Fool's Paradise

Chapter Five

There was the usual commotion in Ouagadougou before lights-out as the boys prepared for bed. There was still some excitement after the dance. Some of the boys were heard complaining about how the dance had bored them because there hadn’t been anything special about it. “That’s because you had no byanas to kaboozi and dance with,” someone said to the laughter of the whole dorm. The boys felt it prudent not to respond because it would spark off a series of taunts that could be rather scathing. The prefects came in with their usual superiority and made sure that everyone was in their beds, then switched off the lights. It was eleven thirty.

Midnight came and went, as did one o’clock. César tossed and turned in his bed restlessly waiting for the time he could go to Danston’s room. “Eh, relax,” whispered Alex from the bed above, “It’s almost time; damn, one would think that you’ve never had a chow before.” There were chuckles from Theo and Kaye.
“What if something goes wrong?”
“That has never bothered you before, why the sudden concern?”
“She’s never been to boys’ end. She might go to the wrong room.”
“Are you worried that she might chow some other teenie?”
“Go to hell.” There were chuckles all round.
At the stroke of two Danston was in their cubicle and César jumped out of his bed. “It looks like we might have to share the room,” Danston informed him.
“Why? My bed is free. You could chill out here until I’m through. I thought that we’d agreed on that. Why do you want to play a brother like that?”
“Will you relax? What’s wrong with you? Laura came with Connie who’s more conversant with the layout of the joint and she can’t very well just sit there and watch you two chowing.” César grinned sheepishly. The two friends went to his room.

Theo and Kaye climbed onto the roof from both courtyards where they had a vantage point view of the surrounding area. Alex kept a look out by the main door. Soon, he spotted someone coming towards the door of Ouagadougou and at first thought it was a prefect but then he recognised the figure of Kamal Latif. He assumed that Theo and Kaye had recognised him too or else they would have come down in a hurry and everyone would have been back in their beds, with the girls on their way back to their dorms.

“Where’s César?” Kamal was panting heavily. “And you do what?” Alex was suspicious.
“I have some information for him.”
“Give it to me and I’ll pass it on.”
“Okay. When I was coming from villa I came across a group of boys. At first I thought that they were prefects but it turned out to be some Senior 4s with a couple of girls on their way to villa. One of the girls was Cassandra, César’s sis and the other was Maureen Mukasa. I couldn’t do anything because I was alone and you know how wild these S.4s are. So I thought I’d come and tell him.” Alex swore and told Kamal to follow him.

César opened the door after Alex identified himself. The girls were already getting dressed thinking that the prefects were on their way. Alex told him that they had to go to the nearby village. “Why?” César was puzzled.
“Your sis’s there with Maureen and some S.4 boys.”
“Damn! Let me get dressed. In the meantime round up Theo and Kaye…By the way, which S.4 boys?”
“Yona and his clique.” Kamal replied. César cursed some more, Yona and his friends were the most notorious students in the school.

The Dudes along with Kamal and the girls sneaked out of Ouagadougou on the lookout for prefects and the college guards. They made their way around the bushes, using the non-discernable routes that they had created.

The nearby village or “villa” as the students called it was really a trading centre that catered to the locals of the area. It had its drinking places but the students rarely went there because the teaching staff frequented them.

It was further a field that the students went to drink, at the homes of families that brewed and distilled alcohol to supplement their meagre earnings. The drinks were extremely potent but also very cheap.

They checked several homes before they came to the right one two kilometres from the trading centre. What greeted The Dudes was chaotic.
Everyone was roaring drunk and Yona and his three friends were fondling the two girls. César saw red. Before Yona and his crew knew what was happening fists connected with faces, feet with backsides and elbows with chests. It was a one sided mêlée, César was furious with these boys for taking advantage of his sister and her friend; his friends were just as mad.
Cassandra and Maureen were screaming like banshees. Laura and Connie took hold of them and gave them some choice slaps that quieted them down. The Senior 4 boys lay groaning on the ground not quite knowing what had hit them, everything had happened so fast.

Mama Sissy the proprietor went about her business as if nothing had happened. She saw this sort of thing so often that she could usually predict the outcome. Her other clients weren’t bothered either; it wasn’t any them that were in the fracas this time, it was nice being entertained instead of being the entertainment for a change

Cassandra and Maureen cowered away from César as he turned to them menacingly. “You stupid cows! What is wrong with you? What were you thinking of?”
“César calm down,” said Laura.
“How can you tell me to calm down when I find my kid sis and her friend, who are only in S.3, being mauled by a bunch of rabid dogs?”
“Well shouting at them won’t help matters.”
César took a deep breath as he paced a little. “Okay, Cassandra, just tell me what the hell I just saw.” Cassandra was crying. “We were just having a little fun. It’s like you never want me to have any fun. You’re always in my business, making my life hell.”
“I’m in your business because you’re always doing stupid things like this. I have no problem if you want to have a little adventure but please be a little bit sensible about it. The nonsense that you pulled tonight just doesn’t cut it!”

They all agreed that Laura and Connie would take the girls back to girls’ end and they set off. Danston and Theo who had earlier gone to scout the school met them on the way. “There are some askaris prowling about but they aren’t a threat, I sorted them out with a bribe.” Danston informed them.

The Yona and his clique staggered painfully back to school. Unfortunately for them, they were not privy to Danston’s information and they were in no condition to think of a bribe, they just wanted to get to their beds. That was not to be. The college guards netted them.

In the officials’ dorm, in their statements they had to write the boys revealed that The Dudes was with them. With no sign of them having left them, everyone was in their beds when the officials went to check in Ouagadougou. The Yona and his friends were given suspensions.