Time does fly by. I can recall the days when I would get up at 5:30, get ready, and go out of the house as quickly as possible to make it before the 7:30 am deadline. Being late means showing up at any time after 7:30. As a result, there may be a query or a deduction from your modest pay for being late. For five days a week, I inhaled chalk particles as I wrote or cleaned the blackboard. Trying to handle 30 adorable but rambunctious youngsters may be both enjoyable and exhausting, but that was my life for nearly two years.
Having recently graduated from high school, I found it easy to secure a position as a teacher at a nearby elementary school. When compared to other employment I might have had at the time, the job's low compensation is the sole drawback. After a month of employment in one of the schools, the headmaster and owner of the school called the teachers together after the assembly, and he began addressing us.
"Good morning, teachers. We all know that we are in February, and one of the most special events in February is Valentine's Day. We've had a custom of giving presents to one another on Valentine's Day, for any new teachers who may not know."
Perched at the rear of the conference room, I smiled and got concerned at the same moment when I heard about the gift-sharing. I had the following thoughts: "I don't have enough money to buy gifts for anyone."
Amid my contemplation, the headmaster went on, "We are going to make a draw where we write our names down on paper, and we ask each of you to select. You will purchase a Valentine's Day present for anybody you choose, and you will get a gift from whoever chooses your name. The only catch is that you have to wait until the day comes for us to exchange presents with each other before revealing who you choose."
This would be our first time taking part in something similar, so my buddy Maliq, who was also a teacher at the school, and I laughed. Nevertheless, we didn't give up, and the administration even made it mandatory. I chose a sheet of paper, and the name on it was Miss Bola. She was a teacher who was considered lousy by the headmaster due to her poor dressing and teaching standards.
Everyone tried their hardest to conceal the identity of the person they would be giving a Valentine's Day present to. Valentine's Day was approaching, but so were my anxieties about what to gift my coworker and who would pick me.
I was apprehensive about what to acquire with the little money I had with me because I didn't have a sister or a girlfriend and it would be my first time giving a lady a present on Valentine's Day. I finally bought two tops at the bazaar after giving it a lot of consideration and asking around. I then got presents wrapping paper and wrapped everything neatly.
Fast-forward to Valentine's Day on February 14th. We all got together and, one by one, we went to give the present to the individual we had chosen. While some were disgusted, others yelled with delight as they received their present. I witnessed someone receive a disposable polyethylene bag as a present (such a ridiculous thing to give someone, especially on Valentine's Day). The teachers got into a fight over this.
I found my way to Miss Bola and handed over the gift to her. I watched as she unwrapped it. I was busy secretly praying in my mind that she would be happy with the gift I got her. When she saw the gift, she was really happy. "Thank you so much," she said as she whisked off happily.
Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder, and it was Miss Taiwo; a teacher I had a crush on "Hey, Master Tomi, here is your gift."
I took the gift, which was flat, but I was full of hope. Slowly I unwrapped, and the gift turned out to be a kid-sized singlet. I tried to hide my disgust. At that moment, I felt bitter after spending money to get a colleague a good gift while I was given this by another colleague.
I believe Miss Taiwo could see my disgust and tried to salvage herself by telling me, "You know this singlet is very expensive."
I looked at her with a look of unbelief because I knew she was lying. But I ended up telling her, "Thank you."
I got admitted to the university therefore, I was unable to work at the school on Valentine's Day of the next year. However, my buddy Maliq, who worked there, informed me that the custom of exchanging Valentine's gifts was discontinued, partly as a result of the controversy surrounding the previous year's event.