GuiTara

🎵~9

🎶Sɛ me n'nim mpo aaa a, me tesɛ abofra ~ Efya feat. MzVee

●Tara Afua Henrie●

Nando was right when he said Keke's school wasn't that far from the park.

In ten minutes, I stood in front of The Shining Stars Elementary School. Parents walked out of the premises, pulling hyperactive kids behind them. One little boy wouldn't even stay in his dad's arms. He kept squirming and throwing tantrums till his dad put him in the car.

I winced. I hope Keke doesn't cause me that much trouble.

Walking past security to the entrance, I held the glass door aside for a mum and her twin daughters to pass first. She gave me a warm smile as a thank you, then hurried out.

Stepping inside the building, the loud, incoherent babble of children yelling and playing at a distance met my ears. Yellow stars, alphabets, numbers, and children's cartoon paintings decorated the hallway to the reception desk.

The blond receptionist finished a conversation with a parent before turning to me with a smile on her glossy lips. "Hola, Bienvenida! ¿Como puedo ayudarte?"

I assumed she was exchanging pleasantries, so I jumped straight to the point. "Um, hi... I'm here to pick up Keyana Martinez."

Replying in English caught her by surprise because her eyebrows raised for a minute, then retracted to their normal state. "Name, please."

"Tara Henrie."

She opened up a thick notebook. "Can I see some ID?"

My eyebrows gathered, and she noticed. "Just to confirm that it's really you. We can't hand off children to strangers."

"Oh, ok." I fished out the card from my purse and handed it over. She wrote something down in the notebook, glanced from me to the card, then to me again, and tried stifling a laugh. I quickly snatched the card from her. I really need a new picture for my ID.

"Please sign next to your name." She pushed the notebook my way with a pen. I scribbled down my signature.

"Thank you." She took her book back. "You can find her on the playground. It's that way."

"Thanks." I went down another hallway on the left, walking past a few teachers and parents. The constant babble grew louder as the hallway opened up to a massive playground.

My mouth dropped open.

Children were everywhere; on the slide, the monkey bars, the merry-go-round, the swing, and the sea saw. Some jumped rope and played hopscotch, while others went around the play area, laughing and chasing friends. The whole scene was like a chaotic jungle of short people. How in the world was I going to find Keke in this?

My head turned. I contemplated going back to ask those teachers I had passed by for help, but before I could even move a muscle, "Auntie T!" screeched into my ears.

My little niece nearly knocked me off my feet, wrapping her arms around my thighs as she looked up at me with a big smile. "You're in my school!"

"Yeah." I poked her round cheek, laughing. "Your dad is stuck at work, so he sent me to pick you up. Go get your backpack, and let's go home."

Keke's hands dropped from my sides, and a solemn look replaced her bright smile. "I can't. I have a problem."

"Really?" I crouched down to her level, spotting a few crayon streaks in a uniform. "What is it, sweetheart?"

She fiddled with her small thumbs. "My best friend, Paula, turned six today."

"Ok?"

"But her parents forgot all about her birthday because they were too busy with work." Keke shot a look over her shoulder before turning back to me. "She's been sad all day."