If there was anyone who believed they knew and could do everything, Val thought, it was this new co-teacher. Behind her, the woman was taking in the white, gold and dark violet architectures and nodding as if the place was a spectacle, a fairly pleasing artwork.
Well she might find them even more pleasing when she meets the little devils. As they approached the classroom, the ruckus from class C increased. What nonsense were they up to now? Some people were gathered around a boy standing on the teachers' desk holding up cans of the red bull alcohol. Alcohol?!
“Noah!” she stetched out a hand, asking him to hand it over.
The said boy jumped down and grunted as his friends fled, “Because?”
“That's contraband and you can get suspended.”
“Like you would do that.” he taunted, flicking open the can. Val's face burned with repressed irritation.
“And I would kill off half your points if you don't hand it over.” said Adeola.
“You can't do that, you're not our teacher.
Adeola shrugged. “Well, I am so . . .”
Noah looked at Val, seeking confirmation. “She is.”
“And I've seen enough of y'all's nonsense. Give it and sit down.”
Noah scoffed and shoved the can into Val's arm. She threw them in the bin and leaned by the window, watching Adeola stride to the desk, taking off her black jacket, adjusting the ash hood. “Hello, I'm Adeola Adekola and I don't tolerate disrespectful behaviours.”
She paused and turned to the students, her head tilted in thought. Someone smacked a gum and Val pinned a warning look on them. Kate blew pink bubble in response. She gripped her textbook tight. To enact discipline was to face the wrath of the principal, so she'd rather discipline Michael by kneeling for late coming.
The teacher told the students who weren't offering Geography to leave and they did so. Sixty percent of them remained. Then she asked for a marker. Val wondered why since she clearly had one poking out of her pocket. She's wasn't even anxious at all, with all those eyes swallowing her. And Val remembered herself being so close to fainting on her first day of teaching. Maybe other people just had it easy, like they were born for things like that.
The assistant prefect skittered forward, offering a marker, head bent. Poor Renee, she was always afraid to be seen.
Adeola began to scribble on the whiteboard, Val and the students stretching to see. Some couldn't be bothered about anything that was going on.
Adeola stepped to the side, “Okay, so I need you to answer these two questions for me."
“I thought we were going to learn a new topic,” someone complained.
“No. This is for me to gauge your level of knowledge. Let see what you've been learning.”
“Me, I'm not doing this.”
Val didn't look to know that that voice belong to Noah.
The teacher shrugged, “If that's your choice then fine. I'll just send the grade to your guardian.”
“Eh? For an unofficial test?”
“So you guys are gonna give me answers in five minutes.”
The mumurs increased.
“Time starts now!”
The students rushed, flying into their seats and tearing sheets.
She wasn't sure the five minutes have been used up but Adeola called them to stop writing and they scrambled to finish. Adeola strode to a table and snatched the paper from the boy. Snatching and collecting. Adekola looked at them, frowning. Val swallowed.
They did badly.
Val’s mouth twisted, turning back. This was none of her fault, she told herself, but she felt shame nonetheless. She was their teacher after all.
She sensed a presence and jerked to the side. Pauline stood tall in white crisp suit pants and turtleneck, a file in her hand as she watched the teacher inside. Val was now aware of how old and dry her braids are beneath the scarf, if her clothes looked secondhand.
“Okay. So, not great.” Adeola stacked the papers together, pressing two fingers under the chin, “what happened?”
Kate, “Well we didn't have enough time.”
“Did'nt know it,” Noah added.
“But these are first senior year questions.”
They hissed and threw shoulders.
“And what the . . .,” she held up a paper, “does ‘Your style is pretty cool’ have to do with the longitude of Delta, Noah Benson?”
“I just wrote what I like,” Noah said, his seatmate chuckling with him.
“Carry that logic to the examination hall and it's whatever score the examiner likes they'll give you.”
“He doesn't even know much,” someone commented and another cried, “Renee!”
Noah glared at the said girl who's head ducked sheepishly. Val shook her head at their antics.
The teacher slapped the table, dragging their attention. “When does school end?”
“At one p.m. Ma,” Renee said.
“No lesson?”
“No, Ma.”
“What do you do after school hours?” Adeola asked.
All one could hear was clusters of answers: “We have a class party.”
“. . . social event.”
