C11 THE HUMILIATION OF A GEM 3

What did he do to stir her up into that unreasonable frenzy? He dared to sit beside her with his unwashed smelling body!

He rushed late into the class that particular day, coming straight from his labour because he had not enough time to go home and changed into fresh cloth. When he came into the class all the double sitting chairs in the class were occupied and he could only see two empty spaces; one at the back in the midst of noisy and unruly students of their class.

Those students seldom pay attention to the lecturers, they are always whispering obscenities among themselves and by it disturbing any serious students who sits around them.

A serious student who sits around them when lectures are ongoing will either pick a fight in other to keep them quiet or hear less of what the lecturer is saying

So Olamide was caught between two potential troubles, it is either he sit with Ewanimi who loath him or go to the back and sit with those spoilt empty headed bunch from rotten rich home who are bullies and won't let him hear the lecturer clearly.

Somehow he chose to sit beside Ewanimi because the seat was in the very front, though he knew they both would be uncomfortable all through, due to her hatred for him; but he believed she would be reasonably calm all through.

So politely he said, "May I sit with you please?" Hearing him, she looked at him as a dirt, silently hissed and shifted to the extreme end of the seat! Olamide said, "thanks" and he sat down.

Just when he was setting his books on the table, Ewanimi jumped up and covered her nose with her handkerchief. Her sudden action drew the attention of the whole class to them. When she was sure all eyes were on them she shouted,

"Why are you smelling like this, I don't think you have taken your bathe in weeks!"

She spat in the the handkerchief in her hand, hissed and added still with a loud voice,

"He smells like he goat!"

With her outburst and words of derision, the class was thrown into pandemonium, some were laughing at Olamide, while others were lashing at Ewanimi in his defence. Ewanimi at first regretted her unthoughtful outburst because more of their mates stood for Olamide against her; but been who she was; she steeled herself and faced those attacking her

She knew she must be brave while their attacks last, otherwise she would be swallowed in shame instead of Olamide that she wanted to shame. So as they lashed at her, she squared her shoulders and boldly answered her attackers.

While war of words between her and the defenders of Olamide were threatening to drown the class, the rancorous laughter of the neutral party who were still throwing her words at Olamide's face thrilled Ewanimi's soul. Olamide just sat there too embarrassed to say a word untill their lecturer who was called M S Olude stepped into the class.

She was a very young lady of a strong character who was respected and feared by all of them. She was a daughter of well known powerful business tycoon and seasoned politician in the country.

She could be in business, running her father's huge business empire as the only child when she returned from a top tier American university where she obtained her double PhD at a very young age, but she chose to be a lecturer for a reason she discussed with her father.

She was bold and fearless, non of the students can dare to be rude to her, though she was in their age bracket. When she stepped into the class and it looked like theater of war, in disappointment she shouted,

"What is this in my class?"

The whole class instantly became very quiet, all other people saw her early as she was coming into the class and they scrambled to their seats, but Ewanimi who had her back turned to the door was caught hurling insults at her attackers. So she remained standing under the questioning eyes of M. S. Olude

Knowing that she was caught and she must give explanation for the uproar M. S. Olude met in the class. Immediately, she covered her nose with her handkerchief and said,

"Sorry ma, it is this guy, I don't know whether he does not take his bathe, he smells horribly!"

On hearing the heart wrenching jibe she threw on Olamide and she saw how embarrassed Olamide was, M. S. Olude was momentarily speechless! Seeing how embarrassed Olamide was she instantly decided to avenge him. She knew he came straight to class from where he used to work, so she smiled and said,

"You are exaggerating the obvious young girl" She purposely called her young girl instead of a lady, to put her plan to humiliate Ewanimi and avenge Olamide into action and she added,

"I know he is a very decent guy who takes good care of his body; the smell you perceived must be a faint smell of sweat which comes from him working in the sun. Even you will smell like that if you do a little work under the sun before you step into the class; is that not the reason most of us used perfume?"

This was not what Ewanimi wanted to hear at the moment, but she was not surprised because all their lecturers loved and respected Olamide. That was another reason she hated him intensely, she wanted the admirations of their lecturers to be solely poured on her

However, she was glad that at least she grinded his nose brutally in the mud and in great embarrassment. Now seeing their lecturer defending him, she wanted to walk away from him as a way to pour the last disgrace on him, so she picked her books and turned to go and sit on the empty seat at the back.

