I was going to turn off the alarm and close my eyes in slumber some more but then I remembered. With reluctance, I threw the printed cover cloth off my body and rose to splash some water on my face. It was while I sat at the edge of the bed, gently squeezing a sachet of water into my mouth, that I asked myself the question that woke me up that morning.
Source
Should I have said yes?
I dropped the sachet of water which had been reduced by half its size now and knelt at the edge of my bed, my palms were clasped together, and my shoulders hunched over as I began to whisper.
“God, thank you for today…...” I felt my roommate stir so I reduced my voice, “.... What do I say to Mr Ferdinand? Is this your will for me?”.
I didn't know I had stayed on my knees past 30 minutes until my mom's call came in. I was going to call her back, but it persisted. When she called 4 times, an alarm shot into my system. I rose hurriedly and rushed outside to return the call.
“Treasure, I've been calling you!”
I was relieved to hear that she was okay, but I still wanted to know what was so urgent that she had to call four times in a row.
“I was praying mummy. Good morning ma” she grunted her response.
“I saw the message you dropped on the family group chat. Congratulations.”
I didn't want to spoil her mood since she already sounded excited about it, so I thanked her.
“So, when are you leaving?” I huffed, stopping to check my face out with my neighbor's window.
“I'm not sure yet. I don't know if I want to go”.
“What do you mean you're not sure? Your older brother and I have discussed it already. This is a better opportunity than that university you're attending.”
I wasn't surprised she was saying that. Infact, it was the truth, but I still wasn't sure.
“Mummy, in the world today, education is still key. No matter how wealthy you are, you cannot achieve certain heights if you're not educated.”
“So, who said you're not educated? With the level of composure you have, the way you speak, the way you write, who will look at you and dare say you're not educated?
….” I knew better than to argue at this point, so I let her have the floor. “...you better go back to your prayers and ask God very well. Then start preparing yourself to go to Lagos”.
I took deep breaths in and out to reduce the anxiety pangs I was already feeling. Life was not as simple as my mother was saying it. I wasn't anxious about leaving school for Lagos, no, I was anxious that I had barely two weeks to make a decision.
My best friend, Treasure, opened her arms for a deep embrace the minute I arrived at school that afternoon.
“I'm going to miss you.”
“Stop, this is not a joke.” I detached myself from the embrace and headed over to our spot in class.
“I understand how you feel Tee, but Lagos is a better opportunity for you.”
“Treasure, I am not an acting major…”
“But you're a drama queen. You're a Theatre Arts student, you're a good actor! If you miss this opportunity simply because you feel you're not an acting major then, I don't know. Have you discussed this with your siblings?”
I shook my head.
“We're having a meeting on WhatsApp after school today.”
I had not returned home for 10 minutes when a call came in from my siblings. I joined the call while trying to fix up dinner.
“So, what's your plan, madam Lagos?” That was my older brother after pleasantries had been exchanged.
“What if after this job I don't see another immediately? I'm not a big shot in the industry”.
“What's the pay?” My older sister cut in.
“2 thousand weekly, throughout the period of the shoot.”
“And this shoot is for 6 months?” She asked again.
“Yes.”
There was silence in the air for some minutes.
“I think you should finish with school, Tee. So, you don't get to lose out on both ends. If you go to Lagos without completing your education, you may not get another job after that, just as you have said. What happens next?”
“My point exactly” I concurred.
“I agree with you ladies,” my brother said too. “Let her finish school, so whatever happens you know you can fall back to your certificate.”
It was like iced water was poured over me as they spoke. I knew that was the right thing to do as we talked about it, and I was going to do just that.