A stitch in time saves nine

The next day would be Independence Day celebration. Expectations were high as we were to go to our Local Government Area (LGA) headquarters for that occasion. Apart from the march pass, another major event of interest was the football match competition between my school and State School Group 2. I was not just a key player but, team captain.

As I came back from school, took my lunch and was changing my clothes, Nduka came with a ball.

"Let's go and play," he requested.

"I'll be ready in a moment", I replied.

Before I could join Nduka, my mother called me.

"Take this envelope to Mr Okafor in the next village," she said as I was beginning to feel she was obstructing our football practice. "It contains five thousand. It's my payment for the customized cloth for the women fellowship", she concluded.

I took the envelope but hesitated to go.

"You know Mr Okafor, the steward?" She asked.

"Yes, I know", I replied. "But Mom, can you give me a moment? I'll go there immediately after our practice" I begged. "We have a crucial match tomorrow at L.G. headquarters".

"I'll prefer you go there now, and have the rest of the evening for your ball", Mom suggested, walking away.

"Just don't worry. The practice will not last long because we had already done the main practice at school". My mind was already made up. With that I ran out with Nduka.

The practice started but, as Fate would have, Nduka sustained a knee injury few minutes into the game. He fell down, crying.

"My mother ooh", he shouted.

We all gathered around him, consoling him.

"Sorry. Sorry", we chorused.

We put hands together and helped him to a patent medicine dealer, Mr Brown, who everyone referred to as "Doctor".

There were some other customers who there, waiting to be attended to by "Doctor".

"My mother ooh", Nduka continued to shout.

Hearing his cry, "Doctor" rushed out, leaving other customers, to attend to Nduka as we continued to sing "Sorry sorry" as a song.

After applying some liquid medicines on his leg, he said that will give him some relief at the moment. "Let me attend to the others that came earlier", he said and went back to his shop.

We all stood there beside Nduka, waiting for "Doctor" to come back to give him further treatment. The medicine shop was a two-room apartment. The medicines were arranged neatly on the shelves. They looked very beautiful in their packets as if they were items to be eaten for pleasure.

"Doctor" himself was dressed in white clothes, a brilliant white long sleeves and shorts. His socks were grey but, his shoes were black and shiny. He also had a grey cowboys' cap to match. Really, he looked quite professional in his attire.

By the time I remembered my mother's message of going to the steward's house, it was too late in the evening to go to the next village by a small boy. I then planned to go there early in the morning.

Once I could see the light of day in the morning, I took off to the steward's house.

"Is your father in the house?" I asked one of his children who was sweeping the compound.

"No. He left very early in the morning to the diocesan office in Uzuakoli town", he responded.

"Do you think I can run to meet him on the way?" I asked in desperation.

"I doubt very much. He left very early. "Any problem," he asked.

"I have a message for him from my mother".

"You can come tomorrow because, if ever he comes back today, it would be late. They're having a quarterly meeting today."

I started going back home, dejected and even sweating that early morning. "How would I face my mother at home?" I kept thinking.

Somehow, by the time I reached the house to get ready for LGA headquarters, Mom had gone to the farm. At the same time every pupil had gone to LGA headquarters except Nduka with his injured leg.

I got ready and rushed to catch a commercial motorcycle that will take me there. Unfortunately, I couldn't get anyone as it seemed everyone had already gone to the LGA headquarters. Everywhere was quiet.

I decided to run through a bush path as the only means available to me. By the time I reached, the second half was at the tail end which we popularly called "Injury time". As soon as other pupils saw me, they shouting, "He has come. He has come."

Our games master knew there was practically nothing anyone could do with me in the field of play because the referee was already glancing at his watch. Before you knew it, the final whistle sounded. We lost the match by two goals to nothing.

It was a sad situation of which everyone put the blame squarely on me. I could not extricate myself from the blame even though football had something to do with luck, apart from talent.

I waited for the next day with a lot of anxiety because everyone was sure the school authorities would not look at me with a smile. I had a disturbed sleep that night thinking of my fate.

The dice was cast the next morning at the assembly ground when the headmaster called me out to face the entire school, both pupils and teachers. I was like a lamb led to the slaughter.

"Do you know this boy?" He asked. There was silence. You could easily hear the sound of a pin drop if any falls down.

"Do you all know him?" He asked again. "Do you know he was the captain of our football team?"

"Yes sir," answered a few of the pupils especially, the young ones who didn't know the enormity of my offence.

"He was the captain and pillar of our team." The headmaster glanced at me and focused again at the gathering. "Unfortunately, when we needed him most, he disappeared into thin air, abandoned us, leaving us in the battlefield to face the enemy alone."

He began to sound emotional. "Our boys were like sheep without a shepherd, and we lost the battle woefully."

Tears from my eyes had blinded me and rolled uncontrollably down my cheeks while he was talking.

In the end, the headmaster announced a one week suspension to me to act as a deterrent against such a careless behaviour.

I took my school bag and headed home but, I could not get home to face my mother. I had been suspended from school, and I knew I would have no peace at home. I thought of what next to do. I came to the conclusion that the only place I could find solace was my grandmother's house. And so, I went straight to her house. It was like going on an exile because I was not ready to go anywhere else except I could see a ray of hope.

My grandmother welcomed me with open arms which I knew was superficial. She merely pretended to be happy to see me because, I was not supposed to be there at that time.

After offering me food and some goodies, she called me closer, to tell her my stories. I frankly told her everything that transpired amidst sobbing.

She consoled me and played down on the matter, assuring me there was no big case there.

That evening she took me back home when my mom was panicking and worried over what had happened to me when all the pupils were home, and none could state my whereabout.

She was shocked when she knew I had not delivered her payment to Mr Okafor, the steward. But, grandma told her not to worry about that.

"Where is the money?" She asked.

I brought out the envelope. She took it and said she would give it to her own steward who was yet to send their own payment.

"This one is not an issue," she said and continued. "As for the suspension, I'll go with you to the school to see the headmaster tomorrow."

My grandmother fulfilled her promise, and true to her optimism, the suspension was lifted after her visit to the headmaster. She had pleaded to the headmaster on my behalf, promising that I would never do such a thing in the future.

I wouldn't have been involved in such problems had I followed my mother's instruction to go and deliver her payment to the steward that evening. Truly, a stitch in time saves nine, as the saying goes.

And, I remain eternally grateful to my grandmother who took it upon herself to solve the problems.