LOW CUT

CHAPTER THREE; THE NEXT DAY; My First Assembly

The next morning, when I got to School, I sat at my desk, waiting for the assembly bell to be rang. I waited patiently and sadly, I was thinking about my life now, why it would be like if I run away from home. I sat there, at my desk with my hands clasped together on my table and my head bowed. I replayed the conversation I heard from my parents last night. When I went to sleep the previous day, it was already evening, I slept soundly after enduring the throbbing headaches as a result of my crying yesterday . My parents and siblings didn't bother waking me up that just thought 'its her first day at School, so let her rest. '
   I finally woke up because of the groaning from my stomach-I was famished. I pretended to sleep because I didn't want any attention from my family, I was angry at all of them for no reason. I was particularly angry at my mum and my two Sisters because they had hair, and I didn't. Just then my father walked into the room and touched the scar on my back'ow' I winced and pretended to fall back asleep as my father sat on the bed beside me. He sighed. From the way, I felt, I knew he was staring painfully at the scar on my back. He stared for long, and I didn't know what he was thinking until finally my mum walked in and said to him " I don't know what is wrong with this child, her first day at School she comes back home with a dirty scar. " I could tell from her voice that she was angry and that saddened me more. 'oh! my beloved mother! if only you would ask, you would know what your daughter went through in School. ' I thought angrily to myself moved to tears.
   My Hero dad finally spoke up" Have you asked her why she was beating? what if she didn't do anything -"
  " What do you mean by that?" retorted my mum angrily" why would a teacher beat her without her doing nothing? or is the teacher mad? why do you always support her? " In reality she didn't know that I was beaten by an angry mad teacher! A mad man indeed, driven by frustration and anger. She didn't know and would never know unless she asks.
  " By God's Grace she'll leave that place next year." My dad said this out of pain and disgust. To my uttermost surprise, the surprise that almost exposed my fake sleep, my mum responded saying " Let her continue there please , the way things are getting I don't understand, unless you want us to live in the village, The School fees of happiness and peace has been increased from thirty thousand naira each to sixty thousand naira each. that's double , Daddy Winner please let's take things step by step, even the house rent was increased last week. I'll advice that  we leave her there . she should even finish there so that she can be strong. What do you think? "
     My dad stood up and left the room. That was a big blow on my face, my head spun, I felt cold and hot at the same time, suddenly, I was covered in cold sweat. I knew what it meant when my dad walked out of a conversation it means 'ill get back to you soon, or let see how it goes, and most frightening, it always meant-"OKAY !" I sobbed quietly and woke  up the next morning to prepare for School without saying anything to any body , just a mumbled "good morning" to my father and mother. The bell for assembly finally rang, I heard it loud and clear in  my though and jolted back to reality. Immediately everybody in  the class room ran downstairs for assembly. I honestly hope I'd get used to the running of the students like wild cat. I walked downstairs carefully and sadly while counting the rough tiles on the School corridor unconsciously. "I'll never be happy with my life if I continue in this school. When I get down stairs, I quickly looked for the JSS1C line and stayed at the back. I was surprised when I looked back after a few seconds and saw a long line behind me. 'Wow'. Just then,two busty girls stepped on to  the corridor used as a stage and started singing. To my surprise, the students on the ground floor all of them started singing a long. They sang slowly at first and then suddenly they started singing really fast and clapping. They danced and danced like they were at a party but no they were praising God .when they were done with the praise and worship segment,a very decently dressed elderly man walked up to the stage and said"May the good lord accept our praise in Jesus name". "Ameeeennn" the students thundered in unison . The elderly man's voice sounded so ancient, like a saint. I was awes in reverence to him. The elderly man started preaching. He was preaching against sin and wickedness. While he was preaching, I quickly tapped the girl in front of me and asked "please what's his name?" " I don't know " was her response before facing forward. I looked behind me and wanted to ask the girl but changed my mind after seeing her in tears ' she is in the spirit' I thought because that was how my mum reacted whenever she was moved by the spirit and the best thing to do is to let her be.  I had no choice but to ask the girl beside me on the second line. "hello, please what's the name of this Pastor that is preaching?" I asked shyly, she looked quiet intimidating. To my surprised, she smiled at me sweetly and answered " His name is Mr. Debowale, He is a teacher in the School and also a Pastor on the Deeper life church. By the way , you are really pretty, I like your skin color." I was flattered by her comment so I blushed and smiled back at her saying "thank you, I low your skin color too." She sneered at me and said" you don't have to complement me because I complemented you." I was shocked so I didn't respond and kept my face straight pretending to listen to the Pastor's preaching. I smiled again when I remembered what she said but sadness immediately gripped me when I realized that she only complemented on my skin and not my hair.  I was so used to people telling me how beautiful my skin and hair was, but now, it's just my hair. I should be glad I have my skin now to be complemented unlike the rest who were dark and full of scars mostly from being flogged. I reasoned to myself.
