Chapter Twelve
A surprisingly erect young woman, with bold features, bold glistening forehead, wide mouth, red lips, about 5ft 6inch, rich – light chocolate complexion, and apparently a low rank inspector who this days appeared clean and professional in appearance. He approached her and asked her for inspectors Clive and Rolfman; ‘inspectors Clive and Rolfman are in Briefing with captain Olu-Ramko’, she replied curtly, pointing him towards a door to the far left of the hall way e few feet away, ‘ you’ll see Captain Olu- Ramko’s name on the door sir’, she concluded with almost a smile.
The hallway was wider than the other hallways in offices or houses Mr. Ogunbeshin has seen, the floor made of concrete was clean, shiny as though recently polished; a drab cold air seemed to permanently float around the floor and walls. He knocked and heard ‘come in’, he turned the knob and went into a room with well lit windows, closed with shutters open, a small fan hung from the wall dangling and oscillating on the wall, It’s semi-cool breeze floating through the room. Captain Olu-Ramko a middle aged man with receding hair dressed in spotlessly clean khaki shirt and pants, he had thick eyelashes, a thin threadlike moustache, and a slender athletic frame, waived Mr. Ogunbeshin over to his desk. He stretched out both hands, with a big friendly smile, his teeth shone in huge contrasts with his clean, white and in even rows. ‘Very delighted to finally meet you’, he proclaimed. “Yes indeed’, replied Mr. Ogunbeshin. Have you met Inspector Clive and Latman? do sit down’. I know you drove a long way to get here, and I do not wish to delay you unnecessarily.
“I am very glad you have shown some interest in Tinuke, its both fortunate and unfortunate that a person of your standing is being dragged into this girls life’. You sir are a blessing’. Ok’, said Mr. Ogunbeshin hesitantly, sensing that their was more to the compliments’. “Please, take a seat Mr. Ogunbeshin and I will explain’, continued Olu Ramko, Inspectors Latman and Clive resumed their seats and Captain Olu Ramko took his seat; ‘As you know, the scandal involving the girl’s parents has serious repercussions for the girl’s parents and for the police department. Since this an election season, neither the governor nor the public can be allowed to know about this incident.
The girl’s parents are separating; the girls father wishes to allow you to be the girl’s guardian, he wants to stay in touch with you and the girl, he promises to visit and provide any monetary help you need. He insist you must not disclose your or the girls whereabouts to her mother until it is proven that she is no longer a damaging influence’. Handing Mr. Ogunbeshin a sheaf of documents he continued; ‘I took the liberty of obtaining location and cost for the Ipetu special girls school and have given these to the girl’s father’. ‘Once again the department thanks you and considers these ending a desirable and fortunate end to an otherwise costly episode’ ‘I’ve learnt that a helping hand means different things to people at specific points in their life; and the wrong pressure could be catastrophic.
I also have a desire for something good to result from this incident’. Mr. Ogunbeshin concluded. Apparently delighted Captain Olu Ramko said almost at his feet, ‘if have no further questions or concerns, please sign the release papers, they state you are the girls legal guardian’. Captain Ramko finished speaking and gazed at the papers and Mr. Ogunbeshin, the room becoming silent, the fans on the wall churning quietly as Mr. Ogunbeshin looked through the papers, lifting each page gently, writing his initials on some, his full name on others, when finished with the last page he pushed them over gently to Captain Ramko, and said “I am doing it because the girl deserves a chance to reverse the bad effects the unfortunate incident could have on my son’. Captain Ramko selected a large department envelop, picked up the departments seal and stamped the first page and stuffing one group of papers in the envelop handed it to Mr. Ogunbeshin. “Please bring in the girl’, he instructed inspector Latman.
The girl, dressed in pleated checkered print skirt, came in, her hair braided together, a wrinkled cream blouse hung loosely on her shoulder, she sat down quietly, a cautious look on her face, she listened carefully as Captain Ramko introduced her to Mr. Ogunbeshin, telling her he was now her legal guardian until her father is ready for her, explaining the vocational school and a possible visit from her father.
The girl gave no indication that she was sad or confused, she merely nodded and got up with Mr. Ogunbeshin as they went through the front door through the hallway and into the afternoon heat. Tinuke was silently relieved that she would not stay another day with women who were either two drunk or two loud, to make any sense. She squinted and blinked rapidly, trying not to think of the past few weeks and not succeeding.
