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It all started with the phrase"there's time". It was week to my final exams back then in school. I had to study maths, and every time I pick up the book I will tell my self I still had 7 days. We were done with all the exams remaining mathematics, it was Monday and the school management asked us to go home till next week Monday before the math exams. They said we do fail maths alot so maybe with more days to read, we can pass.
6 days to go: Zumji
I rested I did not do much just rest and eat and sleep.
My neighbour, Zumji, a funny and well coordinated class mate of mine, who never like maths. He told me that he hated mathematics because of the teachers that had thought him mathematics at his earlier days.
5 days to go: Me and Atari
I was able to practice one topic out of 9, it was the simplest amongst them all 'algebra', so it wasn't hard. I thought to myself, I know mathematics so why stress, I still have four more days. I will take two topic till the fourth day I will just take two and then do revisions. Hmmm it was the perfect plan.
I am the first male child so my responsibility was just to sweep the house in the morning and evening and fetch water from the well. This gave me time so I did watch movies during my free time. Atari was another neighbour who was a brain box, you never see her read, always watching movies so normally I join her to watch when I am free, she always tell me; go and read, Ray go and read.
4 days to go: Practice
I was able to practice and cover two more topics trigonometry and geometry, although geometry was bulky so I did skimming not actual practice. I did understand but I didn't practice well, 3 down and 6 more topics to go. But I was pretty sure I got everything. It wasn't that hard it was just much, it had part one and two.
3 days to go: The robber
Zumji's came knocking at my door in the morning, he said I should come with him, I asked what for, he said out attention was needed at the junction, I followed him, when I got there I saw Atari, Mike, Stevoo and many faces I could recognise, I asked him what's going on he said an armed robber entered the neighborhood, running away from the Police and nobody knows where he went. So to ensure that we are safe we should go to each houses and tell them to be careful.
I remember thinking to myself, see us skinny and breakable, we looked like you could just squash us with one blow, if we encounter the robber won't he harm us, or worst what if they were more, not even one as they thought. Zumji, I, Mike and Atari formed a team. We walked round the area talking and informing each house we entered to be cautious, telling them an armed robber is on the loose.
After we were done, it's been a while the four of us were together so we decided to catch up, besides everyone should be going for the long holidays after the final exams so what's the rush. Later that day we were told the robber was caught in the gutter (drainage). We all went home I took my book and I realised I was too tired to read.
2 days to go: Realisation
I was overwhelmed I had much to cover yet little time, I wished for more time, but it's wasn't possible so I buried myself in the book. I practiced bearing and words problems leading to quadratic equations, probability and statistics, I even touched a little on set, hoping that the last day I would have time on calculus then revision, I knew I was not saturated with what I had studied but I could at this point hope the revision will do the trick.
1 day to go Tick tock
I almost forgot it was Sunday, went for worship came back and the took my book to practice. My mom called me to come, "I would be hosting women's meeting today so you would help out" she said, with anger, frustration and fear I said okay ma. What can I do,
She listed some things and I immediately went to work, cleaned brought in chairs, bought the drinks, helped wash plates.
While the meeting was on I went and concluded the set, I was already frustrated, time was my enemy. Tick tock; the meeting was over, I had to return the chairs, clean up and wash plates again. By the time I was done I was tired and too week to read. I knew if I force myself I won't understand anything so I went to bed.
D-Day: Exams
Woke up early, read through all I had practice before, I knew, there was no way all the questions would come out in calculus, besides it's one of the hardest topic, so I took the risk.
I did all I had to do and then went to school, while in school everyone was like my head was coming out with steam, "Jakometre" Mike and Zumji were just shouting. By 8:00am the exams started, we started early but that was not the most surprising thing. The surprising thing was that no one had the same question. It was not funny, no one could help me in calculus I thought to myself. I didn't solve any questions in calculus, I just ticked.
For the part B; because of the shuffling I got two calculus with 4 other questions, the instructions read: answer any 5. I answered the rest first and when I came to calculus, I heard pens up. I told myself there was nothing I could do, I can try because of the classes I attended but the math teacher was even confusing us the more.
Mike and I passed, but Zumji failed, Atari, she is just something else. It was that day we were told that the previous exam questions leaked, so they had to draft and print new questions.
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