Recipe For Rainbows

Expectations vs. Reality

I walk briskly past Gina as she waves at a friend in the cooking class. Gina hurries after me urging me to take my time. ‘After all, she says, we are seven minutes ahead of time’.
I turn to look at her. ‘I’m the prefect on duty for this week, Gina. I have to be on time’. I turn around and start to climb the stairs.
‘Oh, we are in the third week right?  Yeah, you are on duty’. She says trying to catch her breath as she climbs the stairs after me. ‘But will you take your time? I can’t seem to catch up with you.

We enter the class to see the pupils gathered at the middle of the classroom with Bernard at the centre. Bernard whispers something and they burst out into laughter. Makafui is seated at the left corner of the classroom doing nothing. James who is four years older than us is also seated at the right corner of the classroom reading a book. We walk over to the pupils gathered.
Bernard sits on the table and with his hands urged the students to come closer. ‘I tell you, when I brought the assignment to the coordinators, one of the coordinators was asking the others what to do with Makafui’s work’. He pauses a little and looks at the faces around him.
‘What did they say?’ Someone ask from the crowd.
Bernard leans closer in the direction the question came from and in a voice almost like a whisper he says ‘this is a top secret and should remain as such.  One of the coordinators said he always puts Makafui’s assignment aside. He doesn’t know Braille and does not know how to go about her work’.

The coordinator for creative writing enters the class and we scamper to our seats. Makafui sat alone. I’m sure she must have heard the rumors.
The coordinator puts the cards for the posters on the table and turns to the class. ‘I’m sure you are wondering why I’m here. Mr. Ohemeng is not feeling well. As a result, these cards will be given to you to take home and have more time to make them. You are to turn them in on Wednesday. Do you understand?’  We nod our heads. ‘Okay, for today’s activities’, he continues, we will be writing on our expectations for joining this club and the realities we are facing after joining the club. Write it in a form of a letter. It could be to your friend, family, and teacher, anyone. Prefect on duty?’  I stand up and walk to him. I take the sheets and start to share them to the class.