Godwin's first days in St. Mark secondary school was more about observation. The school looked old and local but there were plenty students mostly from poor homes who doesn’t care about the school conditions. The roof weren’t only rusty but has holes too, the desks were bad, the doors and the windows were permanently open. Godwin preferred his old school to the new one but he was even glad that at least he had the opportunity to be in school again after the death of his mother.
He was shown to his class. In his class there were many happy students. They were fun in as much as he was not involved in what they were doing. But some were quite troublesome. His first encounter was with a mean looking girl, who asked him to leave his seat to another, giving her reasons that she already have a seat mate whose coming to school that day was under probability.
“What if she doesn’t come?” Godwin asked innocently.
“Do you prefer she drives you off the seat when she comes?” she sounded hostile.
Godwin wondered how mean some people can be to strangers. He didn’t consider her demand for him to leave her seat a bad one but the tone for which she said it.
“But I don’t know which seat is free”
“You will know when you look for it”
In a single populated class, Godwin felt like someone in the middle of a highway surrounded by an empty broad desert. Being a shy boy he had his head bowed to avoid gazes. He walked slowly to the back where he assumed there would be a vacant seat. It was a busy and a noisy class. Many did not notice him but some glued their attentions on him.
“Guy, how far?” A tin looking boy beckoned.
Godwin hesitated before moving for he doubted he was a nice fellow.
“Where is your seat?” He asked.
“Yet to find one”
“Good! Seat here” showing him to his seat as he shifted to create more space for him. “When she comes she will look for another seat”
Godwin understood something from the boy’s last statement which he muttered practically to himself, the boy already had a seat mate but he’s asking him to her place, why so? Maybe he doesn’t like her.
He sat gently wondering if it was a trick played on him to quarrel with the girl in question when she comes. His kindness was suspicious. Again, the back seats is normally dominated by the big and older guys whose role in the class is to cause troubles and distractions. Why should a small skinny boy like him sit there? He may be up to something fishy. As he thought all these he sat quietly cuddling his bad with his innocent eyes rolling in its socket.
Not up to five minutes he saw the boy aiming somebody in front with a rubber band and a folded paper. He released it on one of the boys and immediately pretended to writing. The victim did not know which direction it came let alone knowing who was responsible. He looked around and had no suspect he went back to his conversation trying to be more careful.
It amused Edu but he could not laugh. He only chuckled and maintained. As soon as he saw that the boy he aimed on the neck has resumed to what he was doing he left the seat to another seat in front and sat comfortably. This also made Edu thought he’s left him to real seat. But not long again the boy moved to another seat causing troubles and distractions. Edu concluded he doesn’t have a permanent seat. Now he realized why he chose to seat at the back, actually he blended with them.
“I hate backseats especially this ones” He said wishing to find one in front before someone will compel him to vacate the present one.
He had nobody to talk to and there was nothing he could engage himself with if not collecting notes to copy. He asked the first person.
“I left my books at home” the first person answered. How possible. He thought of whom to ask next. Only the girls looked affable. After some minutes he raised courage and asked another person.
“I just resumed today” She answered.
“what about your seat mate”
“I don’t know. Ask her” she helped to tap the girl. “New comer is talking to you”
Godwin was not ready to talk to the girl but since her seat mate have drawn her attention towards him he had no choice.
“Sorry eh! Can I?? Do you have any note?”
“Hmm yes, but I gave them out to someone”
“All?”
“Yes”
“You don’t have anyone with you?”
“No”
“What about you? Do you have any note you can help me with?”
“That guy doesn’t copy notes. I don’t think he has any exercise book” One of the girls he asked first retorted making the boy smile which shows it was true.
“You know about your seat mate?” Godwin asked the boy.
“His school bag was stolen yesterday”
“What a mysterious class!” Edu thought. We’re their excuses genuine or they don’t simply want to have anything to do with him? He locked up deciding not to ask further. He looked down the desk and saw note books covered with news papers. He slipped one out and read the name Peter Ezike, Government was the subject, SS 1B (Art class). He opened the pages to find notes but all pages were blank and untouched.
“That’s my book. Any problem?” The skinny boy startled him. He was now convinced that the seat he sat on was Peter’s.
“No, sorry” He apologized slotting the book back.
“You need notes?”
“Yes”
“Ok. I will get some for you, but they haven’t copied much this term” He left. Again he’s about being nice to him. But how possible was it for him to get notes specifically for him when he haven’t made a dote in his note books? Caring for him more than himself.
He watched him go. He looked funny in his uniform. It looked big and unfitting especially at the waist which tiny making him look like a wasp, yet he doesn’t care. Only new student wear such clothes, how did he get his as an old student he is? Whose measurement did his tailor use? Or maybe he has an elder brother who graduated from the same school and left the uniforms for him.
Peter went to someone’s desk and removed two books without the owner knowing and brought it to him.
“What if the owners accuse me of stealing them?”
“Why are you scared? I gave it to you, so you thought it’s mine”
“Strange boy!”