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Make you guy buy larrysun book o.....nah where him dey chop be that o. Him dey vex say una no dey buy him book. That's the reason him no dey update o

Update 93

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Lola’s home was farther than Junior thought. He could not believe that this was the same distance the girl had resigned herself to trek. It was even more incredible to him that she had trekked such a long distance before more than once. And that was simply because she was unable to stand up for herself. What had happened to her parents had made her emotionally and psychologically weak. However, Junior had managed to convince her that her family’s challenges should only make her stronger instead.

Junior was even further surprised to find out that Lola lived in a grand house. He had asked her if they rented the place and she had replied that her parents had bought it. Indeed, Lola should be one of the richest students in the class – that was if she was not the richest. She had the power to control almost everyone in that class. Perhaps none of her classmates realised how wealthy her family was. If they did, they probably would have treated her with more respect. But Lola herself did not act like she came from a rich background. She was too down-to-earth and willing to please other people over herself. That was how she was naturally wired anyway; she was willing to give her right eye for someone she considered a friend. Even while she was being bullied, she could be bullied into sacrificing her eye for her oppressor – that was the extent of her weakness. But she was learning a lot of things from Junior the newcomer.

The car stopped in front of her gate.

“I hope to see you tomorrow,” Junior said, opening the car door for her.

“What are you talking about? Aren’t you going to meet my parents?”

Junior shook his head. “First of all, I am already running late. I don’t want my dad to be worried about me. Secondly, I don’t want to impose on your family. Your parents are not aware that I would be coming. I don’t know what they would think about a guest that appeared out of the blue.”

Lola waved her hand as if Junior had just said something particularly insignificant. “Come off it. My parents are nice people. They will be happy to meet you. Besides, they have always been encouraging me to make friends and introduce my friends to them. I want to introduce you as my friend. You are my first friend, so they need to meet you.”

“Are you sure that this is a good idea?”

Lola smiled and dragged him out of the car. “Trust me.”

“But I’m not going to stay there for long, mind you.”

“We won’t take too much of your time.”

“Your father is also at home?”

Lola nodded. “Yes, I left him at home when I was leaving this morning. Why did you ask?”

“Isn’t he supposed to still be at work?”

“Well, my father is currently unemployed. He’s still searching for work. We hope that this situation changes soon. Currently, the family’s business is what is sustaining us. My mom is practically the bread-winner of the family at the moment. Still, we do not lack. God has been providing well for us.”

Before they left the car, Junior told Tony to stay in the car. Lola led Junior to the gate and she knocked. A few seconds later, the gatekeeper appeared, opened a little slit from the gate, recognised Lola, shut the slit, and opened the gate.

“I can see you brought a friend,” said the gatekeeper, “Did you miss your bus again this afternoon?”

“Good afternoon, Mallam Abu,” Lola greeted pleasantly, “This is my friend. His name is Junior.”

The elderly man’s face lit up with excitement. “Oh, what a handsome young man. It’s nice meeting you, Junior. Just call me Mallam Abu. I am the security officer of this compound. These people are a very nice family. They are the best people I have worked with all my life. Mind you, I am a retired navy officer – but this family puts food on my table. My grandchildren are in school because of this family.”

Lola smiled and said to Junior as the walked towards the building, “He likes exaggerating. But he has a gun. He’s a very brave man.”

Junior could hardly hear what Lola was saying. He was just looking around and marvelling at the ambience of the surroundings. Everywhere was not only neat but also extremely beautiful. Junior felt like he was in another world entirely. The trees, the flowers, and the colourful birds that flew around and built their little nests in the trees. The air here even smelled differently; it was refreshing – therapeutic. Junior wished his home was just like this. But he knew his father; Black was not impressed by things like this. His father was a simple man – too simple for Junior’s liking sometimes. But he knew that he would never trade being with his father with any paradise the world had to offer.

The building alone was a new one. It was glossy, like an architectural masterpiece straight out of a magazine. This was one of those building he only saw in televisions. The kind of building often used to act the homes of rich people. If Junior didn’t believe Lola, he would have thought that this was one grand hotel. He wondered how much Lola’s parents bought this or if his own father could afford a building like this. He also wondered how much it would take to maintain a building like this. To Junior, this felt a lot bigger than what a family of three could live in. In all honestly, the building could conveniently accommodate dozens of people.

They reached the door with a gold knocker and Lola used it. Junior expected her to just turn the knob and step into the house, but Lola knocked instead without touching the door handle.

A few seconds later, a tall, slender woman was standing at the threshold.

“Hi mom,” Lola greeted.

“Hey baby,” said her mother, she noticed Junior and added, “Hello young man?”

