CHAPTER 2
THE SCHOOLARSHIP AWARD
It was a Friday morning around 10:00 AM, at the scene in a market road,
Salome was busy selling her pastries as a petty trader. Salome was a baker who bakes cup cakes, doughnuts, sausage rolls, peanuts, pies etc. And sells them at the market road where she made some profits daily.
She was busy arranging her goods in an ordered manner when her brother Anthony came with a young teenage boy of 16 years old of age, it was Diamond.
"Sister Salome, good morning and how are you doing?", Anthony greeted and gulped a sausage roll into his mouth as he began to chew it effectively.
"Oh, Anthony you are a foodie", Salome said in a playful manner as they all laughed happily.
"Mum, I have a good news for you", Diamond said in suspense.
"What is it son?", Salome asked curiously.
"I was awarded a Schoolarship to study in an high school called The Elite high school", Diamond stated joyfully.
"Haaa!! Oh my goodness I am so happy", Salome screamed for joy as she jumped up from her standing point and threw her self over Diamond's body where she mistakenly hit her bag of flour into the gutter.
"Oh no", Anthony muttered.
"Never mind, I will purchase a new one, what matters now is that you are going to an high school meant for the rich man's children on Schoolarship", Salome teased.
"Yeah, it's a blessing and at the same time a promotion cos you are moving from a public school into a private school on Schoolarship. Halleluyah, hossanah to the king of kings and the lord of hosts", Anthony explained in a funny manner as they all laughed happily.
Salome dismissed very early from market that day because of the good news and for the preparation of her son's school materials such as books, school shoes, school uniform, school bags and so on.
Naturally, Diamond was a very brilliant student, he was good in all science subjects such as Further mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Biology, Geography, Computer Science, Data Processing, Fishery, Agricultural Science and Technical Drawing etc.
He was going to the senior class in the high school level.
Salome, Anthony and Diamond came back from market and told every one in the house about the good news.
John was very happy to hear this except Gideon.
Gideon hated Diamond with utmost passion, during the birth of Diamond, Gideon exchanged his real baby with that of Samuel's secretly because he wanted Abigail to take care of his own son while he maltreats theirs.
He did all this because of the hatred he had for Samuel, Gideon is highly jealous of Samuel not just because he took Abigail away from him but because he was very rich and educated.
"Dad, aren't you happy for me?", Diamond asked Gideon who gave him a stern look.
"And how does that concerns me?", Gideon replied acidly and walked out of the house while smoking an Indian hemp.
"Diamond, do not mind your father's behaviours, okay?", Salome advised sympathetically and furthered.
"By tomorrow, we will both go to the high school and do the necessary registrations", Salome said as Anthony and John smiled softly.
"Okay, I will be off now", Anthony said and left for his own house.
"Bye uncle Anthony", Diamond said and bid farewell to him as he left.
Anthony have his own house where he had rented but John lived with his brother, Gideon in their house.
******
On Saturday morning around 9:00 AM, Salome and Diamond were both preparing to go to the high school where Diamond was awarded Schoolarship. The name of the high school was called The Elite high school.
They were both about to leave the house when Gideon's mother beckoned on them. Her name was Brenda. Brenda also lived with her son but she was wicked, bad and cruel, she knows how to abuse drugs very well, she was an expert in smoking, sniffing cocaine, drinking alcohol and most of all a chronic thief.
Brenda hated Salome and her son, Diamond with passion, she's a bad mother who did not brought up her two sons Gideon and John in a Godly way.
"Where the fucking hell are you two going when you haven't prepared break fast for me, uh?", Brenda questioned harshly although she was drunk.
"We are about to .....", Before Salome could finish talking, Brenda passed out a disgusting urine as she went into the house and fell on the tattered cushion chair where she slept off, snoring like a monster.
Salome and Diamond left her and headed for the high school where they performed the necessary registrations.
And after the registration processes where carried out, Salome and Diamond both walked out of the school gate happily.
"Diamond please wait here for me I want to go and get some stew ingredients from a store down there, okay?", Salome said.
"Okay mum", Diamond said and grinned happily.
Just as Salome left, not quite long, a black Mercedes Benz car drove towards a pothole filled with dirty water, the car ran into it and mistakenly splashed out the dirty water from the pothole as it poured on Diamond who was standing by the road side.
"Oh my gosh!!", Diamond uttered worriedly while cleaning up, just then a young handsome teenage boy of his age came down from the front right door of the car, it was Desmond.
"Hey, can't you say sorry?", Diamond yelled angrily at Desmond.
"Sorry for what?", Desmond retorted rudely with pride.
"What do you mean 'for what' look at what you just did to me", Diamond said, showing his wet and stained body to Desmond.
"Um, oops I am sorry but may be you should have ask the driver not me", Desmond said mimickingly.
Abigail quickly got down from her car and ran towards Diamond.
"Sweet heart I am so sorry, it was an accident", Abigail apologized whole heartedly as she brought out an handkerchief, using it to clean him up.
Abigail never knew that he was her real son but she got this strange and solemn feeling for him.
"Have I met you before?", Abigail asked Diamond.
"No", Diamond replied.
"You look so familiar", she said softly, wondering where she had met or seen Diamond before.
"Mum come on let's go", Desmond said reluctantly as Abigail gave Diamond some money and left.
Immediately, Salome came back with the stew ingredients, calling Diamond who was carried away with thoughts.
"Diamond!! This is the 30th time I am calling you, what have you been thinking about?", Salome asked as Diamond narrated everything that happened in her absence as they both left for home.
THE END OF CHAPTER 2.