CHAPTER 54

Upon arriving home, Hafsat instructed Hamza and Zara to freshen up before doing anything else. They followed her guidance and then were asked to complete their homework. As they were engrossed in their studies, the door opened, and Adekunle returned from work. The siblings greeted their uncle and answered his questions about their first day at school, confirming that it had gone well.

In the evening, the family gathered around the dining table for a meal. After dinner, Hamza, who had been relatively quiet, finally spoke up. He asked the couple, "Uncle, please, I have a friend who knows music, and I want to learn to play the piano from him. He suggested that I could come to his place or he could come here. Is that okay?"

The couple exchanged a glance before Adekunle inquired, "There's no problem with that. He can come over. How well do you know him?"

A small smile graced Hamza's face as he replied, "Well, I don't know much about him, but he's a good guy, and you can be there with us, please." He looked at Adekunle with pleading eyes.

Adekunle chuckled and agreed, "No problem. When he wants to come over, just let me know, okay?"

Hamza felt elated but managed to contain his excitement as he said, "Thank you, sir."

The morning came, and Hamza, as usual, woke up early. He had breakfast, and later, his sister and Adekunle joined him at the dining table. After breakfast, they all went their separate ways. Hamza accompanied his sister to her class and said his goodbyes before heading to his class.

At school, David could be seen talking to Abayomi. David asked, "Have you seen Hamza yet?"

Abayomi replied, laughing, "For God's sake, you've asked me this like a million times already, and I said no, I haven't. What's with you and that guy?"

David chuckled and responded, "I already told you, man. Hamza is very good at music, like seriously good. He could become a star. Did you not see the video I shared on the platform yesterday?"

Abayomi admitted, "Oh, well, I didn't come online yesterday, so I don't know what you're talking about."

David decided to show him the video of Hamza singing on his phone, and Abayomi looked shocked. Before he could say anything, a familiar voice interrupted them. Hamza had entered the classroom and greeted them with a wave "Hey guys".

As Hamza made his way to meet David, the class suddenly fell silent, and all eyes turned toward him. The students wore looks of surprise and curiosity. Hamza, who found himself at the center of attention, was equally shocked by the sudden change but chose to walk to David without acknowledging the stares.

David, who had observed the situation, couldn't help but laugh and teased, "Bro, it seems you're the new celebrity in the class."

Suspicious, Hamza asked, "What did you do?"

David continued to laugh and confessed, "Nothing much, I just shared a video of you singing, that's all."

Hamza, with a slight smile, looked at David and shook his head. "Why did you do that, man?"

David laughed again and asked, "I see you liked it, eh?"

Hamza shrugged and turned to Abayomi, extending his hand for a handshake. "How are you doing, bro?"

Abayomi shook Hamza's hand and replied, "I'm good, bro, but I never knew you could sing that well."

Hamza chuckled and downplayed his talent, saying, "Well, it's just luck. No need to praise me so much."

David chimed in, "Come on, Hamza, don't act humble. You're good; accept the praise."

Hamza conceded, saying, "Yeah, I hear you, bro," but before he could continue, he remembered something. "Oh yeah, my parents agreed you could come over."

David's relief was palpable as he said, "That's a relief, bro, so when should we..." However, before David could finish his sentence, a teacher entered the classroom, indicating the start of the lesson. The students hastily returned to their seats, and the class officially began.

Hamza arrived at his seat and saw his seatmate, Sofia, already seated. He greeted her with a quiet "Hey, Sofia." Sofia responded by asking, "I am good, Hamza, and you?" Hamza simply nodded in reply and took his seat, paying attention to what the teacher was saying. Throughout the class, Hamza could still feel Sofia's gaze on him, which left him a bit confused. He decided to ignore it and continued with the day. The day passed uneventfully, and it was soon time for the break.

As soon as the teacher left the class, Hamza was about to turn around to wave at David when he heard a voice from his seatmate, Sofia. She said, "I saw the video of you singing, and you were really good." Hamza, surprised but grateful, smiled and replied, "Thank you, I appreciate that."

Just as Hamza was about to stand up, Sofia asked, "Can we be friends?" She extended her hand for a handshake. Hamza looked a bit shocked but quickly recovered and said, "Well, sure, we can be friends." Sofia smiled and bid him goodbye before walking out of the class.

Right at that moment, Hamza was startled by a shout from Abayomi, who was sitting behind him, "Bro, are you trying to get that girl Sofia?" Hamza, with a hint of embarrassment, turned to face Abayomi and chuckled before replying, "No, I'm just making friends, man."

Hamza turned back to face his friends, still a bit surprised by their sudden curiosity. He explained, "Nah, she just asked if we could be friends, and I was shocked because she was kind of rude towards me yesterday."

Abayomi, still playful, responded, "Hehe, no need to explain. She doesn't relate with males that much, so it's a first.

David asked not minding what Abayomi said Anyways, when can we meet so you can teach me the guitar?" David seemed excited when he mentioned the guitar.

Hamza, taken aback by their simultaneous reaction, couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, probably from next week Saturday," he replied.

David, sounding a bit disappointed, asked, "Oh, why not this week Saturday?" He was eager to start learning the guitar as soon as possible.

Hamza laughed and said, "Well, the reason is I have something that I have to do."

Abayomi chimed in, laughing, "Oh, come on, spit it out already, what is it?"

Hamza hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to tell them and then decided to reveal it. "Well, I have a music recording with Johnny Drille, so..."

Before Hamza could complete his sentence, all three of his friends, including the usually quiet Ken, shouted in unison, "With whom?" They were taken by surprise.

Hamza was surprised by their reactions but expected their curiosity. He proceeded to explain the story of how Johnny Drille had reached out to him, expressing interest in his song and wanting him to be present during the recording. The looks on his friends' faces said it all – they were extremely surprised and remained quiet for a moment.

David was the first to break the silence, exclaiming, "Bro, this is huge! I don't even know what to say. You'll be there with Johnny Drille in a recording studio, man. This is huge!"

Hamza smiled and replied, "I know, man. I was as surprised as you were when he told me. It's a big deal for me also I am a huge fan of his and the fact that he liked my song and bought also wants me to be there when recording."

The three friends bombarded Hamza with various questions, their curiosity piqued by the extraordinary opportunity that had landed in his lap. They asked about the specifics of his interaction with Johnny Drille, his thoughts on the music industry, and whether he was going to meet any other famous artists. Hamza chuckled and answered the questions to the best of his ability, sharing his excitement and disbelief about the whole situation.

As the conversation continued, their imaginations ran wild, envisioning what it must be like in a recording studio, rubbing shoulders with renowned musicians, and creating music that could be heard by thousands, if not millions. They discussed the nuances of the music industry and what kind of influence Johnny Drille could have on Hamza's budding career.

Reluctantly, they had to wrap up the conversation as the bell signaling the end of their break rang, reminding them that they had classes to attend. They parted ways, each heading to their respective seat.