Rats, Roses And Paper Bones

chapter 10 : uncle "pep talk"

Life could be cruel sometimes.
You know that moment when you realise you've gotten yourself into trouble, but instead of accepting your fate, you decide to use your instincts and hope for the best?
That was exactly what I did.
When I reached the prep hall and saw students filing out, I immediately realised I was in trouble.
Prep was over.
I had slept through the entire thing.
And the only route of escape to the hostel without anyone finding out was right in front of the prep hall. Beautiful.
Still, I wasn't going to give up without a fight.
I lowered my head, adjusted my schoolbag and casually walked past the prep monitor, pretending I was just another student leaving the hall.
I almost made it through the back door.
Almost.
"You! Where do you think you're going?"
I froze.
Of course.
Life had decided to be cruel again.
Slowly, I turned around and put on the most innocent expression I could manage.
"Are you talking to me, sir?"
He stared at me.
"Yes, you. I know you didn't come for prep tonight."
Well... there went my Oscar.
"Well, sir..."
My mind went blank.
What was I supposed to say?
How did you know, sir?
I had heard rumours from some old students that Mr Ayodeji knew the names and faces of practically every student in the school.
At first, I thought they were exaggerating.
Now, I wasn't so sure.
His brain must have been a supercomputer. Personally, I didn't want that much information stored in my head. It sounded like a recipe for a brain explosion.
"So why did you skip prep, Doyin?" he asked. "You're a new student, aren't you? I didn't expect you to pick up the bad habits of the old students this quickly."
Yep.
He knew my name.
My mind was officially blown.
"So?" he pressed. "I'm talking to you."
I opened my mouth, desperately searching for a believable excuse.
Before I could say anything, a voice came from behind me.
"She was in the clinic."
We both turned.
It was the school nurse.
Temilade.
I had seen her earlier that evening while searching for an empty classroom.
She'd been sitting outside the clinic when I greeted her.
"Where are you going?" she'd asked.
"I'm looking for an empty classroom," I'd replied.
"For what?"
"To read... or sleep."
She'd stared at me.
"Sleep?"
I'd nodded.
She'd sighed.
"You know, once in a while, you should try to make some nice memories with your friends. When you get older, you'll need those memories to look back on."
I hadn't told her that I didn't have any friends yet.
Instead, I'd thanked her and quickly left before she could give me another inspirational quote.
Apparently, God had decided that her next assignment was saving me from Mr Ayodeji.
"She had a little cold," Temilade continued smoothly. "I gave her some medication and told her to stay around for a while. I didn't realise how much time had passed."
She delivered the lie so naturally that, for a moment, even I almost believed it.
Mr Ayodeji looked at me.
"Doyin, this is your last warning. Next time, if you're unwell, make sure you report to the clinic before prep starts. Understood?"
"Yes, sir."
He gave me one final look before walking away.
I exhaled so loudly I was surprised he didn't turn around.
I immediately faced Temilade.
"Thank you so much, ma."
She laughed.
"Please, call me Temilade."
I blinked.
"Really?"
"I'm not that much older than you." She smiled. "I'm a youth corps member. I'm just here to serve."
So she was a youth corper.
"Sometimes, I try to help students out when I can," she continued. "I know what it feels like to be young and get into trouble over little things."
Are you an angel?
I stared at her in admiration.
"That's really nice. Thank you again, Miss Temilade."
"Anytime." She gave my shoulder a gentle pat. "Now, go to your hostel before they lock you outside. It's already late."
I didn't need to be told twice.
"Good night!"
"Good night, Doyin."
I hurried away, waving at her.
And that was how I made my first friend in Longford High School.
Well...
Friend might have been a strong word.
But she had saved my life.
That counted for something.

