© Ayo Omolayo
“Class! We have a new student in our midst”, the teacher who was instructed to take me to the classroom announced.
I had passed the little exercise they gave me that morning. The principal was impressed with my performance and told mummy I was in the right place.
“What’s right about the Broadway?” I asked within me.
I was given the school uniform, sweater, sportswear and all the necessary textbooks I needed.
I was allowed to go into the dressing room to put on the uniform. I had to take it off immediately and return it back to them.
“Why didn’t you put on your uniform?” The Principal asked.
“I don’t put on Broadway skirts! What kind of seductive skirt did you give me? I’m standing and the skirt is not covering my thighs. Is it when I sit down that it would cover my thighs?
Or do you prefer me walking around with handkerchief to cover my laps whenever I sit down?” I asked with blazing eyes. I was boiling already.
“I’m sorry we gave you a smaller uniform”, he said with a grin.
Mummy smiled at him too, which got me more angrier.
She’s not supposed to smile. These people tried to dress me up as a harlot in the name of school uniform. She shouldn’t be smiling about that.
“Anita!” He called a female staff, who appeared immediately.
“Help this lady sort out a befitting uniform”, he said and I followed the lady.
Almost all the skirts we saw there were too short for me. It took a while before I was able to find one that I liked, which covered my thighs perfectly.
“Why are all the skirts skimpy?” I asked Anita.
“Is it not what you people like?” She replied with frustration as she gathered the uniforms.
“What we like? I don’t understand”, I replied.
“Go and ask your mate! I’m not your mate”, she replied and hissed.
I shrugged and left her in the dressing room to gather the remaining uniforms.
I appeared before the principal with a smile.
“You love this one, right?”
“Yes sir!”
“That’s good. Mr Clifford!” He called for a male teacher.
He showed up as soon as possible.
“Take her to her classroom”.
I waved mummy goodbye as we left. She smiled at me and waved as well.
That’s how we arrived at the classroom.
“Miss, please introduce yourself to everyone”, Mr Clifford whispered to me.
I stepped forward with a smile on my face, as an extrovert I am. I’m never a crowd shy person.
“Hello everyone!”
“Hi!” Some replied.
“Why the boredom? Aren’t you guys happy to see me?” I asked.
That drew the attention of the entire class.
“Yes oo! Happy we are!” A boy replied.
“That’s the spirit bro”, I said and gave him a thumbs up.
“My name is Juliet Anderson. I’m happy or should I say, excited to be in Broadway academy”. I said.
“We’re happy to have you here”, they gave me their response.
“Wow! Looks like our new student is very friendly. I believe you will all be good friends to her and treat her nicely”, Mr Clifford said.
“Yes ooo! We know how to treat beauty queens like her very well”, a boy replied and the whole class burst into laughter.
“Hey! Don’t come close to her! If I catch you around this pretty angel, I’ll break that your third leg!” The teacher replied and there was an outburst of laughter.
Fear gripped me. What kind of joke was that? Was this an immoral class? Was that boy known for sleeping with girls in this class?
I decided to register his face in my mind. He was very easy to recognize. He was the only fat boy in the class.
Mr Clifford started taking me around to get me a place to sit.
“Bring the angel to me! I’ll shower her with love!” A boy said as he tried to grab my hand.
“You this predator! Only God will save this innocent babe from your sugarcoated mouth”, the teacher said and made to knock him on the head but missed.
“Sir what of me na?” Another boy asked.
I discovered they sat down two students per seat. But this guy already shared his seat with a boy.
“You already have someone sitting down with you.
The boy turned and pushed his partner off the seat.
“Bros, pack your load and go! My wife has arrived!” He said and the entire class laughed again.
His friend stood up and spanked him on the head.
“Samson, you dey mad ooo! No wonder why for bible na woman kill you! Shave your head turn bololo!”
The whole class, including me burst into laughter. I just couldn’t hold myself anymore.
“Hey! There’s a teacher in the class. If you love yourself sit down and behave like a good boy. Who knows if this angel is already crushing on you and you are there giving her the wrong impression about you. Or didn’t you noticed she was laughing at your joke?”
I had to frown immediately. I was now mad at the teacher. Why would he say such rubbish about me?
“I think the only person she can sit with is the class prefect, Romeo. Where is he?”
“Ha! Sir! It’s not fair oooo! How will you allow Romeo and Juliet to sit in the same seat?” A girl protested.
“All the boys in this class are nothing but predators, except him. He’s the only boy with proper home training. All of you lack proper home training”.
They all burst into laughter.
“Teacher you should have trusted me! I would have protected her from all the other predators”, a boy said.
“You that is already a predator you want to protect a sheep? You will soon use the sheep to do suya!” The teacher replied.
Everyone burst into laughter.
The seat was empty because the class prefect was not in class. So the teacher told me to sit down and I did.
He left immediately I settled down.
Now I was feeling shy. This class was nothing but the way to Hell. No wonder it was called Broadway. Looks like immorality was a norm and they all rolled with it.
