****
Hmm! That should do it, Michael thought to himself as he stepped back from the Editorial Board of Ben Louise College after pasting the last article for the week. It was quite captivating to the eyes and refreshing to read. The Top of the board was decorated with a colourful stencil announcing the coming talent hunt event. Directly below it was a list of instruction and condition for application. To the left of the terms and conditions for application was an envelope with a sheet of paper for those wishing to participate in the show to register. Overleaf the terms and conditions for application, was the column for the “Personality of the Week”. It was a way for students to get to know others easily and they were always glad to be picked as the male and female personalities of the week. Beneath these were tit-bits on healthy living, articles on wild-life creatures, news from far and near, riddles, poems and jokes. It really was a lot of work for the editorial team, who were constantly fishing through a lot of articles that people wrote to know which ones to feature. And so far, nobody, either staff or student, had any cause to complain.
Already, students, who had free periods or were passing by, had started gathering at the board and were pressing to read an article, catch the latest sports or entertainment news and laugh at the latest jokes. As Michael left the Press Board area, he watched amusingly as more people joined the crowd while some, who had had enough, left the place too chatting, discussing or arguing over one thing or another. Boys usually argued about sports. He was a charming, tall boy of fifteen years. He possessed a kind heart and a ready smile for all. He had joined Ben Louise College earlier on in the term and had integrated well into the school.
Michael was a very brilliant student and a good teacher too. He had joined the editorial team and the school football team since he loved both. On several occasions, he wrote inspiring articles. His gentleness surprised everyone who cared to know him and there wasn’t any trace of pride in him either.
April 15 finally came and the Talent Hunt scheduled for the social day began. Painting and artworks were displayed at the school museum, while a concert was organized for that evening by the school. Several student groups were asked to perform and entertain. This included the Jungle Girls who sang Kelly Clarkson’s “Break away”.
The school drama troupe presented a drama which was very enlightening, entertaining and educative. Nike and Lara composed a song titled “Cool baby love” which they presented as they played their guitars. It was fun all through.
The attires ranged from African to Western, costumes of various kinds and colours. Nike and Lara looked pretty in their gowns. Lara wore a black slim-fit gown that clung to her body and stopped just above her knees. The top of it was in thin straps that fit her slender shoulders and closed in a V-shape, just above the cleavage. Her hair was made and pulled back in a Chinese style with hair-pins sticking out of it. Her feet were in one of her expensive shoes which matched the black gown and velvet-red Pachmina she carried. She looked fabulous and glowed. Nike wasn’t to be left out either as she wore a long, flowing white gown with flowery patterns at the tips and the cuffs of the jacket which were of the same material. She had styled her hair and clipped it here and there with colourful and stylish hair-pins. Her make-up was very moderate and captivating. All-in-all, they both looked beautiful.
The event went well into the evening where they had couple’s night, fashion parade, dance and merriment. It was an awesome time indeed, and many people got the chance to make new friends and pluck up enough courage to confront their secret “admirers”. A tall, handsome guy was chosen as the Prince Charming while a short girl became his Cinderella. Everybody – staff and students – had a good time.
It was late, the school bus drove off from Lara’s front yard just as she was opening the door. She was dog tired. She greeted her mum, rushed her dinner and went up to bed to rest. The next day was a Saturday and she had made plans for the day. So she did her best to sleep quickly as part of her preparation for the day ahead. Almost as soon as she hit the bed, she fell asleep and dreamt of dancing on the clouds.
Saturdays were usually a time for work and house chores but Lara enjoyed it as it afforded her a change of pace from the classroom. Today she was to redecorate her room with wallpapers her mum had bought. Her mum took the other rooms while Lara took her room and the guest room. After she had done that, she moved out to the garden. The scent of flowers and the cool breeze in her hair always enticed her. Sometimes she would just run her hands through the sand or flowers while her mind raced with poems or fresh lyrics for a song. As she pulled out weeds, arranged the stones around the garden and trimmed the flowers, she couldn’t help but notice the birds that had gathered around, chirping to one another. It almost seemed like they were discussing something as they picked up worms from the ground or bugs from the flowers. After a while they flew away and Lara too had to leave her gardening as rain began to fall.
