Chapter 6: Not So Quiet Anymore
932 Words
I used to think silence was the only way to survive.
That if I just stayed quiet, stayed out of trouble, focused on my books, maybe they would leave me alone.
But I’ve learned something new:
Sometimes silence helps.
But sometimes, you have to speak.
And now… I was ready to speak.
---
It Started Small
It began on a Tuesday morning.
A boy in our class — Wale — was going around touching people’s bags for fun, even trying to unzip them.
He came to my corner, touched my bag, and laughed.
I turned and said, “Don’t touch it.”
He paused, surprised.
“Ah, she talks now?” he said, jokingly.
“Yes,” I replied, calmly. “And I don’t like what you’re doing.”
For the first time since I came to that school, people around me froze.
Even Maryam looked at me with the softest smile.
Later, she whispered, “I’m proud of you.”
---
A New Confidence
It wasn’t like I turned into someone loud.
I was still Rukoyyah — still calm, still focused, still careful with my words.
But now, when someone asked a silly question about my hijab, I didn’t just smile and walk away.
I answered.
When a teacher asked for volunteers, I raised my hand.
And when classmates gossiped about others, I simply stood up and walked away — openly.
Not to prove anything.
Just to protect my peace.
---
More than One Voice
Maryam noticed too.
“You’re not quiet anymore,” she said one day during break.
“I still am,” I replied. “But not in the same way.”
She nodded, understanding. “Yes. Now, your silence is your strength, not your shield.”
That stayed with me for days.
I wrote it in my notebook:
> My silence used to hide me.
Now it holds me.
---
The Group Assignment
Then came the day of the big group assignment in Business Studies.
The teacher paired me with three classmates I didn’t usually talk to — two girls and one loud boy named Ebuka.
At first, they acted like I wasn’t there.
One of the girls said, "Let's do it like this," and ignored my suggestion.
I watched quietly, then calmly said, “That plan won't fit the topic. We’re supposed to include marketing strategies, not just price lists.”
Ebuka looked at me. "You sure?"
“Yes,” I said. “I read the instruction twice.”
He took the paper from me, read it, then said, “Omo, she’s right.”
From that point on, they started listening. At the end, I wrote the group outline in my cleanest handwriting.
When we submitted it, the teacher nodded with satisfaction.
Two days later, she announced in class:
“Group Three’s work was one of the best. Well-structured, well-written, and original.”
That was our group.
---
Quiet No More
After that, things changed slightly.
A boy who used to make fun of me asked, “You get English textbook?”
“Yes,” I replied.
He smiled and said, “Abeg make I borrow am.”
I nodded and gave it to him the next day.
Another girl, one of the neatest girls in class, walked up to me and said, “Your notes are always fine. Can I copy after school?”
These things might seem small to others.
But to me, they were big.
People were starting to see me.
Not just my scarf. Not just my silence.
Me.
---
A Lesson From Maryam
One afternoon, after IRS, I told Maryam how surprised I was that some people now smiled at me.
She said, “People fear what they don’t understand. But when they start seeing you as human, they open up.”
I nodded.
Then she added, “But remember, Rukoyyah, we don’t need their smiles to survive. We need Allah’s light. That’s what will always guide us.”
That day, I made another note in my book:
> Let their opinion come second.
Allah comes first.
---
IRS Class Surprise
One day in IRS, the teacher asked a tricky question about a Hadith.
Many students kept quiet.
I raised my hand.
I explained the meaning, gave the reference, and added a short reflection.
The teacher was impressed. "That was a brilliant answer."
As I sat down, I heard someone whisper behind me, “She’s different now.”
But no. I wasn’t different.
I was just becoming who I was meant to be.
---
A Little Jealousy
Not everyone was happy.
A few girls started giving me side comments again.
“She's doing too much now,” one said.
“Abi o. Quiet turned to genius overnight.”
But I had learned not to let it get to me.
Maryam said, "The more you shine, the more some people will cover their eyes. Let them. You're not here to dim yourself."
So I kept moving.
---
A Voice in the Assembly
The head teacher announced that two students would represent the class in a quiz competition.
One was already chosen: a boy from another arm.
They needed a second.
Our class teacher called me aside and said, "I want you to represent SS1B."
I was shocked. "Me?"
She smiled. "Yes. You deserve it."
That moment, I knew:
> Quiet or not, hijab or not—I belonged.
I belonged in that class.
I belonged in that school.
I belonged in that world.
Not because I changed. But because I stood firm.
And that, to me, was the greatest win of all.
- Writer
