In the Loving Arms of Servitude

24. Lab Partners

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It is yet another bright and sunny day at Kandore High. Things do not seem too brilliant for Uju though, as Mr. Rufus, the Geography teacher is in class.
Mr. Rufus is an astute man with a charming personality. His communication skills are superb, and his attentiveness to people's needs is simply excellent. However, Uju believes that he would do very well in human resources or on a talk show; just not in a classroom. He isn't very good at passing across the knowledge he possesses. And to top it all, he always gets carried away by digressions into irrelative topics and adventitious conversations whenever he teaches. Although most of the time, they're quite interesting to listen to, they end up taking the place of the academic work for that lesson. Right now, the class is so behind on their syllabus, that it would take a miracle for them finish their scheme before the exams begin.

Many students love Mr. Rufus however, because his classes are always fun-filled. Truth be told, Uju loves his classes sometimes; especially whenever she isn't in the mood for schoolwork. His classes are also perfect opportunities to finish up incomplete notes and assignments from previous lessons. Mr. Rufus is a great asset to many students who don't mind just studying Geography on their own. His classes provide them the time they always need to finish up other aspects of their schoolwork. Right now for instance, Bayo is not even listening to this man's yarn. He is rapidly completing his History note and finishing up his Chemistry assignment. To some others however, who perceive him an asset because he helps them escape schoolwork even more; he unknowingly slows down their learning.

At the moment, he is telling the class stories about the experiences of a close friend of his, who travelled to Libya on foot. The story is actually quite touching and very expository. He is enlightening young people on the dangers of human trafficking and slavery. But this is neither the time nor the place for such a symposium. Uju believes that he is supposed to be teaching them Geography. Their end of term examinations are close at hand. Yet with wide smiles on their faces, everyone is enthusiastically listening to his tales by moonlight, whilst their Geography scheme for the term wastes away.
Sighing again, Uju adjusts her head on her desk and turns back to look at Bayo, who is busy as a bee. For some reason, it is almost as though he feels the slight sting of her gaze, as he immediately raises his eyes up to catch hers. Then he lets out a mischievous smile, to which Uju responds with a naughty gaze. Afterward, they both chuckle warmly at each other.
As Mr. Rufus finally completes his story, the bell rings for the next class.
It is time for chemistry. And they'll be having today's class in the laboratory. Uju then immediately brings out her lab coat from her school bag while Mr. Rufus exits. Afterwards, they all start to exit the classroom and head towards the chemistry lab. Bayo is the last to leave, as he tries to quickly finish up his chemistry assignment.

"Good morning, Miss Yetunde!" they all greet, as the chemistry teacher takes her seat.
She always insists on them calling her by her first name. She should be in her early-forties, but she looks even younger than some women in their thirties. She's quite slender as well. No doubt, she maintains a very strict diet to keep herself in good shape. Many students don't like her though. She is too strict and nags quite a bit. Nevertheless, Uju has found no reason to dislike her like others do. She only tries her best to stay out of trouble, by humbly obeying Miss Yetunde's rules and giving her all the respect she is due. And to be honest, her teaching skills are impeccable. This woman knows her onions when it comes to chemistry. She is also doing quite a wonderful job at making sure that they have all the vital knowledge they need, to excel in chemistry. That is more than enough for Uju. Some students however, could neither care less about Miss Yetunde's teaching skills nor her desire to instill knowledge and discipline in them. She is not very jovial or sociable, and that alone among others has earned her quite some spite.