By the evening, the rains had stopped and the sun lent a calm and beautiful presence to the earth as it receded over the ocean. “This is beautiful”, Nike thought as she strolled to the riverside with her guitar in tow. She stopped under a tree and sat down to watch the beauty of the earth, as the sun danced in brilliant red shots off the face of the waters. She had come to her favourite spot by the riverside where various flowers grew. The fishes had started splashing about in the water and birds had started returning from their various places of food-finding to their nests in their trees. Nike began playing her guitar softly, yet with increasing passion. Before long, she had lost track of time and when she looked up, the sky had darkened and she rose to make her way home.
She heard a rustling in the trees around her and when she looked up it was Tosin, her neighbour sitting in one of the trees, smiling down at her. He was a charming boy, a little over four months older than she was. As neighbours, they saw a lot of each other. They would often sneak out together to go play in the fields, picking snails, cowries and tiny stones. Tosin was one of the few people who could really make Nike blush when he spoke to her. As he came down from the tree, she began picking at some strands of her hair as she began to blush again when she realized that he had seen and heard her play her song with so much passion and reckless abandon. They talked together as they went home, laughing and making jest of each other.
Tosin was very good with computers and they made plans on designing cards with his uncle’s desktop computer. He lived with his uncle in Ikoyi. When they arrived at their place, Nike declined Tosin’s invitation to stay for some time at his place but went home to take care of her younger ones. As the eldest child, she did most of the house chores and did her best to lay a good example for her siblings. Their parents were hardly ever at home as they were either busy with clients and law suits or too tired to give attention. Though it was quite stressful and demanding at times, Nike had come to accept it and handle it very maturely.
Before long, it was Monday and school activities commenced ones again. By the end of the day, Lara was hurrying home but she was stopped by Nike Bright, her bosom friend.
“Hey! Lara!” Nike called from afar.
“Oh! Nike, what’s up? I see that you’re smiling in that funny way. What’s new?” She asked her friend who indeed had a glint in her eyes; and that always meant that Nike had something up her sleeves.
“Well my friend, have you met that guy over there? He just joined us recently and guess what?! He’s Michael Davis, yes, the very same Michael Davis who published ‘Imaginary Seer’,” Nike said in almost a whisper as she pointed Michael out to Lara excitedly.
Standing close to the school gate, Michael looked handsome with his white and deep navy blue uniform still looking well kept and neat. But this wasn’t one of those days for Lara. She had some other issues apart from handsome guys on her mind.
“That’s nice. I haven’t met him yet but …I …I’ve got to go now. I’m in haste. I’ll see you later, okay? Bye, Nicky.”
“Bye,” Nike replied, giving the ret
reating image of her friend a shrug and moving over to join Michael at the gate.
Lara got home tired and met her mother, Helen at home.
“How was school today?” Helen asked.
“Fine, Mum,” Lara replied running up the stairs to her room, just as her mother called out after her.
“Honey, where are you going? Aren’t you going to have lunch?”
“I’ll be right back Mum. I just need to drop my bag and change my clothes.” She replied.
“Alright dear, so long as you don’t go off drawing and painting again.” her mum said.
Thirty minutes later, Lara was downstairs dressed in a nice blue jeans skirt and a white T-shirt. Her mother had dished her food of fried plantain and vegetable soup with milk and cookies for desert. She pulled up a seat by her mother, who was also having plantain and vegetable soup with fruit wine, and began to eat.
“Mum,”
“Yes, my dear. Is anything the matter or don’t you like the food?” her mother asked looking at the sudden expression on her daughter’s face.
“No, the food is fine, excellent. It’s just that …. Well …. My birthday is four days from now and ...I …. I just want to know if it’s okay if I invite some of my friends over. Can I, please Mum, can I?” Lara pleaded.
“Sweetheart, I’ll have to tell your dad first but it’s okay by me. But just how many people do you plan to invite?”
“I was thinking of about thirty people.” Lara replied.
“Wow! I guess I’ll have a lot to do but don’t worry, we’ll do our best to make you happy if it means so much to you.” Helen told her teenage daughter.
“Thanks Mum,” Lara replied happily, “You’re one in a million.” Lara hugged her mum and resumed her meal with great joy. She helped her mum clear the dishes, set the table and water the flowers in the garden. All the while, her mind was whizzing with ideas and concepts for her upcoming party and as soon as she left the garden, she was up in her room, making calls and inviting people. After some calls, she began thinking of what to wear for the party, what hair style she would make, what foods would be prepared, the type of music to be played and so many other things. Needless to say, Lara was restless for the rest of the day.
Chapter 3