NADIA continues: Listen, there
are two ways to learn, either the easy way. Or the hard way.
My guess was mine would be hard.
Not just hard but extremely hard.
I had burned in flames and
angrily started towards the door. Expecting her to call me back.
But, she didn’t say a word. As I
approached the door I deliberately lingered a bit. Still, no
“Nadia please come back”
My mind had to remind me to use
the little sense of reasoning I had. So I gently turned back and collected the
plate from her.
“Make sure you wash all the
dishes”
I closed my eyes and bit my lips.
Trying so hard to compress the anger I felt, in one magazine I read…it was
explained that taking a deep breathe helps relieve stress. What I felt was raw
anger but who knows, maybe it can work for me. So I took a deep breathe and
sighed repeatedly to calm my nerves.
DANIEL: The text I received turn
my whole world upside down. I read over and over again. I wanted Akin to
confirm the text, although I felt I was giving him the opportunity to pry into
my personal life way too early. But I needed someone to confirm that I was
still normal. Or that I could stil see well.
“Dan, your Father is alive. I
mean your real Father”
Akin read aloud
“Is that what the text says?”
I asked. Like I never understood
after reading it for more than 67times in just 30minutes.
“Emm, that’s what I read bro.
What does this mean? You lost your Father years back?”
I nodded in affirmation.
“Who sent this?”
It took me time to finally answer
“My uncle?”
Akin was quiet for a while. I was
thinking he didn’t want to pry into my personal life without my consent. I
signaled him to go ahead.
“Do you trust this your Uncle?”
He asked. Good question
“Cos why will he tell you this
now, if there isn’t something he wants to gain from it?”
“Something like what?”
I was quick to ask
“Like trying to make you have
issues with your mom. I mean you would definitely hate your mom for a while for
keeping this from you”
He made sense. But I wasn’t
satisfied. My uncle had texted me a place to meet him up. So I stole out of the
academy to see for myself.
Only to discover he had planned
my death. I ran with my two legs flying in the air. It was like my legs
transformed to a super Jet. First I had suspected the secluded area he picked.
And then I noticed some suspicious men hanging around. I didn’t just bother to
go further. Or find out if he was really after my life. I took off, even before
he saw me.
NADIA: My expectations concerning
my planned private lessons was so high that I felt I would go crazy just by
thinking about it. Or maybe my head would burst for excited thoughts of what my
first food lesson would be. Maybe fried rice, or Jollof rice. You know those
sweet, top, classics foods. Only for the woman to slash and destroy my
expectations, right from the source, when she requested
“Just prepare pap”
My eyes went dim. The sudden look
of disappointment was written all over me.
In case you don’t know what pap
means.
Edo people call it “Akamu”
It is also called “Ogi”
Like seriously? Pap? What does
this woman take me for?
“What are you doing?”
Her eyes went wide. She was
watching me trying to boil the raw pap.
“Making pap nah”
She shook her head. I was
thinking she just realized that she had alot of work to do.
“Nadia, do you love cooking?”
It was an honest question. But I
wondered why she asked now that am trying to prepare the pap that would land
her in an hospital bed.
“Yes”
I lied. And she caught me
“Tell me the truth”
She pushed on. I saw no reason to
lie so I just opened up
“No ma. Cooking sucks”
She laughed at first. And I was
like ‘why is this one laughing?’
“Then why are you here. Why do
you want to learn?”
What is really wrong with this
woman? I have given her the solid reason before.
“To prove to Wilson that I can
cook”
She walked up to me and collected
the bowl I held with the raw pap in it.
“And tell me what you’ve learnt
so far?”
I tried to crack my brain. But
even the Egyptian hawawshi. I couldn’t even remember the ingredients.
“Listen, Brenda picked you and
your crew”
I made her stop when I held up my
hand
“Wait, how did you know that? Who
are you?”
I had to ask. Confusion was
written all over my face.
“That’s not the point, you must
know that there are a lot of people in your group who will kill to be in
where you girls are now”
I attempted to protest a little
further but she butt in
“And you will all fail, because
you don’t enjoy what you do. In this world you’ve found yourself. This Academy
in particularly. Trust no one. No one is after your good. Even your supervisor
can’t be trusted. Your roommate can’t be trusted. I can’t be trusted. You can’t
be trusted”
It was like she was speaking
riddles. I wasn’t getting her point. Was this an Academy or a war front?
“You talk like am in a war front”
She nodded
“Yes you are. There is a
competition that is held every 5years with the prize of 5million dollars. And a
sponsor to open your own food plaza. Even your supervisor is aspiring to win
cos it begins this year. So what makes you think she would teach you guys all
she knows. What makes you think your seniors wouldn’t try to eliminate you if
they discover your potentials?”
She was getting me confused
“Ma I don’t understand your
point”
“My point is simple!
1- Enjoy cooking, see it as your
life
2. Keep your progress and skills
a secret from everyone.
3- Trust nobody”
I headed back to my room that
evening, thinking of all she had said. But who is she? She just stated that she
herself can’t be trusted. What is really going on in this Academy? Or should I
just abandon everything and escape now that it’s still safe?
I got to understand what she
meant when I got back to my room, to find Joyce unconscious. Bleeding
profusely.
Ok enough jokes. This is getting
serious
Just A Taste
Continues
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