Chapter 11: Mean joke.
My head is still rested on the locker when someone walks into the class and sits in front of me. From the shoes that I can see underneath the locker, it's my brother. I look up, "what do you want?" "I was looking for you. David told me that a senior called you?" I sigh, "Yeah, it's just one dude that has been looking for how to punish me, so he found a stupid lie to use."
"Hm." Was all he said, because he knows I wouldn't want him to tell me things like 'sorry.' "Sha, well, it's time for club, and I want to join art too. That's why I was looking for you, so we can go together." I nod and get up. Once we we're outside, I used some water to wash my face before heading to the art room.
When we got there, I was amazed by what I saw. There were enough windows so the room had great lighting. There were also lots of easels, making it look like it was normal for schools in nigeria to have them. Even enough for everyone in the club. Everything was in large number, and there was even a couch too, like an actual couch. The club president/teacher's desk was up front, overseeing the whole room. Best position to watch everyone huh?
Even though the room was almost filled with student who wished to join, the president of the club hadn't arrived yet. I and my brother made our way to the back of the room and rested on the wall. The couch was taken. A few minutes later, the president walked in.
The room that was filled with noise and idle chatter went quiet. I can only assume that they were surprised, because I was too, even my brother was staring with his lips slightly parted. Our president was a tall, and quite young –maybe mid-thirties- white man, with a round lensed glasses perched on his nose.
He shuffled in awkwardly, shuffled to his desk awkwardly, rested on it awkwardly and nervously pushed his glasses further up his nose awkwardly. Did this man do everything awkwardly? The students began murmuring, and I heard someone beside me whisper not so quietly to her gossip buddy. "Wow, I haven't seen a white person in real life before," I roll my eyes, "Oya, so, now that you've seen one, let us hear word."
She glances at me briefly, and when our eyes meet, I widen mine, what? My brother shakes his head and snickers beside me. I'm about to speak when the president clears his throat loudly, gaining all our attention again. "Um, Good day students, welcome to the art club. Thank you for showing interest in my club."
The way he speaks reminds me of how wrong most of our manner of speaking is, which makes me laugh. He continues, "You can call me Richard, Mr. Richard. As you can see, we have a lot of applicants for this club, but we cannot take everyone so here's what we're going to do."
I space out a little bit, envying how he's able to speak boldly despite the awkward way he keeps twisting his hands and the dozens of eyes on him. I guess that answers my earlier question. Surprisingly, the room is still quiet as he speaks, they're probably straining to hear and understand him, I snort out loud. "Pig," my brother mutters. Idiot. I reply in my mind.
"The maximum amount of people that will be allowed to join the club is 10, so we are going to hold a selection to choose those 10 students." He claps suddenly, a few people snicker, he continues. "You all will sketch anything of your choice on the paper I will provide to you. From those drawings, I'll select those that get to stay and those that I, sadly, would have to ask to 'ease' out."
He stops talking and begins smiling awkwardly, eyes searching the room. It takes a while for the pun he made to sink in, and it does for me at the same time it does for my brother.
"Jesus!" shaking his head, my brother exclaims with a look that looks half disgusted, half disappointed and half amused. The look makes me to laugh, "wow, this joke" Mr. Richard gaze focuses on the both of us, then he chuckles. Some off the seniors in the room are starting to get the joke so there are a few laughs ringing out. The rest of the students remain clueless.
When everyone settles down, he continues, "Alright, I'm going to have to ask you all to step outside. On your way out, I will hand you a small board with a paper, pencil, and an eraser attached to it. You have 30 minutes, sketch your best!"
When we were all outside, drawing board in hand, my brother comes up to me. "What are you going to draw?" "I don't know yet." then a thought comes to mind and a sly smile spreads across my face. "Okay, now I know. I'll sketch a bear growling down at a kid on the ground, what of you?" he grins, "I'll draw Spidey," he says, smiling and miming the way spider man shoots his webs. He can be a loser like that sometimes.
After exactly 30 minutes, Mr. Richards comes outside, asks us to sign our names and collects all the drawings, while we all waited outside. In 10 minutes, he's done accessing all the drawings and back out with names. I'm a little surprised because he was quick. Did he even check them well?. Just as I think it, my brother voices the same thing.
Mr. Richards starts reading the names, but I'm only listening for my name and my brother's. After the first 5 names, I hear mine and my brother' follows shortly after. I didn't know I was holding my breath, until I heard my name. We both make our way inside. When he's done calling the names, he politely asks everyone else to 'ease' out. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to do anything else, so we used the few minutes we had left for introductions.
After lookig around a bit at the faces left in the club, i see some one i recognize and I think the universe is playing a mean joke on me, because the ape that punished me earlier was selected to join the club too, and his name is Tony.
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When we got home, mum was already in the kitchen, as usual, but this time she was washing catfish. I greeted her and went upstairs to change. By the time I was done and back downstairs, she had already begun treating it with hot water. Nora wasn't in the kitchen, so I guess she must be sleeping. Madam sleep. I roll my eyes.
"Mummy, what are you cooking?" I can't guess because, it's either fish stew or Pepper soup. "Pepper soup. Your daddy said that that was what he wanted to eat." A knowing smile spreads across my face, she sees it. "Ama m na obi gi di gi uto, I know that you're happy. Gi na nna gi bu otu, you and your father are the same." I burst out laughing.
My dad loves to eat fish and meat of any kind, except snails, the same goes for me, except that I like snails. My sibling always teases me because of it, that somebody can use meat to kidnap me. My mother just calls me and my dad 'eze anu,' meaning kings of meat.
My dad comes back in the middle of the cooking and stays to talk to mum. I use that opportunity to slip out of the kitchen and head upstairs. The time is already a little after 7, so I take a shower, read until 9pm before I start feeling sleepy. After saying goodnight to my parents, then head back upstairs and climb into bed
Before I fall asleep, my mind flashes back to the ape, Tony. He didn't notice me when we were in the room and when I left. I really wonder what is going to happen, though I don't want to find out.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone