LOW CUT

CHAPTER SEVEN; WOW!!!

   

   'Today is Sunday.' I pondered to myself half asleep. I kept thinking of how my friends in church would react when they see me on low cut.

  "stand up and prepare for church." That was my mother's commanding voice. "Good  morning mummy, Okay, I'm coming. " I greeted and answered her sleepily.

"hurry up please , don't waste my time  today, I don't want to go late to church today. " She said and left the room.

   I got out of bed and found my Sisters awake in the parlour, making noise as usual all in the name of singing to God. They didn't know the lyrics of the song they were singing clearly which caused me to  interrupt them and make corrections but they nagged and reported me to my mum as if I was commiting a crime . My mum didn't scold me she just smiled at me and said " let them praise God the way that they can for now, when they grow up like you, they would even sing it better than you. "I knew what she was doing so, I just ignored her and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and get ready for church.

     We headed to church on foot because we didn't have a car and plus, the church wasn't far away from home so it wouldn't be necessary to use a car if we had one.

  When we stepped into the church premises all eyes were on me. I didn't wear a scarve or a wig. It was the usual

greeting as usual, greeting the adults Tay my mother greeted while holding on to her hand bag like my child . The all stopp d and asked why I was on low cut. My mum told all that asked in her presence that The school I was going to didn't allow girls keep hair. The stupid ones asked her to change the school as if they gave her money for my fees while the sensible ones smiled and sympathized  with me saying "don't worry you still look beautiful with your low cut and pointed nose. "

   Those words have me courage to face the friends in my class . I am in the children's church. I'm in a class called preteens in the children's department.

When I stepped into the hall, the morning assembly was going on and everyone that was there, stopped  paying attention and  looked at me in shock and amazement . "Wow!" I heard most of them saying.

    The assembly finally ended with a child in another class taking the daily devotion and leading the closing prayer. We all matched into our various sections of the hall.

   Getting to mine, a very troublesome boy called Karsten stared at me and  remarked mockingly " wow, the most beautiful girl in the world is in our class today. " The whole class , knew he was talking about me so the turned to me and laughed loudly. I felt terrible so,I just bowed my head and held my Bible  firmly in my hands. The teacher walked towards the class and scolded Karsten for being mean to me and added "Winner still looks beautiful with her low cut, in fact, I prefer this to  the hair you girls carry. " I was happy about his comment even though I knew it wasn't true. Afterwards, a lot of them turned to me and asked why I had cut my hair and I explained to them that I was going to a School that didn't allow hair for boys and girls. They wanted to ask more questions but I simply ignored them to prevent a sudden out burst from me. Answering the questions alone, my nose heated up and my eyes tingled a bit with the lump I felt in my throat.

    I couldn't concentrate during the bible teaching  not because of  the gossips and the stares but because it just dawned on me now that I was one of the less privileged girls who have to go to public schools because their  parents couldn't afford a private school education. I used to avoid girls like that, because I thought that they were ugly and disgusting but now, I'm one of them. I felt sad and angry at the same time. Sad because of my condition and angry because at my parents for not having more money to enroll me in a private school.

   After the Bible study, the class teacher Brother Benjamin called me aside and asked why I didn't concentrate in class today. I told him everything because we were close and he was like a father to me. He then encouraged me with stories in the Bible and told me that it was possible for me to gat a Scholarship from God  if I would pray and Believe. I accepted what he said and  went to pick up my Sister's then headed to  the  main church to meet my father as we would be going home with him today as we did every Sunday. We  go  church with our mother  and come back home with our Father on Sundays.

    While  we were walking home, my father had compassion on me after see the was

my small  head was smoking due to the scorching heat of the sun and gave me his white hand kerchief to cover my head.

      On arriving home , there was electrical supply so my sister's busied themselves with the Tv shows after eating. I told my ad everything that happened in the church and he consoled  me. This time ,while he was consoling me,he didn't make mention of the promise to enroll me in a private school next year for my JSS 2 class .

      When my mum got back home from the market,she congratulated me for being strong  and not breaking down after what happened in my class in church earlier today. I didn't bother asking how she knew about this because I knew how Brother Benjamin always tells everything that happens to me in class to  my mother .

      I finally went to the kitchen to prepare noodles and egg. After eating it, I slept till the next morning.