Hope - Episode 9

 

Knock! Knock!! Knock!!! 
This was the sound Ayo heard from her sleep. She stood up reluctantly and realized she had slept off without even reading the book with her. Before her father's death, she had never fallen asleep while reading before. Everything had changed since her father died, she has taken to sleeping more than ever to ease the painful memories and gradually it became an habit. Even that day she slept in class but blamed it on the constant staring of her classmates.
"Ayo, are you in there?" Bukky shouted . 'Or did I come to the wrong apartment', she thought.
Just then the door creaked open and Ayo's sleepy face peered out.
"Oh! It's you?" Ayo said and opened the door for her new friend to come in.
"No, its not me. It's my ancestors", Bukky teased.
"Haba! It's a rhetorical question", Ayo tried explaining what rhetorical means to Bukky but was cut of by the latter.
"Rhetorical ko, it's a foolish question. You saw me and you are still asking Oh! It's you? Didn't I tell you I was coming?"
"You did", Ayo surrendered. She doesn't have the strength to argue further. 
The two girls strolled into the apartment and Ayo closed the door behind them while Bukky hurriedly brought out her English textbook and notebook from inside the bag she brought along.
After settling down, both girls began answering the questions to the assignment having read the passage even though they had little difficult with reading of the passage. Actually it was Ayo who did the reading and answering of the questions to the best of her knowledge

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/hope

. All Bukky did was observe and talk at intervals. At the end, she copied Ayo's work.
Ever after the assignment, Bukky refused to go home and Ayo wouldn't even want her to. They started discussing with Bukky doing most of the talking and Ayo providing listening ears and a nodding head at intervals.
"You mean she farted while the teacher was flogging her", Ayo asked, her eyes bulging out of their sockets in disbelieve.
"I'm telling you and her fat smells like rotten egg", Bukky replied her. "The teacher ran out of the class".
Ayo couldn’t help but laugh now, water flowing down her cheeks. "That class is really funny", she commented after having a good laugh. She can't remember when last she did that.
"We have been like that since Basic 4. Then, the class was not divided into two arms", Bukky explained. "But since we got to Basic 6, the class population increased and the class was had two arms, A and B. That was when things changed".
"Changed as how?" Ayo asked. "That class I know is still a funny one".
"No, not in that way", Bukky replied. "Class 6A was progressing academically while 6B academic performance was deteriorating".
"And you were in?"
"6B" Bukky answered without feeling ashamed.

Read " Believe " by the same author ( HABEEBLLAH DAMILOLA )

. "I was in 6B. We were always full of life, making noise, not willing to learn, disturbing the whole school. The headmistress was not happy with us neither was our class teacher. She scolded us and threatened to repeat anyone who fails the common entrance examination to JS 1".
Ayo simply nodded her head to show that she was listening.
"After the common entrance", Bukky continued. "All  the pupils in 6A performed excellently well while those of us in 6B were lucky to have passed with just few marks above the pass mark".
"So you are saying pupils in 6B are now in JS 1B", Ayomide asked inquisitively.
"Actually all but two. Only 24 of us passed and were promoted to JS 1B due to the low performance. We were regarded as the dullards while 6A, the brilliant".
"That shouldn't be", Ayo sympathized even though Bukky did not feel bad.
"All the other students in our class are new intakes which means they didn't do well in their entrance exam also", Bukky explained further. "and you are one of them", she concluded.
"Yes I am. I did badly in my entrance exam"
"No offence but JS 1B is a class full of dullards"
"No worries dear. As long as it is a class full of laughter and fun", Ayo said with a smiling face. "As long as it will make one forget sorrows, I'm okay with it".
"You're right my friend", Bukky responded happily.