Chapter 4 ...

THE ONLY QUESTION now was which gift in me could I bring out to make me special? Definitely, there was none. It was during those period I learnt that money wasn't everything. Although I didn't believe in God but that time, I had to give it a try. Besides, there was no harm in trying. I knelt down and I prayed even though it was hard to believe I was actually the one praying. I read my bible, yet nothing happened; then I laid on my bed to think of my life. I meditated on the story of Jacob and Esau in the bible with my eyes closed.

Then suddenly, something hits my mind and I quickly sat up and smiled. I looked at the sticker I posted on my wall and fixed my eyes on the word 'SMART'.

Even though there was nothing good about me but I knew one thing, I was smart enough to trick my parents. I have to play changed for two months; I have to convince everyone around me that I was a changed boy. I want my father to believe in me so even if I didn't present anything on that day, he would still have a reason to have faith in me and won't be all that furious. That was a good plan.

I began to play my trick by being the person to call for the morning devotions and even leading it. Then I did the chores without anyone telling me to do it. I even washed my father's cars and many other good things that I knew was the right thing to do. I could read the surprises on my mom's face but my dad well, he didn't show any. While playing changed, I still looked for a gift in me I could present on the talent show day. I read a lot of books including Chinua Achebe Series but nothing good came out of it. I kept trying and kept playing changed, I knew something good must come out somehow.

Something happened during my temporally change. It was a Sunday morning, 2nd day of May 1999. You won't believe it when I tell you that I was the one that woke my parents and persuaded them to prepare for church. My dad was now surprised, but that was part of the plan. I had to dress okay; I wore my suit and for the first time, I wore a tie. I carried my Good news bible and stood beside the car waiting for my parents to come out and to my expectation, they were astonished by my dressing.

"Josh!" my mum called. "Are you sure that's what you want to wear?"

"Yes! Is anything wrong with it?" I asked pretending like I didn't know what she meant.

"No!" she continued. "You look great and handsome."

"Thanks mom," I said smiling. "Now shall we?"

"Oh yes my boy." my mom replied happily. My father remained silent through out. I thought maybe he was studying the new change to check if it was genuine but trust me, I knew more tricks. On getting to the church, everyone was marveled with my dressing. Many commented good about it while some just remained silent with surprise.

Like I said, something happened that Sunday. During the service, the choir master asked if any teenager would come out and give us a worship. A girl without wasting time came out. Her name is Stephanie, an average height and chocolate skinned girl of maybe 15 years of age or so. Everyone knew her as a good child who should be a role model to her fellow age mates. But trust me, I saw her like a disgusting stupid worm. In all girls, I hated her the more. Every time I saw her, I imagined seeing the real form of the homo sapiens, habilis and erectus from the theory of Charles Darwin (father of science). To me, she was just a kook.

She always appeared in a flaying skirts which most of the time touches the ground. I was quite sure one of her skirts was big enough to sow two up and down dress for my dad. Sometimes, during harmattan, I would think the wind was going to carry her together with her flying skirts. She always wore a long sleeve top and I haven't seen her with any earing. She was just like all the deeper life girls I normally see on the street. My parents would always wish I emulate her behaviour; God forbid, her behavior was a hell. Everyone loves her and it made me angry. I felt so angry whenever my parents talked about her and I felt furious seeing everyone admire her.

I knew from the moment that she would be the one to come out but what I didn't know was that I would also come out, ask me how. The choir master later asked for another male teenager to join her in the worship but no one came out. Now can you imagine that out of the whole male teenagers in the church, the choir master pointed me out to join in the worship along side my devilish irritating enemy. It was so unbelievable and another worst thing about that moment was that I was to sing in the presence of a whole congregation. My church had this massive population that any day we dismiss, there must be a traffic jam on the road due to the number of members going home at the same time. Now I was expected to sing facing all the members along side the disgusting Stephanie.