CHAPTER 07

The day after our parties...

The next day was Monday, the first day of school for the week.

When I arrived at school that morning, I saw my life and earth science teacher standing outside the administration. From a distance, I could see him looking at me admiringly. Yes, that beautiful Monday, he was the first to be flabbergasted by my beauty. In my skin, there was an automatic signaller that, every time someone admired me, an inner voice let me know and if it was on the left, for example, the voice told me or if it was on the right or in front or behind, I sensed it anyway.

So this morning, the voice spoke to me and when I tried to make sure, I saw my teacher, in front of the teacher's room, in his spirits. That wacky teacher whose head had never sung to me was looking at me. I had been watching him for a long time but he never fell into my trap.

By the way, when he was my teacher last year, because of a little word I had omitted to give the full definition of "landscape", that idiot had lowered my points and instead of giving me a score of seventeen out of twenty, he had given me fifteen. Fifteen because the only answer in the definition was scored out of two points, and in lieu of my little mistake that I had made simply because I was in a hurry on my composition sheet, he had crossed out the entire answer in exercise number four and given me a big zero instead of a one or a point fifty. From that day on, I thought he was my worst enemy, but he didn't know it.

In fact, I was not paying any attention to him and was going straight ahead when suddenly I heard him shout my name. I looked at him and pretended I didn't hear him. And instead of avoiding the devil by letting me go straight where I was going, he insisted. A second time, I pretended I hadn't heard him. Thousands of students were walking past him, in a hurry, because the siren would soon give the first shout to gather everyone at the flagpole. I knew that it was me that this gentleman was calling but I ignored him and slowly moved on with my walk.

Clop-clop, I progressed in my walk when I heard him calling me louder. Then, to express to him that I had just heard him, I threw him a glance. Then I went after him to find out why he wanted me.

- Good morning sir, I said reverently.

Instead of answering me, my interlocutor started to show me his dirty rotten teeth as if that was why he had called me. I also wanted to show him mine so that he would realize that mine were even cleaner and prettier than his. But since I already thought he was an opponent, I didn't want to waste my time playing with him.

- Uh...remind me your name, please.

- Founkè," I answered.

He was immediately surprised and fell into a short silence.

Yes, he was right to be surprised because he didn't know me by that name; everyone knew me from Octavia.

- But you weren't called that!" he corrected.

- That's right, they call me Octavia.

- That's it, Octavia! And why Founkè again?

- It's my native name and some people call me that.

- I see, you have class at eight o'clock, don't you?

One could imagine how much that fool of a so-called teacher would have fallen on his head. How else could you see with your senses that someone was in a khaki uniform and still ask him if he had class or not. To his question, I wanted to ask him if he no longer had his consciousness in shape to know if I had class or not. But, if I did that, it was a way to disrespect him.

- Yes," I answered with a smile.

To attract more attention from men, I used to leave the roots of my breasts exposed.

My seamstress took care to make my outfits well and by their top, one could identify the size of my breasts. The men didn't have to undress me before they got excited. To make them drool even more, I sometimes didn't wear a bra and left my nipples exposed.

Now, you who call yourself a man, when you let yourself be deceived by the tips of my nipples, your chances are reduced to seventy percent. Therefore, it was not enough that you spend the wedding with me before being completely stripped of your chances.

- How beautiful you are, this morning, he declared me.

This simple sentence that this man had just employed had already plunged him in the trap.

- Thank you, sir!

- Tell me, can we meet at ten o'clock, after your class?

- At ten o'clock?

- Yes, at ten o'clock.

- Do you have something to offer me?

- Yes!

- Where shall we meet then, because I like presents?

- Here, in the teachers' lounge.

- Okay, I won't miss!

- Okay, I'll hope for you; see you soon; he said considerately.

- Yes, see you later, sir.

Yes, the more respectful that a condom buyer in a drugstore, there are not two.

When I arrived in class, I saw Aline sitting in her usual place. She was quiet in her corner with her math notebook on the table along with a pen.

I said hello to her and shook her hands while laughing.

- How beautiful yesterday was!

- Really! The party was very nice!" said Aline.

Jostalin, one of our classmates who didn't know what we were talking about, wanted to get involved in our conversation and asked us what kind of party it was exactly.

Jostalin was actually one of the girls in the class that I had always hated. As a natural flaw, she liked to put her ugly face into people's conversations. Not only did I watch her for this flaw, but also, I had pointed it out since she had once insulted me because I had made a small reproach to her. So, to provoke her that morning, I lowered my voice and told my girlfriend not to answer her.

