My teacher my lover

Livia Pov Any moment from now is lunch time according to my wrist watch. I excused myself from the boring literature class to my locker. Thank God there were not many students around, so I quickly carried my lunch box and made my way straight to the convenient room. I went to the door at the extreme which students hardly used because the lock was damaged. Sitting on the watercloset seat, I took out my lunch to kill the hunger in my stomach. God, the aroma of my soup got me rushing to wash my hands in the wash basin. Lo and behold, I'd already put my first morsel into my mouth and swallowed it. God, this world is a duo! Try starving yourself and you’ll understand that there are two worlds. Upon digging my hand inside my food for another take-in, someone opened the door, startling me and my soup spilt from my thigh, turning my plate upside down and my swallow just rolled on the ground. I lifted my head up to find out who didn’t know how to knock and I was met by a beautiful brown-skinned girl. We locked gaze for about 8 seconds or more, “umh, what are you doing here?” she asked, breaking the stare. “Hello, this is a public toilet” gaze sadly. Who doesn’t know how to knock or say sorry and that is the first thing she can say to me. She looked around the place, “I mean…were you eating in here?” she sounded a bit loud. “Can you lower your voice please?” I cautioned her and looked behind her to check if we had a third party but guessed we were all alone. I bent down to clean the messed up floor all thanks to her and she offered to help, “Let me help you clean…” I held her hand, stopping her, “it’s okay, I can do that”. She looked at me for a few seconds and stood up and she left. I thought she was gone but she came back again. I guess she used the other free room. I was washing my dish when she came to me, “I’m sorry, I never knew someone was there” without looking at her, I continued washing my flask, “it’s fine, I should have known to lock the door. I just leave it unlocked because students hardly use it.” God, I am damn hungry. It’s like I just touched the lion’s tail. I didn’t eat dinner last night. I was so tired after hawking and I went straight to bed without even bathing and this morning, I woke up late because I over slept. I didn’t have my breakfast so I packed it for school and now I was supposed to have lunch, it was taking away from me. Maybe my ancestors are causing me from somewhere. I kept my lunchbox on the basin as I finished washing and trying to check myself for any stained spots. “You know what! Just come with me” she said, and I looked at her, “to where?” She grabbed my hand and started to walk away, “my lunchbox”. I whispered and she waited, still holding my hand, and we were out after picking up my lunchbox. She just held my hand so friendly and I wondered where she was taking me too. Oh, I just noticed, she’s not in her uniform, she must be a new student otherwise she would not have even talked to me. Who doesn’t know poor wretched Livia Kalu in this school? Nobody likes to associate with me because I can’t offer them anything. People like to friend those who they can benefit one thing or the other from, but I am from a low-income family background. My dad is a vulcanizer and my mum is a stay-home mum. She started helping the family when the situation was beyond repair. Before, Dad used to make a low income from his work that sustained us at least two square meal a day and used the one meal for utility consumption, but when he could no longer provides the two meals, Mum started helping. That is when she started a vegetable business. Every morning, she goes to rural villages to buy vegetables in bulk and I sell them at retail price when school dismisses every day. In that way, she was still able to maintain our two squared meal and the utilities consumption. Oh, I also have two brothers. The elder one is doing apprentice weldering. The younger one is still in 6th grade. So, having that kind of large family of five, sometimes feeding is very hard when all of us depend on the little Daddy makes or the little I make from hawking after school. So tell me how I have time or even money to give, especially money, because in Nigeria, poverty is a crime and if you reside in Abuja, Lagos, Anambra or Asaba you will be taken for a rich person, but things are not as it seem. Anambra is a very lucrative area and whatever business you do here must pay and I think that is why my family is not thinking of relocating. At least we still eat and pay bills. This student must be known because when she finds out how wretched I am, I’m sure she’ll despise me. Curious of where she’s taking me to, we'd already passed my class in the hallway and we are now climbing another staircase. “Where are you taking me to?” We climbed to the top of stairs. Is she taking me to the principal? Because the door at the extreme is his office and there are only three doors here, we passed one. Oh, we just stopped. She dug her hand inside her pause and brought out her key, she