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Introduction

Welcome to my blog. It's another week of the story "The Wounded Captain," and in this episode, I will be writing about
The Powerful Strokes
At the end of the story, please visit other episodes for a better understanding of this story.

The Powerful Strokes

In Abia's days in school, strict parents or guardians didn't allow their children or wards to play football. Football was meant for loose and recalcitrant boys. That was when football was not given recognition.

Abia was fond of playing football. He could spend longer periods playing the game instead of reading. His father noticed that and didn't like it. Abia, I have noticed that you have taken so much of your time playing football than the time you give to your studies. It has disturbed my mind because you can never earn a living through it. I want you to put a limit to it. You can play it as an exercise. Your studies are paramount to me, especially now that you would soon go to a grammar school,' said Akpatta.

Akpatta had seen other small children trying to use muddy soil, adding a little water in order to make it firm, and had used the soil to mould toy bicycles, cars, aeroplanes and radios. He also saw some cut tins and used them to construct very many things. These were signs that such children would become engineers, he thought. He didn't like a child to argue much because if such a child had his way, he might become a lawyer. He particularly hated lawyers, He called them 'International thieves'. He couldn't imagine how he had been ordered to pay five hundred naira to one of his tenants who hadn't paid his rent for over a year.

The tenant had refused to pay his rent because he had been suspended from duty and his salaries hadn't been paid.

Akpatta had endured him for quite a long period. He had given him a quit notice for his inability to pay his rent, yet the tenant hadn't contemplated vacating his apartment. Akpatta had damned all consequences and had the roofing of that apartment removed, thereby leaving the tenant unprotected from sun and rain.

"I can do my things the way I want. I have given him enough time to vacate my compound. If he had planted a pot here, I don't care if he is waiting for it to germinate. All I want is for him to leave my compound. I don't owe anyone an apology,' he had told himself.'

Akpatta didn't know he had taken laws into his hands. The quit notice he had served his tenant didn't pass through a lawyer. He had personally written and signed the quit notice.

The tenant hadn't taken it kindly. He had consulted at lawyer, and a case was established in the court against him. During the judgement, Akpatta was asked to pay five hundred naira to the tenant as damage and cost incurred by the tenant. So he didn't like his son to become a lawyer or a footballer. Again, amongst many instructions given Abia by his father, the one he flouted most was the time he often spent when he played football.

It was not his intention to flout his father's instructions, but because of his love for the game, he sometimes spent the time unnoticed.

His father once ordered the cook to give him six strokes of cane for spending too much time playing football against his instruction. The cook's strokes were so powerful for the little boy that Akpatta was not happy with the cook and quickly stopped him at three.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading to the end. I believe you enjoyed the story. To understand this story better, please do well to read other episodes below.

• Episode 1, Taboo on Playmates
• Episode 2, Hocky the dog
• Episode 3, The Gardener
  Episode 4, The-master
• Episode 5, The gate man encounter with Itina
• Episode 6, Thieves in the warehouse
• Episode 7, The Cook and The Steward Imprisoned
• Episode 8, Reward For Honesty
  Episode 9, The White Master