   The pastor -Mr. Debowale finally rounded up his sermon with an Altar call. The whole assembly wanted to move forward to where he was standing. He quickly  asked them to  stay where they are and lift up their hands. He said the prayer of salvation and they all repeated after him except me' I'm born again' I thought to myself. When the Pastor was done, the girl beside me suddenly tapped me and said "just because you are beautiful doesn't mean you don't need Jesus."
"what?" I responded in shock and unbelief.
"I'm born again" I responded sheepishly. This girl was small but fierce. she was muscly, full of veins on her hands . She looked at me like she was going to beat me up instantly and said "it doesn't matter, we are all sinners , didn't you sin yesterday , even this morning, so we need it. " Don't make this mistake next time or else you would loose your opportunity to go to heaven and end up in hell."She said and walked away to another line, as if to say 'you are not worthy for me to stand beside, as a dirty sinner'. Before I could think of what happened, I heard the loud screaming voice of a woman and looked and beheld one of the fat women I saw in the Admins office yesterday. "All of you that came out to give your heart to Christ, I know all of you would still ain again, yu would still come late to School and disrespect your teachers. Repent now! Hello is real! tomorrow might be too late! "
  I looked at her with so much fear and anger in my heart. I didn't like this woman.
I was just about to turn to my right side and ask for her name when it suddenly dawned on me that the girl had left my side. Regardless, I asked the girl that took over her spot. " please what's this woman's name?"
"Ah!" she exclaimed loudly with her right hand on her mouth which got the attention of those standing around us for a while. "Did you just call her that woman?  if she hear you, you'd be in so much  trouble . "
" So , please why is her name? " I asked carefully, just to make sure because the students here seemed really strange or was I the strange one? "Her name is Mrs. Ibitoroko." she finally answered. " Wow" I said after laughing at the pronunciation for a short while. The girl looked at me strangely and said" Oyinbo e be like sé you no dey hear word, if you like laugh make she catch you, na You know" in English what she said simply means" faire  girl,it seems you are very stubborn , if you like laugh and get caught that's your business." I wanted to  tell her that my name was not 'oyinbo' but changed my mind when I heard Mrs. Ibitoroko say"As the vice principal of this  school, I have the authority to our punish the bad eggs among you especial those with 'bushy hair' and silly haircut. " " Prefects ! " she called for the prefect with a loud and audacious voice. The prefects came out and stood beside her on the stage. Some of them were armed with a cane while others were armless. "Go to the lines and drag all those with 'bushy' hair and silly hair cuts out for me now! " she demanded fiercely.
    Immediately the other was given to the prefects, they swung into action. Before I could say anything, a perfect walked up to me he was very talk and attractive" fine girl , why aren't you on the correct hair style? " He asked . I blushed a bit and responded shyly while avoiding his eyes" well, nobody told me about any hairstyle."
His response was" Did you ask?"
" I - well-hon-" I stammered "please fall out" he ordered instantly with his face looking serious . I was shocked , so shocked that I didn't even realize that I was Suddenly on the stag with my kneels on the floor.
      Mrs. Ibitoroko finally walked up to me and asked  who I was after staring at me for a few seconds . My response to her weird question was, " I am winner Obinna"
She looked at me with surprise laced in her face and asked , "Do you know Obinna Chibuikem? "
  I looked up at her quizzically and replied "yes, he is my cousin , do you know him?" I concluded my answer with a rhetorical question. She looked at me in disbelief and walked away , only for me to see her whispering to a young male teacher meters away from the stage.
    She walked up to me and said "you are a disgrace to that name. Do you know who Obinna Chibuikem is? Do you know how intelligent and well behaved he is ? So is his elder brother Chibuzor. " I can't even look at you now, I'm sure you are a bad girl from the way that you appear." I was quite, too stunned to speak or express myself. I immediately heard a familiar voce from behind me as I looked , I was amazed at who I saw. "Chibuikem!" I shouted in shock and disbelieve, I didn't know when I stood up from my  punishment and hugged him happily, in return, he only smiled faintly and quickly reminded me to go back to my former position of kneeling down. " Warn your cousin! yell her I don't tolerate rubbish especially this her useless haircut, if you know what's good for you. " she warned mercilessly with her small eyes overshadowed by her cheeks on me.  " Okay ma." Chibuikem responded rolling his eyes on me.
