Fiction

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Meeting Regret

Meeting Regret is a fictional story by Benn Ik an award winning poet and novelist. Author of the award winning novel THE TRUTH and many other short stories and poems like the anthology of poems "Poems from the cloud of reality published on Amazon. He has also been published and featured in many magazines and blogazines both local and internationally. He was the secetary of the Nigerian Young Writers Association.

Enjoy your read!

CHAPTER 1 

It was an early Sunday morning when the sky was still covered in a cold cloudy blanket. Mother called out to me from the sitting room, Amara! Amara! Without a wait I rushed down the stairs tracing down her loud cranky voice, mother hates it when she calls to you severally without a response and it could have rained cats and dogs that morning if I had not run down to her immediately.

My name is Amara Ezeona, a 15 year old girl who is just about to write the SSCE exams ,so I could move on to a higher institution, but it wasn’t being easy for me as my mother is a single parent struggling to survive with her kid which was just me, she had always ensure she provides everything I needed to study as my education was her major priority and for that I had promised not to disappoint her, "Amara you see that your father is no more and no family member is ready to assist you, as I am struggling on my own to make ends meet and you go to school please don’t fail me" she would always say that with tears almost gushing through her eyes, I won’t disappoint you mum I promise I won’t, I would say while wrapping my arms around my mother, almost crying too because the taught that father was no more was like a torn among roses in my heart.

Father died 5 years ago in a ghastly motor accident, people said his death was not a natural death because several pastors and prophets told him before the day of the accident that he was going to die and he should go into a massive fasting and prayer which he did but still death opened the door after knocking timelessly. Well this story isn’t about my dad so let’s come back to why mother was calling on me like i was being called to judgment.

 Actually it was almost the case but then it was what I least expected, "who is Daniel"? She asked, in a shock I responded already tensed, "Daniel is my classmate mum," "and why is he coming to the house to look for you"? "Amara I hope you have not started moving around with boys? Because when they get you pregnant be ready to carry your cross alone," in my defense I responded almost in tears, "mummy I have not been moving around with boys and I don’t even know how that boy got to know where I stay but mummy believe me I have nothing to do with him."

 Daniel is a 17 year old boy who happened to be in the same class with me, he is the second child of his parents and he is a very brilliant and intelligent boy, well, we are friends but it's not what mum is thinking about, I mean he would not even dare to introduce anything aside just being friends. Although he was new in school, we have become friends since the first day he came to the school to enroll for SSCE.

That day he was brought to the class by Mr. Ambusu our math teacher and he was introduced and given a seat just behind mine, it was not too long before I felt a slight pinch on my back with a soft sound crying "hello" from behind me I turned around and it was the new student "how can I help you"? I inquired, "please can I get your time table so I could copy from you"? A smile appeared forcefully on my face as I replied "sure." That was how we became friends.

From that day he had been nothing but a good friend as he always put me through in most chemistry practical works and whenever he had issues with math I always guide him through, that’s how much of good friends we have been until it was the second term of the section and SSCE exams was only few months ahead, wait! I know you are eager to know what is about to happen but I just remembered something and I want to bring you back to a day in school last term when Daniel and i was alone in class that’s where the whole thing actually started. That morning in Oxford international schools was like one of those crusades; organized in the main community annually, as all the students were scattered around like migrating ants disorganized by an angry human. We just got an announcement by the school principal Mrs. Pamela that we had lost a teacher; who just died on his way to school in the early hours of the day, and so there won’t be classes that day, and we were all asked to go home.

This teacher happened to be Mr. Ambusu the most popular and oldest math teacher the school had, the best they ever had; though hated by many students because of his always strict manner of approach to anything he is involved in. Most student were not happy about the sad news and you could imagine by now those over serious looking student crying like he was actually so dear to them, others were busy talking, and although the talking here and there was really a noisy one; the atmosphere was still sad and cozy, cozy not because the weather was cold but because the news left a cold feeling on the inside of many, both students and teachers. While other students were rushing home and some hanging around, Daniel and I decided to go into the class and do a little revision so the day would not just be a waste, because we were mourning the already dead.

Yes! I know you think am being heartless maybe because I have something personal against the late Mr. Ambusu, which of course I do. Sometime ago, he had me punished for a crime I had not committed; without investigating, and for two weeks, he kicked me out of math class without considering the fact that WAEC was behind the corner, but that’s not the issue here. My mum would always say “once dead you are gone so let the living smile it over” she said this was the best thing to do rather than thinking over it and end up hurting your emotions, and I have learnt to be stronger than; such bad news since my dad’s death.

 So you see, I was only trying to get over the whole sad news, and not killing myself with tears like others “who dun die dun die life move on," while in the class going through some physics calculations, the moment got wounded when Daniel tried to put his lips on mine I mean he tried to kiss me, I honestly did not noticed the immediate move of my hands until it landed on his face with a huge slap, "you slapped me"? He cried out, "why will you try to do that what has come over you Daniel"? "Amara am sorry I tried to kiss you, but I think am in love with you" he said, like what is wrong with him I taught, "Daniel are you okay how will you say such a thing we are friends and you can’t be saying that to me" I said, "so if I don’t say it to you my friend who should I say it to"? he responded. I quickly got my bag and books, and in a hurry rushed out of the class room. After that day we became less of good friends as I never wanted to speak with him again, he too kept an unusual distance so it wasn’t just me. Severally he sent love letters with mind-blowing and heart touching emotional lies, yet I never responded, but kept every piece he sent, in my room.

 Now, where were we? Oh I remember I was going to tell you what happened when it was the second term of that section and a few months to SSCE exams.