Must Read: The Player

6 years ago

Must Read: The Player

I had passed my JAMB examinations. I scored 215/400. Not really a rocket scientist mark but I had made it through the 200 barrier.

This fueled my optimism when I heard the WAEC result had been released. I had less than #200 in my pocket account, which would have to take care of Hanatu’s meal for the day, getting #300 for the WAEC scratch card was my immediate life’s ambitions

In the past I would have wooed Oge for some change but she could go to hell! I wore my work clothes with my hoodie and started the long trek to G.R.A. It was a Saturday; there were usually a lot of menial jobs in the rich neighborhood. The hoodie will protect my identity from people that might know me.

I had left #50 Agege bread and a plate of beans for Hana, beside them was her drugs.
She didn’t like beans, but it was healthy for her, that mattered a lot to me.

Ugo had been the first to see his WAEC result, it was Maths:C4, Eng:C4, Agric:B2, Bio:D7, Chem : C5, Phy :C6, Igbo:B2, ECON: C5. He had his required 6 credits to proceed to the police academy, we were happy for him.

Tope’s result was more unique.

Though he made a good result, we were surprised that with all his grammar, all he could get from English was a C6.

Things were not looking as easy as expected.
People kept telling me that they didn’t need extra hand for work. The only thing more embarrassing than asking people to clean their house or wash their clothes was being rejected. After receiving the same response from many more snobbish people, I went back home.

“have you checked your result?”
Hanatu asked me as I entered her room.

“No. how did you know the result was released?”

“Auntie Oge told me.”

I wondered if she knew Oge was a devil incarnate too, Oge should have told her.

I got a plate of left over beans from the ugly looking pot in the kitchen and proceeded to my room to sprinkle Garri on it. I was worried about our finances. People were getting more tight fisted, food and drugs were getting expensive. I was having no alternative than to get a tenant for the vacant room in the house.

I was thinking about my next move when oge breezed into my room like we were room-mates.

“You can’t just enter my room like this, what if I had a girl around?”

“Very funny,” She replied

“What do you mean by that?”, I asked, “You think girls don’t fancy me?”

“Fifi, I don’t want your problem today. I am going to the market, is there anything you want me to get for you?”

“Chai, with your boyfriend’s money abi?”

I didn’t see the slap, but I felt it burn my face.

“Don’t you ever talk to me like that, you hear!”

I have never seen her that angry.

“I am sorry,” I said.

She tossed something on my bed and stormed out of my room. When I checked it, it was a WAEC scratch card.

How did she know I wouldn’t be able to afford it? Witch-craft things.

“Thank you!” I screamed from my room, believing she would be with Hanatu.

“Fvck you!” she replied.

I wish.
I scrambled to my feet and dashed to a Cyber café to check my result. The G.R.A was the only area that could boast of a café in the estate, so I met a throng of people, waiting for internet service. When it was my turn, I almost backed changed my mind. My heart was beating so fast and hard, I felt I had a pneumatic drill in me.

The server was slow, but I didn’t care. I could wait. After typing in my registration number and the scratch card pin, I held my breathe.

My result was;

Maths: A1

English: C6

Biology: D7

PHY: B2

CHEM: E8

AGRIC:C4

GEO: E8

YOR: F9

FURTHER MATHS: F9.

I failed.