mr. dele


i wasn't a lover of school, although i cried and bugged before mum let her baby start,i learnt to dread it after the initial trip cleared,but learnt to make the most of it after being dragged there. i guess this is the point where i'm supposed to say i always came first...well, i no lie o, i never came first, but i always stuck with the top ten(true!). English/verbal attitude and literature were my faves, i was always the first to finish books at reading classes, the likes of 'eze goes to school'(saw 'no supper for eze' 2 weeks ago at numetro and i went all jolly, bought a copy for keepsake..lol), the girl who laughed etc. i remember mom would come home with a carton of story books just for me, i'd be in 9th heaven and float away instantly forgetting about sands/tenten/suwe etc and bury my nose in all those enid blytons and grimms fairy tales books(uh, no Wonder i love fantasy so, mom...i'm reporting u to oprah, and she'll feature us in a 'my mom turned me into a fantasy queen' show, i'll say how i missed out on my childhood, thats why like Michael, i hope to build my own Netherlands and bring all the lil' girls to play... and we'd cry and she'll apologise for buying me all those books)...ok, this is serious digression
i was never made a class prefect in primary school, i was too shy and sweet to control a crowd and write 'names of noise makers', those bullies would have finished me after school

ok, what got me gisting about primary school...yeah, i remember. Mr. Dele. He was my classs teacher in primary 3/4(i forget). He always smelt of cigarettes, and he was so uglyyyyyy, we even gave him a nickname(as teeny tiny as we were), we called him 'caricature' behind his back, not like we knew the meaning but it sounded like a name for an ugly person and we would crack up whenever we called him that.
as i said i wasn't a class monitor, but i was put in charge of the books cos of my love for books.i loved the job cos we had all this story books i could sneak home to read and return without the long signing process. it was my job to go to the store room at the start of each day to get books out and take em' back when we were through, the room was large but a little bit dark.
i'm in there one day and mr. Dele walks in, smelling of cigarettes as usual, and his 'caricature' face smiling, then he said
"FQ, when would i enjoy you?"....

my poor innocent mind(mtv had not corrupted me then like these days when even babies are bringing sexy back)

"on my birthday" i replied in a tiny voice(i was thinking sweets, cakes and ice cream)
"when is your birthday" he asked inching closer
"july 6th" i said
"that's too far now" he grumbled still inching closer, just then some other students walked in and i picked my books up and walked out, not knowing what it was about, but i remember that i felt relieved to be out of there.
somehow that scene never left my head, in uni i gisted a couple of friends, we had a good laugh and i even had to live with the mocking of 'FQ when would i enjoy u' in their own version of mr dele's voice...the mocking and laughter came after i analysed the situation...
what if people didnt walk in when they did?
what if he touched me or tried something more?
how many others did he corner and try to 'enjoy'?(i definitely wasn't the cutest lil' thing in my school)
did he actually molest anyone?
i'm thankful today that the story is different, but are there other lil' girls out there in our naija schools being molested and feeling too scared to talk?...i know i wouldn't have said anything if he actually tried something, i have a habit of keeping things inside me till they eat me up...
that's the story of Mr. Dele...wonder if he's still alive...fool like him. that event has somehow managed to keep replaying in my head all this years.

Comments

  1. Yipee, im first! My parents would have loved you, First ten all the time? I was too lazy to do my homework or read for exams sef, when i cleared common entrance and got into secondary school on merit, it was unbeleivable. Since then, i learnt to triumph anyway. I had the types of Mr. Dele too, He is called Uncle John. Nice post girl, you dey try

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  2. Your teacher told you that he wanted to "enjoy" you and mumu you went ahead to tell that he could on your birthday. I'm still rolling on the floor laughing here.

    Please could you clarify some of the acronyms there:

    JJ: Junior Jaguar?
    PMS: Premium Motor Spirit?