Jostalin, as intelligent as she was, understood my game and was pinched by a violent anger. She began by insulting me as she is used to do. She apostrophized me like someone who had been watching her enemy for ages. Stunned, my girlfriend and I watched her gossip. I looked at her with great astonishment. And to provoke her further, I whispered to her:

- How big your mouth is!

Well, that was the worst thing I could say to her! Her anger grew even stronger. She couldn't control the words that came out of her mouth. I looked at her quietly. In her gestures, she looked like a zombie to me.

- My dear, you talk too much; I say to her more beautiful to increase the rate of her nervousness.

Pouaaa! She gave me a slap.

Well, that was what I expected from her.

An idea came to my mind and asked me to pass out right away in order to dry up the wealth of the poor parents of this dirty girl who dared to humiliate me to this degree.

If I opted for this idea, did the parents of this ugly girl have this capacity to be able to cover the costs of the prescriptions that the doctors would prescribe? The answer was automatically "no". So, in order not to tire Jostalin's parents who had nothing to do with the case, I decided to take my revenge on the spot.

At that moment I remembered what Oga had said to me when she baptized me for the first time. In my mind, I heard her say to me: "You have now the power to make the storm in person if you wish it; you could also make the day, the night". And on this effect of anger, I fixed my adversary right in the eyes and said to him solemnly:

- You, Jostalin, for fun, you dared to slap me; from today on, you will be useless in life.

She looked at me and answered:

- You, you are nobody; you are neither my aunt nor my uncle nor any member of my family to have authority over me; none of your plans will work against me; fool.

She didn't know that this slogan that everyone was singing was already outdated and that to get out of the devil's jungle, one had to evoke the Holy Spirit or say "blood of Jesus" to cast the spell against her opponent.

Aline was standing in her place, mouth agape. She was the only one to appreciate the seriousness of the curse I had just put on the life of this young studious student.

Jostalin was indeed the light of the class; she was the brightest of the girls. In the three years I had known her, she had never been ranked in the top five. She was always in the top three. She had a very fresh and fragile brain. It only took her a few seconds to cram in thousands of pages of lectures. Her success in social life was guaranteed. She was a young girl who, after her studies, would hardly struggle to find a better place in the big social administrations. But because she had dared the worst by slapping me, I had to reduce her successes to eternal failures. Her shining star, I had reduced to nothing. From now on, she will be a good-for-nothing in society.

After my sentence, I returned to my seat. It was then that the siren signaled the time to assemble at the mast.

We all lined up and headed for the color ceremony.

There, after the flag was raised, the principal took the microphone to lead the rest of the ceremony. He played the week's announcements and then finished by praising the best students of the school. He cited in his beautiful voice the names of the best students who deserved honor rolls after their hard work.

One by one, they left the rows to form another row. The school secretary was in charge of distributing the paintings to each student. These students, called "the lucky ones of the day", had smiles on their faces and wholeheartedly welcomed the offer. I took this action as pure humiliation. How else could we all gather around the flagpole and hand out honor rolls to a few heads? This seemed to me unworthy and inconsiderate. So, to this end, I had to record in my mind, each of these students to whom I would later do harm.

The school! So much for those who believe that it is a place where one must take oneself for the best worker or for the best connoisseur.

After the distribution of the honor rolls, which lasted about thirty minutes, the principal put an end to the color ceremonies and each class went to its building.

***

The first classes of the week began.

From our return from the flag, I was still angry at Jostalin even though the effect of my devotion to her was certain.

If I was still sulking, maybe it was because I didn't want to see or smell her in the classroom anymore. Still looking at her head from my seat, I couldn't stand her figure.

To get peace with my mind asking me to do something suspicious, I left the classroom and went outside without asking permission from the teacher who was copying the lecture on the board.

When I arrived in the courtyard, I headed straight for the restrooms. Alone in one of the rooms, I called the water queen three times in succession. She finally answered me from the sea. She asked me a question to which I replied:

- It is necessary that you throw to this girl who dared to slap me in the middle of the world, a terrible disease; an incurable disease; do it for me I beg you.

- All right, go to class and let me take care of it.

At this recommendation, I turned around in class.

I could take care of her myself, but if I wanted to take care of her, the life of this daughter of Jostalin will make her family feel very sorry because I will hurt her very much.