If there was one thing she learned within her first ten minutes at the lesson centre, it was this:
This place was not for the weak.
Mr Charles dropped his bag on the table like a man ready for battle.
"Open your books," he said.
Nobody moved.
He looked up slowly.
"I said… open your books."
This time, there was sudden movement.
Books came out.
Pens appeared from nowhere.
Even the air changed.
She quickly brought out her notebook, adjusting herself on the chair that still made that annoying krrrk sound.
Mr Charles picked up a marker and turned to the board.
"Let us start with something simple," he said.
Agadi leaned closer to her.
"Nothing is simple here," she whispered.
She almost laughed.
Mr Charles wrote something on the board.
A maths question.
She stared at it.
The question stared back.
Neither of them understood each other.
"Who can solve this?" he asked, turning around.
Silence.
The dangerous kind.
He scanned the room slowly.
His eyes landed on a boy who had just quietly entered and was trying to sneak to a seat.
"You there!" Mr Charles pointed.
The boy froze.
"Come."
The boy walked forward slowly, like someone going to accept punishment.
"Solve it."
The boy picked the marker.
He stood there.
Thinking.
Thinking again.
Then he wrote something.
Mr Charles watched him closely.
Very closely.
Too closely.
After a few seconds, the boy stepped back.
"Sir… I'm done."
Mr Charles looked at the board.
Then he looked at the boy.
Then back at the board.
Then—
"Which part of the bush are you from?" he asked calmly.
The entire class exploded with laughter.
Even Mia, who had been quiet, smiled.
The boy scratched his head awkwardly. "Sir… I tried—"
"You tried?" Mr Charles repeated. "This one you wrote, is it answer or is it decoration?"
More laughter.
Agadi hit the table lightly, laughing. "Decoration!"
She covered her mouth, trying to control herself.
Mr Charles shook his head.
"Go and sit down before you confuse yourself."
The boy quickly escaped back to his seat.
Mr Charles turned back to the class.
"Anybody else?"
Silence again.
He sighed dramatically.
"This generation…" he muttered.
Then his eyes moved.
And stopped.
On her.
Her heart skipped.
"You," he said.
Ah.
Problem.
She pointed at herself slowly.
"Yes, you. Come."
Agadi leaned in quickly. "Don't worry. Even if you fail, we go laugh together."
"Very comforting," she whispered.
She stood up and walked to the front.
The board suddenly looked bigger than before.
The question looked harder.
She picked the marker.
Her mind was blank.
Completely blank.
God abeg…
She wrote something.
Paused.
Erased part of it.
Wrote again.
Stepped back.
"I'm done, sir."
Mr Charles looked at it.
Then looked at her.
Then—
"…Better," he said.
She blinked.
Better?
"Not correct," he added.
The class laughed.
She exhaled slowly.
"At least," he continued, "you are not from the same bush as that one."
The class laughed again.
She couldn't help it—she smiled.
"Go and sit down," he said.
She quickly returned to her seat.
Agadi leaned over immediately. "You try small."
"Small?"
"Very small."
She rolled her eyes.
Before they could continue, a voice came from the door.
"Good afternoon, my people!"
Everyone turned.
A man walked in, smiling like he just came to host a show.
"Ahhh, Mr Jaja," Mr Charles said. "You have come."
Mr Jaja spread his hands. "Of course! Education must continue."
Agadi whispered, "Trouble has entered."
Mr Jaja looked around the class.
His eyes landed on Mia.
"Moi-moi!" he called out.
Mia didn't even look up. "Good afternoon, sir."
The class laughed.
"You didn't greet me properly," he said.
"I greeted you, sir."
"With respect."
"Good afternoon, sir," she repeated, this time slightly louder.
"Better," he said, nodding.
Then his eyes moved.
And stopped.
On her.
Ah.
Again?
"You," he said, pointing. "I have seen you before."
She blinked.
Here we go.
"Sir, no—"
"I saw you yesterday," he insisted.
"I just came today."
"No, no, no," he shook his head. "I saw you at Shoprite."
"I did not go to Shoprite."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, sir."
He paused.
Then nodded slowly.
"Maybe it was your twin."
The class burst into laughter.
Agadi almost fell off her chair.
"Sir, you always see people somewhere," Mia said.
Mr Jaja smiled proudly. "It is a gift."
"Sir, it is a problem," Agadi added.
More laughter.
He placed his bag down.
"Today, we will do biology," he announced.
Agadi leaned toward her again.
"Pray for understanding."
"You're not helping," she whispered.
Class continued.
Mr Jaja started teaching.
Talking.
Explaining.
Half explaining.
Half confusing.
She tried to follow.
She really tried.
But at some point, she just wrote what she could and hoped for the best.
After a while, Agadi tapped her.
"See those two," she whispered, nodding toward a corner.
Two girls were whispering again.
"Who are they talking about?" she asked.
Agadi grinned. "Everybody."
Favor, who had just arrived and joined them quietly, leaned in.
"Onye kwu that thing," she said immediately.
She blinked.
Agadi laughed. "That's Favor."
Favor nodded proudly.
"They think we don't know," she added.
Mr Jaja suddenly turned.
"You people at the back!" he called.
Everyone sat up straight.
"Are you listening or you are doing conference meeting?"
Silence.
Agadi raised her hand. "Sir, we are listening."
"To what?" he asked.
She paused.
"…To you, sir."
The class laughed again.
Mr Jaja shook his head. "This set… hmm."
She looked around the class.
At Agadi.
At Favor.
At Mia.
At the teachers.
Then she leaned back slightly.
A small smile forming.
Maybe…
Just maybe…
This lesson centre was going to be more than just reading.