Dr Freaks Journal - When The Hunter Becomes The Hunted

The setting of my story is my alma mater -University of Benin, Greatest Uniben! 

I had a robust childhood, some of my experiences, I've taken great pains to capture; some (the good, the bad, and the ugly) are reserved for my memoirs, if God permits.


The setting of my story is my alma mater -University of Benin, Greatest Uniben! 

The event took place precisely in 1993. I was in 200 level and I was returning to Benin from Lagos where I had come to get some supplies. I boarded a bus from Ojota motor park. Right inside the bus, there was a young lady. Was I not also young? 

We were both young joor.

 She was "scantily clad", but who had made me a Judge over "her" Israel? Are you sure that was not even the attraction? My infantile and fertile mind then raced back to my Ecology topic from those boring Biology classes and it conjured up the word "Exhibition"! 


I was not bad-looking at the time, and I was ready to mingle, since I was single. After all, I was not married and I had no other commitment than my three core courses and two electives. I was not doing badly academically. 

I finally elected to break the ice by saying hi. Surprisingly, she was receptive and warm!

 I felt like one chronic gambler who had just hit the jackpot. Was I elated? Choi. For the record, I was not very good at toasting but I think I've always been a good conversationalist (yet I'm an introvert, unknown to many), so for me it was just a matter of granting me audience and you are hooked. Ask my wife.

Few minutes into that memorable journey, she ordered some snacks and drink and instructed me to pay as her wallet was inside her bag in the boot. For me, it was a rare privilege. We started gisting right from the park there and few minutes into the journey, we were chatting and chattering on top of our tiny voices about almost everything under the sun. The fun was cut short right from the moment we got to Shagamu. 

We discovered that the bus we were travelling in did not have a single mirror! None inside, and none outside. So, whenever the driver had cause to look in the mirror, he would bring out his head in a manner reminiscent of a peeping tortoise and all the passengers would chorus swear words in all the "Babelian" languages one could imagine. We couldn't be bothered though. We were young and life was sweet.


We eventually got to Benin after six hours or thereabout. A journey that shouldn't have taken more than three and half hours at the time. There were no phones, we simply exchanged room numbers. That night turned out to be the longest night since the time of creation. I looked forward to paying her a visit first thing in the morning and lo and behold, it was dawn first, and it was sunrise!

 I did not fail to look my best on the day under reference! I sprayed a not too cheap and not too expensive perfume and wore my Sunday Best! 

Doctors' Quarters, (where she was staying) here I came! I got the first shocker of my life after the first 30 seconds of my arrival. I knocked at the door and behold, it was a guy that came to open same at that "unholy hour" of the day that was supposed to be my day/turn! 

 He ushered me in and I got another shocker. Abc was her boyfriend! I became uneasy but she encouraged me to ease up that Abc was also a Yoruba boy and that we should be able to get along fine. 

Abc and I later became good friends really. Today, he is doing well. Abc, a perfect gentleman gave us our space after 5 minutes and we had the room to ourselves. You want to know what happened right? Aproko! Nothing happened. We just chatted and fixed an appointment for another day.


I was staying (squatting) in the hostel at the time but I had a friend who was staying off campus and I had gone to arrange with him, just in case a room "was required for our meeting" (with consent oh, before "they" will start insinuating things). Xyz (may his soul continue to rest in perfect peace) who occupied a boys quarters in an Aunt's place at the time obliged me, but on one condition that I was going to buy him some bottles of beer. That was nothing really and I acceded to his request. 

The D-day came and I went to pick Tabi (real name withheld) from her room (Abc's room). As youngsters, we got away with a lot of things! 

Xyz was already waiting for me at Uniben Main Gate and we (Tabi and I) joined him in no time and boarded a New Benin bound bus, Xyz's usual "joint", our rendezvous for the day. It was somewhere before New Benin Market. The joint was owned and managed by some Igbo chaps. The drinks were chilled (mortuary standard) and the joint stocked all sort of delicacies ranging from fried meat to işi-ewu. Long and short, Xyz and I wanted to smoke but we didn't know how to break the "disappointing" news to Tabi. 

At some point, Xyz ordered a pack of St Moritz and he prompted me to order B&H. I summoned up courage and obeyed my dear friend. I'm just an obedient friend after all. Tabi smiled and whispered in my ears that she had a request. For the next few seconds, my mouth remained agape with incredulity. Tabi wanted marihuana! I never judged any of my friends who took the substance at one time or the other, but I was never down with it. I do/did not only hate the smell, my parents created so much fear in me that if I came/come near it, I could run mad and that gimmick worked, in fact, it is still working. "I no wan enter market.

 I had examples anyways. Examples of promising young men who had their past, present and future ruined by drugs. Sad! A gist for another day. Drug will only steal your joy, destroy and kill you ultimately. Shun drugs!


Back to my gist, under few minutes, the bar attendant had conjured up marihuana for Tabi and she was getting higher and higher, whilst she was still "downing" bottles of beer.

 I lost count at some point, but I was conscious until I got to no 9. I was taking Gulder at the time. Xyz took 9 bottles of Stout. Tabi, before I passed out had taken 11 bottles. I passed out. Xyz passed out and we both woke up on Xyz's bed the morning after. Thank God Xyz was able to lead whoever that took us to his house all the way. We became curious the following morning. We were sober now and it was time to reflect. 

What happened yesterday? How did we get here? Where is my last bottle of Gulder? Questions, questions, questions, yet, no answer! Then, I remembered Tabi! 

Where is she!

 I became worried, really worried. What could have happened to her? Poor girl. I noticed that my shirt was off, Xyz's shirt was off and the door was locked and the key was lying on the floor of the room. Obviously, a good Samaritan had brought us home and carefully slid the key inside through the space under the door.


I got up, had my bath and fled to Tabi's room. Behold, she was alive! Hale and hearty and smoking "her stuff". She had about 2 sticks of incences lit and she was reading a novel. I could not even utter a word. I buried my head in shame.

 We (Xyz and I) passed out, she took us home, washed our shirts and "put us to bed" (like the children that we were). She was normal and I could not sense any iota of pride or superiority in her tone. She was just being her Brother's Keeper!


From that moment, I started avoiding her and that continued until we stopped seeing less of each other and she relocated to the UK to join her mother.


Let me now tell you a little bit about Tabi. Her dad is a medical doctor who travelled to Saudi Arabia in the '90s. It was the destination of most medical doctors at the time, just like history is repeating itself now. The parents were separated. The mother was a nurse who had relocated to the UK years before we met and Tabi and her younger brother were left all by themselves in a big apartment in Lagos.

 She was 18 at the time. The younger brother was 16 and they had all the freedom and comfort that we all craved for and could not have at the time. It is good to give children all the comfort you can afford, but don't you think attention is the greatest legacy you can give them? Why not spend time with your children and get to know them? 

Now I know better. Abc was so certain that she could take care of herself.


Do you really know your children?

Its Kunle