This gave M. S. Olude the opportunity to do what she really wanted to do when she heard her insulted Olamide, which she could not do before if she must avoid all the students believing she loved Olamide above the rest.

So with annoyance she asked,

"Hey young girl, where do you think you are? Do you want to walk about while I am in the class, have I not warned all of you that you must all be on your seat before I step into the class? The time you ought to use to change seat you spent it on senseless and baseless fight, now you want to walk about while I am here; you must be joking"

If you take one more step away from that seat I will send you out, not only that, I will make sure you stay banished from my class for a month for causing that kind of uproar I met in my class; which is taking the precious time I ought to use to teach all these good guys.

Just like that the table turned against Ewanimi, she almost fainted with embarrassment, her face became white like that of a ghost for shame and she did not hear anything in the lecture of the day"

When Jiire and Itunu heard the story to this point they in chorus shouted,

"That is good for her!" Itunu said

"So good! She was served what she served to another person "Jiire said and Grace smiled when she heard them and continued,

That was just the beginning of the insult M. S. Olude heaped upon her, because she was very reluctant to sit with Olamide, Olude asked her to remain standing and she walked to the place where Ewanimi stood.

Though Ewanimi was a tall sylph- like beauty, but Olude was equally tall and beautiful like her or even more beautiful. So she came and stood in her front so that this comparison could be seen and to intimidate her, she stood domineringly before her; looked at her from head to toe as if she was a piece of trash and said,

"I know your type, they mostly behave as if they don't visit the toilet because they feel they are more beautiful than the whole world; but they are not! You are only inflated with cancerous self awareness, a disease that usually ruin pretty empty ladies!

At the end of the day, people like you always miss dating the best guys meant for them through arrogance that comes from ugly minds, and eventually after they missed the best guys who loved them; they will be forced to marry a man as ugly as a toad and vicious as a devil, who will slap them around every day!

You see a very handsome, brilliant and hardworking guy like Olamide here, a person you should sashay before so that he can consider you for courtship..."

When Olude said this, the whole class clapped cheerfully in support of her words, even those who formerly backed Ewanimi supported her statement.

It was as if they have been looking for a person who will cut and trim Ewanimi's arrogant wings. So Olude mockingly added,

"I pity and pray that you will not end up marrying a demon who will humiliate you publicly the same way you've humiliated this gentle guy today!"

Ewanimi at this time had swollen up with bottled fury and acidic bitterness, but she dare not spit it out to Olude's intimidating face; she felt like the ground she stood upon should open her mouth and let her hide in it!

To put an icing on the insult pushed down her unwilling throat by Olude, she turned to the class and said,

"If she won't say amen to my prayer for her good life, those of you who love her why don't you say amen on her behalf"

The whole class knowing Olude just wanted to mess her up shouted a thunderous 'aaameeen!' To add their own slaps to Ewanimi's over slapped face.

At this point, even Olamide who Olude was defending pitied her because he was softhearted towards her. He looked at her eyes and saw that she was fighting with her last strength not to cry before the whole class.

When Olamide looked at her face, she also coincidentally looked at Olamide with eyes lidded with shame and caught Olamide looking at her; but she did not see a gloat on his face which she expected to see, rather she caught him looking at her with tender affection!

She almost could not believe that this guy could look at her so tenderly and she felt like crying. This strange stolen glances between the two escaped the whole class because these two were sitting Infront of the class, but it did not escape Olude who stood facing them ; and because of what she saw, she felt that Olamide have affection for her and she decided to stop the humiliation and she softly asked,

"Do you still want to move out of my class or you want to sit?"

Ewanimi knew she dare not walk out of that class, so she wobbly sat and slouched dejectedly on the seat. All through the lecture she did not hear a thing in all that Olude taught the class, because she was insanely mad and was thinking of how she could some day punish Olamide for this humiliation.

Jiire said,

"She definitely heard a heart of stone, she was still thinking of how to fight that innocent guy; did she find away?"

His mom said, " Yes, but get me a drink first, I am too thirsty to continue"