“Good afternoon, ma’am,” the boy greeted politely and bowed.

“I guess this is your friend, my darling,” the woman was speaking to her daughter.

Lola nodded. “Yes, his name is Junior. He’s my classmate.”

“That’s so wonderful,” said the woman, “Please come in, Junior.”

She stepped aside and allowed the two kids enter the building. If the exterior of the building had been beautiful, then its interior was grand. Junior tried as much as possible to hide his fascination. He felt like he could live in a house like this all his life. He would rather be locked up in a place like this and never see the sun again for the rest of his life. Indeed, Lola was from a powerful home – if only she could invite her classmates to see where she lived. Certainly, they would respect her a lot more when they saw her home. Even Junior himself had considered her an ordinary girl. But when he moved close to her, he realised that there might be more about this gentle girl than meets the eye – he was finding out now; and it was a pleasant discovery.

“You’re both right on time,” said Mrs. Onuka, “I just finished preparing lunch.”

Junior smiled and politely declined the offer. “Don’t bother yourself about me, ma’am. We only came here to drop your daughter. I should be on my way now, ma’am. Thanks for the hospitality.”

Mrs. Onuka frowned. “You dropped my daughter? What does that mean?”

“I only gave her a ride. My driver is waiting outside.”

“But she was supposed to take the schoolbus. How come you gave her a ride?”

“It’s a long story, Mom,” Lola intervened. She turned to Junior and said, “If you are really my friend, you will stay for lunch.”

“But I have my meal waiting for me at home,” explained the boy, “If I eat here now I might not be able to eat my own food.”

“You only have to eat little here.”

Junior shrugged and said, “Well, if you insist.”

Lola led him to the dining room and they both sat beside each other. A few moments later, an older man appeared from an inner room. He held a mug on one hand and a newspaper in the other. On his face was a pair of horn-rimmed glasses. As he walked towards the dining table, he took a sip from the mug. His eyes never left the newspaper until he sat down before his daughter and the new guest.

“Hello daddy,” said Lola, smiling, “Meet my friend. His name is Junior Black. He’s my classmate.”

The man first pulled off the spectacles, put them in their case, set the case on the table, and then took a good look at the guest.

“Hello young man. It’s so nice to meet you. You are the first person Lola is introducing to us as her friend.”

“He’s my only friend,” said the girl.

“Then you must be such a wonderful person, young man. It’s so nice to meet you,” the man stretched forth his hand and Junior grabbed it.
It was at this time that Mrs. Onuka appeared from the kitchen. She was bearing with her a big pot which she placed in the middle of the table. She proceeded to placing dishes in front of those who were seated and serving them their meal. Junior begged her to only serve him little food.

“So I heard that you brought Lola home from school in your car,” Chike said to Junior.

Junior smiled and replied, “It’s not my car. it belongs to my father.”

“Who drove you over?”

“Tony. He’s in the car outside.”

“Is that your father? This Tony?”

Junior shook his head. “Tony is like my big brother. He’s waiting in the car outside.”

“Why don’t you invite him in to join us?”

“I know Tony. He won’t come.”

Chike frowned. “Why not?”

“He’s not very used to being the centre of attention. Besides, this is a strange place for him. He won’t feel comfortable. Tony is a special person – if you know what I mean, sir.”

Chike nodded in understanding. “You seem like a very smart child. I’m surprised that Lola chose to introduce you to us today after such a long time.”

“Don’t blame her, sir. We just met each other today.”

“Excuse me?” Mr. Onuka frowned again.

“Yes, dad,” said Lola, “I just met him today. He joined our class today.”

“You mean this boy is a newcomer when the school session has almost come to an end?”

“Exactly, sir,” replied Junior, “I joined today. But I’m not worried about the challenges. I am catching up quite all right.”

“Why did you stay away from school for so long?”

“Well, it was due to an unforeseen circumstance. I’d rather not go into details now.”

Mr. Onuka nodded. “I respect that. But I want to be sure that your friendship with my daughter poses no danger to her whatsoever. You see, she’s my only child.”

Junior smiled. “I am also my father’s only child. I assure you, your daughter is totally safe with me. I will also try to protect her as much as I can. She is my friend, so she is now my responsibility.”

Lola slapped him gently on the shoulder and said, “Don’t be naughty. I can take good care of myself.”

Junior gave her a knowing smile. “I hope so.”

“You seem like such a nice boy,” observed Mr. Onuka. “You are also pretty intelligent. What’s your name once again?”

“My name is Junior. Junior Black.”

Chike frowned at the name. He had not really acknowledged the surname the first time he heard it, but he found it fascinating now.

He leaned forward and asked the boy, “What’s your father’s name?”

