Your cup is full

A Troubled Morning

The quiet and peaceful morning was broken by the voice of Obi, who was yelling at his senior sister.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Have you lost your senses? What were you thinking that you did not wash my Friday wears?"

Amaka, who knew she was in big trouble, started pleading.

"I am so, so sorry. I did not see it in the laundry basket, so I thought it was clean," Amaka pleaded.

"You fool! Was your head so blocked that you did not know that if it was not in the laundry basket, then it would be in my room? Then you should check if it was dirty or not before thinking about your futureless life!"

Amaka bit her teeth as she kept a serious face.

"Obi, mind the manner you use while talking to me. Besides, I am your senior," Amaka cautioned.

"Senior my foot, you dirty pig!" Obi shouted.

Amaka, who couldn't bear it anymore, rushed to Obi and gave him a slap.

The sound of the slap, combined with Obi's yelling, drew everybody from every nook and corner of the house.

"Amaka, I need you to give me a reason why you slapped your brother so hard like that," Mr. Anya said, squeezing his hands so tightly that you could count the veins in his body. His eyes were as red as blood.

Amaka was so frightened. She had never seen her father this angry before.

"I am so sorry, Daddy. Besides, he was insulting me and calling me names because I forgot to wash his school uniform. I could not find it in the laundry basket, which was not my fault, because a rule was enforced that all dirty clothes should be kept in the laundry basket," Amaka defended.

"Was that why you wanted to kill him by giving him a slap so hard like that?" Mr. Anya shouted.

"I am sorry, Daddy. It was just that I was vexed with the manner he talked to me. I am sorry, Daddy. I won't do it anymore," Amaka pleaded.

Mrs. Ngozi, who stood beside her husband, stared at Amaka, then glanced at her husband.

"Darling, she told you she's sorry. Please forgive her," Mrs. Ngozi pleaded.

"Yes," Mr. Anya said, nodding repeatedly.

"Yes, I know she's sorry. That's why I am not going to give her money for her snacks today."

He turned to Amaka.

"Prepare and leave for school. No snack money for you today," Mr. Anya said as he walked out.

Amaka stood still as hot tears dropped down her cheeks.

Mrs. Ngozi felt pity for her and walked forward to embrace her.

"Sorry, dear. I will talk to your dad, okay?" she comforted.

Obi stood at the doorpost, smiling as he watched his sister crying.

The Expulsion

"Principo" was their slang word for principal. The three were still swimming in a pool of shock when the principal called out,

"Are you three part of this class?"

When he looked closely, he noticed Obi—the school scandal.

"You again! You nuisance! I'll teach you a lesson you will never forget!"

He ordered them to his office.

"Obi, your behavior has been unacceptable. In many ways, your actions do not prove that you are a serious student. It is better to have one good student in this school than to have flocks of goats like you. I'm afraid I have no choice but to expel you. Therefore, you are hereby expelled and no longer a student of Kings and Queens International High School."

Hearing this, Obi smiled.

"Are you not tired of this? How many times have you tried expelling me? Anyway, not much talk—the ball is always on my side. I wish you good luck," Obi said as he walked out.

The principal folded his hands in anger and swore that if Obi was not expelled, he would resign.

When the letter reached Mr. Anya, he brushed it aside at first, thinking it was nothing serious. He called Obi's class teacher immediately.

"What is wrong with this man? Is he not tired of this nonsense?" he muttered to himself.

At the school, Mr. Anya pleaded with the school board. He even attempted to bribe the disciplinary chairman, begging him to help prevent Obi's expulsion.

But the chairman rejected the money.

He explained that the letter had already been signed by the disciplinary team and that they could not risk losing a valuable principal because of one troublesome student.

Mr. Anya tried everything—financially and physically—but all efforts proved abortive.

He had no choice but to accept the decision and search for another school.

After several rejections—some because of mid-term admission rules and others because Obi failed entrance tests—they finally found a boarding school willing to accept him.

After bribing the principal, Obi was granted admission without taking any test.

The name of the school was Noble Child Boys School.

Although sending Obi to boarding school was not Mr. Anya's intention, he had no other choice.

The Journey to a New Beginning

The journey to Obi's new school was mostly silent as Mr. Anya drove along the urban road leading to the boarding school.

That morning, he chose to drive Obi personally, knowing it would be the last time they would stay together until mid-term break.

Obi listened to the sweet melodies of birds singing. The trees swayed gently as if dancing to the rhythm.

He gazed outside while clutching his admission letter tightly to his chest, imagining what his new school would look like.

Mr. Anya, on the other hand, kept wondering if he was making the right decision.

He worried about how Obi would cope, especially since Obi had never stayed away from home before.

