The Sound Of Silence - SCION

Silence, a question or an answer? There are types of silences. Sometimes partial, complete, perceived, and then there’s hidden. Ben Ani. A young man, with more reasons to frown, or gloom, than a boy his age should have. Ben has always been an orphan, at least at heart. Yes, he had no biological parents nor knew any of his relatives, but he has had many in his life that could help fill those shoes, partially. He just couldn’t acknowledge any of those, even temporarily. However, despite this, he was always full of joy and smiles. 

Once upon a time Ben on his way to school, stopped in front of Jerry’s house, as was his routine. They normally walked to school together. Ben and Jerry have been friends since kindergarten(KG). They had always been to the same schools; From KG to Senior High-School (SHS). What could this be apart from fate? A deliberate decision? Yes. It was only a coincidence that they ended up going to the same school for Primary and Junior High-School (JHS). They live in the same neighborhood, so it wasn’t improbable. As for SHS, Ben has always wanted to go to Accra Academy; Jerry just followed him there, aided by his father’s mighty hand –connections. 

Ben was about to knock on the gate when he heard a loud “smash”. He instinctively stepped back. “What was that,” he said startled. A roaring “Shut up” resounded through the whole area. Suddenly, Jerry appeared from the gates of the house, closing them gently behind. “Eii, guy, what dey go on” Ben exclaimed, looking at Jerry. Jerry just looked at Ben with a smirk and said “Bro, Life oo”. Ben, seeing that smile, decided not to pry any further. That was the relationship they had. Ben was the open big and Jerry was the tightly closed book. He barely knew anything personal about Jerry, but it worked for them, and Ben didn’t want to mess up their dynamic. Letting sleeping dogs lie.

“Bro, let’s go,” Jerry said, turning and running. Ben just followed. After about 5 minutes, they slowed down and walked the rest of the way. When they got to school, the morning assembly had already started. They jumped the walls because the gates were closed, crouch-walked until they reached the assembly grounds, and entered quietly into the midst of their classmates. No one cared enough to react. This wasn’t their first time. After catching their breaths, they felt a wave of relief. It was too soon for relief.

“Bequinn! Ani! Step forward” the head teacher shouted. The air was almost instantly filled with whispering, as most people looked in the two gentlemen’s direction. They, with sad and unwilling faces, walked up to the head teacher; wondering whether he had seen them come in late. “Habitual offender” Mr. Badu, the head teacher said, as they walked up the stage. “The whole crowd burst into laughter. “This is 3rd time you boys have been late this week” he claimed, “what, at all, is wrong you? Aren’t you tired of receiving lashes?”. “Yes, please” They replied, at the same time, which sent the crowd into laughter again.

“So what do you want me to do to you now?” the head teacher asked, “OK, Come to my office after assembly. Now get out of my sight!!”. They quickly ran back to where their classmates were standing before their unreasonable teacher changed his mind. “Japanese cows. Don’t learn from them,” he remarked lastly, “Have you heard?!”. “Yes Sir!!” the students replied, with little hints of laughter. At the end of the assembly, while everyone marched to class, Ben and Jerry took a detour to Mr. Badu’s office.

‘Knock’, ‘Knock’. “You may enter” Mr. Badu replied. The two slowly entered, basically tiptoeing. As if they were entering a minefield, which, in a sense, they were. Even though it wasn’t the first time they graced the executive office with their appearance. Mr. Badu invited them to sit, gesturing to the chairs in front of his desk. “Boys, your continuous misbehavior has become intolerable.” He said, with a straight face but serious tone, “You are setting a bad example for your mates and juniors”.

“I wanted to ignore it because you guys are in your final year, and I wanted to give you some freedom, but I can see you don’t want freedom” he continued, “OK, good. I’ll invite your parents for a meeting tomorrow to discuss this issue. If not, it’ll be suspension for you”. “Sir, please we beg you” they pleaded, “we beg you, we’ll stop coming late and stop skipping classes”. “Please, just don’t report us to our parents. They’ll kill us” they continued to beg. “Sorry boys, but it’s final” Mr. Badu concluded, “you may go to class now”. They left the office covered with residue from an explosion. Some more than others.

Ben was as worried as a teenage boy would be, but Jerry was terrified to silence. He did not utter a single word nor any form of complaint, just a blank look, almost lifeless. Ben, however, was throwing a wordless tantrum; Gesturing all over, moaning, groaning, and growling. When they reached, about two meters from the class, Jerry finally spoke: “Bro, adey go the toilet”. To which Ben replied, “OK bro”. They parted ways there. When Ben entered the class all eyes were quickly directed at him. All curious about the kind of punishment they got. He ignored their silent questions and just walked to his seat.

