Ordeal With School Teacher

           .CHAPTER THREE

            My ordeal with Miss Ego was another childhood experience I would not easily forget. It was during my primary school days when Mum used to package chocolate biscuits for us in our lunch boxes even after the usual 'Jollof' rice with fried ripe plantain and fish. 

          My class teacher, Miss Ego, would not let me enjoy my chocolate biscuits. She was the one that kept custody of our lunch boxes. Once Mum drove us to school, she would come and take us into the class and keep our lunch boxes till the time we would need them. She would eat up my chocolate biscuits and cleverly buy lesser quality biscuits from the street to replace it.

           This she did severally, but I did not complain until the day I was careless with my lunch box while eating, and my lunch box slipped out of my hands and my lunch poured on the floor. I cried like the baby that I was. 

          The chocolate biscuits that would have sustained me had been eaten by my teacher, Miss Ego. It was so bad for her that day; she had no money to replace my biscuits which she had eaten. It was the magnitude of hunger that dealt with me that day that reminded me to report to my mother what had been transpiring. 

             I was determined to tell Mum once I set my eyes on her. Unfortunately, it was uncle Nnamdi that came that day to take us home. Mum had some supervisors who visited their school and Dad was very busy too. I could barely wait for Mum to come home.

              I told her what Auntie Ego did with my chocolate biscuits every day and watched to see how she would react. She was not happy with the news at all. She would have charged at Auntie Ego if she had been there at that moment. She just told me not to worry, that she would confront her the next morning about it and make sure she reported her to the appropriate quarters to take up the matter. Mum wondered how Miss Ego could debase  herself like that shamelessly. 

             When Dad came back that evening, I reported the same incident to him. Then he called Mum to ask her if she had heard my story. 

"Yes o!" Mum replied Dad. "In fact, I am shocked at Miss Ego's behaviour," she said further, now frowning. " I shall see her tomorrow, and confront her about this attitude! I intend to notify the school authority as well!" Mom said matter-of-factly.

 Dad smiled as he patted mom's knees. "I have a better idea, my dear," he told her. Then he looked at me as he said further, "Chike, please excuse us."  I then left  the sitting room while he talked quietly with mum. 

         The next thing I observed was that uncle Nnamdi was sent to buy three packets of chocolate biscuit from a departmental shop across our street. He was to leave the price tag of the items on them for a purpose. The following morning while dropping us at school, Mum handed the three packets of chocolate biscuits and a hand-written note to me to give to Miss Ego.

          After that day, she never ate out of my chocolate biscuits again. And I noticed that from that day, Miss Ego developed a certain kind of respect for my parents and whenever they came around to pick us from school. I guess she was very grateful for the way my parents handled the matter in a mature way, secretly and silently telling her to behave better, after all, the biscuit wasn't expensive at all; she could afford to buy it every day.

 No wonder when certain things cropped up at home, Mum would advice we waited till Dad returned home. When finally his black jeep honked, she would heave a sigh of relief.

 Your Dad is back! she would announce happily.

His judgments and assessments of things were deep with wisdom like that of the ancient sage, Solomon.