" Thank you ma." I said to Mrs. Ibitoroko and was about to leave when she suddenly pulled me back and asked in anger "where are you going to? are you mad? would you go down on your knees! " She was shocked by my actions and looked at me with disgust . A very short girl walked up
to her holding a cane, the girl handed the cane over to her with so much reverence as if she was handing Moses rod to her.
Mrs. Ibitoroko  didn't even look at her not to talk of saying thank you. "Give me your back!" She shouted  at the top of her voice . The students on the assembly ground started gasping and sympathizing with me. Some where laughing hysterically at me. I looked at her , wondering what she meant by give me your back , so , I asked fearfully "what do you mean ma?"
She looked at me with masked surprise and said , "You are not serious, I would have beaten you on your Buttocks but you are too flat , I don't want to break your bones."
    While I was talking to Mrs. Ibitoroko, I felt a very  sharp pain on my back, a pain that could kill me but didn't kill me. "Ah!"
I jumped and shouted in disbelief, before I could look at who was beating me, I had already recieved to more, unfortunately, the last one landed on my neck, leaving a scarlet line on it. I cried uncontrollably and shouted in pain and anger. I had done nothing wrong, I didn't know anything about the haircut, who was I supposed to ask? I looked at Mrs. Ibitoroko who had turned her back on me as if to say 'I dint beat you don't look at me'.   I leaped to my cousin for help but he shifted away from me like  I was an outcast, His countenance was void of emotions. I went on my knees and wept. The person who flogged me was a very short and skinny woman. She wore A very funny wig that almost made me laugh, even though I was in pains. She looked at me with her eyes blinking repeatedly and her mouth raised halfway to her nose and cursed my mother " your mother is a useless woman for giving birth to you." I looked at her in disbelief wondering if I heard wrong but I didn't. This women cursed everything that had to with with me. She cursed me from the crown of my head to the souls of my feet and asked  looking at Mrs. Ibitoroko, " why were you having a discussion with her before flogging her? don't you know that she is a witch? See how fair she is,husband snatcher!" She added looking at me with so much envy. I wondered whose husband I snatched . Mrs.Ibitoroko didn't answer her question but turned to the students who were already disorganized by the scene  displayed and said " Please give us a matching song, JSS 1B." The students sang: " The day is bright it's bright and fair, oh happy day , the day of joy!...." This song  sounded like mockery to n my ears. They sang joyfully as though my tears had just brightened their day.
   My cousin walked up to the Mrs. Ibitoroko and spoke to her softly, I couldn't hear what he was saying it her because they weren't close enough, I saw Mrs. Ibitoroko look at me in surprise then nodded at something my cousin said and smiled. My cousin walked up to me immediately and picked me up from my knees  and  held my hands firmly as he walked we down the corridor, I was still crying in pains, I cried even more when I saw the annoying stares from the students as they matched into their classroom, most of them were laughing at me . When we got to  the School gate, I quickly withdrew my hand from his and stopped , looking at him fearfully as I remembered my mum's waring "don't leave the School premises during School hours no matter what, it is very risky" .
  He looked at me tenderly and said, as though he had read my mind"I know your mum told you not to leave the School but this time it's for something really important, you need to come with me to the barbing saloon to cut your hair, or else you would be sent home." I looked at him angrily after remembering how he shunned me a moment ago and asked amidst tears "why are you helping me Chibuikem? I don't need your help, I would rather go home and come back tomorrow."
He looked at me and said in disgust," don't be silly winner, you don't know where you are, this people are very harsh they don't mind beating you again, there'd nothing you can do about it, welcome to Osa community Secondary School." I looked at him with tears in my eyes wondering why he sounded so different from the sweet Chibuikem I knew, he sounded so though and different. " I'll come with you"  I said after a while of silence. He nodded and took my hand again  and was  about to take me out of the School gate but stopped , looking at me with concern and asked " where is your School bag ?" I gasped ,I suddenly realized that I left my school bag on my sit before going out for assembly, I quickly withdrew my hand from his and ran upstairs to my  class , he followed me . When we got to the front of my class , he waited outside because of the heat and noise. When I got into the class, I noticed that a lot of students were staring at me, I know they were staring because of what happened on the assembly ground a while ago. I walked to my sit quickly and grabbed my School bag forcefully without saying hello to Muini who was smiling genuine at me.
I opened it and checked if there was anything missing. Everything was complete, but I couldn't find the water bottle I kept at the side of my bag, I reckoned that it was stolen already. 'my fine water bottle , what would I tell my mum? ' I thought to myself as I cried even more. I am a cry baby I know , I'm always moved to tears, very emotional.