Ben sat next to Nana Yaa. The school, once a boy’s school, had recently been made coed, about two years prior, and Nana Yaa was one of the few girls in the class. So, sitting next to her was a coveted position among the boys, and Ben knew this but he didn’t care for that nonsense, because he had known Nana Yaa since year six. He knows how annoying she is. She might seem quiet in class, but when she gets comfortable with someone their ears won’t get a chance to miss her voice. More than half of the boys in the class had not even heard her voice before, and those who had had long forgotten how it sounded. Ben, on the other hand, wished he could forget it.

She was perceived Silence at its finest. At least in Ben’s eyes. Ben sat down and looked forward, not giving Nana Yaa a chance to strike up a conversation. For the next two classes, he learnt nothing, just continued thinking about how he didn’t want to worry 'uncle' and 'auntie' –his foster parents. “I should’ve left home earlier,” he thought. That thought opened a doorway into reflecting on the day’s events so far. “…and the strange noise I heard outside Jerry’s house” he pondered, “where is he saf?”. He stood up once and said, “Sir, please can I go to the washroom”. The teacher replied, “Through God all things are possible”. The whole class fell into uncontrolled laughter.

After the laughter died down, Ben rephrased the question and asked, “Sir, please MAY I go to the washroom”. “Aha! You may” the teacher responded. Ben said “Thank you” and quickly walked out. He stepped into the washroom and started looking around, “Ah, where this guy dey?” he whispered. As he drew closer to the last cubicle. He heard some faint sniffling coming from it. “Oh Bro, some bro dey cry, ha-ha” he whispered again. He silently climbed the cubicle beside it and peeked. It was Jerry. Realizing how this could affect his and Jerry’s friendship, he quickly, but quietly got down and left the washroom.

Ben was flustered. Jerry, the rock –who always seemed unperturbed by any situation, was crying. Ben walked back to his class concerned, but how was he going to ask about this? That’s not the kind of relationship they had. Theirs' was a complete silence. Jerry eventually came back to the class. Looking like his normal self, a faint smile was plastered on his face. The only new thing was his somewhat weary eyes. No one batted an eye. They just saw it as his usual shenanigans; not Ben though. “Hurry up, and go and sit down” the teacher of the current class yelled, “You’re coming in late, and you’re modeling. Japanese goat indeed, tsw”. 

The class laughed, as Jerry, embarrassed, walked to his seat, still smiling. Ben looked at him in awe. “Was that the same guy I saw in the boy’s toilet?” he thought. ‘Ring’, ‘Ring’, Ring’.  School was over. Ben avoided Jerry and Nana Yaa, who sometimes walked home with them. He was still shaken by what he saw and didn’t want things to be awkward. “Guy, are you avoiding me” Jerry said from behind, just as Ben was stepping out. He quickly turned and said, “Nah bro, emergency oo. Afor go”. “Guy, shonn the lies. I saw you leaving the washroom” he revealed “I know you were there and you saw me”.

“We don’t have to talk about this” Ben stated. “And what you’re doing is better?” Jerry retorted. “I’m just trying to give you some space. Why you dey take it world cup?” Ben replied. Jerry, emotional, said, “Since we were kids, this be how you dey. You don’t care about anyone”. “Guy, it’s you who likes to keep everything secret. I’m just respecting your privacy,” Ben said. At that statement they both become silent, but it only made clearer the reverberating rattle at the break of their 12-year silence. 

After a while had both calmed down. “If you want to talk, then talk,” Ben said breaking the silence for good, “I can’t read your mind”. Jerry lifted his head and sighed. They walked home together. On the way, Jerry told Ben everything. From how his abusive father had been having nightly bouts with him and his mother since he was a little boy –not because of drinking but to release frustration from work, to how Mr. Badu telling his parents of his misdeeds would intensify his and his mother’s suffering. Jerry was speechless; he could not believe any of this was true. He never saw a hint. He felt horrible for not realizing any of this was happening. 

“Let’s go to my house first,” he said, finding the courage to assist his friend who was going through a tough time. Jerry, feeling vulnerable, just followed. The smile he always had; nowhere to be found, like it never was. When they reached the house, Ben told Jerry he could wait for him in his room. He was going to greet his 'auntie' and tell her that Jerry was visiting. “Maa Joy” he shouted continuously as he walked through the hallway, waiting for a response. He heard some voices coming from the living room, so he followed. “Maa Joy, Good afternoon” he said as he entered the living room. To his surprise, there were two unfamiliar persons, and his “uncle”, who should have been at work, was sitting next to his auntie. “Good Afternoon” he greeted with a bow, “Good Afternoon, Daa Tony”. “Benjamin, how are you?” Uncle Tony asked. “I’m fine, thank you” he answered, “Please, I wanted to tell you that Jerry has come to visit”. “Oh OK,” Uncle Tony said, “have a seat first”. “Ben, you know we are not your biological parents?” Uncle Tony asked. “Yes,” Ben answered a bit confused. “Better late than never. Ben, these gentleman and lady are your real parents.”

After that sentence, Ben’s ears went deaf. Two silences broken in one day. He always thought he was a partial silence like everyone else, but now he knew his silence was HIDDEN.

Silence begins at our ignorance.