opened and ushered us in, “my office, welcome” she said. Her office? I thought she is a student because she is as fresh as morning dew. “Your office…are you a teacher?” she smiled, “ Yes, make yourself comfortable”. I still can’t believe she is a teacher. “Why…are you smiling…did I say something wrong?” She went around to a corner and came offering me a cup of coffee, “No. People ask me that a lot. Don’t I look like a teacher?” I looked at her, she’s young like a teen, brown-skinned girl, blue ocean eyes, and she is wearing a yellow short hand shirt and a short printing flare white skirt above her knees, a red high heel sandal, and a 5’6” feet tall. “You look more like a student” she sat down on her chair “well sorry to disappoint you let’s get back to business” she gestured me a chair in front of her desk to sit down. I looked around and found a couch very big for two with two mini pillows ‘do she sleep here’, I thought internally. This office has nothing decorated like the principal office except that everything here is in white. Both walls, desk, chairs, couch, bookshelf, including the laptop on top of the desk. I sat down with my coffee untouched “can’t drink coffee, sorry. I’m hungry”. I dropped the coffee on the desk, “we will solve that problem”. She picked her phone and made a call, “ Yes, bring two please” and she hung up and put the phone on her ear again, put it down and signed. She stood up and rummaged through her bookshelf, took some pieces of paper and her phone started ringing. She picked it up and someone knocked. She signaled me to go get the door. I went to open the door and someone handed me a package. “ Thank you”, I said, and he was gone. I came back, she was still on the phone, “sorry I told you it was an emergency, something just came up and I really have to attend to it. Will talk to you later” and she hung up. She walked out of her chair and came to where I was sitting, she adjusted the vacant seat and sat down, “shift back” she said, and I did. She pressed a button on the desk and a mini dining table came out of the desk, “wow! Is this technology or skill?” she laughed “both, let's eat”. She dished out the food. The aroma was delicious. To God who made me I won’t remain any. Without waiting, I started on my own. She watched me eat like a hungry lion. The food was indeed delicious and I prey on it. When I finished, I started looking at her own. “still want more?” she asked and I nodded, “join me then” I joined her eat her own till it was finished. “Sorry for the shortage”, I said, drinking water. She stood and packed the package, “never wasn’t going to finish it anyways”. I watched her as she moved about, “so what did I eat?” she looked at me shocked, “I mean what food did you offer me?” she laughed, “you mean…” she stuttered and laughed more, “sorry I just offered you poison, your bad” I widened my eye and she laughed even more. What is funny here, I don’t even know what I ate. Fine, I should have asked before I ate but what’s done is done. There’s nothing hunger cannot do, now a hungry woman is a poison eater. “Please…can I know the name of the poison before I die?” I pleaded. She came back to her dining seat, “hamburger”. I mugged “hmmm?” she giggled “that is the name of the poison you ate, it’s called hamburger” “wow! It sounds English. Haven’t eaten that before” I confessed. She laughed “then you owe me” she said. “Owe you…how?” she made a face. “You owe me what you’ve been eating.” I looked at her face and she looked all serious, “why were you eating in the restroom?” I was praying this question never comes but here we are and I’ve been bribed with food so I must talk, "That is the only place I can eat conveniently as the name suggest". She arched her brows in confusion. "Why", I twisted my lips. "I never thought of that. Seeing students kiss and make out there left me without thinking about it". She watched me for a while, holding her chin with her palm, building a pillar at her ankle. "can I know the real reason you were eating there?" I looked her in her blue ocean eyes, trying to figure her out. Why couldn’t she reprimand me like every other teacher and let me go,. Instead she’s bent on finding me out but all I got from looking at her ocean blue eyes was the urge to keep talking to her "can I trust you?” she intertwined her two hands on the desk, “are you supposed to trust a teacher?” “Well, I don’t know. Teachers are not exactly my kind of people” “do you hate them then?” I looked at her to know where exactly she was coming from, “I…I…just…” I stuttered and she cut me off, “just tell me why you choose to hide in the restroom”. “Because… because students bully me”. I said that fast, looking down at my fidgeting hands. “They humiliate me whenever I take out my lunch. Either they spill my food or they put sand on it, leaving me starved. Hiding was the only option for me to stay healthy" her countenance changed, "now why would they do that?" "because I am poor and they don't like the food I come to school with because it is not rich were theirs