Twirl

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The month went by like breeze. October came, and school became even more intense. Teachers dished out assignments, taking every opportunity they had to remind them that their exams were drawing closer. She spent all of her free time in the Library expect for Lunch break. There was nothing too hectic about being library prefect and she was thankful for that. She didn’t think she could handle more pressure. She usually sat at a corner reading her own books while trying to also monitor students. The librarian was there to do most of the work so she only gave her a helping hand. There were only a few students who visited the library. The population of students in the library was dependent on the time of the term. When Mid-terms approached, more students would visit the library, and that also happened during examination periods. To be frank, there was nothing much to her job. The title was good, though. Her dad had been pleased that she had been selected as a prefect.

At home, she had extra lessons with Mr. Ahmed who took her mathematics and physics, and Mr. Chuks who taught her Biology and chemistry. Her dad had decided to get her an English teacher although he was yet to find one. She had told him she would be just fine preparing for English on her own but he had dismissed her words. He wanted her to have an excellent result, perfect if possible. People who had A-parallel results did not have two heads, he had said. The pressure was squeezing her, almost choking her. She found herself on the verge of tears on some days. She wasn’t sure she could have the perfect result her dad wanted. Mathematics was a difficult subject she found hard to understand. Mr. Ahmed had been helpful, and she was beginning to grab some concepts and topics that she had found difficult. Even with Mr. Ahmed’s impressive teaching dexterity, she wasn’t sure she could get anything higher than a ‘C’ in mathematics. If she got a ‘B’, it would be pure luck. She and mathematics didn’t get along.

She focused her attention back to the teacher who was explaining the types of clauses. It was another Saturday and she was in school for her extension classes. They rotated the subjects every Saturday, and that Saturday she was to have English, biology and chemistry. English was the first class, and the one she was currently in. The class had started only thirty minutes ago but she was already losing interest. By 1 pm, classes ended and she walked with her friends, Esther and Zainab to Esther’s house. She had laundry waiting to be done, and she had to clean her room also. But she couldn’t be bothered about those at that moment. If she went home, she would be alone and she was almost sure that there would be no power. Her mum had gone to a party and her dad had gone to work. What was the point of going to an empty and boring house? She would deal with her chores later.

“Tomi, do you understand Electrolysis?” Zainab asked, as they walked. It was very sunny and Tomini was squinting a little. Esther’s house was not too far from school but it still was quite a distance.

“Electrolysis…kind of,” she shrugged. Mr Chuks had just started the topic with her on Thursday and they were yet to complete it.

“Please you will teach me. When Mr Akinola taught us in SS2 I did not understand one thing. I can’t even remember the definition. It’s that bad.”

Esther laughed on hearing that. Mr Akinola’s teaching methodology was quite strange. He spent most of the class period dictating his notes to the students, and explained topics very briefly. His exam was usually tough, and most students managed to get a pass. The intelligent ones would teach the others; that was how they survived chemistry. They had prayed that Mr Akinola would for one reason or the other leave the school and be replaced but that had never happened.

“Abeg Mr. Akinola shouldn’t even be called a teacher. That man does not teach anything. And he’s very wicked, always setting hard exam for somebody. It’s God that will punish that man…With that his opolo eye,” Esther said. Tomini and Zainab laughed hard, even halting their steps. When their laughter subsided, they continued the walk to Esther’s house.