All roads back lead home

The class of the Riversdale high school final year students was my destination. The class was filled already at the time of my arrival and it was buzzing with activities.

Those of us who qualified to be in the senior classes based on age rather than on IQ were busying themselves with paper planes that they had hand-crafted, the all too high and mighty girls of the class had already begun their annual scream fest with their regular caucus, the sports junkies were speaking or rather murmuring jokes among themselves and we the regulars were more unless floating through space.

We are a class of 42 students and we were all seated in this large hall of white walls and a gigantic board with an arrangement of 6 columns and 7 rows.

And I had my exalted throne once again at the back of the entire class for the first day of school.

It isn't always at the back though. Usually, I would have already gotten to class before the others and would have sat at the front of the class so that the information being passed by the teacher would come to me directly.

I am the kind of person who prefers to listen to the teachers' explanation and understand it rather than to write all day. I tend to understand better when I listen than when I write or read.

I also have a very retentive memory so once I listen I capture the information instantly. That's the reason why I usually top the class.

I see that as the one gift that I was granted by God. So even though I don't joke with note-taking. I remember and understand the topic being taught from the moment that the teacher explains it.

Anyhow, the first member of staff of the day entered the class to brief us. It was Principal Moore and he is the fifth principal of the school and the first male principal of the school.

He is also by far the finest and the youngest principal that we have had in the school.

This man is a white man with a broad chest and well-tuned muscles. He is also very tall with his hair styled to a swoosh. He loves to wear polo shirts rather than the anticipated suit outfit that is expected of principals of schools.

The presence of this man commands respect as well as murmuring among students of the school.

Side note ............ he is also our geography teacher.

"good morning to my wonderful class of final year students" he greeted with the regular pump in his voice and confidence in his posture

"good morning Mr Moore" the class greeted back and settled down.

"why thank you" he replied with his right hand to his chest and his head slightly bowed.

"so........ I was going to ask how your holidays went but I know that you would just make the whole school rowdy in your attempt to all reply to me so I will skip that"

The class giggled at the statement.

"However I do have some great news for you guys," he said with some glitter in his eyes as he walked down the aisle.

"three things," he said

"let's count them down shall we," he said to the class

"one" the class shouted and then waited to hear the news.

"I am proud to announce that the school has been recognized by the state as the best in sports thanks to the performance of the school's football team in the just concluded league," he said with his body turned towards the ballers in the class

The guys instantly entered a frenzied celebration that was filled more with shouts and hits than with actual words of congratulation

But what can I say, it's their style of celebration and its very fun to watch ..................from very far away.

"two" the class chanted

"We have gotten a few new students that will be added to your class and other classes thanks to the performance of the science and tech club in their last showdown against the other schools at the district competition. One of 5hem is even a member of your class"

The geeks of the class celebrated that win in the most civilized celebration style ever. Simple fist bumps.

"Sir, is the new student a fine dame?" asked Curry in high volume.

The class burst into laughter and a few whistlers were heard from the back of the class.

The principal laughed at the question with the rest of the class before gaining his composure back.

"well lucky for you, Curry, there ........ is ........" he stretched the reply to increase the suspense in the mind of Curry and the rest of the guys who shared the same mind with him.

Curry was sitting on thin air to hear the response which the principal was now deliberately delaying. The best part is just the look on Curry's face. This guy looked like he was going to shit himself.

"is........ NO GIRL coming to your class" the principal finally finished and laughed.

Curry sank into his seat like a person that had just lost his pet puppy while the class just continued to laugh as Mr Moore exited the class.

"just kidding" the principal came back and said

The class went wild and I had no idea why. How sure were they that this girl was going to be the kind of girl that they were idolizing in their minds?

"and finally three" the class screamed while some banged their tables.

I guess that was simply because we knew that the principal had the habit of keeping the best for last.

"you guys and the class directly below you guys are going to have a very intense geography class this term," he said with a very serious face and gestures that suggested what he was saying.

"however you are going to have a practical geography class'' he said with a smirk across his face.

The class went silent and didn't get the message, actually neither did I. Did this mean that we would all get to look at a live rock when he teaches us about metamorphic and sedimentary rocks when he teaches us?, cause I don't know how that helps us.

People already hate the idea of having to study rocks and land and water and that kind of stuff to get a grade that would determine if they would leave the school at all.

I think it took a while for principal Moore to read the confusion that was dwelling in our minds, but he eventually did.

"ahem," he cleared his throat and straightened himself up for what could be called a re-delivery of sorts.

"what I am saying is... we are going on a road trip," he said almost casually while seemingly adoring his fingernails, a wide smirk slowly creeping onto his face.

It was like a volcanic eruption as the class slowly realized how nice this was. There were high-pitched screams from the popular girls, mini brawls from the ballers who suddenly entered berserk mode and the nerd groups all just gasped in disbelief as they pushed back their glasses.

"That's right baby," one said

"We going on a trip, hurrah," a girl said.

"indeed......however........" the principal started to get their attention back.

The class went radio silent and settled to hear what he had to say.

"We are not going to some kind of fancy location like Hawaii or Italy," he said to the disappointment of many.

"where are we going then?" I asked unconsciously. I guess the words just slipped out of my mouth.

"well Mr Jerry, we are going to a country in your home continent," he said as he stared right into my eyes as if trying to see my soul.

He walked back to the front of the class and turned around rather sharply to release a quick exhale.

"We are going to the plains of Botswana," he said with a voice that sounded like he was from the circus or the bloodline of the greatest showman.

I don't know about the rest of the class but I was excited that we were going to Botswana. Asides from the fact that I would finally be on black soil again after so long. It was a paradise with an abundance of wildlife.

The scenery there is just beautiful and we would be able to have the full experience and still get grades for enjoying ourselves.

This would be just perfect.

"as the very wonderful principal that I am and I know you know I am," he said as he walked in front of the class with a bit of a bounce in each step that seemed to be used to count his words.

"I have finalized this arrangement with your parents before coming to meet y'all so we are taking flight from Thursday," he said and clapped his hands as he left.

"do well to prepare well," he said like the parting words of a wise spirit fading away after giving the main character little to make sense out of.

However the class was excited and so was I, especially when I realized that Thursday was just two days away.