I dropped the microphone and covered my mouth with my palms; warm, salty, liquid rushing down my cheeks.
Source
More than 2,000 people were on their feet applauding me for the monologue I had just given. A monologue I wasn't even prepared for according to my standards.
I was still staring at the applauding crowd when I felt hands wrapped around me and guided me gently out of the stage.
“Treasure! Congratulations. I'm so proud of you”
I fell into my best friend's arms and allowed the tears to fall even more. Just 10 minutes ago, I was in that same spot quivering and sweating as if I had never been on stage in my entire life.
“Don't worry, you're definitely smashing this performance. In fact, it will be a star performance. The rehearsals we had in the hostel were amazing so just perform like that tonight and all will be fine” My best friend had told me earlier.
The compulsory performance came as a punishment for missing a practical in school out of my own sheer carelessness.
I was late for my Stage Performance Technique class scheduled for 2 pm that afternoon. Since that was the only class we had that day, I decided to take a nap around noon hoping to wake up an hour later. I woke up at few minutes to 3 pm.
Since it was a class I knew I could easily scale through, I decided to stay back instead of strolling into the class an hour late.
That same day, my coursemates were shared into groups and asked to deliver impromptu performances. According to my girl friends, they were graded on the spot for their stage presence and charisma.
“You don't mean it! Why didn't anyone call me?” I asked feeling disappointed. The fact that they were graded immediately meant that the performances were going to pass for continuous assessments.
“Sorry Tee. We would have called but we were all nervous, looking for performances to deliver on the spot” Sharon, one of my girls said.
I bit my lip in regret and decided to go see the course lecturer the following day. Professor Ini took one good look at me after I lied about experiencing menstrual cramps the previous day and asked what I could do best.
“I write sir” I told him
“I mean something you can do on stage, that can pass for your assessment”
I thought hard before saying, “I can do a monologue sir”. He too seemed to think hard about it before saying,
“Alright. We'll have your monologue presented during the 16th inaugural ceremony coming up by next Thursday”
I didn't think I heard him correctly so I asked him to repeat what he just said.
“Miss Treasure, I have other things to do so quit wasting my time and prepare for Thursday” was his reply. It took some time and effort to move myself away from his office that afternoon.
I eventually learned that I wasn't the only one who had been implicated that way, there were 9 others apart from myself, yet I didn't derive relief from having that knowledge.
There was no night I didn't walk around the hostel where I stayed trying to recite the full page of monologue which I had prepared for the ceremony. I typed the monologue then recorded a voice note of myself saying it and sent it to all my friends.
I wanted everyone's opinion concerning the presentation.
“Treasure, I think you're good to go” Sharon told me the evening before the performance, after I had recited the monologue to her hearing.
“Sharon I don't know. I feel like it's too short, or like there's something missing”
“The only thing missing is your confidence. Treasure, you have a nice piece prepared for tomorrow. Just don't spoil it by accommodating doubts. Okay?”
I nodded and went to get some ‘beauty sleep’ like she advised.
I was supposed to be in school by 3 pm on the D-Day since the event was scheduled for 4 pm but I got to school few minutes past 1 pm. I was so restless that I couldn't sit back in the hostel to wait for 3 pm.
“You're good to go”
The minute I got on stage, my ability to speak was temporarily lost. I turned the microphone in my hands for almost a full minute before I began uncertainly,
“It's time to show the world who I am….”
And that was it. The other lines came rushing out of me with the gesticulations and intonation I had practiced severally the previous week.
Professor Ini walked up to me smiling as my girls and I stood to take photos after the event.
“That was a star performance miss Treasure. See you at the 17th inaugural ceremony”.