*********************
"Uncle Bode!"
My sister's excited scream echoed through the school gate.
She ran straight into our uncle's arms.
My class teacher had instructed us to meet him at the gate, and apparently Dara had been waiting all morning for this moment.
Dara adored Uncle Bode.
Maybe it was because he always bought her art supplies whenever she asked.
I couldn't blame her.
I, on the other hand, wasn't particularly fond of him.
Not because he was a bad person.
He just talked.
A lot.
And most of his conversations somehow turned into motivational speeches.
"Doyin!" he called, laughing. "You won't come and greet your uncle? You think you're too big now, abi?"
He patted Dara's head.
"Look at you. You're even growing as tall as me. Where exactly are you growing to?"
I looked at myself, then at him.
My head barely reached his elbow.
Where is the lie?
He stretched out his hand towards me.
"Come here."
I accepted the handshake.
"Thank you for coming, Uncle. I'll take you to the vice principal's office."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Must you always sound so formal?"
I smiled politely.
"Let's go."
He checked his wristwatch.
"I actually have a meeting after this, so we need to be quick."
Perfect.
Maybe I could escape a pep talk after all.
He reached into his pocket and handed Dara some money.
"Go and buy puff-puff, ehn?"
Dara's eyes lit up.
"Thank you!"
She ran off.
I led Uncle Bode through the school gate, past the classroom blocks and towards the administrative building.
When we reached the vice principal's office, the receptionist informed us that we would have to wait until he finished attending to another parent.
We sat in the cushioned chairs outside.
I tried to relax.
Two minutes later—
"Doyin."
I looked up.
Uncle Bode was staring at me.
"Yes?"
"Come."
I reluctantly moved closer.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?"
I sighed inwardly.
Here we go.
"Okay."
He lowered his voice.
"I don't really know the full details of what you're doing. Your mum just told me I'm supposed to come and sign an undertaking."
He paused.
"But are you sure about this?"
I nodded.
"Yes."
"Have you thought about it properly?"
"Yes."
"Have you prayed about it?"
I hesitated.
That question caught me off guard.
I had thought about it.
A lot.
I'd wanted to become a doctor for years. I'd fought to get into the science department because I couldn't imagine myself doing anything else.
But had I actually prayed about it?
Not properly.
"I haven't really prayed about it," I admitted. "But I'm sure about what I want."
He nodded slowly.
"Okay."
I waited.
Then he said, "You know, Doyin, sometimes being passionate about something isn't the same as knowing it's the right thing to do."
I looked at him.
He wasn't smiling anymore.
"That's why I asked if you prayed about it. You can work hard and still find yourself going in the wrong direction."
I looked down at my hands.
"But I really want this, Uncle."
"I know."
His voice softened.
"And I'm not telling you not to go for it. I'm just saying, don't carry everything on your own."
I stayed quiet.
"Sometimes," he continued, "when things don't go the way we expect, we think we've failed. But God may simply be taking us somewhere we can't see yet."
I nodded slowly.
"Remember, you don't know what your future looks like."
"I know."
"But God does."
I looked up at him.
He smiled.
"So involve Him. If you get what you want, thank Him. If you don't, ask Him what He's trying to show you. Either way, don't panic."
Something inside me loosened.
The fear I'd been carrying around all day suddenly didn't feel quite as heavy.
"Okay," I whispered.
He patted my shoulder.
"Now, say it."
I frowned.
"Say what?"
He smiled.
"Jesus, I put You in control."
I almost laughed.
"Uncle..."
"Just say it."
I sighed.
"Jesus, I put You in control."
He nodded.
"Again."
"Jesus, I put You in control."
This time, I meant it.
A strange sense of peace settled over me.
Maybe I didn't know what was going to happen.
Maybe I couldn't control the outcome.
But I didn't have to.
Uncle Bode smiled.
"Good girl."
I smiled back.
"Thank you, Uncle."
"You're welcome."
He leaned back in his chair.
"And Doyin?"
"Yes?"
"If this doesn't work out exactly the way you want, don't think it's the end of the world."
I nodded.
"Okay."
"And if it does work out, don't take it for granted."
"I won't."
"Good."
For once, his pep talk hadn't annoyed me.
It had actually helped.
Maybe I had judged him too quickly.
"Mr. Ojo?"
The receptionist's voice interrupted us.
Uncle Bode looked up.
"You're next to go in, sir."
He stood and straightened his shirt.
Then he looked at me and smiled.
"Ready?"
I nodded.
"As ready as I'll ever be."
He chuckled.
"That's my girl."
And together, we walked towards the vice principal's office.
I didn't know what was waiting for me on the other side of that door.
But for the first time since I saw my name on that commercial department list, I wasn't completely afraid of finding out.