We Are Able

Episode 55

Mr Immaculate, Moses’ father was amazed at my poems and
the true life story of myself I had been writing for over two
years. He was in a hurry to see it published.
“This is so amazing!” he screamed. “Do you mean to say you
write all these all alone?”
“Yes sir,” I humbly replied.

“Are you sure of what you are saying?”
“Yes sir, I did them all by myself.”
The man walked in slow motion to me and ran his index finger
around my face, my lips, my ears, my nose. When his finger
got to my forehead, he clicked it twice and turned his ear to me
as if he wanted to detect the sound from there. He turned to his
son and said something. They laughed.

Bose had become my best friend. We began to do everything
together. She had even come around with me to the house
twice. She never knew I could be better as a friend than as an
enemy. Bose was the first person to edit my works. She saw
her part of the story in the manuscript, but fortunately for me, I
had ruled a line on it to show that it had been cancelled. How
would I portray her as a bad character in my book? Afterall, she
isn’t a bad girl anymore.

It was Bose herself who brought the manuscript to me and
opened to those parts where her villainous characters were
portrayed.

“Rose, why did you cancel out these?” she flipped the book.

“Oh! I’m sorry I wrote them there in the first place,” I
apologized.

“You don’t need to be,” she said. “I want them there.”
I thought a bullet had just sunken into my skull when I heard
her.

“What do you mean?”
“Leave it there as it is Rose, I want to be in there.”

“As a bad character?”
“Yes, a bad character turned to a good one,” Bose said. “Just let
it be!”

“Impossible!” I shouted with my hands.
Bose was laughing. She must be very crazy.
“Never!” I said. “In fact I’m tearing off those pages.” I grabbed
the book.

“You can’t!” Bose held my hands. We began to struggle. She
overpowered me and got it.
la!de thought we were fighting. We had to smile to her to
show that we were on top of the matter. She calmed down.

Mrs Omotayo was the first to come into the matter:
“Rose, if she says you should leave it there, then leave it there!”
she communicated in sign language. In the past six months she
had kept late nights learning it.

“Why ma?” I asked her.
“Do you know how many bad characters will turn over a new
leaf by reading about her bad lifestyle turned good?”

She had a point, but it wasn’t enough reason for me to admit. It
was the past, so Bose should not show up in my story as once
bad. I would only bring in her story right from that point we
become friends, I thought.

The principal knew about our friendship, myself and Bose. But
he was amazed not seeing us together for almost six days. He
called us to his office and asked why. I narrated the whole
incident and he laughed.
“Two funny kids,” he said. “Rose, do exactly as Bose said to
you,” the man supported her. “So, this is what is causing
quarrel between you two?”
“Yes sir,” Bose said. “And I promised not to be her friend
anymore if she doesn’t start my story in her book from the
beginning.”

“I won’t!” I screamed in sign language. “Better we go separate
ways than putting it in black and white for the whole world to
see that my friend once steals and do all sorts of evil!”

“I want it just that way!” Bose spoke for herself. We eyed each
other.

“It’s better I don’t publish that poo at all—I mean the whole
book for that matter.”
“You can’t do that, Rose!” the principal said.

“Watch me sir; I’m no more interested!”
“You can’t do that, Rose. If you’re no more interested, I am!”
“But you don’t have the manuscript sir.”
“From where?”
“You of course!”
“I’ll flush it off today.”
“Don’t dare that Rose!”
“That’s what I will do sir. It’s better for me not to publish it at
all!”

The principal knew I was bent on doing it. He persuaded me
not to. I felt proud. How come someone who didn’t know me
was now showing keen interest in my write-ups tagged
nonsense by those who knew me? Hmm…would I ever forgive
my father and Toyosi his miserable wife if I saw them again?

“Okay, Rose, why can’t you go ahead and publish it; all you
need to do is to replace the name ‘Bose’ with another name
entirely and no one would know she is the one.”

I didn’t give the principal any reply. I left his office with the mind
to do my own will; perhaps I would consider his latest
suggestion.

Our neighbor who was now occupying our apartment told Mrs
Omotayo that someone came asking for Mr. John’s family who
were once occupying her flat previously. Mrs Omotayo asked
her who the guest was and she said he was the younger
brother to the head of the family.
“Rose, do you know your father’s younger brother?”
“Yes!” I exclaimed. “He travelled to South Africa some years
back. Do you see him?”

“No! He came here this morning to ask for your family!”
“What! Where is he?”
“I wasn’t at home as you know. He only delivered his message
to Mrs Eunice and…”

“Ha! Uncle James! Is he back in Nigeria?”
“Wait, let me land,” Mrs Omotayo said. “Mrs. Eunice told him
that your family is no more living there.”
“Gush!” I b@nged my hands against each other.