and heaven knows I can't even afford what they eat" "why haven't you report them to the principal?" "I have but I guessed mine wasn't reason enough" "how long has it been going on?" "Four years now" she signed "who else have you told?" I fidgeted my hands, "I told my parents and…and my mum said it was an excuse for me to extract money from them and another person is now you". She inhaled and exhaled "how would you feel about eating in my office?" she said softly and I snapped and look up at her seeing her ocean blue eyes again. Did I hear her correct? But her eyes was telling me she was serious. I never knew I could read people’s eyes until today "Ma'am, what do you mean?" She blinked "I mean you bring your lunch here and eat, I would prefer that you eat in the restroom, which is not hygienic at all" I kept looking at her unbelievingly "ma'am, are you okay with that?" She flagged her hand across my face “Don’t be cynical. I just made the offer, it is for you to accept or reject it." I remained quiet, not knowing what to do. Believe me, being close to teachers has side effects. 1) you must be a hyper to make them proud and for them to keep you, 2) you must be their slave because you'll become their hands and legs to do everything, and 3) well, find your three. "But you must know that whatever option you choose I can no longer allow you eat in the restroom" she warned and went back to her office seat "you may go" she said and I took my lunchbox and disappeared from her office. I need to find a secret canteen again or her office becomes my canteen. Wow! Trouble full ground. I don't want teacher's trouble. God, I'm so satisfied. Never have I ever eaten like this before. I don't know whether it was because I was hungry or because I ate what I’ve not eaten before or maybe because the food was just delicious but truth be told it was delicious. Satisfactorily. I went to class smiling. I guessed my enemies had observed "wow Livia why the smile on your face?" nothing will ever spoil my good mood today' I vowed and sat on my seat. The rest of the class went by with me thinking about the kind-hearted teacher I had just met. There’s no second pass without her face flashing across my mind. Gradually, it was 2:30 pm and school was over. I quickly carried my bag as others were still seated waiting for the lesson session. I don't attend lessons because I don't have money and time to spend on extra hours. I know mother won't dare listen to me if I ever thought of telling her unless I'll have to be carrying my vegetables, selling them in school and heaven knows no student will buy. So I learnt to be content with the school hour session and hawk during the last 4-5 remaining hours of the day. I quickly left the class. I went to my locker and also carried my lunchbox and was ready to go home. A few inches from the school gate as junior students were also leaving, I heard a voice "where are you going?" I ignored the voice, believing that the speaker wasn't referring to me. "Ms Kalu?" hearing my name, I turned and saw the teacher whom I've been thinking about all through the class. Her beauty shines before everyone. She was carrying a bunch of books and some senior students, but not my classmates, walked beside her. I knew that I was supposed to walk to her so I did and, surprisingly, she stood waiting for me to come. "Ma'am please pleased, I'm sorry. I...just give me this last chance" a male student pleaded. "Good afternoon" I greeted her as I stood in front of her. "Ma'am, the paper wasn't mine. I only picked it for the owner", another female student said. "Hey, where are you going?" she asked, ignoring the students. "Home" I answered and she gave me a look of why "school has been dismissed". I responded. "Oh, don't you attend the afternoon session...what class are you?" "12 grade" I replied "and why are you going home? The afternoon session is for the final year students and you are going home?" I looked at the two students beside her and back at her then I faced the ground. I hope she wasn't expecting me to tell her that I am going home to hawk. I can't tell her that, at least not here with her students. Looking down was my escape way because her beautiful face almost sold me out? Her eyes when I look at them always make me feel comfortable and safe talking to her. My friend Jeremiah once told me that when I'm looking at someone, the person will think that I'm inviting them for s*x. If what this woman's eyes are making me feel is what I make people feel when I look at them, then I have a criminal record 's****l harassment'. This woman's sexy eyes modify her beautiful face and hot body makes me think astray whenever I see her. This is my second encounter with her and I'm already at the climax of my thoughts. God, hope I won't have high blood pressure anytime soon. I need to see a doctor. There are people that you'll meet and you start thinking about all kinds of rubbish and silly thoughts. Imaginations that never ran through your mind before will begin a marathon in your mind. This is that kind