One Chance

We have memories that we cherish and people that time has not and may not succeed in making us forget….

I attended Premier International Primary School. Going to school late was a normal occurrence for most pupils including me. On a fateful and unforgettable day I was late for morning assembly. I was expecting to be punished as I arrived when the morning prayers (usually said by a pupil picked at random) had already started. I thought of several punishments and imagined which would be applicable to me. Back then; the severity of a punishment was proportional to the “weight” of crime-committed lol. I braced myself and paused before jumping out of the Peugeot 504 that was driven by the driver who we always referred to as “Uncle Val”.

I walked briskly through the main gates saying “uncle good morning” in a low tone to the gate men as every pupil did or was expected to. I walked towards the assembly with my heart racing and quickly joined the female primary five row just before the Nigerian National Anthem was sung. I felt relieved and wondered why no teacher had stopped me and couldn’t believe that I escaped frog jumps, grass cutting…etc

After the National Anthem I sighted Mr Femi Peters, my Mathematics teacher, walking towards me from afar. My heart began to beat faster than it did the first time while my palms became wet from anxiety sweating. He called me out of the assembly when the headmistress, Mrs Ukpong Neto, was making announcements. He asked about how I felt that morning and wanted to make sure that I was well. He’s questions suggested that something was wrong. He then asked about my family before uttering “Aisha is dead…she died this morning…take heart”.

His words faded slowly and the only thing that constantly rang in my head was “Aisha is dead”. Oh no! I screamed. How could Aisha die? She was brilliant…she was full of life…she was beautiful…she was the smartest in the class…she was the class prefect…she was my best friend.

Sometimes I still wonder what she would have looked like, where should would have been and what she would have become. It made me think about others that have left us. I wonder what new hits Dagrin would have made…I wonder what new costumes Goldie would have pulled off. Sadly, memories are all that we are left with and I am grateful to Aisha for leaving beautiful memories that touch me every now and again.

 According to Will Rogers, “You never get a second chance to make a good first impression”. I guess we never get a second chance to live again.

Loretta Okpuno