Hot Eyes – Episode 1

HOT EYES EPISODE 1

©Abhynha Yankey

That night at service, Lexis sat all by himself. It seemed he was lost throughout the service. He didn’t care much about whatever was going on. It became worse when he saw his best friend Cassandra move in.

Was it true they would be leaving each other very soon? He didn’t want to accept that fact.

He took out his phone and sent her a message on whatsapp. She was taking too long in replying, since her phone was in her purse.

He deemed it necessary to check her dp and status. It seemed she had been thinking about it too. She finally took her phone from her purse when she saw Lexis with his phone.

“I will miss you too and I hope you know it. I promise not to make new friends till we come back from school”, she replied.

Lexis couldn’t hold back his tears. He was going to be away from his friend.

He wished he could do something about it, but education was very important too.

Both friends were from very affluent and well-known families.

They had been friends since they met in primary school.

Now is the time for them to prove to the world how far the friendship can go. They were both leaving for SHS.

Lexis had Adisadel College in Cape Coast while Cassandra had St. Mary’s Girls’ in Accra.

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As soon as they closed from church, he went straight to the house, not bothering to wait for his parents or say goodnight to anyone. He knew it would soon be daybreak.

“Lexis, hurry up. We are waiting for you”, he heard his mother shout.

He went to the kitchen to hug the househelp. His parents and younger sister were already in the car with the driver well dressed, and seated behind the steer.

He jumped in to join his sister. He didn’t talk much because he was already missing home. He wished they could pass by Cassandra’s place.

“Junior,Cassy is on the line. She wishes to talk to you”, his daddy said.

He was so happy to hear her voice. It was rather unfortunate she was also on her way, so she was using her mother’s phone. They talked all through the journey till Cassandra arrived. He engaged her till he also arrived before he hanged up.

He was given a room. The house master gave him a school father. He was nice and gentle. His parents talked to him, gave him money and promised to visit every twilight. That, at least, brought smiles on his face.

He couldn’t but hug his sister who was crying all this while. The driver helped him with his luggage as he continued to talk with his family.

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His first night at school was a nightmare. Sleeping with many people under one roof and only one fan was something he was new to. Some claimed they were feeling cold so they had to put off the fan.

Some seniors came around to extort money from the freshmen. He was so scared he held the money and threw it at them even before they got to him.

“… Heh who that? Who whey drop this thing for wana top? If the person no….”

Before the senior could end his statement, Lexis was already on his knees before them apologizing.

He was fortunate his school was among them. They pulled him downstairs when they were done with the extortion of the money.

He cried as they interrogated him. His school father sat and watched on since it was school life. He had to be baptized in order to be matured.

They took all his provisions and money from him. He was barely left with nothing. He knew he had some money with his school father. He was a rich kid so his school father told him to call his parents and tell them he had been robbed. At least, his parents wouldn’t sit and watch him go hungry.

He was given a mobile phone to call his dad.

His father promised to come over first thing in the morning with some money and provisions.

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He waited endlessly the next day, but his father didn’t show up. His line was going through but no one was answering.

He then remembered it was a Friday so he might be having a meeting.

On Saturday,his mother came over to pick him home. His father had been involved in an accident the previous day. It occurred on his way to visit him. He survived it though, but was unconscious so was on admission at Tetteh Quarshie Memorial hospital, Mampong. That is where they stayed.

He broke down in tears when they got to the hospital. It was as if he was dead. He sustained various degrees of injury and was receiving oxygen.

What is this life all about? A first year student who is now trying to embrace school life…

It was soon time to be going home.

He couldn’t eat nor sleep. He loved his father so much that thoughts of his current condition was making him crazy. He wished he was also unconscious so that he wouldn’t have to cry and fall sick or perhaps, go back to school and meet those seniors.

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Too soon, time was up to return to school. He did not want to go, so he hid under his bed. After five minutes of unfruitful search, he finally showed up because he was already suffocating.

The driver took him to campus. Much money wasn’t given to him this time around, because it was being channelled into his father’s health care. He was at the private unit so they were paying much.

Upon arrival, classes had already begun. He went straight to his school father to report himself. He was glad to see him, thinking there would be enough to spend.

He narrated his story to him. Some of the school father’s colleagues were present, so they managed to listen to it though he wasn’t talking to them.

“Ooow! This man too, sake of queer monis wo go chop nti no, u hy3da get accident”, one said.

“….naaa, I don’t believe it. This guy z naughty. He wants to play a trick on us”, another exclaimed.

“…but how can I play with such thing? My father is on the hospital bed instead of his matrimonial bed, and they are here thinking I’m making fools out of them”, he thought.

His school father managed to convince them after they made him cry. He left to his room and cried. He was missing his family. He turned on his bed and prayed to God to heal his father. Even if the father was the worst sinner, God should consider his education and forgive him.

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Even if the father was the worst sinner, God should consider his education and forgive him.

Things were getting out of hand. The burden was becoming too heavy for Lexis to carry. There was no money to be sent to him while in school.

He wasn’t hearing from his mum nor sick dad. He wished he could go home to check on his father but there was no money, none to even be used for transportation.

It was now obvious that he was suffering. The hardship was written all over his face. He had to beg to eat from his own school father’s chop box.

His school father finally decided to stop him from eating from his chop box.

It wasn’t as if he wasn’t having enough to help him as a school son, but he had to struggle to gain, that was the rule of the game.

Was he supposed to steal? There was no way he could do that? What if he was caught? The embarrassment would be too much for him to handle.

He started having sleepless night. Many thoughts ran through his mind.

He was now getting hungry in the middle of the night. He went to his school father’s end to wake him up for something small to sustain him till daybreak.

…to be continued

 

 

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