While I was yet in high school(junior high), the times before I became an actual big girl. In my first and second year, I was an early student.
I would awake same time as my parents In the morning, have my bath and prepare for school and then I’ll wait until daybreak so I could go to school. Since the distance from my house to school was not much and by calculation I should be in school on or before 7:20am, sometimes earlier.
But, there was a minor problem. I went to school in company of my friend. We returned home together, sat together in class. We were just very close.
The main problem was that she was quite the opposite of me. She awoke late and whenever she did was when she washed her school socks and did (or copied) her assignment from me. I was somewhat uncomfortable at first But then, what would a good friend do? She'd wait.
If we had to go differently, best believe that she would show up at school during or after the first class. Some of our classmates nicknamed her "Ma P" that is "Madam principal".
I would wait for her to do all of those, prepare her kid brother, prepare herself and then we'd go to drop off her
brother in his school which was not in any way at a near distance from ours.
Some mornings, immediately I arrived at their doorstep, her mother would tell me, "Cheeamaka, be going to school. Don’t wait for this girl."
I’ll laugh it out, put down my bag and feel comfortable.
We would normally get to school by past 8:00 AM, sometimes 9:00 AM, serve our punishments or receive strokes of the cane (as burner-girls), dust our shoulders and bounce off to class.
Oh! what we do for friendship!!
This went on from my first year to the second year and by the third term of the second year so stop
One morning, when i got up to prepare for the day, my mother did not let me do my routine chores. All I did was; bathe, eat and head alont to school . It was unusual especially coming from my mother but, I was just glad to not do anything. As is the usual ,I went to my friend’s place to wait. She was only just waking up when I got there . I did not care. I put down my bag and waited.
Some minutes past 9:00 AM, we arrived school...No Fear. No remorse as per normal things. We just swaggered in. After all, why hurry when they will still flog us?.
The teacher on duty knew us as his regular customers. He asked why we were late, my friend lied that her mother was sick so she had to handle things at home. I said my mother made me open her shop eveey morning before I leave for school. My mother jumped out from the adjacent classroom and shouted, "Chiamaka, which shop? Do I own a shop"??
Now, I did not know that my form teacher had called my mother to complain about my constant and uninterrupted lateness.
This woman took permission from the school authority to punish both myself and my friend. First, we were made to pick all the litters in our very big school compound.
After that, we proceeded to wash the school toilets. Toilet I had never used before. There was nothing I did not see. I looked at this woman, she looked back at me - Not an ounce of pity was on her face. My friend whispered in my ear, "Are you sure that your mother is your real mother?" I began to think of it. Next, weswept the primary school block of the school. After which you were asked to cut/uproot grass with our bare hands.
Don’t be shocked. Na my Mama. I know wetin she fit do.
By the end of that day, we were looking like labourers who worked in a dump and sanitation department. We were smelly, sweaty and dirty.
To crown her efforts in success, this woman flogged us home. She did not let my friend go back home immediately. She took us to my house and floggd the upcoming bad-beeches out of us. The way she flogged us ehn, you'll think she was initiating us into a masquerade group.
Later in that day, my friend's parents came over to my house. I was
already excited from the that they had come to reprimand my mother, but, no! They came with the bottle of wine to appreciate her for a good work done.
By the next day, I decided to not go to my friends place to avoid the return of my mother, part 2.
When I got to school by about 7:15 AM, I found that my friend was already in school.
Do you know that, that girl avoided me from then on? Just imagine! Somebody that made me suffer trials and tribulations.
Tueh! Fake friends everywhere.
Thanks for gracing this post.
Greetings!