I never really liked being chased out of school because of school fees. It was a Monday morning when the son of the proprietor of our school matched into our classroom and called some names asking them to leave the school premises because of failure to pay school fees.
It was still very early and I was reluctant to go home because I could only imagine the loads of work that would be waiting for me at home. While me and my friend Charles stood outside the gate contemplating on where to go next because neither of us we are ready to go home just yet, Charles then made a suggestion.
"Let's go over to Confidence's house. He has a PlayStation 3, we can go over there and play Pro Evolutional Soccer to pass time till it was about time for School closing."
"That sounds like a good idea," I replied.
So me and Charles headed over to Confidence's house. On reaching his house we could see various pairs of sandals at the doorstep. They were obviously the sandals of our fellow students who were also chased out for school fees.
"I guess we are not alone," I turned and said to Charles. He replied with a laugh.
Charles then knocked on the door but we didn't get any response. We kept on knocking. Still no response. But we could hear gist and chatter coming from inside while we stood at the front door. But no one came to answer us.
We stood at at the door for about 5 minutes, knocking but we didn't get any reply. We were being ignored. Disappointed, me and Charles headed back to the school gates because we were still unwilling to go home at that hours of the morning.
When it was about the schools break time the school gates were open for the school bus to pass in. While the school bus was passing in, Charles and I found a way to sneak in to the school compound without being seen by the security guards at the gate. And that was how we went on with lectures for that day and forgot all that happened at Confidence's house.
The following day, we were seated in classroom after the school had its assembly. In the middle of the class we saw Confidence and the friends who had gone to his house the previous day, they were stripped off their uniforms and putting on nothing more than their underwears.
While I was still trying to figure out what was going on the school Principal who brought them to our class began to sound a note of warning.
"This should sound as a warning to all of you guys. Whenever you guys are chased away from school for any reason or the other, especially when it comes to the aspect of school fees, you better go straight home and don't branch to anywhere. We got a call from Confidence's mother," she stopped, pointing at Confidence for the whole class to see as he stood in front of the classroom in shame. "She called me on the phone and said she got home only to see her son Confidence with a number of other students putting on uniforms and busy playing video games as if her house was a game center."
"But sir —" Confidence tried to speak up. "Shut up!" the principal yelled at Confidence as she hit him on the head with a notebook she held in her hand. The whole class laughed.
I wasn't in the mood to laugh at all because I couldn't help but think that could have been me. Charles was probably thinking the same thing, I could read it all over his face. We were both quiet while the rest of the students where being entertained by the drama that was going on.
The Principal didn't just stop in our class, she took Confidence and his supposed partners in crime to the rest of the classes in the secondary school, sounding the same note of warning to the students. That was one day in my life I was very glad of being ignored when I knocked on someone's door.
School closed. Everybody had left the school premises and went to their respective homes except for Confidence and his friends who were in their underwears. I felt pity for them but it was also too funny to watch them.
"So what are you guys going to do now?" I asked Confidence and his friends, trying to show concern.
"Well, the only thing we can do now is to wait till it get dark because we can't just stand the shame of working down the street to our home naked," Confidence replied. "I'm sorry I didn't open the doors for you guys yesterday."
"Please don't be. On the contrary, I'm actually glad you didn't," I replied.
"Honestly speaking bro," Charles agreed with me and we all laughed."
As I walked home that afternoon, I couldn't help but imagine how it would have been like if Confidence did open the door for me and Charles to come into his house. I honestly don't think I could stand such shame in front of virtually the whole school. Honestly, some disappointments are indeed blessings.
