When boarding a matatu back to Nairobi to check out my results, I could not help but ponder over my academic life. In primary school, I was always unbeaten. I was constantly number one from class one to class eight, come rain come sunshine. Even in high school, I was never outside the top five bracket well except in one instance, where I was number 25 out of 35!
I was in form two and our school played hosts to the drama festivals right from the district to the national level. The emerging curves and promising chests of the girls were a better attraction than the biology of respiration and the chemistry of molar equations. The drama queens of Eldoret comprising of Moi girls and Hill school could not obviously be compared to Abuogi’s English classes of phrasal verbs! Being a member of the red-cross, I had the privilege of lurking around the backstage and watch the girls as they change, a very rare opportunity!
Later on with my poor performance in school, my mum gave me one good lecture such that, I improved tremendously in my studies. When Gichana admitted me to the Christian union, to ferry the Keyboard and the Speakers around my performance stabilized such that I had to alternate with Moha in playing second fiddle to The Man-Mutiso!
I had to make one phone call.
“Hallo?” Chema’s voice came through the phone
“I am good, how about you?”
“Well, I am going to Nairobi, I will not be attending today’s class,”
“You should have told Maina that!” Chema said sarcastically. “Anyway have a safe journey.”
“I will miss you,…” the phone went dead.
The woman seated next to me was already dozing off so I surveyed the whole Matatu for anyone striking. I noticed a light skinned, slender girl seated right in front of me. When someone alighted in Naivasha, I quickly moved next to her. She was deeply engrossed in reading John’s Grisham, the Rainmaker.
“Hi, I am Rain, just like the main character of that book!” I started.
“Mhhh, Rain do you love novels?” she said pinning her glasses closer to her eyes.
“Yeah I love them, I am an avid reader,” I replied enthusiastically.
“Impressive, what kind of books have you read recently?”
I quickly thought of my recent books: “I have read A man of the people, The river between, Aminata -er- and many more!”
“Those are high school set books! Actually the main character of this book,” she said as she repeatedly tapped the novel, “is Rudy Baylor, ain’t no one like Rain!”
I pleaded my case but she remained tight lipped. I kept gazing at the roadside vegetation and trying to nap but knowing how I carried myself during the examination period, sleep was not forthcoming. I reached for my phone.
“Hallo,” Stella’s voice was unusually heavy.
“I heard the results are out!”
“Yap, and I booked a supplementary!” her voice lacked life. “What about you?”
“I am yet to see mine!”
I alighted next to Central Police Station and walked the short distance to Harry Thuku Road. Even before I could enter American Wing, I met Sila who elatedly greeted me.
“Rain congratulations!” Sila said.
“What? Let me see it for myself.” I pushed Sila aside then went to the notice board. Number nine on the list was my name and alongside it, alas: PASS! I could not any feel better. It felt like I had just lowered a very heavy burden. I took a moment to admire my name in the list again and again. It is then that I remembered there was also someone’s results I was supposed to check. At number 37 Chris’ name was missing. I scrolled downwards and there his name was; three supplementaries!
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