LUCY THE LONER

CHAPTER ONE I was only six years old when my parents decided I should move to the city to study. Why me—out of the three children they had at the time—I couldn’t tell. I wouldn't say I was the most brilliant child, but I was definitely one of the serious ones. I loved academics. I always made sure I had excellent grades, and my dad was proud of me. I remember I was about to enter Basic Three that academic year. It was a bright but sorrowful day—I had to say goodbye to my family and my whole life. Somehow, I was happy. Who wouldn’t be? I was going to the big city. That was a flex. But a part of me was sad. I was leaving behind everything I had ever known, and I didn’t know what the new world had in store for me. I traveled with my aunt, who had come to visit us from the city just a few days before. That day, I shed a lot of tears, but either way, what was happening was supposed to be for my own good. We arrived in Accra the next day, and my aunt took me to my grandmother’s house in Tema, where I was to start my new life. I won’t bore you with all the details, but I ended up living with my grandma and uncle. My uncle enrolled me in one of the most prestigious schools in the area—Queens Court School. A year later, my uncle got married. School wasn’t easy for me. I wasn't fluent in English and could barely write properly. Because of that, I was sent back to KG2. But I worked hard—so hard—and eventually, I was promoted directly from KG2 to Primary Two. I literally skipped Primary One. That was the beginning of my story as The Loner. Dear reader, we all know how difficult it is in this Gen Z era for someone who can’t construct a proper sentence in English. It killed my self-confidence and pushed me into becoming reserved. Fitting in wasn’t easy for me. But it didn’t last forever—I adapted faster than I expected, and soon, I was fluent in English. But the damage had already been done. The time to make friends had passed, and everyone now saw me as the quiet nerd. So that’s who I became. I was forced into a quiet version of myself that I had never been. Present Day It was Monday again. As I prepared for school, I wondered what the new week would bring. I checked my clock. It was 4:45 a.m. I got up and did my chores quickly. By exactly 5:40, I was ready for school. Roll call was at 6:15, and assembly started fifteen minutes later. I didn’t want to be late—Sir Bless was on duty, and I didn’t want to fall into his bad books. That man could cane like something else. I got to school five minutes before roll call, went straight to my class, and dropped off my backpack. The term had just begun, so lessons weren’t serious yet. I located my desk, sat down, and started listening to my classmates gisting about their weekends. > “...on Saturday, I went to West Hills Mall with my mom and Junior…” That was Akorfa, holding court with a group of girls. She was the center of attention. At the other end of the classroom, the boys were busy arguing over Ben 10 and Spider-Man. These rich kids seemed to have no problems at all. I would have loved to join them, but I didn’t even know what a mall looked like. So I stayed invisible. The assembly bell rang, and we all dashed out. After 20 minutes, we returned to our classrooms. Sir Godson, our class teacher, walked in. > “Good morning, sir,” we greeted, standing. “Good morning. How are you all doing?” he asked. “We are fine, thank you!” He sat and started chatting with us. One thing I loved about my school was how the teachers always tried to make us comfortable. He asked how we spent our weekends. > “Sir, my daddy took us to the cinema,” said Richard. And just like that, the whole class started talking about beaches and KFCs again. I had nothing to contribute, so I picked up my storybook and began reading Peter Pan. > “Excuse me, hope I’m not interrupting anything…” That was Sir Sylvanus, our headteacher. He walked in with two new students—a boy and a girl. We stood to welcome them. “This is Sama and Issah. They’ll be joining your class this year. Be nice and welcoming,” he said. Sir Godson had them introduce themselves and assigned them seats. The rest of the day was hectic. Real lessons had started, and I was glad when the closing bell rang. I grabbed my bag and headed home. I was exhausted already—we had loads of assignments. Just as I got downstairs, someone called my name. > “I’m here, Lucy! Look up!” I scanned the crowd and saw the new girl, Sama, waving at me from the classroom window. She rushed down to catch