Never enough

Sheila! Sheila!! Sheila!!!, her mother called her name repeatedly that morning. Sheila heard her mother called her, she  was half awake but was feeling reluctant to get up from her bed. She had cried herself to sleep the previous night. The last batch of the  university of Ibadan admission list was just posted. There has been a first list, a second list, a third list and now the last batch has just been released and she was in a self assertion to definitely see her name pasted among the newly admitted candidates. Although, there have been a little clash between her score and the school requirements. To be admitted into the university to study her desired course, which is communication studies, she must have attained a score of 60% as a cumulative result after the grades of her West African Senior school Certificate exam (WASSCE) and the result of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Boards (JAMB) has been graded together. Sheila's score was then 59.45, she heard about something that happens in the grading system of tertiary institutions that results are always being approximated to their nearest point. If the information was true or false, she wasn't sure , but she was ascertained to gain admission into this Prominent university. Sadly, her hope was shattered. She had cried and cried the other night, her friends which she attended jamb tutorial with has respectively gained admission into the school of their choice. Her mother called again, Sheila! won't you get up to observe your morning  prayers? Sheila dragged herself up from up bed, amidst reassuring herself that its not the end of the road. It is just her first year of leaving secondary school, Aunty halimah, her old senior back in secondary school has been seeking for admission over 3 years already, and she didn't kill herself. She will always sing pass sheila's house every morning on her way to her mother's shop, wave her hands, shake her glitters, brilliantly smile while exposing her diastema to the world. Sheila often get jealous of Aunty halimah energy, the young lady is always radiating happiness around her. Very free spirited And jovial. Sheila walked into the sitting room, her mother Was picking beans and her father was sitting on his prayer mat reciting his daily morning prayer. The Qur'an was opened right on the mat and he was counting the rosary as well. Sheila ignored him to greet her mother, she kneeled before her mother, Ekaaro meimi, she is used to calling her mother meimi instead of maami. Maami is a proper way to say 'my mother' in yoruba. Her mother took a pause before she replied her greeting because she was suspicious of the look on her daughter's face. Her eyes were swollen and red dyed, she could barely open the eyes well. Sheila's mother called her daughter her favorite name of her. Agbeke, kaaro oko mi. Why are your eyes swollen?, didn't you sleep all night? Don't tell me you were busy with f*******: all through the night o? because aside from being good at fashion sense, f*******: is your next professional line. Sheila is surely perfect when it comes to combining outfits and matching colors. She knelt right there at her mother's presence saying nothing, she just nodded negatively to all her mother said. Her mother stared at her with a sarcastic look, she then drew her closer, she called her again in her favourite name, but now in a full length of pronunciation , omolagbekemi what is wrong with you my daughter? Tears streamed down sheila's right eye, while it gathered in her left eye without dropping. She spoke quietly, I checked the last batch of the admission list and my name didn't appear on the list. Her mother sighed, man proposes but God disposes she said. If it is the will of God that your place of academic study is not the university of Ibadan, then so be it. You are smart, ingenious, driven and so dazzling in your academics. You do not need to feel sad my baby girl, You try again next year. Even if  it doesn't work out  next year, you keep trying because success doesn't arrive at your door so easily. You have to keep bidding for it. Sheila just smiled sheepishly and embraced her mum. She knows her mum to be very strict and well disciplined, she had expected her mum to scold her of being the crooked firewood who didn't perform so well in her exams, thereby jeopardizing her own chance to gain admission. while still holding on into her mother's arms, sheila heard her father cleared his throat. He had heard the conversation between them, and doesn't feel indifferent to what sheila's mother said to his daughter. Sheila withdrew from her mother's embrace, and greeted her father. 'Ekaaro daddy mi', she said. 'Kaaro Agbeke', her father replied her greeting. He didn't say anything more even if he knew about what mother and daughter discussed. He only said to his daughter, 'its almost 8a.m, and you are not even prepared yet. The teachers at your learning center do not spite lateness?. I thought the time agreed in is to resume to learning 8a.m every morning. Sheila answered, she was just about to take her bath. Young lady, why did you skip your morning Salat also?, I am on my periods Dad, therefore I'm off salat. It is believed in Islam that the female gender is impure during their menstrual periods, and so they cannot serve the Lord, because He, Allah is Pure and wibr accept anything otherwise from the humans. Her father looked away from her and tuned in his best radio channel. He is a man of few words, he would better not say anything at the moment, and save his best thoughtful words for the later.    With a mixed feeling, sheila dragged herself to the bathroom, her younger sister dashed into the house at that moment to pick up her tie. she had gotten to the school gate before she got a clear sense of what was missing in her dressing to school. She is in SSS1 and would be tortured by the senior prefects for looking not having a tie on. Sheila got dressed up for the day. its the second and last week of the free intensive training going on at the town hall. Some private individuals had called out everyone in the sokodi town to come for a two weeks training in whatever skill they desire to learn. Sheila had ventured into learning make-up glams, tying and styling Headgears, she was doing so well in the process and she loved what she was doing. She strolled towards the junction to board a bike to the town hall, and she murmured to herself under her breath, once bitten, twice shy. My next Jamb exam, I'll make sure to break records.