Honesty is a virtue that is valued in our society. As children grow up, they are taught the importance of honesty, from the time they are at home to when they start schooling. Growing up, my parents, siblings, elderly relatives and teachers often lectured me about why I shouldn't tell lies. Honesty is a virtue we all strive for. No one would come out, beat their chest and say, “I am a chronic liar. I tell lies every now and then.” However, the truth is that we have all told a lie or two at some point in our lives. Despite our intentions to be truthful, we have found ourselves turning our backs on the truth to escape a tight or difficult situation or to get what we want. As much as we try to stay honest, sometimes we find ourselves in difficult situations and in those moments we forget to uphold our virtue.
Have you ever thought about the greatest lie you have ever told or been told? That one lie you cooked so well, that everyone believed, and then when you remember it, you shake your head and say, “I really did this. How did I manage to pull this off?” For today’s Inleo prompt, we are asked to discuss the greatest lie we have ever told or been told.
During my time in high school, every 3 years, it was part of the curriculum to participate in an interesting activity called Cultural Day, or Asa day as it is locally known in the western part of my country. Students and teachers were always excited during this period. It was a time for them to dress in their cultural attires. There are different ethnic groups in my country, the most popular ones are Igbo, Hausa, and Yoruba. During the cultural day, there'd be different competitions among the three ethnic groups showcasing the best singers, dancers, and the ones with the best and most stylish dresses. Everyone looked forward to this day with excitement. Well, everyone except me.
While other students were going helter skelter, sewing cultural wears and buying cultural materials like beads, calabash, and brooms. I wasn't bothered about the whole thing. I didn't even tell my parents about it. Maybe if I had told them, they would have changed my mind and helped me prepare. The D-day came knocking. One thing about my school is that you must come to school everyday and mark attendance every morning. If you missed a day, you must come with your parents the next day, explaining why you didn't come to school, with solid evidence. So, that day, I came to school, dressed in my uniform like every other student. There were no lectures for that day. After assembly, we were all expected to go to our various classes - the girls and guys had different ones, and change to our cultural attire.
Unlike every other student, I didn't come to school with anything – my bag was empty. So, after the assembly, I told my friends and teachers that I was going outside the school to collect my cultural attire from a tailor. Usually, they don't allow students to leave the school premises after assembly, but I was a prefect, and that gave me an extra privilege. As you might have guessed, I didn't go to the tailor's shop. Instead, I went home directly and slept. The next morning, I woke up and cooked the best lie ever. To think I did not plan it before sleeping. I went to my mom's clinic and took a bandage, then bandaged my left hand to make it look real. When I got to school, my classmates and teachers were surprised. They didn't even ask why I didn't come back to school – all they cared about was my “broken” left hand. So, I told them that while going to the tailor's shop, I got hit by a bike, and it was so painful that I had to go home. Well, it worked, and I had to keep up the act for three days.
Well, I learnt my lesson the hard way. Even though I got what I wanted, those three days were hell, because I had to pretend my left hand was broken. Who knows if I would have enjoyed the cultural day if I had stayed for it?
This is my entry for the Inleo prompts for day 2. The topic is; What is the greatest lie you have ever told or been told?
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Thanks for reading.