Chapter Two

THE ENTRANCE EXAMINATION

Very early in the morning, after performing their usual morning rituals and prayers, Pale and Mama Onome took him to the park at Bale Street near Boundary market, Ajegunle. He would take a vehicle that would carry him to Ughelli, in Delta State for his interview. When they arrived at the park, they met Mr. Omene, his class teacher. He had been waiting patiently for some time, before they arrived.

"Teacher, what are you doing at the park, so early? Are you travelling too? Where are you travelling to? Is it Ughelli too?"

Mr. Omene only smiled indulgently at the excited young man, until his mother came to his rescue. "which one you want make him answer you for all the question wey you don ask?"

"It's alright. I know he was not expecting to see me here so early. That's why he is so excited. Anyway, to answer all your questions together. 'Our' school sent me to give you these things. You were the best student in the school throughout your stay. Congratulations. We hope you will do us proud in your new school too."

Smiling shyly, he stretched out his hands and received them. A small brown envelope and a very large one. His parents joined him in showing their appreciation. When he opened the envelopes he saw that there was a thousand naira in cash in the small one and a very beautiftil coat of many colours in the other one. He could not hide his joy. He had admired that coat everyday on his way to school. He knew that he would never be able to afford it and now God has sent it. Mr, Omene was touched when he saw Onome take out only two hundred naira ftom the envelope and handed over the balance to his father. "This young man has a future. I hope I live long enough to see it come to pass," he thought.

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The bus arrived Ughelli in good time. Though the driver was fast in his driving, he was also careful. As they had been told by their headmaster, Onome reported himself to the head of the Ughelli Motor Park Association. The dark complexioned and heavily built man walked him a little distance down the road and pointed the school gate to him.

Onome was overwhelmed by the school that was sitting behind the gate. The inscription on the gate read "Government College, Ughelli." The sight of the beautiful, tree lined walk way from the gate to various parts of the school brought an unending smile to his lean, but beautiful and oblong face. He was later told that the road was called "appean way."

Some members of the academic staff were on hand to help pupils who had come for the interview locate the accommodation which had been reserved for them.

When Onome got to Ashaka House, he thought it was a very beautiful place to live in. The lawns and hedges surrounding it were well taken care of. Their beauty shone all over and they were well trimmed to the same size. Inside the dormitory, he was not sure which of the double beds he wanted to occupy. They were all well dressed. They looked like a princely "dormain."

After he had walked around Ashaka House and its environs for a while, he came back to have his bath. He later went to the dining hall, to have his dinner with other pupils who had also come for the interview. As soon as dinner was over, he walked back to the dormitory for a brief revision of his notes before going to sleep.

Onome was amongst the first people who arrived the venue of the interview that morning. While he was looking around and taking in the scenery, another boy joined him. "Is it not a beautiful school? I will do everything I can to be admitted here."

Onome turned to see a boy that could have been his age and height. He was equally handsome and gap toothed. This made him even more handsome when he smiled. "Yes, it is a very beautiful and big school. I hope to put in my best to be admitted here too," Onome replied.

"Have you been to the sports pavilion yet?, his friend asked him.

"Sports pavilion? where is that?"

His new friend pointed in the general direction of the pavilion and told him about the facilities there. They also exchanged views on other parts of the school they had each been to, before they were called in for their interview.

"If you have any problem locating your number or your seat, report to the man in charge of the class nearest to you." This was the man who had introduced himself to them as Mr. Barter, the vice principal talking.

It was not until Onome who had finished first found himself whistling to his new friend, that they both realised that they had not introduced themselves.

They introduced themselves, while laughing over the issue. They discussed their written interview and their family backgrounds.

From Onome's account of his family, his new friend Yusuf Banks was able to tell that his grandfather has a special place in his heart. He had talked well about everybody and glowingly about his beloved grandfather. They discussed more as they left the venue of the interview.

The next day, they rushed early to the notice board to see how they had fared in the examinations. They had both passed very well. As they were happily singing and dancing, they noticed that while some other pupils were also doing the same thing, many others wore sad looks on their faces. Yet some others, after wondering how they would leave such a beautiful school behind broke down and cried. ?What will I tell my father now?" One ofthem wailed. "No, I did not fail. They have to check the papers well," another one moaned.

They walked up to some of them and tried to console them. They encouraged them to apply to some other school or wait till the following year to re-apply to Government College, Ughelli.

By the time they went in for their oral interview, number had been reduced by more than a half.

"Onome Rewane!"

"Sir."

"Please come in," his interviewer invited him, when ii was his turn to be interviewed. "Sit down."

He asked him various questions about himself and his family. He also asked him why he wanted to go to secondary school at all and why he chose Government College, and not another school. To this he answered, "because it is the best school available."

"why do you have to attend the best school, like you say, 'available'?", he asked further.

"I want to help my family. I want to be the best too," he replied.

All the while, the interviewer was scoring him his points as he answered the questions put to him. At the end he thanked him, asked him to go, and called in the next person.

When the final interview was over, the initial two hundred and fifty pupils who came for the interviews had been reduced to a hundred and twenty pupils.

Onome was sixth on the list. Banks was the eleventh person on the same list.

Onome was surprised to see his old primary school classmate, Moruf, as they were celebrating. He too had passed the interviews.

They were all given letters for their parents. The first ten pupils had been awarded scholarships. They were told what day to report back in school.