Source

Introduction

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

Abia Becomes Captain

Abia grew up rapidly and couldn't part ways with football. He was appointed the school's captain although an average student. He hated being an engineer because he couldn't imagine standing in the sun or rain for long hours, constructing roads and bridges. He considered the quantity of drugs to be taken daily in order to lessen the effect of the sun. He remembered his father always saying,'too much of everything is a disease'.

Abia didn't know the various fields of engineering - civil, electrical, mechanical, automobile, and many others. He felt that civil engineering was the only course in engineering. He also hated being a doctor because of his father's story.

'Look here, Abia. I was taken abroad by a missionary and had contracted marriage with my first wife before your mother. She became pregnant and was about to put to bed. But the nurses and doctors who had been on duty were careless. Both the woman and the child died. I sued the hospital authority and claimed much money as damages. Therefore, I don't want you to become a doctor, Akpatta had told Abia.

Abia loved being a lawyer. He liked the intelligent manner in which lawyers usually argued cases.

Once, Ndopnda had also told him much about a lawyer and a certain case that had been established against a servant by his master. The servant won that case through a lawyer. Abia's effort to become a lawyer was further inspired by the eloquent and intelligent manner in which he often argued with his opponent during debates with other schools. His school sometimes failed to win during debate because other co-debaters in his school lacked the ability to argue their points. Now that he had left his father for a boarding school, his father didn't know much about his interest in sport. He often scored the winning goal for his team and was a local champion. Though, his father had warned him not to play football, his ambition was to become an outstanding footballer whether football would earn him a living or not, he saw himself being talented and entertaining whenever he played.

'People are born with talents, but the channel of individual ingenuity makes one a star,' he told himself. He believed that football would be accorded recognition in due course.

First term was always the games season in the school. It was the period games captains were chosen. Abia was not very sure if he would be appointed the football captain. He was a good footballer, but he was an average student. That means his fate hanged on the balance.

Fortunately, for him, the games master loved him because he was respectful and quite responsible. It was a pleasant surprises when, in the assembly one day, the principal announced him as the new football captain. He was called to come up to the platform amidst cheers by his friends and classmates. The appointment meant recognition and privileges other students did not have.

From that time, he led the school team in various competitions in and outside the school. His secret joy was that his father did not live in the school to monitor his movements or to prevent him from participating in school matches.

Other sports Abia liked were wrestling and boxing. His love for boxing and wrestling was limited to watching the sports on television. He was so excited when he watched boxers like Dick Tiger and Muhammad Ali.

He remembered, he had once fought a girl and had given her several punches or blows, he cried after the fight had ended. His friends had not been happy because he cried for a girl.

'I can never cry for a girl even though I am seriously beaten by her,' said Henry, one of his classmates. It's only a girl in a boy's clothes like Abia could cry for a girl. But for me, my father has warned me never to cry for any girl, including my elder sister, and I'm holding unto it, said John.

Abia couldn't imagine the strength and tacks behind wrestlers and boxers. He accepted the notion held about them that most boxers and wrestlers usually resorted to concoction for effective performance. He wondered what the effect of the concoction on them would be. Although he knew boxers had coverings on their heads, he felt that some punches usually penetrated deep.

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
• Episode 10, The Powerful Strokes