up. “Hey, Lucy! Are you heading home already?” she asked, catching her breath. “Yes. Any problem?” I asked. “No, not at all. I just didn’t want to keep you, so let’s exchange contacts. We can talk more when you get home.” I gave her my contact. I didn’t actually have a phone, but she could reach me through my granny’s number. That evening, just after I’d finished my assignments and was getting ready for bed, my grandmother called out: “Lucy! Someone’s on the phone for you.” I rushed to pick it up. It was Sama. She called just to check on me. We had a small chat and promised to talk more the next day. When the call ended, I lay on my bed, thinking about my life since I moved here. Unlike everyone else at school, I didn’t have friends. I had no one to share my worries with. This was the first time in my life someone had called just to check on me. I hoped—and prayed—that this was the beginning of something good. There was something about this Sama girl. Whatever it was... I liked it already. CHAPTER TWO. It’s Monday again—the beginning of another stressful week filled with classes and heavy study loads. But it’s not like I had any other choice. I rushed to the school canteen to grab some breakfast because I was already running late and couldn’t eat at home. That’s what Mondays usually looked like after a lazy weekend of waking and sleeping whenever I pleased. I joined the queue, and in no time, it was my turn. I carried my tray of Milo and toasted bread, scanned the place for an empty table, and sat down to eat. “Can I sit with you?” I looked up. There she was, smiling broadly, displaying her crystal-white teeth. She was so beautiful. “Sure, why not?” I replied, returning the smile. She sat down with her tray, and we ate in silence for a while. “So, how long have you been in this school?” she asked, trying to start a conversation. Not bad, I thought. I’m in for it. “Let’s say a little over three years now,” I replied. “Oh, that’s great…” she commented. “So why did you leave your former school?” I asked, trying to keep the conversation going. “Well, Mom got transferred, so we had to move,” she responded. “That must be really hard—leaving your friends behind and starting fresh,” I said, trying to sympathize. “Well, as you can see, I’m coping just fine and already adapting,” she said with a smile. “After all, we’re friends now.” I could swear my heart skipped a beat. I smiled back at her. Just then, the siren went off for assembly. We walked together, talking about nothing and everything. The rest of the day went by faster than I expected. As I packed my books, a folded piece of paper fell out. I picked it up. “Wait for me at the gate after assembly,” it read. Yes, you guessed right—it was from Sama. I smiled to myself, slipped it into my bag, and headed for assembly. She was already at the gate when I got there. “Hey, Lucy!” she called out cheerfully. “Hey, you! What’s with the happy face?” I asked, trying to match her energy. “My driver won’t be able to pick me up. Do you mind walking home with me?” she asked. I had no problem with that. In fact, I’d already started enjoying her company. “Yes, I’d really love that,” I replied. We started walking. “So how was class today?” she asked. “Well, English was okay, but math and science? Ugh,” I sighed. On a more serious note, those subjects were my headache. “Well, I’m good with numbers. I can help you if you don’t mind,” she offered. “Why not? I’d really appreciate that,” I said, beaming. “Alright then, let’s make it 30 minutes after class every day. What do you think?” Sama suggested. “That’s fine by me,” I replied. By now, we had reached the junction where we had to part ways. “Bye, Lucy. See you tomorrow,” she said, giving me a hug. “Sure,” I replied, hugging her back. I walked home happily. I met Granny in the kitchen fixing dinner. I hurried in, changed, and joined her. “Hello, Granny. How was your day?” I asked, finding something to keep me busy. “Same old, same old. How was school today?” she asked. “Well, I had a pretty good day,” I replied, clearly in a good mood. “Hmm, I’ve never seen you like this before. Is there something you want to tell me?” she asked. “No, not at all,” I said, carrying some plates to the table, trying to dodge her questions. “I’ll be staying 30 minutes after school from now on for extra classes,” I announced after we cleared the table. “Alright, sweetheart. Just be safe,” Granny said. I said goodnight and retired to my room. I read a few pages from Peggy Oppong’s Cleopas Onini and drifted off.