Many times, most of us claim that we love to hear the truth, no matter how bitter it is. But the reality is that truth can be bitter when it hits you hard, and at some point, you may regret seeking it out in the first place, wishing you had continued living with the lies. I am someone who values being truthful and always wants to hear the truth, but there was an occurrence that made me wish I had never sought it out. Although, it corrected me lifestyle.
I was in secondary school then, and I must admit, I wasn’t taking good care of myself back then. Of course, I was a guy in the village, and trust village life—our lifestyle wasn't like that of the city. Our parents weren’t attentive to a lot of things; all they cared about was “go to school” and “go to the farm on weekends.”
One day at school, it was in the afternoon, and the teacher wasn’t around, so we were gisting at the backseat. Meanwhile, there was a guy seated and writing notes. This guy wasn’t the serious type because he never missed out on gist, but that day, he decided to be all serious with note copying. Suddenly, he called me to a corner and told me that my knickers were giving off a smell. He had noticed it in the morning but assumed I had farted. This time, he was convinced it wasn’t just a fart.
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I was dumbfounded. I wished I could become blind instantly so I wouldn't have to see his face, or that the earth would open up and swallow me whole. I wished it was a dream so I could wake up.
I remained on the spot as he walked back to the class. I unbelted my knickers, placed my hand inside, and smelled my hand. I couldn’t detect any foul smell. I knew he didn’t just approach me to embarrass me; he must have really noticed something. But the fact that I couldn’t smell anything made me want to call him a liar. However, I knew that smells within can’t be easily detected by someone who is used to them—just like how a homeowner can’t easily notice a smell in their own house.
Thank God it was the afternoon, and teachers were no longer coming to class that day. I sneaked into the class, took my bag, and quietly left. All I wanted at that moment was to go home, bathe, and get rid of whatever underwear I was wearing because, truthfully, I had worn the same boxers for four days without changing them.
Miraculously, the bell rang, and I quickly moved before my classmates could come out. When I got home that day, the bathroom was the first place I visited. I bathed, took off the boxers, and angrily threw them away because they were the cause of it... I didn't care, I pushed the blame to the boxer even though I was supposed to be the one to wash it and make it not to smell.
The next day, I felt a little shy about going close to the guy, but I did it anyway. I walked past him several times and stylishly looked at him to see if he had any odd reaction, but he didn’t, and that settled it for me.
Well, I was very grateful that he didn’t announce it to everyone that day in front of the others. I appreciated the way he called me to a corner.
Thanks!
This is for Hivenaija prompt