located in the Ijekun town, a few miles from the Ijekun hamlet. It was owned by the government but was poorly maintained; the painting of most buildings had been washed off by the rains, it was now difficult to tell what color they were. The walls had cracks all over it that made it look like it needed a pretty strong wind to collapse it, and the louvers of most windows had gone out, and some broken; leaving an open frame through which the wind blew dust into the classes during classes, and cats and birds get in, in search of food and refuge, leaving behind their droppings on the almost broken, squeaky, cracked, and termite-infested desks and lockers. Even some of the black boards hung loosely from the walls at one end; making writing and viewing difficult for the teachers and students. Only the principal’s office and living quarter looked a little different from the class rooms, staff offices and quarters. The doors were still firm on the frame and all the louver blades were intact and the desks in good condition; perhaps, this was due to the fact that the government some times assigns white and foreign principals to the school. So the principal’s living quarter was occasionally renovated; the door frames changed, the plumbing and lighting system changed and fixed when broken and the furniture replaced when the need arose. However, in spite of these parents still sent their children to the school, because the teachers were not disturbed by the poor standards of the facilities and so taught to the best of their abilities. And when the government owed teachers’ salaries, a strike action was not considered, rather patience was applied- it was this quality that distinguished the Ijekun Town Grammar School from all others in the neighboring communities, where teachers didn’t teach well and were quick to go on a strike for even a two-week delay in salary payment.

    Bisi and Kunle were already in their final year at Ijekun town grammar school and were studiously preparing for their forthcoming certificate examinations and other necessary examinations to enable them gain admission into the higher institution. Mr. Kwamw, the Ghanian principal of Kunle’s school had informed them of a scholarship award to be given to the student or students who attain alpha grades in all their courses. This, he said was sponsored by the Oxford university of Britain.

     The two children of Mr. and Mrs. Taiwo were prepared to stop at nothing to get this award, through diligence,considering the squalor and impoverishment in which they lived. And so was their friend Abayomi.The two siblings would always visit the school’s library to study and prepare vigorously for their forthcoming exams, while their mates jeered and scorned them,calling them names like wise Olodo, Village headmaster and mistress, and book worms.

       Bisi,Kunle, Abayomi their friend were the most intelligent in class and always the first to attempy every question asked in class. As a result they were always at the top of the class in every test and internal exam. This caused some jealous class mates to raise eyebrows at them. One of such lazy classmates of theirs who turned out to be a bully and a torn in their flesh was Gbenga Adenuga, whose parents were the wealthiest in town. Gbenga, a tall, fat, dark-skinned boy, had become so puffed up by his parents’ wealth that he no longer takes his studies serious and has gradually turned the dullest in class.

       In an Economics class one day, the teacher Mr. Baden Powell asked Gbenga to state the law of Diminishing Returns. Gbenga stood up with so much pride in his eyes and with a swagger walked to the front of the class. The class was held in suspense itching to hear him. But the fool stood for about ten minutes unable to open his mouth. In fact, he was standing like a lifeless tree whose interior had been devored by termites. Mr. Powell was so angry that he asked the class to hoot at him, which they did with joy. Irate, Gbenga walked out of the class ignoring Mr. Powell’s calls.

        Kunle was later asked to answer the question. In response, he said;

                      “The law of Diminishing Returns states that if two or more variable factors of production are constantly been added to a fixed factor such as land, production will rise to a point when further additions would result in a gradual fall in output. Thank you” he added. Pleased by this, Mr. Powell asked the class to give Kunle a standing ovation. Gbenga was at this point infuriated as he observed from the window. He then connived with his two friends, Kole and Eze to beat up Kunle after school.

       On their way home, Bisi commended Kunle for his intelligent answer, and just as Abayomi was about to do same, the trio waljed out from a bush by the road side.

                        “So you think you are the only one who can give intelligent answers, right?” Gbenga asked angrily.

                        “Don’t mind the fool” Eze added.

“Olod…” “Enough of that” Kunle interrupted Kole just as he was about abusing him.

                “What is it? Is it now a crime to answer questions in class?” Kunle asked angrily.

                “Gbush!” Gbenga had just smacked Kunle hardly on the cheek.

                “yeeeh” Kunle cried out in pain.

                “Boom!” was a blow from Kole before Kunle could recover from the first. The three began beating the helpless kid whose sister and friend had gone to report the latest development to the principal. Kunle however managed to escape the trio after being badly bruised and injured.

                “We’ll get him another day” Gbenga said as they ran off a slope by the side.

       The next morning, Mr. Kwame instructed that Gbenga and the others be whipped before the entire school and given the grass to cut. The latter was as a result of Mr. Powell’s account of the incident which had occurred earlier the previous day. Gbenga and his friends had to learn their lessons the hard way and decided to refrain from bullying seeing they had been reduced to nothing and their reputations dented. The miscreants soon became the talk of the school and being the leader of the clique Gbenga gained the nick name “bully Gbenga”.