Believe - Episode 11

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And so I decided to shift the chapter "hyprocrite" forward - Bukky's encounter with Anu. Meanwhile, let's continue to ride in Ayo's shoes as school resumes back for the new session with Ayo and her classmates now in SS1.

 

“Hi, Funmi,” Ayo greeted as she entered into SS 1 Science classroom that Monday morning. School had just resumed for the 2018/2019 session . The previous JSS 3 students are now in SS 1 and now in their various choice of department: Science, Technical, Commercial and Art.

“Hi, Ayomide,” Funmi replied with the wave of her hand. “What about your friend? I guess she is in art class.”

“No. Not at all,” Ayo said without being annoyed as she already know Funmi was trying to mock her friend. “She is in commercial class. She wants to be an accountant.”

“Oh! I see,” Funmi reacted. “What about you?”

“I don’t really know.” She sat and Funmi hurriedly sat beside her. “I want to be someone who impart knowledge on others.”

“A teacher then?”

“Maybe. Preferably, a lecturer.”

“Hey! Guys,” Oreoluwa called as he walked towards where they were seated. He dropped his bag on Funmi’s desk.

“Guys?” Funmi looked surprised.

“We are girls,” Ayo said.

“I mean girls,” he quickly corrected.

“How are you?” Funmi asked him.

“Awesome,” he responded happily

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. “After winning by mere chance a fortnight ago.”

“That’s good to hear,” Ayo said. “By the way, Funmi can we keep sitting like this?”

“Like how?”

“Let’s be seat partners.”

“Of course and maybe my new friend.” Funmi grinned. “That’s if you wish.”

“I would…”

“Okay guys, can…” Oreoluwa was saying.

“Girls!!!” Both Funmi and Ayo screamed.

“My mistake, girls.” He took his bag. “Can I at least take a sit behind you?”

“Yes you can,” Ayo responded.

“Thank you girls.” He dropped his bag on the desk directly behind Ayo’s seat. ‘That sounds awkward. Thank you guys, sounds better,’ he thought as he walked away to greet other students.

“Back to our discussion, Funmi. What do you want to become?”

“To be honest. We are in the same boat.”

“You mean you want to be a teacher also?”

“Hell No!”

“Then…”

“I also don’t know what I want to become.”

***

That same morning in SS 1 Commercial.

“I heard Mrs. Williams is our class teacher now,” a boy seated beside Bukky said.

“And who might you be?” Bukky queried ignoring the boy’s question.

“Femi,” he answered. “Oluwafemi Gbadebo, I was in JS 3B with you and Ayomide. Remember me?” He extended a hand for a shake.

“Oh!” She ignored the hand and eyed him. “The one nicknamed Augustine. Why won’t I remember you?”

“I…”

“You should have said Augustine. I would have remembered immediately.” She laughed mockingly.

After about a few seconds of laughing, Bukky noticed that Femi’s mood had changed, so she stopped laughing.

“Oh! That wasn’t funny.” She faked an apology. “But Augustine you really need to see the back of your head” – she used her hand to indicate how big Femi’s head was – “it’s like this.”

She laughed and hurriedly covered her mouth. “I’m sorry for that also,” she said. “What was your question again?”

Femi couldn’t take the insult anymore, so he stood up and was about to leave when Bukky stopped him.

“You need to scrape the back of your head,” Bukky said and burst into another roar of laughter.

Femi made to slap her but suppressed his anger. Just then, a woman probably in her early 40s walked in.

“Silence everyone,” she ordered as soon as she entered the classroom. “My name is Williams Adewunmi. Students calls me Mrs. Williams. I am your new class teacher and in my class, there are rules and regulations. You…” She talked on and ended her speech with, “Is that clear?”

“Yes ma,” the whole students in SS 1 commercial chorused.

“Let’s skip the introduction aspect because I practically know everyone in this class.” She looked around. “Except, if we have a new in-take.”

“We do have one,” a girl said from behind, raising up her right hand.

“Ahh!” the whole class screamed and turned to look at the girl who spoke.

“Why did you all shout?” Femi whispered to Bukky. He is not one to hold grudges.

“Better keep quiet and don’t put me in trouble,” she whispered back.

“What did you say, miss?” Mrs. Williams demanded from the girl that raised her hand.

“I said we have a new intake,” the girl repeated. She stood up and said, “I am the new intake”

“Oh! I see. May I know the school you attended before now?”

