Chike was the brightest among us when we were in school. It took a while before we discover how brilliant and intelligent he was among us. It was in our JSS2, during our agricultural class when the teacher asked for the scientific names of some crops. We haven’t been taught that topic but Chike was very confident when answering the questions asked by the teacher. The teacher was very appreciative of his brilliance and made me the subject captain immediately.
From that day, Chike made his way into the top leaders of the class, just like how water flows through the available current. Suddenly every teacher started to notice him. He became the focal point of concentration and how to measure if the class was getting what is being taught in class. Chike, can you answer this question for us? Most teachers would ask him and often time, he gets the correct answer.
Chike isn’t just brilliant and intelligent in studies, but he is an all-round student. Only few of our mates can best him when it comes to sport. You need to see him during our football games, he is a beast. A great dribbler. I remembered when he dribbles Mayowa during the game between science class and arts class. These games are fierce in those days. It’s a subtle game for the rivalry of who is the better class between both class. One is to prove that while the science class may hold the intellectual prowess when it comes to academics, the art class also try to use sport as an opportunity to show strength in other areas of life.
On this day, we hosted the match after we were done with exams to serve as a sort of entertainment amidst the boring life of worklessness. It was the few times the girls in class come to the field to watch the boys engage in sporting activities like that. Chike plays the wing and he is very fast with the ball. He got the ball, gave Mayowa an unforgettable dribble of his life, netted the only goal of the match. When he scored, the onlookers cheered, the ladies giggled, and in that moment, the admirations I never knew I had for me bolted out of my heart.
During the break, my parent talked about my average results and how I need to align myself with the serious students in my class. As their words of concern flow into my ears, stringing together were the thought of someone who I admired secretly – Chike. As my parents advise me to buckle up, I made a resolve in my heart to befriend Chike when we get back to school. To study him and become better at my academics.
When we resumed a new term, I kept my plan close to my heart. I resumed before Chike. When he came, I was happy down in my heart. After his luggage was checked, I helped me to lift some into the hostel. I started to be around him and notice his time management. When and how he read, how he takes notes. I started to engage him in academic discussion which began to bear fruit in my own studies.
Our friendship grew beyond books into other things. Often time, he tells me about his family. Through that I was able to know that his mother was a business woman, who owns a large store in the Kings market. She has been selling clothes for years. He also told me about his lovely siblings, both, who are older than him. His older brother is a medical doctor, while his sister a lawyer.
I noticed Chike didn’t want to talk about his dad. I didn’t want to push for it. I was just getting to know him and didn’t want to upset the rhythm of our friendship. But I knew that a dark shadow luke somewhere on the subject of his dad.
Realization came during our essay class when the teacher asked us to write an essay about our father. I looked across the class to where Chike was sitted and I could see the discomfort on his face. I could notice how he struggled to put words down.
After the class, he was deep in his emotions and I needed to meet him and cheer him up. I walked up to him and placed my hand on his shoulder. After a while, he looked up and muttered – my father is dead.
In that moment, it made sense. The brightest of us carry slient battles within.