Madam Jennifer was her name, an average height and dark-skinned woman. She was the type that made students tremble at the mention of her name. With a strict tone that commanded respect, she instilled fear and respect in her students.
My first encounter with her was when I enrolled in high school. She happened to be my form teacher/class minder. As I entered the class, my eyes met her gaze where she sat at her desk. I greeted her, but received a cold reply and an eye roll, which I shrugged off as nothing. Neither did I care, nor was her response needed to make my day a blissful one.
The night before my first day at the new school, my older sister, who was already a student there, gave me gave me a heads up concerning the various activities in school, the different groups of students, and even told me about the teachers , the nice and not-so-nice ones. So, I already knew about Madam Jennifer and was expecting the cold attitude from her.
I quietly took my seat after being introduced by the school principal, who obviously seemed like a nice fellow. The chatter of students exchanging greetings filled the air. The anticipation of a new academic year lingered, and my mind buzzed with a mix of excitement and nervousness.
Nervousness? you might wonder. Yes, as a new student, I had random thoughts. What if I don't like it here? What is Madam Jennifer up to? She had been sitting quietly at her desk. Is she planning something for me already? I zoned out in my thoughts with my hand supporting my chin, but a hard bang on my locker brought me back to reality.
I looked up to see who the intruder was. Lo and behold! It was the "almighty Lucianna", Madam Jennifer. "Are you related to Joy Okeke?" she asked coldly. "Yes," I replied in the same tone as hers, and that was all I needed to do to make her leave.
As she left, I couldn't help but wonder what she wanted with such a piece of information. It wouldn't be of any use to her, and from her demeanor, I could swear that she was up to no good. I followed her strutting figure as she exited the classroom, wishing under my breath for her not to turn back, which she didn't. With a sigh, I followed suit, locating my way to the assembly hall.
Days turned to weeks, and weeks into months, with things going smoothly and no drama with Madam Jennifer, except for the occasional glance and small talks when necessary. I had promised to avoid her at all costs, and so far, I had managed to maintain a low profile. For some reason I couldn't decipher, I hated her guts. Was it because of the way she treated some students whom I guess were on her blacklist or because of the rumors I had heard, whose authenticity I couldn't confirm? I just couldn't pinpoint which it was, but whatever it could be, it wasn't far from those two. I just needed to continue avoiding her at all costs.
Well, I did, not until the first hailstorm hit the boat and was ready to sink it. So, weeks after, I almost got into trouble. I had forgotten a chemistry handout belonging to the chemistry master, and he needed to make use of it. I wasn't about to tell him I forgot it at home, knowing how cranky he could be. So, I went to the principal's office to obtain a written permission to go home since my house was just a stone's throw away. He agreed to give me a written permission on one condition, which is me getting one from Madam Jennifer first, as my form teacher.
Not the evil Luciana again, I muttered under my breath. Besides telling the chemistry tutor I had forgotten his handout at home, I had just one option left, to go talk to the Evil Luciana, Madam Jennifer, as I tagged her. I cursed the day I accepted to hold the chemistry handout as I dragged my legs to the classroom.
As I entered the classroom, there she was in all her glory, seated with a smirk.
I approached her, greeted, and told her my mission. Surprisingly, she asked that I go get a piece of paper so she could write and sign the permission. I hurriedly left to get the piece of paper before she had a change of mind. Seems like she had just received her salary or was just faking niceness, whichever it was, I had not forgotten how she yelled and used curse words on me for missing to submit my assignment on time two weeks ago. At the same time, glad she helped, even though I doubted her sincerity.
As the academic year went by, I got to know the Evil Luciana better. She did have a good side and was not totally as bad as I had painted her in my head. She can be nice if she wanted to. She didn't give me much trouble even though we fell out on several occasions. And as I approached the last two years of my high school, she had tagged herself my school mother and tried as much as possible to be nice to me, which I found strange.
During my high school final external examinations, she made sure I was comfortable, from random chats to little acts of kindness which I appreciated. Graduating from high school, she did make sure to keep in touch, always calling and asking about me and my sister's well-being. Recently, I met her at the market, we greeted and had a little chit chat about life in general. She gushed about how grown I look and how I have forgotten her. As we parted ways, I couldn't help but reflect on the journey of getting to know Madam Jennifer better.
This experience taught me a valuable lesson , it is always good to try to understand people better. Madam Jennifer, once seen as strict and unfriendly, turned out to be one of the teachers who consistently supported me. Our relationship evolved into a surprising friendship, showing me that first impressions can be misleading. Sometimes, the people we least expect to be there for us become our greatest friends.
In the end, taking the time to know Madam Jennifer better was a valuable experience that changed how I saw her and made my high school days better.
credits
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