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It was the year 2005, and Keffi was full of the constant sound and movement of students returning to school at the beginning of the school year. Because the JSS 1 hostels had not been completed earlier, the JSS 1 students had to resume late. Ben had travelled very far from Kaduna to Keffi in a truck whose windows did not go up; smoke from the exhaust pipe came into the truck, making him feel sick and the journey exhausting. Upon arriving at their destination, Ben felt relieved and happy that the journey was over and he had arrived at his destination safely.
The school looked empty and small, which was not what Ben had pictured in his imagination. The realisation of this could not steal the joy from his face. He was finally leaving home to face a new chapter in his life, and he had the eagerness to start afresh, learn new things and meet new people, opening his mind to every possibility.
Ben felt dizzy and told his mother, who had come with him on his journey, how he felt and that he needed something to eat. His mother took out 100 naira from her purse and told him to go to the school shop to get something for himself.
Out of excitement, Ben made a run to the school shop. Before he got to the school shop, Ben fell to the floor and was unconscious for a few seconds. Opening his eyes, Ben saw that he was surrounded by other students who were asking him what had happened and if he was okay. Ben, being unaware of what had happened, got up and ran back to his mother.
For the first time, Ben would live away from his parents; His cousin Jonathan, who was a JSS 3 student, had assured him that it would be all fun for him once he got used to the environment, but as Ben dragged his tinker box towards the hostel, Ben had already started to miss his mother and siblings, feeling as though he had been betrayed by them.
The hostel was a rectangularly shaped hall; it had 3 doors: one in the middle of the hall, which served as the main entrance to the hall, one at the extreme left end of the hall, and the other at the extreme right of the hall. It was lined with bunks that divided the space into corners; it had a fresh smell of disinfectant and a noisy background of boys unpacking their belongings. Ben had been allocated to share the same corner with Ini, Faith, and Abu. While he was still trying to find his thoughts, Ini broke the silence with a warm greeting.
Ini: Hey, are you okay?
Ben: I’m fine, thank you. How are you?
Ini: I’m cool. Where are you coming from?
Ben: From Kaduna.
Ini: Oh! Really? That’s a cool distance. I live in Abuja!
Ben: My name is Ben. What is your name?
Ini: Ini is my name, from Akwa Ibom State. What state are you from, Ben?
Ben: I’m an indigene of this state, Ini. It's nice to meet you!
Ini: The pleasure is mine. Please, I would love to use the lower bunk if you are okay with it.
Ben: I was already going to tell you that I wanted the upper bunk.
This was the beginning of a long-lasting friendship between Ben and Ini, which came to life almost like the purple promise.
The houses were categorised under different names; at the top right-hand side was Antua House, which wore yellow checks; at the other end on the right was Benue House wearing the colour red checks; to the top left we had Farin Ruwa House, which wore blue checks; and lastly, close to the main entrance towards the left hand, was Nasarawa House which wore the colour green.
Ben had decided to unpack and arrange his provisions in his locker when he came across an envelope. He opened the letter and saw that it was a letter addressed to him from his mother; his face lit up again with the smile it had held within the few weeks of his preparation for his journey. His mother had secretly hidden the handwritten note right between his neatly folded uniforms, close to his tin of milk.
His mother had written of how proud she was of him, how she loved and admired him for being the brave boy that he was, taking the bold step of going away from home even as a boy, how she no longer saw him as her little boy, and how he was growing up to be a fine man. In the letter, she reminded him of how important it is to pray every day and to make sure he stayed away from trouble and remembered the values he was taught at home. She added that he should make sure to eat well and share with his corner mates, ending the letter with "I love you, my dear boy!"
The feeling of betrayal he had been carrying all day had quickly disappeared and was replaced by warmth. He quickly turned his face away as tears dropped from his eyes so that no one could see him cry. "Everything all right? Boy from KD?" Ini had asked him jokingly. Ben wiped his tears with the back of his hand and nodded slightly. “Yeah”, he said, folding the letter carefully and sliding it under his pillow.