Junior hesitated. Then he replied with a broad smile, “My father’s name is Peter Black.”

Update 94

As soon as they heard that name, both Aminat and Chike exchanged looks. Junior noticed the weirdness. An amused smile crossed his face. He looked from the husband to the wife, and back to the husband.

“From your expressions,” he said, “It seems like you know my father.”

Chike expression was that of confusion. “We have heard of one Peter Black. I’m not sure if you are talking about the same person.”

“It’s the same person,” replied Junior cheerfully, “I understand that he used to be a very popular person before I was born.”

“Your father is really Peter Black?” Lola’s mother asked him.

The girl, Lola, did not understand what was going on. She was looking from one person to the other. She was most fascinated by how Junior conversed easily with her parents, as if this was not his first time of meeting them. If she didn’t know better, she would have thought that her parents often met secretly with Junior Black.

The boy nodded to the question. “Yes, I am Junior Black, the son of Peter Black.”

“What’s your mother’s name?” Mrs. Onuka pressed.

“Maria,” answered Junior.

Mrs. Onuka gasped and involuntarily put her hands over her mouth.

“She died when I was born,” Junior explained better, “I wish she was alive. I heard that she was a great woman.”

Aminat nodded and said, “She was. I was also facing my own challenges at the time, so I didn’t concentrate much to what was going on then. But one thing was sure, you had a wonderful mother. May her gentle soul rest in peace.”

“Did you know your father’s history?” Chike asked the boy.

“I was recently reunited with my father. I am sure you know the story. The person I thought was my father turned out to be not. Yes, I know about my father’s past. He told me everything. He does not hide anything from me. Even with his past, I don’t love him any less. He is the most incredible man I have ever met. I’m happy that I get to know and live with one of my parents, at least.”

“You’re such a brave boy,” Aminat said emotionally, placing her palms against her chest.

“Thank you, Mrs. Onuka,” said Junior, “You have a very brave daughter, too. Only a strong person can endure what she passes through in school.”

The parents frowned.

“What are you talking about?” asked Chike. “What does she pass through?”

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” said Junior, looking at Lola with an expression of apology. He turned to the man and said, “I have forgotten that you didn’t know.”

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing, sir.”

“It’s okay, Junior,” Lola said softly, “You can tell them.”

“Are you sure?” asked Junior.

“There’s no point lying,” replied the girl, “Besides, I don’t lie to my parents.”

The boy nodded and turned to the man, “Well, your daughter is being brutally abused in school. The other students treat her unkindly.”

“What!” seethed Mr. Onuka, “How could something like that happen? Are there no teachers in that school? How could they allow something like this to happen?”

“I’m sure that you were also once a student, Mr. Onuka. You will agree with me that some terrible things can be done even under a teacher’s supervision. And when information gets to the teachers or school authorities, there is always that perfect deniability. It is usually the whistleblowers that suffer in the end. The same thing is happening in the school. Today is my first day in school and I have seen a lot of bad things occur. But those bad things are not exclusive to our school alone; it happens in most other schools.” Even Junior himself could not believe how he was analysing situations. It was really magical; the words were just coming to him and flowing out of his mouth like a fountain – a fountain of wisdom.

“Why didn’t you say anything to us?” Mrs. Onuka asked her daughter.

“She was afraid of the decision that you are going to make. You would want to take her away from the school. But that is not the solution. Changing her schools all the time will continue to affect her academically. And there is no guarantee that there won’t be bullies wherever you put her next. She seems to be a magnet for bullies.”

“I’m coming to that school tomorrow,” said Chike, “I’m going to report this to the school authorities. When one of the bullies is made a scapegoat, the others will fall in line.”

Junior shook his head. “I don’t think that would be a great decision to make. Trying to fight for her would only make her look weak. It would also worsen the bullying.”

“What do you expect me to do?” asked Chike, getting frustrated. “You can’t expect me to stand back and fold my hands while my daughter is being treated badly in school.”

“That is exactly what I want you to do, sir,” replied Junior.

“Excuse me?” Chike growled.

“Your daughter is weak,” explained Junior, “She needs to find her own strength. You don’t have to fight for her. For how long are you going to continue fighting her battles for her? Remember, you are not going to be around for her forever. What if you are not alive? Won’t she live her own life? You need to grant her the opportunity to fight for herself.”

“I won’t have my daughter fighting in school. Stop the nonsense you are saying, Junior Black.”

“She doesn’t necessarily have to fight anyone. Not all fights involve the fist. Sometimes, she might only have to fight by saying some specific words. The greatest warriors do not wield weapons. Your daughter needs to stand up to her bullies and be free of them. Do not worry, nothing is going to happen to her. I will always be there to protect her. But she needs to do this. Please give her this chance, sir. She needs it.”

