OH NO! I GOT A CRAZY SCHOOL MUM

School mother, school daughter, lovers and every other synonymous titles were associated to secondary school life. It would all seem like the world is against you if you do not have one back then. Unlike every other JJC, I had none of the aforementioned. It wasn't their fault. Who would pick a sharp mouth like me who usually gets into a fight with her cousin all the time. It wasn't like I don't have senior friends. I do have the likes of sister Faith, Biodun, Bose, Blessing and Molade. So I wasn't lonely. I enjoyed the privileges other mates with school mother enjoyed. Sister Molade and Sis Bose were both in SS3 so they usually arrange how our school uniform and other clothes would be washed and ironed. All we need do is to fetch water. It's a crime for any junior affiliated with sister Molade and sister Bose to be found dirty. Ah! Death has come niyen.

On the other hand, sis Faith and sis Bose were lovers of novels. Fortunately for me, I was into novels then. We'd talk late into the night discussing the various novels we've read with so much joy and enthusiasm. I was just in JSS1 and having such a cordial relationship with top seniors like that was a great privilege. I wouldn't fail to mention how sis Molade punishes us whenever we scored low marks. It was usually the direct opposite of the love she showered on us. To her, failure is a no go area and every defaulter must be punished to avoid such from repeating itself. So you can only imagine the joy we feel anytime we score 60/60 in an examination because we know we are free from any form of punishment. There are times we would even form a round circle around our mothers (sis Molade and Bose) and read late into the night. Trust me to always doze off. I love my sleep more.

With time, my favourite people graduated and I became a senior myself. Interesting, right? Still with no school mother. I'm about to break history. Mobola no get school mother not to talk of school daughter. I wasn't even so freaked about it because I wasn't ready to perform all the duties attached to it such as buying gifts and all of that. Me that my pocket money is meant for my pocket alone. Nonetheless I got a letter on this fateful day. Receiving a letter in my school mean two things; it's either from one's school mother and all of the titles or a request to be someone's school family (daughter, mother etc). It couldn't be the former since I had no school mother.

Alas! It was a request to be someone's school daughter. Dream come true but do you what? It was from the craziest senior of all. It was then I believed the law that like poles attract. I was crazy and so I attracted someone crazy (lol). I didn't even think about it twice before rejecting. I shall not be subjected to torture, I thought to myself. I told my friends and all of them shouted and told me to decline. To cut the long story short, I finally decided to give it a try with one condition which I still remember

"Any day you pull your usual stunt of craziness, I'll call it a quit"

The good news is my school mother changed afterwards and the testimony from her peers was that if they actually know it'd be like this, they'd have forced her to get a school daughter right from time. Even the juniors in her hostel could testify to change of attitude. Left to me, I had the best school mother with the purest of heart compared to the lion I was thinking she was based on assumption.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying you can change anyone. If they're not willing to change, you can do next to nothing. Also, do not discard someone based on the judgement of others. You can do well by doing your research. You never know, you may be the catalyst that will spur someone's change.

Till I see my school mother again,

Mobola