Chapter 2 The change

Ten years earlier

I hate it when Nigerian adults asked little kids about what was happening in their lives. I've always wondered why they needed to know. Most adults can not greet a child without interrogating them . They always have to be a question about your studies or if you've gotten an admission or if you had done well in your exams . Most parents asked it like they were competing amongst their children and the children never really cared about it. The worst is when they keep asking you every time they see you like they're getting updates for a biography about you, adults like that irritate me so much , like this woman that has stopped me and my Mother, in the middle of this crowded church early this morning.

" Ah ah, she don grow oh, see as she big, so which class she dey like this? , she asked like she hadn't seen me on the road yesterday.

"Primary 5 , but I'm thinking of making her jump to js1 " , my mother replies while retying her wrapper firmly on her waist

"Why nah?, she go miss all the important things for primary 6", " see ehn, most of those people wey dey skip primary 6 , nah them no dey do well when they reach js 1, like that my son, Ekenne" , she says pointing behind her like the said Ekenne was there, " e no do well in junior school and nah because of that jumping tin, abeg oh, mama Sunday, no allow am jump class, you hear?".

" I don hear", my mother replies, laughing lightly, " thank you for the advice jare"

" Oya nah, I don dey go, take care of Ihotu oh",

" ehn, Ihotu", she says turning to me. I hated the way my name rolled off her tongue like she was too lazy to call all the syllables of the name, only pronouncing the 'I' and 't' without the 'o' and 'u', her igbo tongue makes it worse.

"Take care oh, my daughter, no allow your mama jump you, you hear, if not you no go understand wetin them go teach you for school" , she starts moving again, " okay nah, mama Sunday".

"Bye-bye" , my mother shouts after her.

...

I had known from that very day my mother had that conversation that she wasn't going to listen to that woman because when I went to school the next day, I was asked to join the primary 6 students to write exams and before I knew what was happening, I was dragging my box into a cream and wine building that was miles away from my home, an only girls federal school at the outskirts of Lagos.

Things had not always been like this. I once lived in the village with my parents and siblings in Ugbokolo , Benue State, before my Dad died three years ago. My Mum had been devastated because apart from the sudden and tragic death of my father, she didn't really have any means of making money, she was a full fleshed house wife. We all went to school in the village, my two elder brothers, me and my little brother , and my mother was very fulfilled with our lives then.

I don't think I ever gave a thought to life in the city , I was too playful, and too busy living in the present , within my walls of childhood, to even notice anything that was happening around me. Even when my Father died, I didn't notice, I was about eight then, too young to understand what was happening but old enough to be aware.

It is early Monday morning today and I'm sitted in class, waiting for my next lesson to commence when the sound of my name jolts me out of my trance.

"Miss Jacob-Ameh"

"Yes sir", I said standing up immediately

" Your attention is needed at the administrative office, ... now!"

" Okay sir". I arrange my notes on my desk and fall behind him, walking briskly to catch up with him. We end up in the administrative office and I'm shocked to see my mother standing with her back to the wall of the office. 'have I done anything wrong?', I asked myself. The last time I remembered, I was very nonchalant to anything happenning in the school. I didn't really have friends , and never saw the use of having any, I was very clean and obedient not because I wanted to be tagged a good girl by teachers or be made teachers pet but because I just didn't have the energy to be caught doing something wrong and facing the other things that come with it. I try to stay out of the picture as much as I can, so I'm wondering, ' what could be the problem?'.

My mother sees me coming towards her and pushes herself off the wall, moving a little too fast to push me in a hug before I can even think of it. I lift my hands up to hug her back unsure of what was happening. I didn't expect her to be in my school today.

"Ihotu, my dear, you got the scholarship", she says smiling widely, her gum pokes out from under her lips, revealing her whole dental structure, bringing out her beautiful facial features. Sometimes I forget how very beautiful my mother is and with the way she's smiling, I knew she was very happy, I can tell, overjoyed , infact.

I had completely forgotten that I had applied for a scholarship to one of the most prestigious schools in Lagos. It had been about a year since I had applied for the scholarship and I didn't expect it to come now , I had thought I've lost that opportunity.

My mother drops her hand and looks me over , still smiling. I smile back and tilt my head up to look at her face again.

"Mummy when was this, when did I get it ?"

" Sunday showed me the message last night my dear, I didn't even know they will still consider it, I thought it was already over , since we didn't get any information from them again", "I'm so happy for you and me because I don't need to pay any school fees again" , she laughs briefly and pulls the hand bag that had been sliding off her shoulder back on it.

My mother can be very honest with her emotions and replies sometimes , it makes me wonder if she even checks if the other person is affected by her words.

" So, this means that you won't be writing your js3 exams here again. I will come back on Friday to come and pick you , so you can prepare for your other school, please , Ihotu, make sure you're ready, gather your things ,okay?"

" Yes ma", I reply,stepping back aliittle

" I know you've always dreamt of going to that school", she says smiling, pulling me closer once again, " I'm so happy for youuu", she hugs tightly before letting go.

I'm fully aware that her happiness comes from not paying school fees. And although I had never really said anything about going to the school in the first place as it had been her and my Father's ideal school for me since we were in the village, I play along .

I smile and smoothen my Pinafore, turning to see the teacher that came to call me still standing at the side of the door. He motions for me to get going, and I turn back to wave at my mother, but she had already gone. I sigh and make my way back to my class .

That night, I made sure to pack up everything I had in my locker, arranged my clothes neatly in my box and made my way to the dinning room without glancing at anyone In particular.

One thing I liked about only girls school, was peace. Everything was peaceful, there's no unnecessary fight between girls over boys as I've always felt it would be in mixed schools, people are very focused on their studies and it's very easy to ignore everybody without anybody noticing. I like the fact that everyone respects that I'm quiet and does not try to start up conversations with me and it never hit me for once that I needed to be close to anyone not even teachers,I dont like adults.

My mother came early in the morning to pick me up . We were seated in the rickshaw popularly know as 'Keke na pep' with my box and 'Ghana must go' in front our legs. We didn't have a car and as far as we were concerned, we didn't care. Having a car was like the most unnecessary asset to think of at this period of our lives. My mum made sure she boarded the rickshaw immediately after we came out of the Bus from my school.

It didn't take long before we made it home. I dragged my box inside and came back for my Ghana must go before walking into the room I shared with my mother to lay down for a while. I woke up later when the sun had gone down , made my way to the front of the house and was fortunate enough to feel the evening breeze caress my skin.

"You'll be resuming tomorrow, I've got your uniform ready" , and with that, she was gone.