“. . . always tired---”
“Yeah, drop them.”
Kate stopped smacking her gum, “What, why?”
“To fill them up with extra classes. one to five.”
“No!” they chorused.
Adekola looked amused, “Oh, you want it till seven?”
“NO!”
Pauline tutted, “Doesn't she know that she's wasting her time?”
“She just came.”
Pauline faced her. Her voice was soft acid. “Watch her very well before she spoils our business. Why am I even asking you? You'd probably forget.”
It was as if a weight was dropped on her chest and before Val could bite back Pauline was leaving the way she'd came. She ignored the weight as Kate was arguing with Adeola.
“Lessons aren't compulsory!”
“It is now. Ask your principal. And I'm sorry to say, but y'all have no hope of passing the external exams. You might have been hoping for some miracle but that won't be happening. So we'll see.” The teacher rised, striding to the exit.
“Where did she even come from?” someone said. “I'm telling my father.”
“This school have reduced their standards to this?” “You can't just keep us here till five. I will report this.”
“Sure, you do that!” said Ms Adekola, joining Val at the threshold. “So are you impressed.
Val pinched her nose. Isn't she doing too much, she thought.
“Not even a little? I think I did good. Wasn't half as bad as I expected.”
Val frowned, “What do you think you're doing?”
“What did I do?” Adeola said.
“Didn't Mr Kosoko tell you before coming here?”
“He did.”
“And you still went and offended them.”
“So? They're teenagers, not gods.”
Val shook her head, “you're going to regret it.”
“Is this about their parents?”
Val looked away, swallowing a lump. “Yes. They are basically the owners of this school. Noah’s father is Head of the Ministry of Education.”
Adeola nodded. That information didn't surprise her, “You don't need to worry about me.”
“You're saying that now because you don't know what happened to the teacher who taught Geography before us.”
“Is it like a horror story?”
“She got fired.”
“That doesn't sound too horrific.”
“She can't teach anymore. Anywhere.”
Ms Adekola's smile dissipated, “The parents did that?”
“They later got her teacher’s licence revoked for neglect of duty all because she didn't grant to a student's request to enhance their final score.”
“Framing . . . Is'nt that illegal?”
“No one cares about illegality here.” Val lowered her voice, “So please stop provoking them. Yes you can refuse them some things but if they sense a threat to their future, I'm fucking done for.”
Ms Adekola's voice softened, “I don't get it. If this place is so bad, why don't you leave.”
Val blinked, stepping back. “Because I actually like teaching.”
“I don't believe that.”
“Excuse me?”
Adeola licked her lips, “I just think that a teacher would want their pupil to genuinely strive for what they want.”
“I want my students to succeed as much as any other teacher! I don't condone cutting corners to success.” Who was she to assume otherwise?
Adeola shrugged, “Okay, I hear you.”
She shut her eyes and sighed. “Just stop what you're doing, Ms Adekola. Orchid Seed is very different from the other schools you had worked in. Please keep it at the back of your mind, understand?”
“Adeola.”
“Huh?”
“If we're going to be working together, I prefer you call me by my name. We're not perfect strangers anymore.”
Val sighed, exasperated. Normally she talked less than a few words a day but now she could feel the veins of her mouth stretching like elastic.
“Ms Adeko---Adeola, did you hear all that I said?”
“Yes and I'll work on it. The children are a bit spoiled but there's room for improvement. I think we can figure it out together. I hope we get along well, Ms Ude.” she offered a hand. Val studied the woman, finding it hard to believe her words.
“Oh, I guess you don't do handshakes.”
She sewed on a smile, taking Adeola's hand. “I hope so too.” Will they get along? Who knows. But she didn't like how certain and assertive the woman was about these students. Val couldn't be like that, not in this place where morality was killed and buried. When will her new colleague bury hers? Just as the rest of them had done.
The device in her pocket vibrated and she grabbed it.
“See you later, then.” Adeola adjusted her slingshot and Val watched her leave, noting the irregular swing of her legs. Then she diverted her attention to Michael's new message.
MICHAEL: When can I meet you, Ma? You weren't available yesterday.
She leaned on the cool wall, releasing a heavy sigh. It wasn't afternoon yet but she just wanted the day to end already.
VAL: Tomorrow morning. Staffroom.
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