Visible Essence

CHAPTER TWENTY

As months passed time for my final exams approached. Being in SS3 comes with a lot of work and preparation for the most important exams of your life.

JAMB was to come first. Each afternoon when I return from school and was done with my house chores, I would sit on my reading chair, randomly surveying the books that are piled on the table.

Mentally, I counted the remaining weeks before the JAMB examination- one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight weeks and some days. Chuckled out loud, repeating eight weeks to myself for emphasis and shook my head.

Fear overwhelmed me as I nodded, two hundred and seventy and above was my target, no less, I said to myself.

Soon as mama was done with maternity leave.

she resumed work she took chidiogo most of the time with her, until he was due to be registered to a day care. This actually gave her enough time for herself.

The world is indeed gay to those who think and moody to those who only feels. I would accord that to mama; not until she started actually thinking that her life became happy, full of fun and brightly coloured.

Just as the examination day approached, I felt butterflies in my tummy each waking morning. Most people will term it exam sickness but I was certain of myself, had taken my time to prepare.

On the awaited Saturday, mama took me to my registered center, gave me a thousand naira, which was in five hundred naira denomination for emergencies, before heading off for work.

I had everything all set out and ready; two copies of my Post UTME on-line registration slip, HB pencil, Eraser, photocopies of JAMB slip showing passport, Razor.

We all lined up in from of the school gate as the authorities in charge searches every candidate for unauthorized materials like cell phones, then allocates us to our various halls.

As I walked into the hall, I heard myself pray, “Oh Father Lord, help me” as the thought of the examination and the expected result rang through my brain, I shivered a little, then restrained myself.

The invigilator walked in few minutes later, stated his rules then distributed the question papers and answer sheet. I bowed my head on the booklet, scanning through the questions. And for few minutes I didn’t lift it.

I smiled picked up my pencil and started shedding.

The next time I came out of my reign of seriousness was when the invigilator shouted “time up”.

I looked up and the only words that protruded from my lips were “Jesus!!! Is it?” we all submitted our answer sheets and walked out of the hall.

At home that evening, mama kept bogging me with questions which I find rather annoying to answer.

" How was it?"

" Did you answer all the questions?"

" What score do you assume to get?"

Whereas,  all I could say was mama I did my best and the rest id in God’s hands. She knows those are questions I could not deal with at the moment. The results are to be published the following week, so all I had to do is wait it out.

The day the result was to be published I informed mama about it, and gave her my JAMB reg. number to check my result for me. I waited all day with tension.

Finally i picked up the phone and started calling mama. It irked me to dial a number more than a few times when I needed something, and if this wasn’t important to me, I would have given up.  

  When mama finally called back with new of the result, I felt she could just hold on to it for few more hours and not tell me.

When she finally told me, it came out quickly.

"Nne, you made two hundred and sixty eight" she said.

I jumped from where I was sat and shouted out of joy. I beaded her goodbye to call uju my friend to share the good news with her, while she also shared hers with me. The rest of the day was fun filled for me.

Finally I felt relived, one load down while I waited to know what my possible WAEC result would look like.