Chioma was a young girl with dreams and aspirations one of which was to study Banking and Finance or Mathematics because she was good at maths and thereafter work in the finance industry in Nigeria. She had these dreams even when she knew she was a science student. She also knew she had to study hard to achieve these dreams.
At age 16, Nwaebele (merciful child) as she was fondly called by Nnè, experienced the most heartbreaking situation a child with her aspirations could ever experience. It happened when she was in SS2 in one of the Missionary Schools in the city she lived with her Nną and two brothers. With pain in his eyes, Nną informed her that he couldn't afford to pay her fees anymore as his business was not doing well. Ife si ike, Ife si ezigbo ike he said. Heart wrenched, she dropped out of school and stayed at home but continued to study, pray and hope that God will provide money for Nną to pay her fees so she could go back to school. Unfortunately that didn't happen.
A couple of months later she engaged in selling of edible stuffs to children on the street unknown to Nną who left home early in the morning and returned late at night everyday. She was able to raise #1,580 which was big money at the time which gave her hope as she realized she could make more to enable her go back to school. Then one night Nną told her he had asked a tailor to accept her as an apprentice, he said it was better than sitting at home. The world stood still for a while, then she let out a deep throated cry which made him bow his head in pain for all he wanted was the best for all his children. Chioma collected herself and told Nną she had saved some money from selling stuff and she needed an extra thousand to enroll in another school because going back to the old school will mean paying all the back log of school fees this idea came to her while she was doing house chores, who said wisdom comes from above she gave hers while doing the dishes. When she finished speaking, Nną had the same pain in his eyes as he did the night he told her she will drop out of school. The day after, he spoke to someone he knew and she started attending an extra classes the next day for free. To her, it was not extra, it was main classes.
A month later, Nną gave her all the money she needed to enroll in another school and she was amazed as she wondered how he came up with the money because things were really tight at the time. She excitedly enrolled in another school and completed SS2 and had her #1,580 as extra money.
Then came SS3, the session when you are required to register and prepare for the West African Examination Council (WAEC) Examinations. Tension. The registration requirements included paying a fee of #2,500, two passport photographs, filling of forms with subjects of interest. The forms were passed round and Chioma collected hers with mixed feelings -doubt, sadness and tiredness- knowing she had not paid that term's school fees belente WAEC fees. All her friends had paid theirs, filled their forms and submitted except her. No one knew she had not completed her registration. She told Nną and he promised to give her the money. She waited and prayed. During one of preparatory classes, Mr Agbola, the school principal suddenly came to announce the deadline for the registration. There was sudden stillness in Chioma's brain and she feel asleep for the rest of the class for lack concentration.
The next day, which was four days to the deadline, in panic she opened her kolo and was surprised to collected #1,250 which she took to Mr Agbola who understood her situation after she explained with tears in her eyes. Mr Agbola collected the money without explaining whether she was expected to complete the payment or if he would make it up. He didn't ask for her passport photograph or her subjects of choice. He also knew she had not paid her final term's school fees.
Amidst the distractions, she studied hard and hoped for the best. Then came the deadline, a Friday. She was walking into the school on that day at about 7:25am when Mr Agbola beckoned on her and said "you this girl where is your passport?". Chioma just stood there staring at him with a frantic thought on her mind, "ke ebe ngesi weta ego passport?" Upon asking the second time which was more of a shout, she was startled into reality and said "I will get it" and took off for home with Mr Agbola's last words ringing in her ears "be here before 1".
Chioma arrived home at 8:56 exhausted from the walk-run journey back home. On her way back she thought the only way she could get a passport photograph was to cut out her face from a group picture she took with her brothers when she was 9. She was 18 at the time. She went straight to the drawer where she saw the picture last but couldn't find it. "How can I find it when I have boys as siblings, never organised" she thought to herself. Then the frantic search began. She pulled out all the drawers in the two rooms she shared with her family including the ones containing books, pictures, clothes and food stuff. Everyone understands that when under pressure, one can be desperate enough to open a freezer to look for a shoe. She searched and searched, minutes turned into agonizing hours. She looked at the 7-year old wall clock they had and the time said 11:45am. She had never doubted the clock except when it had a dead battery but that was an exceptional day. By that time, the whole house was littered with books, cloths, shoes, food stuff and every other item she pulled out during her search, she stepped on them to the table where Nną forgot his wrist watch, worse, the watch said 11:47am. Then she let out the same kind of throated cry she cried when Nną mentioned tailor. No one was home to help her with the search or comfort her. All the while she was searching, there was no power. Chioma cried herself to sleep with the thought that her most likely chance of writing WAEC had slipped through her fingers.
