His Kids And I – Episode 23
Episode 23
Writer: Mimi Annie
Emmie’s Pov
Emilia helped me pack my hair in a bun then she brushed in the little strands of hair hanging on my ear. I applied a little powder meticulously on my face. When I was done, I picked my school bag and ran out. Gabriel would be dropping me off school after Christie and Dollie are out. When Gabriel got to Greenfield Academy, he dropped off Christie and Dollie and then went ahead to my school. Our class mistress had already informed us that we’ll be taking a 10 o’clock flight, good thing I came three hours before the scheduled time. Gabriel drove into our school and stopped the car by a walkway and I got off after waving a goodbye to him. All students were in school and they would also join us in Abuja. The competitors were five in number. We were asked to go sit in the public hall, where we’ll be addressed by our head.
The manager was the first to come in. He was a white and he always looked like someone in his late fifties. He had gray hairs which covered half his head. Today, he wore a royal blue suit with nice Italian shoes. He wore a white shirt inside the suit and a pink tie and he held some files in hand. He stretched a file to each of us. “Fill it” he said and we took out our pen and answered the questions on the script. They were personal questions and I answered them carefully and then submitted it. “We’ll be moving in ten minutes” he said and walked away.
“I’m kind of itchy about this competition” a girl sitting two seats besides me said. I looked at her. I don’t think she’s in my class. She was slim and wore glasses. I wondered if she was talking to me or someone else.
“First time going for an outside competition?” a thin boy beside me asked with a
grin and the girl nodded.
Yuck! I muttered
“You’ll get over the tension soon” said a fat girl sitting opposite us
“Hope so” said the thin girl “have you ever been in a competition like this?” The girl giggled “my first”
Well, I thought, this was my first too but I didn’t think I felt itchy at all. Thanks to Emilia, she was really a good teacher.
Thinking of Emilia brought Susan in my mind. I always wonder if dad was going to marry her or not. Well, I like her. She was the first person who welcomed us when we got back to Nigeria and she was really sweet but then, she has this problem, she couldn’t cook neither could she clean. Every day met us eating Uncle’s Ben food when dad wasn’t home early and that was before she started travelling around working for big contracts which lessened her intimacy to us. I like Susan but I guess I’m beginning to like Emilia too. Though she didn’t know how to make most of our meals, I actually didn’t care. Well, I did care back then when she was a beginner but looking at it from the side angle it appeared she was better off than Susan when it comes to that.
And now, things are really going stiff at home, I ……………
“May we?” my thoughts was cut off by the voice of our head. He stood by the door, and just like Mr. Nick, he also wore a royal blue suit with a white shirt but a black tie. We got up and walked out. A white limousine was parked at the front of the building as well as fifteen long buses. We hopped in the limousine with three other staffs too, then the driver drove off. The others would take the bus.
It was a forty minutes ride to the airport. When we got there, we had to wait another forty minutes for our flight. And when it did come at last, we got in and the plane wheeled off and later took flight in the air.
“This is the final stage” the moderator’s voice rang in my ears “and we’ll have two schools competing with each other with a representative of one student and of course, this is where the winner will be announced”
My heart skipped a beat ’cause I was chosen to go for my school.
“First is The Triumph Academy” he shouted to the microphone “can we see your representative?”
There were claps and loud cheers as a light-skinned boy walked out to the step-up and stood beside his school’s flag.
When the cheering died down, the man con
tinued “Next is Macdonald High school. Can we see your representative?”
Shyly but bravely, I walked to the step-up and stood beside my school flag. There were shouts and whoa! as I came forward and I let out a little laugh. I pray I don’t disappoint my school, no, I don’t want to disappoint Emilia, no, it was dad. I didn’t want to disappoint dad.
The moderator cleared his throat the moment silence was observed.
“This last part comes with on question from each subjects” he said and I although I wanted to act brave, I felt shivers ran down my spine.
“Let’s start with Arithmetic” he said “The Triumph Academy, you’ll choose your questions. Like I said, we have more than a hundred questions here and five minutes are given out for each of them”
Emilia’s Pov
I and the kids sat in the sitting room, our eyes glued to the 55-inches plasma on the wall. They were back from school by this time and had taken lunch already. We were watching Emmie’s competition live on TV and their school was competing in the last round. They were starting with Arithmetic and Emmie’s opponent would be first to answer.
