THE POOR HERO

Amaka was the prettiest girl in my class while in primary two.
She was loved by everyone including teachers and students alike. Everyone wanted to be her friend and I wasn’t an exception. I used to pray for the day she would borrow sharpener from me so that I could have the opportunity to talk to her but she never borrowed anything from me because she had lots of whatever she wanted.

One day, the names of noisemakers was written by the assistant class monitor who was a girl and didn’t like Amaka like the rest of us, so she wrote Amaka’s name.
My name was in it too.

When it was time for us to be flogged, the teacher said he was giving us three strokes each. Even though I had a phobia for ‘koboko’, I decided to do ‘odeshi’ for my three strokes because I didn’t want Amaka to see me cry. After my three lashes, I went to my seat. It was from there I saw my pretty Amaka shivering out out fear. She was already crying even though it wasn’t her turn to be flogged. My heart melted for her.
Finally, her turn came.

As the teacher was about to cane her, I stood up from my seat and shouted, ‘Uncle I will collect the cane for her!’

The whole class became quiet. Everyone’s mouth was opened. The teacher turned to me and asked, “what did you say?”
I replied again, “I want to collect the cane for her”.

I saw the look on Amaka’s face. She was surprised. I felt like a savior and wanted to use this moment to show her that I can go any length to get her attention. I was ready to sacrifice my little bumbum.

“Come outside!”, he commanded me, as he asked Amaka to go back to her seat.
The tempo of my heartbeat increased. Everyone’s gaze was fixed on me and the teacher.

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As I got to where he was, he muttered something like ‘stupid boy, I will show you today’ and grabbed me by the front part of my shorts thereby making my bumbum very visible and smooth and even revealing the lines of the panties I wore. I knew I was in trouble because he didn’t hold anybody’s shorts this way.

I was still feeling the pain from the one I received for myself and now I was about to collect for Amaka. I didn’t bother, at least, Amaka will be my friend after now and she will borrow my cleaner and sharpener henceforth.

The first stroke landed on me and it felt like a cutlass was used to divide my yansh!

I screamed with pain as I tried to escape from the teacher’s grip but he was way bigger than me so I couldn’t escape.

The second stroke came, fiam!
This time around, I knew I was going to die in this man’s hand. The whole class felt for me. I tried to look at Amaka’s face and that was when I saw her laughing at me. My heart broke like the screen of a Tecno phone. See the person I’m suffering for laughing at me when others were pitying me.

The third one came gbam! and landed on the same place that the other ones landed!
I thought that was all since it was three strokes each, but the teacher didn’t let me go.
I ended up receiving 6 hefty strokes for Amaka!

As he let me go, I staggered and fell down. It was as if I was paralyzed.
Somehow, I managed to get to my seat.

Everyone was telling me sorry and it made me cry the more.
I expected Amaka to be the first person to come and tell me sorry but she never came.

After closing hours, I was going to meet her and talk to her when I saw her talking to another boy from my class.

“Amaka how are you?” I asked her. She looked at me and burst into the loud laugher with the other boy.

I began to cry again. I felt betrayed!
That day, I concluded that she was a witch because no normal person would do what she did to me. I was left with many questions. How could she not sympathise with me after all I did? Not even a small accolade. I was devastated!

Today’s lesson is simple!
1. Not everyone you sacrifice for, will appreciate you. Some people are born ingrates.
2. Never inherit another man’s problems in the name of helping them. That’s foolishness.
3. Never inherit another man’s enemy in the name of trying to be loyal! The enemy may deal with you more than they dealt with the person!
4. Never try to force someone into loving you, let it happen naturally else your efforts may end up in tears!
5. I called her a witch because I couldn’t get her to like me.
Because you can’t have something doesn’t mean you should call it bad. That you’re poor, does not make money bad. That you can’t afford an iPhone doesnt mean you should start beefing those who own it. Lol

The following day at school, her name was written again as a noisemaker but mine wasn’t written because I had not even recovered from the strokes of the previous day, so I didn’t have the power to make noise.

As it got to her turn to be flogged, the teacher paused and said, “where is that your husband that collected cane for you yesterday?”

As she pointed to me, I wanted to invoke the gods of my forefathers on her but didn’t know to reach them so I just gave her that Patience Ozokwu kind of evil eyes until the teacher then asked me, “are you not collecting for her today?”

As I nodded my head to say no, tears flowed down my small cheeks when i remembered the previous day, but that didn’t block my view from seeing Amaka cry as the Uncle unleashed six sweet strokes on her buttocks and I clapped for him from where I was seated!
That was the day I knew My God is indeed a God of vengeance! Lol