“Lizben.”

“Lizben?” Bukky repeated slowly.

“Little wonder,” Mrs. Williams said, moving closer to the new intake as she spoke. She only stopped when she got in front of the new intake. “Let me warn you. Anytime you are communicating with a teacher, you…”

“Make use of the word, sir or ma,” the students completed.

“Yes,” she answered and immediately added, “Ma.”

“Good. Now tell me your name.”

“Promise ma.”

“Promise?” Mrs. Williams repeated. “Promise you what?”

“No ma. I mean my name is Promise ma… Promise Udoh ma.”

“I’m getting confused. Which is your surname. Ma or Udoma.”

The students dared not laugh at this as none of them wanted to be a scape goat just on the first day of resumption.

“Udoh… Ma,” Promise said slowly.

“Oh! Udoh.” Mrs. Williams exclaimed after checking promise name on her notebook cover.

“Yes Udoh… Ma.”

Mrs. Williams rolled her eyeballs as if they were going to fall out of their socket anytime soon. She walked back to the front of the classroom and said. “Stand up everyone.”

The students became scared. They wondered why they were asked to stand. They only became relieved when the teacher said, “It’s time to appoint a class captain and an assistant.”

The students became excited as they all stood up from their seats.

“How many are you in this class?” Mrs. Williams asked a girl seated in the first row to her right.

“I don’t know ma,” the girl responded.

“Sit,” she ordered. “You can’t be a class captain if you don’t know how many students are in your class.

“You!” She pointed to another student. This time, a boy. “How many teachers are in this school?”

The boy began to count his fingers but Mrs. Williams stopped him and pointed to another student. “You tell us,” she said.

“39,” Promise responded.

“Lovely. How did you know that?”

“I studied this ma.” She raised the school’s handbook which was given to her upon admission.

“Excellent, you are a good captain material.” Mrs. Williams commended. “Come out here.”

In this manner, Mrs. Williams asked each students various questions about the school, class, and teachers. At the end of it all, 4 other students joined Promise at the front of the class. The students are Femi, Ogechi, Al-ameen and Bukky.

“Time to vote, class.”

Each of the remaining 19 students seated, took turns in voting for whomever they desired, from the standing 5. After the voting exercise, the teacher and students counted the votes and at the end, Promise became the class captain with 6 votes and Bukky, the assistants with 5 votes. Al-ameen had 4 votes and Mrs. Williams appointed him as the S.R.O. (Student Relating Officer). Ogechi had 3 votes.

***

“What about your friend?” Ayo queried.

“You mean Femi Augustine,” Bukola asked.

“Yes.”

“He had zero vote ad he was appointed as the Augustine Relating Officer.”

“ARO!” Both girls chorused happily.

“All in all,” Bayo said from behind them. “You are now the assistant captain. You this talkative.”

“What do you mean?” Bukky faked a frown. “You should meet my teacher. She’s a better talkative.”

“Of course. I know that woman.” He sat on the arm of the chair next to Ayo. “She taught us Civic Education.”

“Ohh!” Bukky exclaimed.

“Since when have you been listening?” Ayo asked.

“Long enough to know that you might know a girl named Promise,” he replied.

“Eavesdropper! That was from the beginning.” Bukky was amazed. “And we were not aware you were there the whole time.”

“I’m an expert.” Bayo grinned.

“Come to think of it. I might know that girl,” Ayo said. “Promise Udoh.”

“Don’t worry yourself too much,” Bukky advised. “You will see her tomorrow.”

“Moron! Tomorrow is Saturday.”

“Oh! Sorry.

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. I forgot.”

“Ayo, it’s time for practice,” Bayo said. “Meet me in the study room in 5 minutes.” He left the two girls and headed for the study room.

“I guess I should leave then,” Bukky said.

“Of course. You don’t need to be told,” Ayo said. She stood up and headed for the study room, leaving Bukky behind.

After a while, Bukky left for her house not after leaving a note for Ayo which reads:

We rarely see this days and it saddens my heart. We were much closer than this. I know you are really busy with your math stuff but that doesn’t justify you seeing me only for 1 hour every Friday in the past 4 weeks. You haven’t come to my house since this competition began. We’ve only spoken twice in school since we resumed on Monday but yet you spend so much time with Funmi and Oreoluwa. It’s not that I’m jealous or complaining. I just miss you. Your favourite friend, Bukky.