The next morning came too quickly.
Mike woke up to the noise of other corpers rushing to prepare for their various places of primary assignment. He stretched lazily, then forced himself out of bed.
Today was his first day at Hossain College.
Standing in front of the school gate, he took a deep breath. The building looked old but lively, filled with the noise of students running around.
"Good morning, sir!" a group of students greeted as he walked in.
He smiled.
"Good morning."
For a moment, everything felt normal. Peaceful, even.
He was introduced to the principal, a strict-looking man who barely smiled.
"You'll be teaching Mathematics—from JSS1 to SS3," the principal said.
Mike nodded.
"No problem, sir."
But deep down, he knew it wouldn't be easy.
Handling students across that many levels? That was serious work.
His first class was JSS1.
As he entered, the classroom went silent for a second… then suddenly exploded into noise again.
"New corper!"
"Ah, he tall o!"
"Sir, your name?"
Mike couldn't help but laugh.
"Alright, settle down," he said, trying to sound firm.
Slowly, the class became quiet.
"My name is Mr. Mike. I'll be your Mathematics teacher."
A few students groaned playfully.
"Sir, we don't like maths o!"
Mike smiled.
"By the time I'm done with you, you will."
The class laughed.
And just like that, something shifted.
For the first time since arriving in Ibadan, Mike felt like maybe… just maybe… things could go well.
He didn't know that just a few weeks later…
Everything would take a dark turn.