of person. She's already friendly, accommodative and attentive to me. What more attribute is needed of her? "Are you going to answer me or do you prefer standing here scaring the ground with your look?'' She brought me back from my thoughts. "Ma'am please, even if you want me to write in your office, I will'' the female student said, "I…" I stuttered but was cut off by the male student "Ma'am you know that you have no evidence backing your accusation. Just give us another chance", the male student retorted, "will you two leave my side?" she scoffed at them "ma'am…" the guy tried to protest but she gave her a dare me look and they left. Anger written all over their faces as I watched them leave. "Ms Kalu'' as I turned she handed me the books she was carrying, "Jesus...this is heavy'' I said, looking up at her and met with her blue eyes already staring at me. "I mean...it's a bit heavy" I rephrased. She started walking toward the school hallway in the same direction I had just passed. God, she's going into her office. Like a sheep, I followed the shepherd without asking. "Sorry for the delay" she apologized as I placed those books on her desk, "not a thing". I made my way to the door. "are you seriously not going to tell me why you are going home instead of attending the afternoon session" she said halting me at the door. I turned to look at her. "I don't have money to pay for the lesson." She arched her brows, “but the lesson is compulsory, whether you attend or not you still must pay." I know it is compulsory but I still have to make money to pay for both my waec and the lesson otherwise I wouldn't have any to pay for. "I need to save money for my waec" Good thing the term is just beginning. This is two weeks after resumption. "How much is your waec fee?" She asked interestingly, "It has not been announced but I have to make plans for it" I waited for more of her questions but she was looking at me, "can I go now?" She nodded "Bye Ma'' I excused myself from her office. She seemed to be interested in my life within these few encounters. No one has ever asked anything of me except her. Well, I don't even have an interesting life, so who dares care about me? None. If I ever appeared in a newspaper the headline would be 'the wretched life of a pig'. I made it home and, as usual, mother was watching a movie on her favorite channel 'African Magic'. "Good day Mum'' she tilted her head to look at me and back to her movie, saying nothing to me. I went to my room, changed my clothes and walked straight to the kitchen. I checked if my mother had cooked. There were empty pots and the bread, eggs and tomatoes I saw in the fridge in the morning were also gone. I was vexed, "Mum...Mum" I called out meeting her in the sitting room, "Mum, there's nothing in the pot" I stated. "Hmmm" she hummed without even looking at me. "Mum…" I retorted, "Why are you mumming me distracting my attention? Were you expecting something before? Were you not the one that took the last soup to school?" She scorned and fixed her eyes back at the TV. "Mum, I am hungry… you mean I'm going to market with an empty stomach?" "Come eat me then" was all she said. Sometimes I hate this woman. If it was not that she's my mum I don't think I would have accommodated her in my heart. She does this to me almost all the time, starving me with silly excuses. I walked past her to my room. Reaching the stairs, she said "why did you even arrive late, Why? School. You have 30 minutes to do all your stupid stuff and be home at exactly 3.00 but you stepped your feet into this house at 3:15 pm, why?" I ignored her and continued walking upstairs, "don't you dare ignore me. If you had arrived early you would have used those 15 minutes to get groceries, back and cook and by now you would have been leaving for market" I badged my door hearing the rest of her tantrum inside my room. I seriously don't know what to do with this woman. Now I have to go to the market. I signed. I took my pause and made my way to our frontage to where my goods are. As I was about to carry the bowl, she appeared. "When you finish selling, go collect some money from your father and buy food stuff so that you can cook when you arrive. Don't remove a dime from my money" she warned, holding her ear. I turned and left for the market. "That's ₦2000 goods" she called out behind me. I am going to hawk on an empty stomach, great. I walked to the market, hating my life. Life of suffering. Nobody gives a damn about me. I am so so tired of this suffering, this wretched life of mine. 20 minutes later, I'm in the market. Now where are my customers? They had better come now and buy all my goods. I hawked around the market yet there were no sales after something like two hours or more. God, this day should not be like this. I was tired and decided to stand somewhere and rest. "Hey...hey" I turned to the caller after knowing he was talking to me, "don't block my goods. Shift from my shop so that customers can see my goods", he snapped and I gently carried my goods that I'd