The Blindeye

When the second term resumed after 
the Christmas break of 1996, I went 
back to the boarding school practically 
walking on the cloud
My father came home from his base in 
Germany over the Christmas period and 
brought us a lot of goodies
One of the goodies was a pair of loafers 
with which I rocked the town throughout 
the Christmas season
I was of two minds as to whether I should 
take it to school but the problem with 
leaving things at home is this, you 
preserve them from getting spoilt or 
stolen only to discover that you have 
outgrown them!
When I got to 
School the shoe got a lot of attention.
Loafers, bikers, Sanchez and Chelsea 
boots were the must have shoes of 
those days
Any clean jeans and T-shirt will do but 
your shoes determine how far you will 
go in the appraisal of your friends 
socially!
I placed this shoe on my bunk as I 
began to arrange my locker
Our housemaster’s oldest son walked 
into the room to greet me, he had just 
gained admission into the university 
of Ilorin at the time
A few minutes after he left, I stood up 
to put my loafers in the locker and 
discovered it had disappeared.
What!
It was the first day of resumption
I was the only senior to have arrived
My younger brother and some other
 junior students had arrived too but 
none of them was old enough to wear 
the shoe or had the guts to come into 
a senior’s room to steal the shoe. 
None of them came into the room. I 
knew who the thief was
I went to the housemaster’s house 
and asked for this guy
He was not in
I didn’t want to accuse him in his 
absence so I waited
When I went back later in the evening, 
his mother said he had left for school
I nodded my head and smiled
Those days I was not the 
type that will take that lying low
I cannot describe how painful it felt to 
have been robbed in broad daylight 
and to also be unable to accuse the 
thief and get justice
Any other student will pick his wound 
and forget about it but I was not wired 
that way
I felt he had made a fool 
of me
When my roommates arrived, I told 
them what had happened
None of them believed me
I had a reputation for dishonesty and 
being light-fingered
They would believe it if I told them 
I stole the loafers than believe me 
that my loafers were stolen
It seems a thief had no right to 
justice
As long as he has a long rap sheet 
of misdeeds, whatever calamity 
befell him would be well deserved
I summoned the courage to speak 
with the House master on the theft, 
he got angry that I accused his son 
of stealing my loafers
He told me I didn’t bring any loafers 
to school and if I did, I had gone to 
sell it while accusing his son of the 
theft just so I can give my parents 
a good excuse when they ask me to 
give an account for the loafers
It is pretty difficult not to be believed 
when you are robbed or raped or 
cheated because you deserved it
One of 
My friends even said “You have done 
all sorts to others, you need to feel 
how they felt when you stole their 
things”
I get it
I was no saint
I deserved to be robbed
It was karma
I didn’t even deserve a “sorry
I waited for the term to end, we went 
on holidays and I resumed for the 
Third term on the first day of resumption 
as usual
Luckily, the thief was around
This time, I had bought a pair of Sanchez 
boots from a friend and I made sure I 
polished it very well
I placed it on my bed as usual, I pretended 
I was not paying attention
He came into the room just 
Like he did the first time
I waited
He greeted me and did some small talk
I answered half-heartedly
He left
I waited for ten minutes until he walked 
into his father’s apartment
As expected, the Sanchez boot was gone
I sneaked out of my room, walked 
around the hostel to the house 
Master’s house and pulled the 
housemaster’s bedroom window 
from the outside
I had set the trap as soon as I got to 
school
The hole the window latch was supposed 
to slot into had been blocked with 
candle wax
The window gave way
I climbed into the House Master’s 
room through the 
Window and saw the son putting my 
Sanchez boot and the stolen loafers 
of the previous term into his travel bag
He also had his provisions, clothes, 
some money and other things in the 
same bag
He zipped the bag and walked out 
through the back door
As soon as he was gone, I took 
His travel bag and exited the same 
way I got in
I put the bag under my bunk and 
locked the room
Two hours later, the housemaster 
arrived home to take his son to the 
motor park where he would take a 
bus to Ilorin
The poor boy couldn’t find his travel bag
They searched for it 
Everywhere
Nobody could even imagine it was 
in the male hostel
He couldn’t go to school that day
My roommates started arriving
I didn’t tell anybody what had 
happened in their absence
Monday came, I dressed for school 
wearing my Sanchez boot
When I walked into the dinning for 
Breakfast the house master’s son 
saw me
I had my breakfast and went off to class
The next day, I wore my loafers to 
the dinning for breakfast
He saw me again
It convinced him beyond any reasonable 
doubt that I had his travel bag but there 
was nothing he could do about it
If he told anyone he would have to admit 
that he stole my things too
Meanwhile, his father was giving him 
hell every day over the missing bag
He came to see me in the school area 
on the third day
He came with three friends
He said I should reAturn his bag or they 
will beat me up
I said "Okay"
Later that evening during the evening 
devotion, I walked up to the housemaster 
and told him everything
I told him his son was a thief and had 
now resorted to intimidation to cover his 
crime
I told him I have my own gang
We will burn his hostel down if he does 
not address the Issue
I presented my evidence
In the son’s travel bag, I found the 
clothes of other students of the boarding 
house
The house master’s holy boy was not 
so holy!
The housemaster said he would arrest 
me for coming into their house to steal 
the son’s bag
I told him to go ahead! 
Eventually, he capitulated
He told me to bring the bag to the dining 
and his son apologized to all the students!
Those whose properties had been stolen 
got their properties back
It was a walk of shame but it was a walk 
that was necessary!
His son returned to school that same 
Week!
Hypocrisy is a norm in human society 
and we are all guilty of it
Did you notice how the news of a 
Covid-19 vaccine was released in the 
USA soon after the “election” but not 
before?
People were dying but it didn’t matter, 
announcing it before will make it seem 
like Trump got a win and nobody wanted 
to give a gorilla the pleasure reserved 
for human beings!
So they cried COVID-19 towards the 
election and announced a vaccine after 
their preferred candidate won!
It didn’t matter that people were dying 
all over
When we dislike people, we all have the 
tendency to “not see” when they are 
wronged or to judge whatever calamity 
they are facing as deserved
The gospel does not wear a tainted lens
It made equals of all men in Christ Jesus.
Believers have no right to hate or judge 
anyone in Christ
Such is as eternally as saved as we 
all are 

PS: I understand perfectly if some
people see others as undeserving
and proud and all
The elder brother to the prodigal
son was exactly that way
I have come to know the gospel
by the spirit of Jesus
I am better than no one as long
as such is in Christ