“Question 100”said the boy standing for The Triumph Academy
At that instant, question 100 was being displayed on the screen, and it read;
“The sum of 35 and a certain number is divided by 4. The result is equal to double the number. Find the number”
Silence!
.
Silence!
.
Silence!
.
Silence!
.
The time was counting away. He had just ten seconds to pronounce his answer. “Five” he said
“What did you say?” the man asked again
“Five” the boy replied “the unknown number is five”
.
Silence!
.
Silence!
.
“Correct answer!” the man shouted and all of Triumph Academy let out loud screams and cheering.
Next, was Emmie’s question and she picked question 150.
It read: “A circle is of radius 15cm and has a chord 24cm long. Calculate the distance of the chord from the center of the circle” .
Silence!
.
Silence!
.
I was quivering. I prayed hard that Emmie should get it right. This kind of question could only be solved using a Pythagoras rule and I prayed she applied it carefully. I glanced at the kids and saw Christie sitting cross-legged, but with mouth agape, she wasn’t eating her popcorn. I looked at the others, they weren’t eating theirs either. I turned my face away and tore a piece of paper and began calculating it myself. I was halfway through the answer when I heard Emmie’s voice.
“The chord is 9cm from the center of the circle” she said and I held my heart and
waited for the answer but
.
Silence!
.
Silence!
.
I hurried over my calculations and I rounded up with 9cm as the answer too. She had it right!
But why wasn’t the moderator saying something .
“Correct answer” he said at last and I and the kids heaved a sigh all at once. We looked at each other and laughed.
The next subject was French, followed by English Grammar, Vocational Studies and lastly Bible Knowledge.
The Triumph Academy choosed their question and it went as thus:
“Which is the eighteenth book in the new testament?”
.
Silence!
.
“The book of Titus” the boy answered and I knew at once he’d fail if he did not
take back his answer
.
Silence!
.
“Final answer?” the man asked and he nodded. He asked again and he nodded once again.
Just then, an “X” appeared in the score box of The Triumph Academy
“I’m giving out a bonus to the Macdonald” the man shouted into the microphone. Emmie didn’t hesitate in giving out the right answer
“The book of Philemon” she said and everybody waited patiently for the moderator
to declare it either right or wrong
.
“Correct answer!” he shouted and Emmie’s school leaped in the air, shouting out loud.
Next, Emmie choosed her question and it read:
“What were the names of the son of Joseph?”
.
“Manasseh and Ephraim” Emmie answered and I smiled. I knew she was right
.
Silence!
.
“Correct answer!” the man shouted “and now, Macdonald Highschool is declared the winner of this competition”
I watched Emmie jumped up in the air, giving out silly dance steps. After the shout and jeers, she was called to render a short speech on behalf of the day. When Emmie stepped fo
rward, I noticed a tear slide down her cheeks and I wondered why she cried when she was jumping round few minutes ago. She held the microphone and I could feel her voice trembling
“There’s nothing for me to say” she began “I’ll just go forward to thank you all who are witness to this event”
She paused
“I’ll also thank my school for deeming me fit for this contest. I know I’ve made them proud”
She paused
“My dad would be so proud of me ’cause this was all he was hoping for, success and victory”
She paused again and this time it was a long, quiet one and I was disappointed. Actually, she didn’t make up a good speech but all the same I’m happy we won. I looked at the kids and they giggled.
“I’ll be a fool if I don’t appreciate the one person that molded the courage in me though she isn’t here” Emmie said “she’s my star and my mentor” “thank you Granny Colt, I wish you’re seeing this, I wish you are”
She paused
“And to her” she stopped “she’s one of a kind, she’s different, and she’s talent itself. You know yourself. At last I found someone who looked much like my mentor. You’re just the best”
.
I wondered who she was referring to. I could see the kids waiting eagerly to hear the name of the person she was talking about.
Steadily and gently, moving like the wind, she said “Thank you Emilia” .
gasped
.
“There are just two people who I’ve said this three magical words to” she paused “but I want to make you the third”
.
I stopped breathing for some seconds. What magical words was she talking about?
And just then I heard the sweetest thing I’ve always wanted to here since I came to be with the kids.
“I love you Emilia” She screamed it loud and I believed it touched the mountain tops.
I wished I could collapse at the moment ’cause I felt excess joy bubbling in my heart
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His Kids and I
