ORDINARY ME
“Life as a teenager has never been easy. At least I read about it in different books all the time and the fact is… As the teen that I am, I know this fact and I pretended not to care. Besides I live in a land, a world where nothing really is impossible. Come to think of it, I am a Christian, yep, and I believe in my Bible”
These were the words of Adrian. An ordinary boy who stayed with his middle-income-earner father. The seventeen years that Adrian is, has not discouraged him from thinking about his manhood profession.
As all teenagers in his age group would dare to think of becoming a very prominent persons. Well, at least, Adrian was an exception among his generation. The fact that most of his peers do not bother or care to think of their future really stimulates Adrian.
He did not have much on the subject. But still, he could not understand why most of the people he called his friends had different ideas of the future. Well. It is almost getting to closing time from school and besides, his best friend Paul had been really busy with studying. So no big deal to Adrian, he owe himself all these deep thoughts. Adrian walked to Paul’s desk and politely asked,
Hey buddy, don’t you think it’s kind of strange that the teachers who’re supposed to teach us towards our West Africa Certificate Examination that is the WASSCE are rather soaking themselves up with idle talks in the office? Instead of teaching us topics we haven’t learnt so that we can pass the upcoming exams, they rather sit behind fat chairs and worry about how our exam is going to have negative effects.”
Paul stopped reading the book he was holding and with a concerned expression.
He answered
“Adrian, I really don’t get why you worry over useless issues, I know you are my best friend and all that blah blah, but sometimes you really sound like we haven’t been the kind of friends we’d always been through our days in this school, what do you mean by,’ they sit behind idle chairs’?
Do you expect teachers to be feeding you with knowledge as to what to do at this critical stage in your educational period?”
“Uhm, c’mon, I’m just trying to build a conversation here, you don’t have to be upset. I know you’re reading and I’m sorry to interrupt but I’m getting bored sitting on my desk not doing any important thing. Don’t change the subject, what do you think of what I said earlier?”
Adrian asked once more
Paul replied
“Uhm, I think what the teachers are doing is rather to our advantage; besides what else could they possibly teach us now? You know, we this form 3 batch have a lot to learn to be able to compete with the form 4s.”
Adrian, now pleased to draw Paul’s attention to himself, added,
“Yea, you’re right, I now understand, I guess we have to make good use of our time now that it’s almost left with 6 months to complete Senior High School, come to think of it, I just can’t wait. I’m so eager to complete high school and focus on my dream.”
“Oh I see, well, with me, I am hoping to pass this tough and scary exams that everyone seemed to be talking about, you know, get good grades and further my education in one of the good universities in this country, I really have a university choice in mind.”
Paul politely informed Adrian with a deep relief and smile on his cheerful face.
“Yea, yeah, what university choice do you have in mind?”
Adrian asked
“Not again, I’ve told you a thousand times already, you’re too forgetful”
“I haven’t forgotten, I just asked to know if you’ve changed your university choice, looks like you’re not in a good mood today. What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing; I’ve just been stressed out lately and kind of confused with myself”
“Why, what is it?”
“Never mind, I don’t feel okay to talk about it, hope you don’t mind”
“I do mind”
“You suck”
These two friends got talking and seemed to be emotionally emerged into their conversation. The closing bell rang, indicating it was time for all lessons to end and for students to go home.
Well, the bell did not really surprise any of the students in the classroom. It was not like that was the first time they hear the bell ring without a warning for closing.
Adrian walked over to his desk and packed his books into his bag. He had forgotten that there was a textbook under his desk. A book his father went through hell just to be able to buy for him. An Elective Mathematics Textbook published by Aki Ola. He walked over to Paul again and asked if he would not like to go home for the day.
Paul replied,
“Oh Adrian you’re full of sarcasm, what do you mean by wouldn’t I want to go home for the day, c’mon, this school sucks, well, you didn’t hear it from me”.
Both Paul and Adrian chuckled at Paul’s funny comment.
Adrian helped Paul to pack his books into his bag and they exited the classroom. Stephen, one of Paul and Adrian’s classmates, called out Paul and greeted with a
‘see you tomorrow’
As though these two friends were interested in any goodbyes. They just kept mute and walked out from the class room.
“Bro…”, Adrian reprimanded,
“don’t tell me you’ve forgotten about Leticia, c’mon, you know she always complains about us not waiting on her anytime the closing bell rings”.
Paul nodded and felt a little guilt of his actions. He needed to get home fast to do something he considered personal. And always waiting on their friend Leticia seems to take forever. Besides Leticia knows for sure that they would not be able to always wait for her.
Paul stood still, looked at his friend with much caution and spoke out
“Adrian, I know how you feel but buddy, today I’ve got to get home early, I have some personal matters to attend to and waiting for Leticia wouldn’t favor me so um, if you don’t mind, can I go and leave you guys behind?”
Adrian knew for sure that Paul was right to a certain extend. Always waiting up for Leticia seemed to take forever so he opted not to wait up for her. They would find an excuse to give to their best friend on why they could not wait on her the next day. They always win when it comes to apologizing to Leticia.
“Look at you, what’s wrong buddy?”
“It’s nothing, nothing I’d like to discuss”
“C’mon, what do you mean by nothing? I know you’re desperate to tell me whatever it is you’re soaked into”
“Just drop it, I really mean it, it’s nothing” He nearly uttered with an upset tone.
“Fine, if you don’t want to talk about it, I’m cool”
“Hold on, I wanna talk about it”
He politely assured, with a little guilt and less self esteemed expression. He finally opened out to his friend and poured out his confessions.
“Oh my GOSH!”