already put down. I decided to rest again against a parked car. I placed my goods in front and leaned against the car but the car horned "take that thing out of my car you silly girl, do you want to scratch my car? Do you know how much the paint cost?" the speaker roared from inside the car. "Sorry Sir" I apologized as I carried my goods back on my head. I walked around the market again to many places my legs could carry me for about another one or more hours and still made no sale. Anger and tiredness filled me. I am angry because I have not made a single sale since I came here and it is drawing closer to evening. That is if it's not already and I am tired because I'm hungry. Now I have begun to see what my life would have been today if that teacher had not fed me well. It's true she spilt my food, but the food wasn't big at all and would nowhere saturate me. I was grateful to her for spilling my food. I began calling out to customers "buy your fresh vegetables here...your fresh vegetables here". I saw some hawkers sitting adjacent to me spreading their cucumbers, and I decided to go and sit among them. " Good evening Ma". I greeted the eldest. She looked up at me. " Welcome my dear...how is the market?" "I haven't made any sales since I came and I'm tired", I confessed, hoping she could offer my shelter. She smiled, "My dear, that is what we are facing. Bad markets are everywhere. You can rest here for a bit. The space belongs to someone but you can stay until she comes." That made me so happy. I smiled and adjusted beside her. She was arranging her cucumbers and, without wasting time, I was already sitting on the ground. I looked at my right hand and saw some two boys and, from the look, they looked a bit older than me. "Good evening guys". I extended my regards to them and they were also arranging cucumbers "fine girl". Both of them said and I smiled. "How much is your vegetable?" She enquired about, touching my goods. "₦100 each." She looked at me "these are big, they should be all gone by now and they are even fresh" I smiled at her remarks on my goods. Minutes later, I started feeling sleepy and decided that my rest was over. I stood up straightening myself when a woman came smiling. "Mama Fresh… So you now sell vegetable leaves?" The cucumber woman smiled back "my dear, anything that brings money is what I'm into. Chi how are you?" The fair lady bent down and raised one of my vegetable leaves, "I’m good, just managing my life but these vegetables are big, are they ₦500 per head?" she said and I smiled at her price. I decided to wait a bit to know the outcome of her interest in my goods. Well, she’s a beautiful white woman of about 20 -22 years old as I guessed, and she looks rich. "Buy vegetables from me Chi, they are cheap and fresh," Mama Fresh said and the Chi woman smiled "Mama Fresh… okay how much are you selling them?" Upon hearing the length of their conversation, I quickly sat down, maybe the sun had finally decided to shine on me. "They are just ₦500 per head" Mama Fresh priced, I watched the Chi woman and Mama Fresh as they negotiated on my goods. "Okay how many are they?" The Chi girl asked and Mama Fresh looked at me and I muttered 20 between my teeth. She told the woman "let me just take this ₦300 each. You know I didn't even plan for it but when I saw how fresh it was, I was forced to improvise." Mama Fresh made a face, "Chi, if I sell these vegetables to you at the price of ₦300 each, I won’t make it. That ₦300 is the cost, huh, do you want me to go home empty?” I don’t know what to make of this negotiation between these two women, but all I know is that Mama Fresh is already winning the case. She had already made this Chi woman price my ₦100 goods per head at ₦300 and the i***t was still begging. Business people are all liars. I wonder if anyone of them will make heaven, but isn’t Mama Fresh greedy? “Alright, I’m adding ₦50 on top, end of discussion” said the Chi woman and I watched Mama Fresh agreed, “Fine” and just like that, the whole vegetables were packed inside her car and she paid Mama Fresh ₦7000. My joy knows no bounds as I was also amazed at the selling price. After the Chi woman left, Mama Fresh calculated my money and gave it to me. Surprisingly, she gave everything to me. I was so happy that I jumped from my stand and hugged her. “Thank you so much Ma. I think my money here is only ₦2000, the rest is yours” I said, and she smiled, “no my dear, they are yours and besides, your goods merited the sold price. This woman is rich and stingy, this was the only way to eat a little from her bank”. I laughed at her joke. “What will she do with all the vegetables?” I asked, clueless. “She owns a hotel” she replied. Wow, how I wish she buys from me every day. My effort in giving Mama Fresh some money failed in fact, she even gave me some cucumbers as I was leaving. I went to my Dad’s shop as my mother instructed and he gave me some money which I ended up using for groceries. I went home though late, but I still cooked and went to bed talking to no one.