WISHES OF THE HEART

THE DAY

Two weeks later

It's an early Monday morning, dressed up neatly in my well washed and  ironed uniform with my backpack firmly hunged on my back, am ready to go to school.

Today is the cowbell competition day it's finally here am very nervous right now even though I haven't even reached school. Last two weeks went by smoothly, none of us talked about that incident even though I can see he wants to say something about it but whenever he tries to I change the topic.

We resorted to doing the lesson at my house and over this time we became really close we are now friends nothing more. Actually I wasn't expecting anything.

I've reached school and we the contestants are waiting in  the school compound. We are five, three from my class and two from jss3. Me, Maryam a friend of mine and David our class mate also we are the first, second and third position accordingly. From the junior class we have Aisha and Bashir.

"Students you should give in your best, don't put us to shame, this school is one of the bests in Gombe we've given u all u will need and we are expecting the best from all of u, none of you is a failure even if you won't be able to be the first you should do whatever it takes to be the second but we aim for the first, am I clear"the principal a woman in her late 40s, Mrs mulikat Garba, is giving us what I'll like to call a pep talk.
"Yes ma" we chorused.
"Good. Mr Salim make sure they behave"she directed her talk to him.
"And yes here have some money buy something for them on your way, you know they are my babies, right children?" She asked.we  smiled and said yes while David and Bashir groaned, saying they are big boys.
She slapped their heads and asked us to get going so as not to be late.

We drove all the way to the national library where the event is taking place.
It seems like we are the first to come so we went in, signed in and moved further into a hall where five chairs are arranged with a card that has our school name  on a table, each has a button like intercom placed on the table for the contestants to press when he/she has an answer.

There's a banner hunged on the wall it has the word 'COWBELL' printed on it.
There are five more chairs and tables just like ours it's for five others schools. Three chairs and tables were kept for the judges and other chairs arranged for our teachers to sit on. The hall has a welcoming decoration with different pictures of students who previously won the competition on the wall.

All the schools have arrived and are seated on their places respectively, we are just waiting for one judge to arrive.

Later on the judge came and apologized for coming late.
Am really nervous right now and am the first to start.my hands are sweating am shaking a little bit.

The rules were stated, and each contestant has 2mins to answer a question. There are ten questions for each school at the first round
The first question was thrown at me, after 10secs answer, I pressed the intercom and said the answer, the man holding the questions and answers said am correct and I felt relieved.

After the first round it was remaining four schools with one of each contestants out. Which makes every school 4. Maryam stepped down for us to continue.

The second round two more schools were removed and it was just me, David and Bashir. We are really trying I can see from here how Mr Salim is very happy he's face is beaming with smiles.

We are now in the final round, which means tough questions, we solved questions on different equations, rationalization and different mathematical questions, its now remaining me and Bashir with a school called pen resource academy.

Bashir and I are trying to solve the  question. I pressed the button and said 2 the man looked through his paper and gave me a disappointed look, it seems like I failed. "The answer is right" I muttered alhamdulillah in my mind.

We are waiting for the judges to decide who wins, everyone is waiting anxiously, I've been sweating profusely, I looked up at the sky and gulped down some water, oh Lord help us.

It's finally the tym to announce the winners I closed my eyes tightly and kept praying for our school to win.

"I'll allow the judges to announce the winner" the speaker said.
One of the judge collected the Mike , he looked at the paper in his hands before smiling.
"The winner of cowbell competition this year is..."and he kept quiet leaving us in suspense.
"Government day secondary school yerwagana" the name of our school boosted through the speakers.

I bowed down done in sujudus-shukr. I repeatedly thanked Allah in mind.
They called Mr Salim and TR students to award us with our prizes. Each one of us were given 30,000 thousand naira. While the teacher is given 50,000 thousand naira. The school was given 100,000 thousand. Each of us were also given a book and pen plus a bag. We were smiles. Everyone happy.

Pen resource is the second, third yahaya Ahmed model school, fourth, Gombe international School and lastly alheri model school. Everyone was given something and we went back to school.

Mr Salim congratulated us and we left.

We bought snacks on our way back.
In the car Mr Salim asked us to pretend we failed so we all frowned our faces upon reaching the school compound.

We kept all they gave us in the car and went ahead to meet out anxiously waiting principal.
When she saw us she started bombarding us with questions looking worried.

"We won" we all shouted. She hugged the girls and shakes the boys.
She immediately called up an assembly to inform the whole school.
This is not the first time we are winning a competition we've won several competitions.

The principal announced that our school came first and our prizes were shown.

After the assembly hauwa waited for me.
"Yar banza congratulations"hauwa said smiling.
"Thank you".
We left for home gisting and talking about the competition on our way back.i can't wait to tell ummi am so excited.
"I'll come and collect my on share of the money to" hauwa shouted just as I was about to enter home. I shook my head at her childishness.
"Till u come" I replied and went into the house.
"Ummi!ummi!mamma!"
I started calling.
"What's wrong with u this sunny afternoon"she lamented.
"Ummi albishirinki" I held her and started twirling us around.
"Keh stop this and tell me" I showed her all the things I as given and she started saying alhamdulillah"am proud of u boddi am" she kept blessing me. I was so happy.
"I'll cook your favorite food today my daughter".
She cooked danwake my favorite as she said she sent a boy to buy drinks for us to celebrate we ate and drank to our fill.

I dressed up and went to the islamiyya.
I was almost late but still the teacher had to stop me
"Daga ina", why are u late" I sucked in my breath before breathing out nothing will spoil my mood" am sorry mallam it won't happen again" I apologised even though am not yet late. He gave way and I made my way into the class.

After islamiyya I went back home then.
"Ummi please can I go to hauwa's house" I asked giving her my best puppy eyes.
"Ok come back before maghrib"

I went to her house and I met her eating she is still in her uniform.
"Ina wuni mama, ina wuni baba" I greeted her parents
"Lafiya qalau, ya su mamanki"
"Lafiya qalau Tana gaishe ku" I replied rising up from my squatting position.
I went to hauwa's room and we gisted.
I was about to leave when she told me that ya habib will come back in two weeks. He went to illorin for service. I was happy he's finally coming home.
I remembered I didn't tell her Mr Salim will soon pass out, he'll leave our school since he's done with his service.
He is everyone's favorite in the school. I told her and hauwa being her dramatic self started shedding crocodile tears wiping her eyes like she's crying real. May God arrange her.

I stood up to leave and she escorted me to the door.i left after bidding mama bye and she didn't forget to give me her famous 'iloka' a local sweet made with milk I thanked her and left promising to greet ummi.

I went home prayed, gisted with ummi prayed again before drifting to sleep.

Hey lovelies how are u all.
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Pls and pls vote, comment and share.
❤️Hafsatuuwaxeery❤️