PHAROAH

Somehow, our secondary school was home to the most attractive and mischievous girls in the area. It was puzzling since the government was responsible for shuffling us. 

Our first principal, Mrs. Adesogbon, was what you would call "SU" (a religious abbreviation), hence she was intolerant of misbehavior.

Contrary to what you might hear from anyone else, she had a softer side and had a way of playing with us with the teeth she bit us with. I admired how she preached the Bible on the assembly ground; making it very relatable and interesting. She made it feel like it was not the same Bible we used in church.

Despite her religiousness, she managed to stay updated with trends and slang, and this added spice to her sermons.

She never ceased to tell us about her life before Jesus and how she had done whatever wrong we were doing and even planned to do. She always told us it was profitless and would only fill us with regrets at the end of the day.

I do not think any student of IJGS would forget the way she made us pledge to stay virgins till marriage or how she would randomly walk up to us and scare us with the "Are you a virgin?" question.

In SS1, Mrs. Adesogbon retired, and Mr. Ighodalo was transferred to assume the role of principal.

Despite his disciplinary nature, school indiscipline seemed to escalate, maybe because I was a senior student and was aware of so much more. He even earned himself the nickname ‘Pharaoh,’ the origin of which remains a mystery to me.

With time, rumors began to circulate that Mr. Ighodalo engaged in inappropriate relationships with several female students.

My friend, Faith, and I would laugh and condemn these girls.

As children of pastors, somehow we couldn't comprehend how young girls would lie on their backs and let men do that to them.

We scoffed at the idea of sex in marriage. I remember Faith once asked how we would do it when we eventually got married, and we both laughed at the thought.

During our time in SS2, we heard that Memunat had become pregnant. While many expressed sympathy, Faith and I laughed heartily. Memunat was stunning, and boys flocked around her. How could anyone be surprised by her pregnancy? Furthermore, she was not friends with Faith and me.

While we mocked her, deep down, I couldn't help but wonder how she could disregard Mrs. Adesogbon's teachings and do what she did.

The same unfortunate circumstances befell Fade and Grace in SS2. Grace was our friend, so her predicament saddened us.

I remember telling Faith I wanted to ask Grace how she could open her legs for a man, especially under the watch of her strict mother closely monitored her. Luckily, Faith was wise and kicked against it.

There were several stories of our classmates, seniors, and juniors like that, but I was lucky (as I would now come to think of it) to have graduated secondary school without such a tale.

In SS3, Faith began to receive more attention and compliments. One day, she mentioned that Pharaoh had paid for a pen she purchased. We laughed over it. Who would have thought that man from hell had a heart?

A few days later, we arrived at school late, and when we were about to be punished, Pharaoh approached Faith and asked why she was late. She offered a feeble excuse, leading him to invite her to his office. Meanwhile, I received my punishment and went to my class.

Faith didn't return to class until the second period.

That was the start of my tragedy.

During lunch break that day, as we were buying food, a junior student whispered something to the food vendor. In response, the vendor served us extra portions and said they had been paid for. We didn't bother to ask any questions; we left excitedly.

On one occasion, we encountered Pharaoh in his dilapidated car while heading to school early. He offered us a ride, and as much as we did not want to, maybe as much as I did not want to, we couldn't refuse the generosity of the ‘almighty Pharaoh’.

Suddenly, Mr. Ighodalo went from being Pharaoh to Moses in the eyes of Faith and me. He treated us with unusual kindness, and I never questioned it.

One day, during lunch break, I searched for Faith to no avail. When she finally returned to class, she wouldn't disclose her whereabouts, even when I became upset.

Later in the class, she passed me a note saying, "I think the principal is a very nice man." Although I hissed in annoyance, I thought of the events of the past few days and agreed. Maybe students had misjudged him, and we had naively followed their opinions instead of forming our own.

I remember sharing in my Sunday school class that it was not fair to judge people based on hearsay.

After that, things became easier for us at IJGS. We began boarding a bus home, which was previously a luxury. Faith often paid the fare; I never questioned the source of the money.

There were days when I told my mother not to worry about my daily allowance because Faith would cover our meals and transportation expenses.

One day, she asked me how Faith was able to afford that much. I told her her parents had probably increased her allowance. 

Upon returning from school that day, my mother informed me that she had confronted Faith's mother about it, but she denied it. She explained that it meant that the church had raised her husband's salary, but she chose not to tell her. My mother vented about how she had been a supportive friend, providing help whenever needed, only to be forgotten now that the family was experiencing an upgrade.

She stopped talking to Faith’s mother, but that did not affect Faith or me.

One day, I visited Faith's house, but her mother said she wasn't home and that she was at my place.

Suddenly, everything became clear to me. Faith would disappear immediately after buying me food. She had also reduced her visits to my house. I would wait for her for long hours after school, as she would become a pin, and be difficult to find. Whenever I grew angry, she would placate me by purchasing something I loved. Now, she was lying about coming to my place.

When the truth finally dawned on me, I decided to confront her. She admitted that she was involved with a guy and did not tell me because she was not sure how I would react. I was surprised, but happy for her. I asked who he was, but she insisted on keeping their relationship secret. I tried to convince her, more out of curiosity than concern, to let me meet him, but she adamantly refused and made me swear not to tell anyone.

It was a few weeks before our WAEC exams, and Faith seemed unusually sluggish and unwell one day. Her face appeared pale. Concerned, I asked her what was wrong, and she mentioned she was feeling sick. 

When we arrived in class, Maureen, one of our classmates, confronted Faith, saying she was pregnant. The entire class erupted in an uproar.

I defended Faith, telling Maureen not to speak about matters she knew nothing about. Maureen accused me of being naive and claimed that Faith was having the time of her life, while I mindlessly defended her.

I hissed and told her to mind her business or channel all that energy into reducing her body size.

This threw the class into another uproar once more and silenced Maureen as well.

That day, Faith didn't move around as she had started to.

On our way home, the woman who sold roasted plantain at the junction called us over and inquired about Faith's well-being. She asked me to excuse them, and reading her lips, she asked Faith if she knew she was pregnant.

I immediately had goosebumps. How could everyone think so poorly of my friend and me? We knew better than to engage in such actions at our age. I was too disgusted to even hear what Faith's reply was.

We arrived at my house first because Faith claimed to be tired and could not continue home. My mother pulled her aside for a conversation.

The fear within me intensified. Could there be any truth in what Maureen and the woman at the junction said? I decided I would ask Faith about it the following day on our way to school.

But that day would never come.

My mother and Faith left for her place together, with Faith looking worse than she did earlier. My mother did not return home that day.

The next morning, I went to Faith's house, and at first, my mother said she was at the hospital. I insisted on visiting her, but I sensed hesitation in my mother's responses. Faith's mother sat there in silence, staring into space.

After a tapestry of lies and a long deafening silence, my mother dropped the bombshell.