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  3. It's really sad
    u know
    what's more sad is the fact that we keep silent when this things happen. It's like people are going to look down on you when you share your experiences or something...

    Your teacher was wrong to try to do that. I'm glad he didn't have his way. Maybe schools need to create clubs against sexual abuse u know... teach the girls how to speak up.

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  4. Wow, thank God people walked in when they did. There are many like Mr. Dele who take pleasure in robbing young boys and girls of their innocence. Unfortunately, our society does not encourage molested children to speak up and as usual, we do not punish impropriety. We don't even punish crimes!

    Anyway, thanks for stopping by my blog! Don't be a stranger!

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  5. lol @ Bighead needing explanation...

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  6. @supergirl, and u turned out a lawyer..lol',i used to bribe my teachers o, cos i dont understand how i passed exams without readin, like when they asked me in social studies exams who the president of nigeria was(during ibb's time)..u wont believe the option i choose, i still live with that scar till date as my sis still find a way of mocking me

    @bighead..u need definations ko? olodo, i'll give em to u
    pms...
    Pass My Shotgun
    Psychotic Mood Shift
    Perpetual Munching Spree
    Puffy Mid-section
    People Make me Sick
    Provide me with sweets
    pardon my sobbing
    pimples may surface
    pass my sweatpants
    pissy mood syndrome
    plainly; men suck
    pack my stuff
    permanent menstrual syndrome

    or simply put for u Premenstrual syndrome.
    and JJ? juicy juggs...just my name said twice silly!
    u're callin me mumu ba? abi u want enjoyment from me too?

    @olamild,u're right about the club, i've always dreamed of setting up an ngo for women and children's rights(people see it as feminist)but really if i finally succeed...i've got plans.

    @SOLOMONSYDELLE...i sure cant change the world but i hope to try and change a better part of mine, raise awareness n stuff, and hopefully children will get bolder in knowing what is right and wrong and talk about it to parents/councellors

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  7. I knew it.
    We're destined to be together.
    Your birthday's on the 6th of July?
    Well mine's on the 7th.
    I think i wrote an article on that a month ago.
    070707.

    See dear?
    The stars are aligned just right!
    You're an 06.
    I'm an 07.
    Together the rest of the number world is ours!
    Lol.

    Pity bout caricature.
    The name i mean.
    lol.
    Makes me wonder though. You must have been pretty good looking back in the days.
    Meaning.. what with the law of fine wine maturing... you must be fantastic looking about now.
    Then again i;m not surprised.
    Us Cancerians.

    We rock!

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  8. Had a good laff at the date you gave the teacher for enjoyment...hahahha..Just thank God he didnt do anything oh,at that age it would have been hard to get the image of roving fingers out of ur mind...

    I still read Enid blyton till date,but my favs back then were pacesetters,Zainab Alkali's the still born and good old Dauda that could get you expelled...it was serious underground reading book!

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  9. @carlang...lol to u,old wine yeah? i tell u that saying might not apply here.
    so now we're soul mates?lord have mercy!
    but i agree with u, we do rock, dont we!

    @afrobabe, men, i loved pacesetters too, rat race and some others my head just cant seem to dig the tittles out...and how could i have forgotten about dauda?
    this is a lil embarrassing but i have an enib blyton book under my pillow, i try to read it before sleeping most nights(now, i'm doin overdue fake jebby here o, no one ever read me bed time stories), but i just love to end my hard days with a lil' fairytale, just a reminder that somehow things can always get better, maybe there are fairies and pixies floating about ready to floss me with uncomplicated enchantments(ok,now i'm drifting)

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  10. Me want enjoyment from yu? What on earth gave you that impression? Now you are the one suggesting it... but my car remains parked.

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  11. Hi Fantasy!
    I'd be back at a better time. Just thot to say Hi.Takia!

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  12. @bighead ur car's still packed?men dont let ur engine knock oh...

    @ejura...hiya to u too, where've u been?

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