“God help me to survive here ooo!” I prayed within me.
Soon, the class prefect appeared.
“Romeo! Your wife is here!” A student announced.
“God has brought you the bone of your bone and the flesh of your flesh”,
“This cannot be coincidence! Somebody say we serve a living God!” A boy said like a preacher.
“Hallelujah!” Some ladies chorused.
“Ride on Pastor Dude!” A boy replied.
“What’s the meaning of this noise. I just left to get our next teacher and you’re all here telling me I now have a wife”, he said with disdain.
Samson drew him close to me and pointed.
“Behold a beauty of all beauties! Her name is Juliet. She’s a goddess isn’t she?”
“Samson, you’re out of your mind. So you mean I was sent to school to search for a wife abi?”
I like the way this guy was talking. No wonder the teacher knew I was safe with him. He was the type of person I could make friends with.
“If you don’t want her, just let us know”, Samson replied.
“Young man go and face your studies and stop chasing after women before they barber you another bololo!” Romeo replied and we all burst into laughter, including me.
“No na! The Samson for bible no smart. He for no tell Delilah the secret to his strength. Na wetin kill am be that. No be woman kill am! Na talk talk na him kill am.
Me I know myself very well. I no go tell any woman the secret of my strength na! Experience is the best teacher”.
“Bro! Nobody needs to ask you for the secret of your strength. You’re already empty! Satan doesn’t have time to waste on empty container like you”, Dude said and we all burst into laughter
“Jesus is Lord!” A boy screamed in sarcasm.
“Pastor Dude! I’ll kill you!” Samson threatened to pounce on him , but was held back by a couple of guys.
“Romeo took his place beside me and opened a book on the desk.
“Talk to your wife na! Why are you doing shy for your wife?’ Dude said.
“Jude! Will you get out of here?” Romeo threatened.
“Okay sir!” Said and ran off.
“Jude?” I muttered.
That was the first time Romeo took a glace at me.
“You said what?” He asked.
“We both stared at each other without saying a word.
“His name!”
“Yes, what about his name?”
“Is his name Jude or Dude?”
“His parents gave him a good name. I don’t know what demon possessed him and told him to change the name”, Romeo replied.
“That’s terrible!” I replied.
“Wow! Finally, the couple are talking to each other!” A girl announced.
“Hallelujah! Love is sweet!” Another boy chorused.
Jude quickly rushed to the front of the classroom holding a Gideon’s bible in his hand.
“Silence please! Here we are gathered in the presence of God to join this beloved man and woman in holy matrimony”,
Everyone was just laughing uncontrollably. Thank God for get were not laughing aloud.
“Why did that Maths teacher refuse to come?” Romeo said to himself.
“They are just behaving like animals”, he added when he saw me looking at him.
I didn’t say anything. I knew it was wrong to agree with him that the class was behaving like animals.
“So I’ll ask Romeo, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love and to keep in sickness or in coronavirus and in health. In abject poverty and in suffering till death separate you?
“No?” Romeo shouted.
“Class, no means what?”
“No means yes!” They all chorused.
“Now, Miss Juliet Anderson, do you take this man our one and only Romeo to be your lawfully wedded husband. To love and to hold in Lassa fever and coronavirus, in poverty and abject poverty till death pity you people and separate you. Do you?”
I bowed my head on the table and refused to lift my head.
“Girls go and help that lady in love”, he said and a few girls stood up to do his bidding.
They started dragging me into a sitting position. I shouted at them to let me be but they were logically deaf.
They persisted and convinced me to say yes, that yes means no.
I raised my head.
“Yes!” I answered.
“Wow! So she actually said yes?” Dude asked and everyone burst into laughter.
“Which means no! Since no means yes, then yes should mean no”, I replied.
“Sister! Yes is yes! You said yes! And so by the authority vested upon me, by me. I hereby pronounce both of you as husband and wife”, he said.
Applauds rent the air. I just don’t understand this class at all.
A girl gave me a new pen and said it was my wedding gift.
I just couldn’t understand what kind of school was this. Broadway indeed. God will help me to survive in this place ooo. I don’t know if I’m Esther anymore. This one they have already married me off to a boy.
Thank God classes began after the wedding. I was thinking they don’t teach in this place.
If you ask me how was my first day at Broadway academy, this is what I would narrate for you.
Broadway has really welcomed me to the Broadway
To be continued…….
One day I came out of my house to buy something for breakfast and saw secondary school students going to school.
What they were putting on as skirt was something else. That day I was just watching everyone of them. Different schools on uniform passed. Their skirt is turning into something else. I don’t understand what is happening to our high school girls? The uniform is becoming too skimpy and they are completely comfortable in them.
That day the Holy Ghost told me.
“If they can expose their thighs in public, what would they do with it in the secret?”
Tomorrow, these are the ones who would gain admission and leave the watchful eyes of their parents.
Immorality has become a norm in the society.
May God raise up Esthers who will make a difference in our decaying society in Jesus name.
By the way, Juliet is happily married!