During the 40 or so minutes she slept in the dark on top of all the books, pictures and other stuffs, she had a dream about buying bottoms, zips and gum stay for her tailor madam in the village not even in the city where they lived. Then came a rap on the living room door. At first it woke her but she found it difficult to concentrate as NEPA had not "brought back the light". There came a second and third rap, she sprang to her feet and rushed out through the bedroom door thinking the house was on fire and someone was trying to alert the occupants of the house but stopped short when she saw Mr Agbola, her principal standing angrily in front of the living room door. She stared at him as though she had seen a ghost but unable to run. He shouted at her (with popping forehead veins) "see this stupid girl oo, so you came home to sleep while I have been waiting for you in the school?" Of course he could tell she was sleeping from the look she had on her face. All she could mutter was "sorry sir, let me bring it". He gave out a hiss that can only come from a 70 years old woman. He was barely 40 from her wild guess. Chioma dashed into the house then miracles started happening before her very eyes. The God she had been praying to showed up mightly. Someone once said it was coincidence after she narrated the story but she believed in miracles. NEPA in their madness restored power immediately she stepped into the bedroom, she looked down at the pile of books and cloths and there was a tip of something that looked like a passport photograph. In her tired mind, she thought if it happened to be a passport photograph and it's either of her brothers', she will give it to Mr Agbola. She carefully and slowly bent down toward the tip she saw like a lion hunting her prey, she did this for fear of ruffling the pile and losing the presumed passport, pulled at the tip and there it was, her 3 years old passport photograph she didn't remember she had. With joy in her heart and a smile on her face she stepped out and handed it to her principal. Seeing the smile on her face infuriated him some more and he swung his hand to slap her but she avoided it like the sharp girl that she was and ran away. She watched him walk briskly up the street in amusement. What just happened? Akam no na nlo? She wondered. How on earth did he find her house? Her only conclusion was that Talatu, her friend and classmate who lived close to her gave him the description of her house. The next week she went to school happily but always avoided Mr Agbola.
(If you have read this piece up to this point, thank you. I think it's time for me to come clean)
A week to the exams, he came to my class and announced that the time table and student number including chosen subjects were out and urged students to stop by the notice board to check. I joined my friends who did not know how I registered for the exams by the notice board. I waited until I had enough space to check mine and developed instant headache when I saw the subjects listed against my name and number. Gini? Government and Commerce instead of Chemistry and Physics? Ke onye nmejo? I was about to match to the principal's office when it occurred to me that because of the circumstances surrounding my registration, I inadvertently forgot to submit my subjects of choice. As a matter of fact, I didn't even fill the forms. I did not go to him also because I was yet to pay my third term's school fees or complete my WAEC registration fee. I figured, for want of time, my principal filled my forms and wrote down the subjects he felt I offered.
In panic I rushed to Rwang Pan street where I bought compiled past question papers on the strange subjects and a text book on Government. I did not buy Commerce text book because I had seen the topics and they were related to Economics which text book I already had. I read like never before. I refused to sleep. I didn't go to school until the exams started. On the days of the strange subjects, I prayed while writing. Afterwards, I waited on pins and needles for the results. When they came out, they were pasted on the notice board and I dragged my feet there and guess what, I aced them. I wrote WAEC once and no, I did not study Banking and Finance nor Mathematics in the University.
Umunnem na Umunnam, this is the story of a part of my life.
CHARACTERS:
Chioma - Ogechukwu Ikwueme
Mr. Agbola - Mr Lorenzo
Talatu - Helen Anthony
Nną - My late father
Nnè - My lovely mother
PLACES:
First school - Methodist High School
Second school - Maygo High School
City - Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria
Ogechukwu Ikwueme
(Nwanne unu Nwanyi)
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