She opened her eyes to the familiar outlines, the busy traffic, people freely doing whatever they wanted, she let her eyes follow some until they went out of her sight and the car moved further from the police department. Mr. Ogunbeshin turned around briefly saying ‘we have a lot to talk about, but I think you need a drink and some food, before we go out of town into heavy traffic’, he refocused on the road ahead adding ‘we won’t be in Ipetu for another four or more hours, I don’t want you to continue as though you were yet in police custody, you’ll put it in the past okay’. The girl ‘Tinuke’ nodded. Mr. Ogunbeshin was now almost at the intersection where Solwen drive exited into Baya express road, then he made a left turn at the ‘round about’ (a circular mound in the road indicating that motorists could go in any direction they chose, not necesassrily left or right.
Mr. Ogunbeshin made a three quarter into Elemosho Street; he slowed and gradually came to a complete stop. There opposite a grocery store, ‘Yawsgnik grocers’, was the Ednut Nifodo canteen, he motioned her to get out and ‘lets go get you fed’, the canteen was bustling; they seem to have arrived in the middle of lunch. They were in an open eating house, wide tall windows, high ceilings, with ceiling fans blowing at full capacity. Long rectangle tables and round shaped stools were arranged in two’s fours and sixes. The décor was simple, spacious, and cheerful. Rich mahogany tiles shone across the floor all through canteen. They took a seat across from the kitchen and in a short while they ordered drinks for Tinuke a bottle of sprite and for Mr. Ogunbeshin a bottle of crush.
The drinks they ordered came; chilled bottles dripping with little droplets of ice as the waitress clipped off the bottle caps. The waitress poured them into large size glass mugs and handed them a large plastic menu, and asked them what they wanted to eat. Mr. Ajigbotinu scanning the menu on his table, said ‘meat pie’, referring to the menu item, made up of a mixture of beef, pork, freshly cut spices, cubes of potatoes, deep fried in freshly kneaded flour dough. The aroma of the spices wafted gradually into his nose, they were spices indigenous to Oyo, Ibadan, Abeokuta and Ilorin, western cities known for rich, spicy foods. He requested for “Tinuade, a bowl of Iyan, and egunsi mixed with egunsi and Egbure, an indigenous form of spinach. It usually came in a calabash bowl, steaming, now as it was served much to the delight of “Tinuke” who wasted no time, visibly savoring every swallow, every bite until she ate every last meat in her bowl, every last soup, licking her fingers as she consumed all of it.
The lunch crowd was beginning to thin out when Mr. Ajigbotinu asked “Are you ready to leave Nodding she said “Ready”. The afternoon sun was heating up as they were getting in the car. The car seats could the plates of a slow burning stove. Startled initially, Tinuke slowly settled into her seat and rolled the windows down. As they started down “Udoroko street, the warm air drifting through the car gradually made it bearable to sit back and enjoy the ride. Looking out from the back seat she recognized some whom she just had lunch with as the slowly made their way back to work, mechanic shops, grocers, music retail shops blaring loud, the latest songs trying frantically to attract buyers, used tire sales shops and many more; gradually they approached “Abay road, he turned to see a line of busses and cars roar past, he made a left turn and entered the traffic gradually increasing speed as they he went past the round about in the overpass, and turned right unto Pelemo expressway. We should be at Ipetu in about 5 hours, it will be dark, but the school is expecting us and you should be able to get into your dormitory and rest.
You will be introduced to your class this week, and I shall request that you be allowed to come visit us in Ipetu at least once a month if you want to, and Olumide be allowed to visit you if he wants to. The girl Tinuke, sat quietly in the back seat of the car, lazily looking at the fast moving changing landscape, soon she began not to recognize anything except billboards, the cigarette billboards showing the new fad; a high class girl with cigarette smoke curling up from her lips, the boastful assurance on another billboard that ‘Dunlop tires will ‘ensure safe and smooth travel’. The reminder on another billboard that with ‘bournvita’ chocolate drink with your breakfast, you are certain to have boundless energy all day long, and soon the relieve of being in a normal environment again, and the sadness of such traumatic month and the exhaustion of the past few hours overcame her without any warning and she fell asleep instantly.
Peeking through the rear view mirror Mr. Ajigbotinu, seeing that she was fast asleep chuckled in silent satisfaction and steadied his hands on the steering wheel. A road sign read 3.15 pm they had been driving for about 2 and half hours.
Mr. Ajigbotinu saw the sign, a simple 24 by 36 plank showing visitors they were approaching Ipetu Girls Vocational School, then he began to slow down and turned to a much narrow and rugged road and as the car rocked from side to side, kicking aside or riding itself of any gravel or pebble as tore through the uneven village road;
The girl’s vocational school housed 45 students and sat on an 8000 square ft property, surrounded by fruit trees; coconuts, almonds, papayas, palm, cocoa, cashew, and many more. The building housing the students a rectangular shaped ranch style dormitory with simple concrete floors, bunk beds and mattresses.
