Love is Once Upon a Time

The Tide is high

It's almost 1:30p.m my oral French test starts at 1:30 I fidget in my seat as Ebube tries albeit unsuccessfully to calm my nerves. I had tried revising sample questions in the text, I hadn't got any quite right. The French teacher walks into the class stern faced and places the CD player on the table. My classmates and I sharply rise to our feet to greet Mrs Olarinokoye. She nods grumpily. She is usually a sour lemon but she seems to be in more of a sour mood than usual today.

Quiet whispers begin to  break out in the classroom and gradually gets louder.
"Will you keep quiet all of you? "
"Anyone caught talking will have ten marks deducted from his tail score. " Her threat seemed to do the trick as the class became as quiet as a graveyard.

She plugs the CD player to the socket behind her.
Her assistant Miss Beverly moves round passing us test sheets to answer in.

"You are all going to listen to an audio comprehension passage and answer the questions contained in the test sheets. The audio recording will be played thrice after which you are to answer the questions. Your test begins now. " she says and then sits down.

She turns on the CD player and a deep French voice starts to narrate a story. I try to keep up with the words while telling my heart to shut up because it sounds louder than the audio recording.
I take another deep breath, close my eyes and try to concentrate. The words start sounding less like gibberish and more like familiar French words.

I try to interpret the sentences in my head all the while telling myself I have the mind of Christ and I understand all things.
By the second time the CD plays I pretty much got the gist of the comprehension passage.

Mrs Olarinokoye turns off the CD player and asks us to start answering the questions.

The questions look tricky but I try to make sense of the questions anyway racking my brain for parts of the passage that explain the answers I need to provide.
  Miss Beverly's high pitched voice at the back calls out Betty Saleri and Rachel. "Levez vous!" she commands.

We all turn back to watch the scene unfold. I feel a little sense of satisfaction watching her get embarrassed by Miss Beverly.

"Donne moi tes feuilles de test! " Betty blinks confused.
"You don't understand simple french." Mrs Olarinokoye who has been eerily quiet chimes in.

"She asked you to hand over your test sheets.  You're test is over and you'll be graded zero. That is your punishment. You'll also report to the Vice Principal 's office."
"Now get out of this class! "

Betty and Rachel take their leave trying hard to keep their chins up in  an attempt to appear unfazed by the whole ordeal.

"And the rest of you, who have been watching instead of writing your test you have ten minutes left to finish your test. "
"Chisos, Mrs Olarinokoye  please ma, extra time" my class mates plead.

"You have fifteen. "

"Thank you ma'am,  God bless you ma" we reply in unison in varying tones.

I have four more questions and after the ordeal it's safe to say the part of my brain that was holding onto information from the comprehension has replaced some of the information with images of a disgraced Betty Saleri.

I attempt the next question and try to remember a part of the comprehension that talks about whether Ola bought apples or fruits.