Adrian laughed and continued
“Damn, I can’t believe I never spotted out those signs, Ooo, that’s the reason you were quite earlier in class?”
Paul pushed Adrian to quit his drama and just be straight forward with him. He knew Adrian definitely had something on his mind about the confessions he had just delivered unto him.
Adrian laughed before he continued
“Fine, quit hitting me already, I know the gesture I showed is kind of rude but hey, c’mon, why didn’t you choose to fall in love with me rather?”
“Be serious Adrian”
Paul firmly positioned himself with courage as though he was a grown up ready to get married.
The conversation kept rolling and the 47 minutes 3 seconds walk from their school to the Bus station seemed as though it was just a 5-minute walk.
“You haven’t spoken any advisory words to me yet, its ok, whatever, charley, see you tomorrow”
Paul firmly hit Adrian on the shoulder with a serious look, trying to hide his embarrassments.
“It’s okay my friend, its definitely ok to feel shy, hahaha, it makes you more handsome and I’m sure she’d begin to show a mutual love to you as well. Wait; is that a good English sentence? I suck in speaking English language.”
“Whatever! See you”
“Like seriously?”
“Like Daarrl”
“hahahha” Adrian laughed.
Adventures of possibilities
Paul and Adrian had walked out from the campus of Accra High School. One of the best Senior High schools in the Region. Everybody loves the outfit of the school’s uniform and the fact that one could possibly attend that school, tags the person as a very neat student, because of the white shirt and black shorts they wear.
Through chit chats and funny humor comments. These two friends got to the lorry station where they joined their separate queues waiting for the public bus to arrive.
Within few minutes, a bus arrived and loaded the waiting passengers in the long queue, fortunately for Adrian. he was one of the passengers who got a seat in the bus. The bus took off from the station and there he was, still lost in his thoughts. Adrian just could not restrain himself from the thoughts of what his future holds for him.
He knew that as a Christian, they ought not to be anxious but yet. He still could not help it but be anxious of his future. The bus conductor spoke loudly the next exit towns and that was when Adrian gained consciousness. He yelled out
“Conductor! I’ll alight here!!!” Everyone in the bus could not help but get concerned by the rude gestures of Adrian. A student screaming on top of his voice as though he was not in the bus when the conductor. An elderly man old enough to be his father, spoke out the next exit towns earlier on.
A younger man spoke out of a little unconcerned anguish “Oh goodness, teenagers of today are so disrespectful and impolite. You can’t do this in the early 90’s.”
Almost everyone in the bus immediately agreed with him, just then another lady in the utmost front seat added
“Uhm, you’re right, an old man was just standing in front of him and I was observing, hoping that, that boy would allow the old man to sit but he never even paid any attention to him.”
The first young man who spoke earlier on was touched by the lady’s approval of his moral
“Ei, so what is becoming of our youths of today? No respect and acknowledgement to the elderly.”
Life at home
Adrian went home and even though he had heard what was being said concerning him in the bus. He still paid no attention to them.
He walked swiftly to his house and opened his door. The door key initially gave him a little fright, at first thinking that the key had been misplaced. Using the wrong key to open the door but Adrian was so sure of the key. He just could not understand the reason the key failed to unlock the door.
He tried it for the third time and with much positive expectations the door opened. Adrian thought to himself ‘Damn, what a relief, I just can’t stand this key… It always gives me a fright’.
Adrian entered into his room, changed from his school uniform and took his towel and sponge. He walked into the shower and the soothing Luke-warm effect of the water on his skin made him bushed out. He loves bathing after school because of the heat that would have been soaked into his body from all the tedious activities during and after school hours.
Within five minutes, Adrian was done bathing. He did not like the idea of applying lotion on his skin after bathing so he just skipped it and dried himself up thoroughly. Adrian opened his wardrobe and found a very neat and ironed light colored shirt and shorts. He did himself the favor of putting it on.
‘What do I do now, what’s next on my agenda?’
Adrian asked himself, even though he knew the WASSCE exams was just six months ahead. He still could not stand the idea of him having to study all day for his father to arrive home from work and give him money for dinner.
Adrian definitely needed to occupy himself with an activity so he decided to relax, drink some water and start putting his career ideas on paper.
He had a notebook he keeps his ideas in, a very rough and unprofessional notepad to be precise, as usual, he always leave it on his bed so he picked the notepad, sat on the desk in his room and started putting his plans together.
Music, uhm…, whoa, I can’t believe I’ve never thought of starting to write lyrics down, and jeez!, I don’t have any stories written down as well, hmmm, I’m a very bad organizer
Adrian smiled as he took his notepad and decided it was time to start taking things more seriously.
Even though Adrian was amateur, he was quite skillful and creative when it comes to writing stories and singing, well. Maybe that is why he decided to focus on his talents rather than his educational success.
“Definitely, I must let my father know of what I intend to do and become, I know he would just love the ideas I have, just as I do. Tomorrow wouldn’t be a bad day to do that because, I know my father would definitely be tired and worn out when he returns from work today, so, tomorrow it is then, Deal’.
Adrian thought to himself.
“I really don’t know why my father chooses to get home late, I don’t know about sole proprietors but definitely his work wouldn’t keep him for long hours if he works in a corporate world, goodness, not like he even works in a corporate business. He’s a sole proprietor, I don’t want to grow and be looking for jobs, or probably be left to be having a petty hand-to-mouth job like my father does”
End of Chapter One.
Written by: Philip NeeWhang © 2013
See also: The story of Kevin Berthia, the African-American man who nearly ended his life on a bridge in 2005.
See also: 5 powerful ways on HOW TO deal with BREAKUP in a Relationship.
