Title: The God’s kingdom on earth
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Buh we too we fool some paa oo.
Those days, travelling in VIP was like travelling in emirate flight, first class.
I dey kai somewhere 2003 there about, a month or so after JHS, I was playing table tennis with either Baba Gongolonku or Alukube at the cocoa station…. At the zongo there.
As we dey play norrr VIP bus from Accra, on its way to Dormaa stopped for someone to get down at that junction.
We looked at it and admired in our heard: “What a lovely car. Oh God when will man ever thy kingdom”.
As we continue dey play the tennis, people around drew my attention that someone in “heaven” was calling me.
“Ahmed, Ahmed, Ahmed” – the person called.
I wasn’t sure someone in “heaven” (VIP bus) will call me. Who? My entire family and friends, what we know is 207 car. How come someone in VIP bus is calling me…
Ah, well.
I got closer and it was Benedicta, my JHS class mate. She derrr, she be dada be. They were were from accra anyway. The father was a pastor so they got transfered to Wamfie. And that was how she found her self at Light.
So after JHS, before results go come, she go Ga go chill some, and was returning.
I got closer and all I could say was “Eii, have you come”.
“Yes”, she replied.
“Abi you are going home” [what a stupid question]
“Yes”, she replied.
“OK, I will come home in the evening” – I said to the glory of God.
I came back to continue the tennis with a big swollen head. I felt guy roff.
To quote the words of Ras Pinto, my SHS class mate “Observers are worried, but this is nothing to ras pinto”.
That was what Ras Pinto wrote on his class table.
And to be honest, if you see Ras Pinto, you will truly be worried.
At least, I didn’t shave but I do comb my hair… Ras Pinto will not shave. Ras Pinto will not comb (But he will be having comb in his pocket always). Ras pinto will not Iron. Ras pinto will not “tak in”. Ras pinto can come to school when we are closing. At least I was coming around first break (9:40AM).
And the 9:40 was for a reason: Two reasons actually.
One of the terms, I was paired with Luqman and Naziifa.
We will sweep the class every Wednesday.
The first Wednesday, I went to school late. Luqman went late. And it was only Naziifa that swept the class.
The second Wednesday, the same plan. I went to school late. Luqman went late and it was only Naziifa that swept.
Naziifa could not take it any more.
“Ah, this is nonsense. What are these guys telling me. Or because they think I am the lady among so I should be sweeping always” – Naziifa asked her self.
Naziifa approached me that if I don’t report early on Wednesday again to sweep, she will also not sweep, and three of us will be lashed.
“Prepare yourself to receive 10 lashes every Wednesday for the rest of the year” – I told Naziifa.
Luqman did not even listen to her: “Chama” – he told her.
The next Wednesday, Naziifa did not sweep. And we were all lashed.
I don’t know what happened to them again but for my side, I did not go to school on Wednesday again that term.
Even that aside, that particular term, the time table was just horrible.
Early Monday was Zuutu Ture who comes in to teach Core English. Early Tuesday, Madam [I cant remember her name] will come to teach Literature what what.
Early Wednesday, Madam Sadia will come to teach Integrated Science.
Early Thursday, is social studies.
I think it was only Friday that we had Biology, an elective subject, as first subject.
How do you make such a timetable for science students?
So all these days, I went to school at exactly 9:40AM. That was first break.
But Ras Pinto was more crazier… He can even decide not to come to school the whole term. He dosen’t even care about class test.
So naturally, when you see Ras Pinto, you will worry.
And his tagline was: “Observers are worried but this is nothing to Ras Pinto”.
So what more can you say when you see him?
Back to the table tennis.
The observers were “worried” that I had a call from “heaven” but this was nothing to Ahmed.
But what they didn’t know was that, I spent 3 years with Benedicta in class, I could not even tell her “I”, not to talk of adding the forbidden word “Love”.
I tried it before though, but the vim was low.
I only told her “I will come home” when I saw her in the bus, to get some “dignity” before observers. I never went.
Update: I learned it wasn’t VIP then, it was OA