Rumors about boarding schools—maltreatment and torture—filled his thoughts, making him uneasy.

After nearly two hours on the road, they finally arrived.

Noble Child Boys School stood in a serene and picturesque environment, far from the noise of city life.

As Obi stepped out of the car, he scanned the compound and realized it was three times larger than his former school.

Tall fences surrounded the school to prevent students from escaping.

Obi carried his luggage, bid his father farewell, and walked toward the principal's office.

He paused at the door, unsure whether to knock or enter.

Suddenly, his luggage slipped from his hand and hit the ground with a loud thud.

A deep voice thundered from inside.

"Who's that?"

Frightened, Obi stepped backward.

Then the voice came again, calmer this time.

"Come in."

Relieved, Obi turned the doorknob and entered.

Mr. Marshal, the principal of Noble Child Boys School, was a tall, plump man with a frightening face and a thick voice.

That morning, he was flipping through old books, completely unaware that Obi had entered his office.

“Gu…d…day sir,” Obi stammered. He was so frightened by the principal’s appearance that he forgot it was still morning.

Mr. Marshal raised his head to see who it was. “How are you, boy?”

“I am good, sir,” Obi answered, shaking profusely.

“You were the boy who came with your dad for admission, right?”

“Yes, sir,” Obi affirmed.

The old rusty door of the principal’s office flung open as a boy about six feet tall in a blue uniform walked in, holding a file. Obi stared at the uniform and noticed it was the same one his mother had sewn for him when he gained admission into the school. It was then he realized it was the school uniform.

“SP, have you found it?” the principal asked.

“Yes, sir,” the boy replied as he handed the file to Mr. Marshal. It was then Obi realized that the boy in uniform was the school Senior Prefect, abbreviated as S.P.

“SP, take this young boy to Redwood House, Bunk 4,” Mr. Marshal said, pointing at Obi.

Although his head was down and his eyes were fixed on the file the SP had brought, he responded, “Okay, sir.”

The SP led Obi out.

“What is your name?” the SP asked as they left the principal’s office and walked along a clear, well-weeded narrow lane that divided two fields.

“My name is Obi,” he said shyly.

“My name is Victor. You can call me Senior Victor. I am the SP of this school. Welcome to Noble Boys International School.”

Victor had barely finished speaking when he spotted two junior students fighting.

“Hey, you boys!” he shouted. “Suspend whatever you are doing and get on your knees!”

Victor was about to punish them when he suddenly stopped, turned to Obi, and pointed at a building about six miles ahead.

“Go and wait for me in that building over there,” Victor said, then walked toward the fighting students.

Obi walked slowly along the narrow path, often looking back to see if Victor was coming. The thought of what Victor would do to the two boys kept troubling him.

When Obi reached a T-junction some distance away from the building where he was supposed to wait, he heard a sharp, deep voice.

“Hey, you boy, come over here!”

Obi scanned the area to see where the voice was coming from. Finally, he saw a group of older students standing near the building where he was supposed to wait.

He turned back to confirm if they were calling him, and then noticed another group of students coming from behind him. That was when he realized something important: the SP was wearing a long-sleeved blue shirt and trousers—same as the older students calling him—while the group behind him wore short-sleeved shirts and shorts.

He then understood that the ones calling him were senior students, while the others were juniors.

By now, the group of seniors had come closer.

The same voice called again, this time more aggressively:

“You, with the luggage, come up here!”

Obi looked up again. This time they had increased to four.

He was about to take a step when he overheard junior students whispering among themselves. He could clearly hear one of them say:

“Oh, poor boy. He is going to die in the hands of Danger and High Tension.”

As the student passed, he added, “But it’s too early for tail cutting.”

Obi stood frozen. He kept thinking about what “tail cutting” meant, but the earlier words echoed in his mind:

He is going to die in the hands of Danger and High Tension.

In fear, Obi gathered courage and took a step forward, facing his fear. He had only taken two steps when he heard a familiar voice calling him—it was Victor, the SP.

Seeing the situation from afar, Victor immediately knew Obi was in trouble. He knew what Daniel, popularly called Danger, was capable of.

At the sight of Victor, Obi felt a little relief, but he still stood frozen, unable to move forward or backward. He simply stared at the two seniors, Danger and High Tension. He could see anger and authority written on their faces.

Obi’s corner mates were Samuel, Ade, and Akam. The school had many hostels, but each hostel was divided into four sections using plywood, forming cross-like partitions. These were called “corners.”

Each corner contained two double bunk beds, accommodating only four students. In no time, they became close friends—eating together, studying together, and walking together.

With the help of his friends, Obi might have turned a new leaf, but the bullying and violence in the school stood like a storm threatening the boat carrying him toward a new life.