RIGHT ON TIME

chapter 10

DESTINY ESTATE, PORT HARCOURT, RIVERS STATE. 

Ayanate wiped a streak of sweat that coated her brow with her right hand. It had been a really hectic day for her. Her head throbbed.

As was her routine, she had woken up at 4 a.m. and had her morning devotion for one solid hour before diving into the day's activities. 

Since her brother, Preye, had moved out of the family house, most of the house chores, if not all, had become her burden to bear. 

The only times she got a bit of relief from the workload were times when her mother didn't crow alongside the dawn cocks in a bid to get to work early or if her brother came home to spend the weekend. On other days, she would be the only one to vacuum the floors, do the dishes, the laundry, and attend to other things. 

It wasn't like she was complaining. But sometimes, it could be challenging, especially on mornings when she woke up reluctantly to the loud blaring of her alarm clock. She had intentionally placed it far away lest she be tempted to hit snooze. It was usually worse when she had forced her weary self to study late into the night despite having a really tedious day prior. 

Five years ago, at the time when she became visually impaired, her mother had employed a maid to run errands in Ayanate's place, going as far as washing her clothes and assisting her with almost everything else. 

At first, Ayanate went along with her mother's arrangement because she didn't know how to cope with her peculiarity at that time. Becoming blind was something she never envisioned in her life and thus she wasn't emotionally prepared beforehand for the challenges that came with it. Because she wasn't in their shoes, her mindset had been that people with visual impairment or any other kind of disability were incapable of doing anything for themselves. How ironic that the table was now turned on her! The painful, yet not too unexpected, part was that her peers and even strangers she came in contact with were having a similar view like she formerly did. The warped perspective was all a result of misunderstanding and lack of proper education of the state of special people.  

Ayanate had to be enrolled in a special school for the blind and visually-impaired for a program called, "Short Course". Her misconceptions were radically transformed and her depressed self was challenged for the possibilities that this seeming limitation afforded her. She began to perceive all physically handicapped people in a new and clear-as-crystal light. They weren't disadvantaged; they were special.

Two years after her sight issue began, her mother was the one who suggested that Ayanate should come out of her shell and sign up for a help program. Initially, Ayanate had protested, unwilling to face the trauma of battling the real world, but her mother stood firm on the decision. Mrs Righteous started out by making strategic inquiries to ensure that Ayanate would be comfortable in the school she had in mind and that she would face close to no trouble. 

After booking an appointment through a phone call, Mrs Righteous met with the proprietor, one Mr David James, in his office. He sat straight, swinging his swivel office chair back and forth as he peered intently at her from beneath his wire-framed spectacles.

"Ma'am, the first thing I must say is that this place is no wonderland. This is a place where only the strong and determined survive."

Mrs Righteous' enthusiasm and hopes of a slow-and-steady-paced learning environment that could pamper her daughter to maturity dimmed considerably. Ayanate wasn't cut out for this, apparently. Mrs Righteous almost regretted bringing Ayanate with her. One glance at her daughter who sat rigid beside her made her heart squeeze. 

When she had soaked in the information with a deep sigh, the proprietor proceeded with a lengthy explanation of the system, both within the confines of the school and also in the broader world that wasn't smiling at the visually-impaired.