Monday na serious day for me. Na di start of new week. And as di oga wey I be for school, notin fit miss for my dressing. For Sunday night, I dey make sure sey I don polish my shoe, make e shine well-well—na Papa teach me dat one. I go kon iron my shirt, make e stand gidigba, make di lines dem sharp. My hair nko? Baba Solo go don shape am for me on Saturday. I no dey cut am for Sunday becos if I leave am till Sunday, by Monday, all di line for wer di clipper cut me go still dey show. Na after JSS2 I learn dat one. I don upgrade.
Papa get one perfume wey e dey use only for special occasions. E no know but every now and den, I dey spray di perfume before I go school. Me sef gat smell nice. Di tin don dey finish small-small. E mean sey time don reach make I buy my own. I no want di man wahala.
I look my watch. Ye! Time don go. I rush do my tie. I go brush my hair for road. I carry my bag begin dey go. I no even get time put sometin for belle. I go buy buns for tuck shop. As I dey go, I see Chike for road. He come my side, and we begin trek togeda.
“Haw far nau? Yu watch match yesterday?” Chike ask me.
“I dey o, haw bodi? I no watch o. I get test today so I dey try cram some tins. Wetin be scores?”
“O boy, na three-two o. Di match sweet no be small. Yu fit come my side after. Dem go show am again for evening.”
I consider am. Papa no go quick come back today so I fit go.
“No wahala nau, we go see.”
Awa school no far, and before we close eye open am, we don reach. I be class prefect. So wen I reach school, na gate I dey stand, make I for see as all di students dey enter. Anybodi wey I see wit dirty uniform, or wey no wear di correct shoe or socks, na to send am go back house. I no dey take nonsense. Everybodi sabi dat one. Na wai I dey always make sure sey my own uniform dey shine. Make notin stain my white.
Emmanuel na my regular customer for dis gate. Sometin dey always miss for im uniform. If no be sey e wear wrong sandal, e go be sey e no wear socks, abi im shirt dirty. Di guy dey always do anyhaw. But today, as e dey walk come my side, I scan am see sey everytin dey intact. E shock me o.
“Emma, shey na yu I dey see so?”
Di boy begin dey smile. “Senior Emeka, na me o. I no want make yu send me go house today. In fact, I don buy new shirt. Yu no see as e white?”
“I dey see am o. Yu try no be small. Keep am up o. I no want send yu go house again.”
“No wahala, Senior Emeka. I don change”, he laff as e dey waka go.
All di students wey pass, dem do well today. Abi we dey do sometin for school today wey I no know?
As I dey finish my duty for gate, time for assembly kon reach. For assembly, I dey stand wit my classmates for line. Principal begin address us. As usual, na my class collect.
“SS2 B!!! Una wahala don dey plenti. Di reports wey I don dey get don fill cup. I no go take all dis rubbish from una. Una wey suppose be example to di junior ones-dem. Instead, na una just dey make shame catch us. As from today, una dey on manual labor. All of una go cut di grass wey dey field. After dat one, una go clean all di toilets wey dey for dis compound. Once una do dat one finish, I go find anoda work give una”.
As class prefect wey I be, I no tink sey dis punishment go reach my side. Na im I raise my hand, make I ask. Principal just clear me straight. “Di punishment na for yu too, Emeka. Everybodi join for dis one”. Na so everybodi begin laff. I no just understand di man. Me wey be good student. Na even me tell di man di tins wey some of my classmates-dem dey do. I don mess up. I go go meet am after assembly. After e read announcements, e talk sey assembly don end, make we dey go class.
My friend Femi begin dey waka wit me as I dey go class.
“Haw far nau? Wai princi go do yu like dat? E no sabi sey yu be prefect?”
“No mind am joor. I go go see am later. Hope sey yu dey okay.”
“I dey o. Hmm… e be like say yor girlfriend dey come o. Check back!” Femi dey smile as e dey talk am. I turn back see sey Amara dey waka come. She no be my girlfriend but everybodi sabi sey I like am. Na wai dem dey always joke sey she be my girlfriend.
“Guy, she no be my girlfriend.” Femi just laff waka leave me for der. Amara tap me for shoulder.
“Emeka, haw far?” Her voice be like pap wey dem just komot from fire—e smooth die. I dey alway shy to follow am talk.
“I… I dey fine, Amara. Haw yu… haw yu dey?” I dey sweat.
“I dey. I want say make yu no vex as people dey laff yu for assembly ground. Yu know haw e dey go.” She dey smile at me.
“Ah no, I no dey vex. No wahala.” I no sabi weda to put my hand for pocket abi to fold am for chest. Di whole tin just dey make my bodi do jiggy-jiggy. Me and Amara neva talk for long like dis before, na just greet I dey greet am.
“Ehen, me and my friends dey go Chikky’s after school. Yu go like come?” Chikky’s na one buka wey dey town. Students dey like go der on a regular. Amara dey ask me make I follow am komot. Abi I dey dream? I no fit believe am. Na for dis kain important time my voice like to stop to dey work.
“I, err, I go…”
Na so I begin cough. Today of all days na di day dis cough kon come. Dis one na serious cough. Na di one wey no matter wetin yu do, e no go stop till e don do complete.
“Emeka, wetin happen? Yu dey okay?” Amara begin dey tap me for back. Dis cough no stop. E remain small make I cough out my intestines. People begin gather us. Wich kain embarrassment be dis one?
“Senior Emeka, wetin happen?”
“Make somebodi bring am water.”
“Give am space, give am space.”
“Hu get fan o? Make we blow am breeze.”
Na so people just dey talk, dey do different tins around me. Di only tin wey dey my mind na haw I go tell Amara sey yes, I go follow am go Chikky’s.
Writer: Itseme Akede; Illustrator: Oritseshemaye Onakpoya
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