Again, the two parents exchanged glances.

Chike smiled at Junior and said, “You may be right. You are actually smarter than I thought. If what I have been hearing about your father is true, then you are the true son of your father. But do me a favour, do not follow in the same footsteps as your father. I know you are smart enough to understand what I mean.”

“My father is my hero,” replied Junior, “But my decisions are mine to make alone. I will carve my own path in life.”

Chike nodded. “I am happy to hear that.”

Five minutes later, Junior was on his feet. “Thank you so much for the delicious meal, Mrs. Onuka. When you see more of me here, it’s because of your food.”

Lola and her parents laughed.

“It’s really nice to know you, Junior Black,” said Chike, extending his hand for a shake. The boy grabbed it confidently and pumped it up and down. “Send my regards to your father. He has raised a fine boy.”

Junior shook his head. “My father didn’t raise me.”

“Oh.”

“I lived the first ten years of my life under the roof of Chief-of-Police John Balewa. He was the man I thought was my father. Although l lived with him, I was raised by his wife – she is a woman I still consider my mother. I owe everything I am to her.”

“Good boy,” said Aminat. “Take good care of yourself, Junior.”

“I will, ma’am,” the boy replied to headed to the door.

“Allow me to see him off,” Lola said and followed Junior.

As soon as the two friends left the living room, Aminat’s expression changed.

“I don’t know what to feel about this,” she said.

“About what?” asked her husband.

She spread her hands and jerked her head towards the door. “About that. Can’t you see what is going on? Lola likes the boy. She just met him today and she likes him already.”

Chike smiled. “Weren’t you the person who was complaining that she had no friends? Now that she brought her first friend home, you are complaining again.”

“I won’t be complaining if she had not brought the son of a thief into our home.”

Chike stared at her. “That’s not nice, Aminat. You are better than that.”

“I’m sorry for my statement. I’m just scared. Maybe it’s a mother’s instinct. I don’t see anything good coming from the relationship between our daughter and that boy. I expect you to be worried, too.”

“I think you are being unfairly judgemental, Aminat. I detect a whiff of vicious stereotype in your statement. What if he’s the son of a thief? Does that automatically mean that he’s a thief, too? Have you forgotten that I was also once a thief?”

“Exactly my point,” argued she, “See how much of our life that decision has ruined. We are still trying to cope with the effect of what happened that night. Any other person might not have survived what I went through. I don’t want my daughter to experience the same thing I experienced, Chike.”

“Choosing to join that bastard in robbing you was the worst decision I made in my life,” said Chike, “But it also turned out to be the best. See where we are now. You have given me such a wonderful child. I couldn’t have asked for a better family. Indeed, things work in this life for a reason.”

“This is not about us, darling,” said Aminat, “This is about Lola and that boy.”

“You have nothing to worry about. You also heard the boy. He said he’s going to protect her. I think he likes her as much as she likes him. As far as I’m concerned, Lola is in safe hands. I’m sure that boy is not going to do anything to hurt her. Their friendship is a true one.”

“How do you know? They just met each other today.”

“There’s something you don’t know about me,” said Chike, “You see, I’m a psychic. I know all these things. I can see the future. And the future of our daughter is a very bright one.”

“Oh, come off it,” she tapped him lightly on the shoulder and Chike laughed.

“Seriously, you have nothing to worry about.”

“I choose to trust your judgement.”

Outside just as they stepped out of the gate, Junior said to Lola:

“Your parents are very nice people. You are so lucky to have them.”

She nodded. “I know.”

“I don’t even know who I like more between your mother and father. They are both pleasant folks,” he added. “Now that you have invited me to your home, when are you going to meet my parent, too? I’m sure Peter would enjoy meeting you.”

“You call your dad by his first name?”

Junior nodded. “Of course. He’s my friend and he insists that I call him by his name.”

“What a father!” said Lola, “Do not worry, I will visit you someday.”

“I will be looking forward to it. Have a nice day, Lola Onuka. I hope to see you in school tomorrow.”

“I can’t wait either,” she replied with a smile.

Then as Junior opened the door of the car and sat beside the driver, Lola asked: “Should I take the schoolbus or demand that one of my parents drive me to school?”

Junior thought about it deeply. Finally, he said:
“No, don’t come in your parents’ car. Take the bus. That should be your first process of standing your ground. Do not fight anyone, but try as much as possible to stand your ground. Protect yourself as much as you can, but don’t be confrontational. Let them see the change in you, no matter how minute it is. Show them that you are no longer a person they can easily bully or manipulate. Know what you want and go for it. If you want them to respect you, then you must earn it.”

Lola nodded and replied, “Okay.”