People say I am obstinate as a mule but I do not consider myself stubborn. In Fact I think I am a go-getter, although all I seem to be getting is trouble.
You see? I don't go looking for trouble. Infact, it is the other way round, trouble comes looking for me. If people would just listen to me and do what I ask, there would be peace and everyone would be happy but that's never the case.Just like when I pleaded with my dad not to send me to a faraway boarding school.
I'm allergic to being away from home and being in such a faraway place can influence me and turn me into something I am not but daddy wouldn't listen. What does a ten year old girl know about what is best for her? He was my father and the boarding school was the best place for his daughter to study. According to him, "it is faraway from home and situated in a serene environment and you'll be able to study without any distraction".
The first day I arrived at the school, I hated the school. It was situated in the middle of nowhere surrounded by bushes. I cried for weeks until I was nicknamed "cry cry baby". I was homesick and needed to go back and see my family.
Luckily for me, I wasn't the only one who was homesick. I had four other classmates who had been sulking all term. I approached them and asked if they would be willing to tag along if I figure out a way to get us all home. They were very excited and looked forward to what I had planned. At that moment, I felt like a saviour about to deliver some lost souls home.
The plan I had was to approach the Vice Principal and tell him about an upcoming exam that our parents sent a message that we must come home for. The plan was going so well. In Fact the vice principal had already opened a request card for us and taken our passports before it occurred to him to find out if any such exam was taking place that weekend. He was disappointed when he found out I had lied and asked me to never repeat it again.
I couldn't bear to disappoint these little kids. I had to figure out another plan. I asked them to meet me at the school orchard during afternoon prep and to come along with a mufti in their school bags. We met there and ditched our school's day wear, changed into the mufti and headed into the bush with me as the lead. I had no plans. I had no idea how we would get home nor did I have any idea how far away we were from home. All I knew was if we got to a major road, the rest would take care of itself. Like a sheep headed for slaughter they followed me in a single file.
I can't remember how long we walked in the bush but we finally found a major road with cars passing through. We were so excited. We saw an oncoming bus and waved our hands wildly in the air until it stopped. I told the bus driver that we were from Aba but we were kidnapped and brought here but somehow managed to escape. He felt so sorry for us but informed us that we wouldn't get a bus going to Aba straight but that he will get us to Okigwe and put us in another bus. The driver was true to his words. We arrived in Aba at about 8pm. It was raining heavily and I was the last to get off the bus.
I was finally home. I felt so proud of myself. The gate was locked but I was very tiny so it was easy to pass through the holes into the compound. I saw my mother and her sister gisting in the sitting room with my sister scribbling on the floor. Luckily, I passed through the backdoor which was open. I got in and changed my drenched clothes and lay on my bed. My brother came into the room and screamed when he saw me. My mother looked like she had seen a ghost.
To say my dad was furious is an understatement. Daddy was livid. He decorated my buttocks with strokes of cane. As early as 4am the next morning, I was in daddy's car enroute to school. As I arrived at school that morning, I saw my partners in crime arriving with their parents.
I don't want to tell you what the school did to me but know that after one week of serving the punishment, all kids were advised to stay away from me.
This is my entry into The COMedy Rumble. @cocquicoin and @tengolotodo come participate.