8

It was my third day at GRA. So far, I had been convinced that the cain I saw on the head mistress table was for fashion and show casing. The highest punishment anyone got was THE DUTY; and I wasn't interested in knowing what it was. So I just left it that way.

"What are we having next?" I voiced, questioning Janet. I still haven't gotten my time table yet.

"You know you really should get the time table." Janet stared at me, giving me her mummy look I was getting used to. I swear she looked like my mum threatening me, with that look.

"I'll do it." I waved her off, standing up too. Half of the class was empty by now.

"When? After school year is over." She pressed on, stretching and meandering her way through the clusters of tables and chairs, I was right at her heels.

"Janet now!" Cue my overstuffed indigestion-suffering puppy look.

"Behavioural classes." She replied grunting.

Her reaction to the class was unexpected, I thought it would be enjoyable,"Why? Shouldn't it be like a kind of enjoyable class?" I was referring to the grunt that came after her sentence.

"Wait till you get there. That woman is the devil herself." She snapped her fingers, walking to the direction I knew so well.

Before long we had gotten to the class and I was surprised to meet a full class. The whole of Sss 2, sciences, arts and commercial classes together. Janet led me to a seat at the center of the class, and we took our seats beside Zik. I hadn't seen him today prior to that moment. The chairs were made like benches, long. I wondered what behavior we were expected to inculcate in this class. How to be jampacked on a seat?

A tall willowly woman I soon knew as Miss Beatrice welcomed us all. Her arms spread out, she wore a simple official gown and gold sandal. Her dreads packed into a bun leaving just two strands to rest in each side of her face.

"So today class is simple, easy and straightforward." She started, Janet snickered.

"As you can see, we've switched up the chairs to these very uncomfortable ones. That's our lesson for today!"

"How to kill yourself with heat?" A voice from the back shouted. I also noticed the AC was off. I wondered if they were trying to figure out the suicidal ones between us.

Miss Beatrice wore a coy look instead of getting annoyed with the student,"No darling, it's Tolerance." She explained, writing the topic boldly on the white board.

The class hooted as Dozie stood up, cleared his throat gingerly and then spoke," What does this have to do with our behaviors?" And here I was thinking he had something good to say. I noticed he was brilliant, adding to his handsomeness which helped him inflate his already huge ego.

"Watch and see the nonsense she will say." Janet whispered in my ears, though she didn't need to because we were sitting so close already. The reason Janet hated this Miss Beatrice woman was still unknown to me.

I would ask her after class.

"Good question Dozie." He swooned, the boys awwned.

What was their problem?

"You see, forcing you out of your comfort zone and putting you in unpleasant and uncomfortable position is sure to bring out your demons. You'll be irritated, annoyed and mad even but gradually if you conform with it, bend your choices, learn to live with it, learn to face it, you might just end up being the great person you are meant to be." Words wisely spoken, but she wasn't done yet.

She moved towards the class, leaving her marker on the table," Learning to live with it, that is where tolerance come in. Great people just didn't wake up one day and become great. They have gone through hurdles, disappointing situations that may one way or the other want to make them give up. But you know what? They didn't! One step by the other, crossing one hurdle and problem after the other they got to their promised land."

The silence was deafening. The irony!

"So you mean once we learn to tolerate heat, we would become great?" A chocolate skinned girl asked, I expected the class to jeer at her question. No one did. I was loving this school day by day.

Miss Beatrice chuckled, clapping her arms she answered,"No Amanda. Not only heat. There are a lot of things you need to be able to tolerate. Take for example in this class, as you are seated. Tell me what things you are finding uncomfortable... Apart from the heat."

"People bodies touching me. It's —"

"Exactly. What else?" She asked the whole of the class.

"The benches are short. I don't have enough space for my legs."

"I would get dirty."

"Different aroma and smells." At this the whole class laughed. I did too.

Miss Beatrice left us to giggle for a few moment. Her face beaming, "That's enough, that's enough!" She waved with he arms, the laughter died down.

"My point is life is not a bed of roses. Even roses have thorns. So... Even sef, how many of you have heard this notion before; Rich kids don't make it because they depend on their parents money." Half of the class raised their hands.

"That is it. People believe it's an hungry stomach that is driven to search for food. When you're well fed, you won't bother. Now I want us to change peoples believe about rich kids. Can we do that?"

"Yes ma!"

"Very nice!" She smiled, satisfied that she had passed across an information to us. The bell rang at that moment, honestly I learnt a few things from her. We packed our books and trudged out of the class. The boys... some, calling her name lewdly.

"Why don't you like the woman?" I quipped Janet, when we had settled into the class for the next lesson.

"She's a flirt!"

"Huh!" Flirt as how.

"Because she has big butt and all, she would be using soft voice to call all those boys. Most of them have fallen for her, even Zik. Did you see the way I was tryna call his attention and he was focused on the woman." She was actually red in the face.

I held in my laughter.

She was jealous.

"Janet!" I wiggled my brows.

"What?" She answered, she was actually angry. Wawu!

"You're jealous!" I pointed out.

"Of that woman. No never!" She denied, bringing out her English textbook and notebook.

So we had English next.

"You are." I pressed on, I was liking this.

"Good morning sir." The coming in of the teacher, ended all conversations, including ours. Janet refused to meet my face for the rest of the class.