Love & Denial

By merely looking at her appearance, one could easily deduce she was an inexperienced stranger. She wore a black collared shirt, a pink skirt, a blue cap, and white canvas shoes. Though her lecture was at 10 a.m., she was already in the hall by 9 a.m. Her eyes were fixed on the window, watching students going to and fro. Her admiration was no longer hidden; she observed her new environment with enthusiasm. Her attention was caught by a group of students singing and dancing, and her mind reminisced about the days when her father was alive. She had spend most of her time with him; he would teach her new songs and play the acoustic guitar while she sings. "A beautiful voice for a beautiful lady, the world is your stage," was her father's usual comment after every singing session. She had never agreed with the comment, feeling her dad was raising her hopes for nothing. "What kind of world will give an ugly, lame girl like me an opportunity?" she wondered, a question she didn't need an answer to. She snapped back to reality when students started entering the hall. First, three ladies walked in, gorgeously dressed as though they were staff. She looked at them without blinking. "Good morning," she greeted them. They responded without paying attention. "What do I have, after all, that will attract people's attention?" she thought and continued her visual exploration. Within a short while, more and more students filled the hall. Suddenly, there was an outbreak of screaming and shouting, with almost everyone shouting "SDG" simultaneously. "Why do you look flustered? Don't you know who SDG is?" a female voice said. She turned to look at the lady. "No, I don't." "SDG is an abbreviation for Samuel De Great. His father is Dr. Douglas Anthony," the lady explained. "Who is Douglas Anthony?" Shemagh asked. "Who doesn't know Dr. Douglas Anthony? He is one of the richest men in the country; he owns most of the fuel stations across the country. His son is as intelligent as he is; he was the best graduating student at Trinity High School in Lagos and won the annual national spelling bee in Abuja. He's not only intelligent but also talented; he sings like an angel. I graduated from the same school as him, as did most of the students you see here. His dad offered to take him abroad for his degree program, but he declined. God knows why." Shemagh, an introvert, simply replied, "Wow." "Enough about SDG. My name is Lola Williams Bankole," she said, extending her hand for a handshake. "Nice to meet you, Lola. My name is Shemagh Moses Adams." The two ladies found it difficult to hear each other clearly due to the noise in the hall. "I'm not sure I've heard that name before. What does it mean?" "The literal meaning is 'a head cloth for the protection of someone in the desert.' My dad gave me the name for a reason," Shemagh replied. "What a ramshackle ambience of retarded juveniles," the lecturer thundered. All attention shifted to her, and the place became as quiet as a grave. "You, get up!" she pointed at Samuel, whom the students had been praising. "What is the description of this place?" Some students started whispering, while others looked puzzled. "Why is everyone gawking as though I just gave a riddle? Let him answer his question." Samuel, initially puzzled, regained his confidence and boldly responded. "This is a school environment, ma'am." "Very good," she replied. "And who are you in this environment?" "I'm a student, ma'am," he replied." "This is one identity you all share in common, is that a fact?" "Yes, ma'am," they responded in unison. "With this revelation, it is not an option but an obligation to show a good disposition of character and behavior as students. I should not walk into this kind of noisy environment next time. Is that understood?" "Yes, ma'am," they responded. "My name is Mrs. Shalom Clement Uzo. I will be teaching you ENG 101, Basic Grammar. Let's all introduce ourselves, starting with the young lady to my right. Just your name and your subject preference in high school." "My name is Clerit Elliott Shwarji. My subject preference was Biology. The introductions continued in complete silence until it was Shemagh's turn. Mrs. Shalom spoke harshly to her when she noticed Shemagh was not standing properly, thinking it was an intentional act. She was unaware that Shemagh was lame; her left leg was shorter, and her feet were entangled in a way that made her hobble and limp when walking. There was an outburst of laughter when Shemagh innocently said, "I can't stand up right, ma'am." Mrs. Shalom walked over and observed her leg, suddenly filled with sympathy. "Silence, everyone! What is so hilarious? I want total silence in this class," she raised her voice in annoyance. "What's your name, dear?" she asked politely. "My name is Shemagh Adams Moses, and I like literature and music," Shemagh responded reluctantly and sat down almost immediately after speaking. "Does it hurt? I mean your left leg?" Mrs. Shalom asked. "No, ma'am." "What caused this? Was it an accident?" "No, ma'am, it was from birth." "Do you stay in the hostel?" "yes ma." Mrs. Shalom understood when she started hearing murmurs and chose to focus back on the class. The introductions continued until the last person. She asked them to get their books and jot down the course outline. After giving the outline, she spent thirty minutes introducing the course and another thirty minutes on a moral talk. "This institution is dedicated to molding students into responsible and useful citizens; students who will be independent and a source of help to others. Your parents are aware of this, which is why they brought you here. Lastly, you don't measure a person's ability by their physical features. A person can be disabled or left-handed, but that doesn't mean their brain is disabled or left-handed. Is that understood?" "Yes, ma'am," the students responded. "See you all in the next class."