Each bed had a tall side by side closet for each beds occupant and at the foot of the bed two level bookshelf’s for the occupant of both the top and bottom bed.
Gradually the girl began to wake, forcing her eyes open as she noticed it had gotten darker and the piercing sun overhead was gone. She was in new surroundings; she inquired “are we almost there? We should be at the school very soon’, the time had crawled to 6.37pm, as the outlines of the main school building became visible.
She sat up trying to see ahead over Mr. Ajigbotinu’s shoulder, she could see outlines of a rectangular roof, a towering bowl appearing to be suspended in the air, with supporting sticks, then she saw they driving to one side of what appears to be large field, it was a football field, their were goal posts on each side, and adjacent to the goal posts were nets on both sides of the open field, lights shone brightly making it possible to see students moving about in their dormitory rooms. Mr. Ogunbeshin slowed the car to a crawl leaning forward to find the dormitory masters house, soon he spotted a building slightly different from other buildings with their flat roofs and smooth concrete walls, this one had an elevated roof, a walk way that led to steps leading to a verandah porch, decorated with flower pots filled with pine shrubs, a couch with a warn out mat, two straight chairs. He stopped and switched off the car for the first time in almost six hours and in Tinuke’s mind the longest ride of her entire life.
Mr. Ogunbeshin soon got to the door; a tall double polished wooden door, narrow in comparison to regular doorways, but what it lacked in width it seemed to compensate in height. A middle aged dark male, opened the door, turning on the porch lights, ‘Se dada le de? He said looking at Mr. Ogunbeshin and past him towards the car and back at him, “Osan yii la ro pe e maa debi; ekaabo’, he continued recognizing he must be the long awaited new student the headmaster reffered to earlier in the week. Mr. Ogunbeshin smiled dryly and said ‘adupe, alafia la de, a o tete bere irin ajo wa, osan yii la sese kuro ni Eko, ohun lo je ko pe bayi kaa to de odo yin’, (we are fine and safe, thank you, we left Lagos late in the day, hence we are getting to a little late’), satisfied with the response and now beginning to the outlines of a faint smile, Mr. Kulumbu Akowe called out to his wife ‘alejo yin tii de’, his wife came out after about a minute and greeted Mr. Ogunbeshin in a high is pitched voice, ‘I will show you to the Tinuke’s room, is she in the car? Saying ‘yes’ to both questions Mr. Ogunbeshin pointed to the car and led the way. Mrs. Owosanmi Akowe, got in beside Tinuke in the back of the car and pointed to a bulding on the far corner of the open field in the middle of two rectangle buildings, they stopped in front of the building and followed Mrs. Akowe. to the girls dormitory, Mr. Ogunbeshin carried a small suitcase that looked more like a duffel bag, she entered through an open hallway door greeting students and getting to an inside door reached for the key and opened it in one swift motion, she stepped inside without hesitation and flipped on the light switch as someone familiar with the location of things in the room.
‘You have a room mate’, she is around here somewhere, she will show up soon, if not while I am here, sometime tonight’. ‘Please look around, over here is your bed, locker for clothes, supplies, books’, and stepping out into the hallway pointing she added ‘over there are your bathrooms, at both sides, the tall doors in the middle of the hallway’. The dormitory doors are locked at 7.30 pm and lights are turned off at 8.30pm. Most school activities start at 8 am; as you live here you should learn to go to bed early and be up between 6.00and 6.30am everyday. Rest assured I will help you find your way around during the week’, you come find me anytime you have questions or any problems’. ‘Are you hungry? It’s your first day, I will feed you tonight’, the cafeteria closed a few minutes before you arrived’. ‘Thank you’, Mr. Ogunbeshin said ‘I see she will be in good hands’, turning to Tinuade, wiping his forehead, a slight scratch to his right ear lobe, a slight tug on his sleeves, ‘you must rest, and be ready for tomorrow’, please let the headmaster call me, if you need anything that you can not get here’.
‘I shall be on my way now! Tinuke nodded saying, ‘greet Olumide, thank you for everything, O daaro sir’. Mr. Ogunbeshin turned again to Mrs. Akowe; ‘Odaro, kii Olorun so wa, Olorun yio maa bukun gbogbo waa, odigba’.
Mr. Ogunbeshin waived again as he slowly turned the car towards the staff buildings and drove past the entrance, feeling both satisfied, thoroughly fatigued and exhausted. It appeared for the moment at least he had removed a tarnish that might mar his son and his family’s image for a long time.
