chapter one

BEFORE THE TRAVEL

You know one thing about growing up in the Eastern part of Nigerian as a kid? It's the wait and crave for Christmas season. This is the most anticipated season and holiday for every kid as it comes with a whole lot of amazing experiences and fun filled occasions. This occasions renges from birthdays, traditional weddings, masqurading and swimming in the rivers and a whole lot of fun filled activities.

The month of December 2003 is different from the others as we all are readily anticipating this sweet holiday.

My name is chidera yes that's my name the name chidera simple means WHAT GOD HAS WRITTEN. The December season of the year 2003 was the December that changed my life that's the year I got into troubles.

It was a sunny Friday morning the whole street was filled with the pleasant sweet smell of the dry soil yes it was harmattan and over here in Nigeria harmattans are mostly associated with dryness of the soil . I was dressed up in my neat school uniform ready to go and collect my school result . I was Soo over joyed because I know I was going to come top of the class this time. The whole streets where filled with different Christmas decorations and Christmas songs coming out from different part of the street as I walk down to go pick my friends who leave down the streets so we could go pick our results.

Getting to my friends house I was welcome by my most beloved Christmas hyme ; Mary's boy child Jesus Christ; and voom I joined the chorus with the highest picth and that got my friends mom rolling on the floor with laughter as I was singing a total different thing from the lyrics.my friends joined me and I was a bit ashamed of myself for trying to sing the song.

Ameke and Chiboy where my Best friends in school. If there where other word to define good friends that word should the perfect as they are just the best. I waited for them as we all walked down to pick our results.

Emeka how far; how this term results go be , omor my brother na on God emeka replied. Emeka though my friend happenes to be the dumbest person in our class, as both I and Chiboy struggle for the first position he struggles from the bottom of the class.

The day of closure during December happens to be the best days of the term . As we walked into the school compound everywhere was decorated in a white and red color , either with a ribbon or a balloon . Let's know who is the fastest I told my friends as I started running towards the school hall , they all followed suit immediately and boom Emeka got to the hall before me. The school principal started calling out the teachers and students to get into the hall as awards will be given to the students with the best students .

Good morning my beautiful students said the principal, today we all are gathered here for our school closure and award day today is a special day as we all will be having our Christmas and end of the year party today . As you all are about to go hope for your holiday I want you all to be obedient to your parents, don't collect things from strangers and always greet your elders , don't forget all the good morals we put into you and always crave to be the best you can be. After the address by the school principal the form teachers and master's started coming out with list of best students in there classes, I was really happy and Soo relaxed cos I know I will be going home with lots of award's.

Listen up said the school principal here are the list of best students in ss3 . All my friends class mates turned around and started looking towards my direction as the principal continued .

"Best in English the whole students chorused chidera! best in mathematics everyone shouted chidera! Best in government the whole students chorused it was going same way intill it got to the cleanest student and then emeka was called and the whole students started laughing. Yes emeka my friend might be dump and acts stupid sometimes but he happens to be the neatest student in the school, he is also the best sports person of the year.

After the awards were presented the DJ started playing music as we all danced with joy and gladness as we bid our classmates and friends goodbye . On our long walk back home we all gist about our coming holiday and how we are going to spend it . I asked emeka "Emmy how are you going to spend your holiday? I don't know yet but it seems we won't be traveling this year due to the fact my mom has been sick" I was sober as we walked down then emeke asked me how I will be spending my holiday. "Emmy we are traveling next week, my dad promised to get me a new bicycle ones I top the whole class and tomorrow I will be going to the market in order to get new clothes for the holiday" . Just then I sighted my uncle's old car and begged him to pick us as we where really tired after the whole dancing. Good afternoon sr we greeted my uncle, good afternoon my children how are you " we are fine sr" we replied, hope you both have gotten your results he asked " yes sr we replied, good what is your position chidera " first position I replied him"what of you Chiboy ? My position is 10th he replied what of you emeka ? Srrrrr emeka stammered and my uncle kept quit and continued his driving as we got closer to his house he stopped us and told us to complete the remaining journey as he parked for us to come down.