Penfield's Greatest Swimmer

🌊~6

The day ended with me still unsure about the whole Penfield scholarship thing.

Tired and weary from spending the last couple of hours scrubbing large pots and pans at a local *chop bar for some money, I trotted all the way back home to get some much-needed rest. The day hadn't turn out the way I wanted it to, and that alone had me swimming in a pool of disappointment.

When I finally got home, an empty dark room welcomed me. As I entered and flicked on the light, I grew a bit worried about my family's whereabouts, until I found a note attached to the T.V, saying they were attending one of the evening services at the Methodist church.

Discarding the note, I plummeted into the old armchair, forgetting that the folded prospectus was still sticking out from the back pocket of my shorts. Feeling the hard material pushing against my buttocks, I tilted myself to the side and yanked it out. The booklet had taken on a curved shape and I tried my best to straighten it out before opening it. "Let's see what we have here."

I leisurely flipped through the glossy pages observing pictures of the expansive and extravagant university. It felt as if I was looking through a travel magazine.

Mr. Dery wasn't lying when he said the university offered a wide variety of programmes. Page after page displayed over fifty programmes listed under six faculties and four schools, all making Penfield University what it was; the best private university in Ghana.

As I continued on, reading commentary from both past and continuing students about how Penfield was helping them achieve their dreams, my mind had already drawn the conclusion that this school was definitely out of my league. Even if ten rich women decided to groom me and give me the make-over of a lifetime, I still wouldn't fit in. That was how bad it was.

Reaching the final pages of the book, I skimmed past pictures of the numerous awards the university had acquired over the years. The older ones were beautifully displayed in award cases whilst the recent ones were being held by the students who had helped earn them. "Show-offs," I mumbled.

I was about turning over to the next page when a particular face caught my eye. Standing akimbo on a stage with two medals dangling from his neck, I highly doubted if it was him, my old childhood friend. But when my eyes moved downwards, reading the caption, all that doubt washed itself away.

Ethan Osei-Boateng. Captain of Penfield's official swim team, The Sharks, and currently holds the title of Penfield's Greatest Swimmer.

My mouth dropped open. Ethan...the scrawny little boy I grew up with.

"Akwasi." The door flew open and in came my mother and sister.

"H-hey." Shoving the book to the side of the armchair, I stood up to greet them. "Welcome home."

"Thank you," Ma was the only one who responded, since Kukua was now busily fidgeting with the TV remote. "Please get me some water to drink eh, my throat is so dry."

Turning on my heel, I darted into the kitchen to get my mother the cup of water she asked for. It didn't take long, but when I came back, she'd found the prospectus and was glowering at it out of curiosity.

Shit.

"What is this?"

"Nothing." I attempted to snatch it from her, but Ma was fast enough to pull it out of my reach.