OYINADE

~46~

Saturday 7:00am

"Oyinade! Hope you're almost done with your chores?", Mum yelled from her room.
"Yes Mum" I groaned.

It was yet another day to go for my catering classes and in all sincerity, I wasn't stoked. I just wanted to get it over with.

Why?, you may ask. Well, after the first day in which I and Mum were told that classes would begin officially on Monday.
I had prepared my mind and taken off my anxiety with high hopes that I wouldn't embarrass myself.

Only for me to get to the class that day and ruin my prestige, or what was left of it.
That day, the tutor declared that we were all going to take turns to introduce ourselves.

"Hi everyone. My name is Oyinade", I had practiced over and over in my head.
"You, young lady. You're up next", the slender and tall woman who happened to be our tutor said as she pointed at me.

So, I stood up, made my way to the front of the class. Then, I bowed before uttering the most meaningless words that could ever proceed out of a person's mouth.

"Hi Oyinade. My name is everyone", I had said that day. The whole class bursted into laughter. I can still hear their voices in my head. I can still picture how even our tutor couldn't suppress her laughter.

I remember wishing for the ground to open up, so I could jump in and stay there till whenever everyone forgets.

My wish didn't come true. However, while I watched in horror as the strange faces of my prospective course mates contorted into different forms in laughter, I noticed an odd pair. Two boys. Two identical boys.

They both didn't flinch. Their faces were cold and emotionless.
It was as though they didn't want to be here, as though someone forced them to come.

Even after that day, the next time I saw them again, during the next class, on Wednesday, they still wore that placid expression on their face. Even when a random boy made fun of me by imitating me and repeating the nonsense I spewed out of my mouth, they still didn't flinch.

The catering school couldn't have been worse. I thought of quitting there and then. However, I couldn't.

When I got home that day, I had a long moment of reflection. If I quit at the sight of the slightest challenge, then what kind of life was I preparing myself to live.

I didn't join the catering school to make friends. I joined to learn a skill. So, if it'll mean having no friends, then, that's what I'll have to do.

If it'll mean being alone, being mocked or jeered at by people who weren't willing to give me a chance at being friends. Then, I'll endure.

So, by the end of Wednesday, I had a new resolution. I wouldn't let anyone get into my head or make me feel like I was less of a person just because of an honest mistake caused by nervousness.

Once I get to the school on Saturday, I'll walk boldly with my head raised high and ignore any snide remark, even if it's directed at me specifically.

I cleaned the last plate and placed it in the plate rack. Then, I dried my hand and walked straight to my room.

Now that Ewatomi has gone back to school, I'll have to look for the perfect clothes to wear on my own.

How I miss her!

If she were around, I would have met a carefully chosen outfit on my bed. She would have even picked out a suitable footwear to match with the outfit. Too bad she's not around.

I rummaged through my wardrobe in hopes to find an outfit that'd be comfortable but also suit the weather.

"Perfect!", I said with a pleased smile.
I may have just found the perfect outfit for a day like this.