Chapter One
The story starts with Ummi who lives in the Lafayette community with her husband and the four children. She is standing at the entrance to her children’s room. She stands there listening to the narrative from Bint, her five-year old daughter with her two sisters.
The subject matter of the narrative is about her encounter with the social studies teacher the previous week. The teacher believes that he knows everything, especially French.
Bint is a new student in the primary school and French is an optional subject in the school but, Bint is encouraged to take the subject because it would be easier to acquire the language at an early age and that French is second to English in ranking internationally.
The social studies teacher on entering the class asked the students how to say good morning in French. The class remains silent after the question. The teacher responded again that it means nobody knew how to say good morning in French.
Bint hesitatingly raised up her hand. The teacher then pointed to her, asked for her name and told her to tell the class how to say good morning in French. Binta answered, “Bonjour.” The teacher then responded in English, “that’s very good.” The inquisitive Bint asked the teacher innocently, “and how do you say that’s very good in English?”
The teacher is surprised with the question and leaves the class immediately and comes back a few minutes later with the senior class French mistress. The social studies teacher told Bint to ask the French mistress how to say “that’s very good” in French.
The French mistress answered “C’est trest bien.” Bint repeated it confidently after the teacher and the class began clapping and laughing and the class teacher followed the French mistress out of the class and only came back into the class after the break.
The whole class was elated and started clapping and singing, dancing round Binta whom they identified as a champion and genius who was destined for bigger things. It was a genius like Bint who would ask a question the teacher could not answer. Bint said excitedly to her sisters, “I got them. I really got them.”
Ummi laughs and quietly enters the room. The children are used to her unannounced visitation to their room. Their mother does this to keep them on their toes when it comes to the issue of personal hygiene. Also, they are used to keeping each other company.
This would make them learn the basic norms of maintaining the cleanliness of their room at an early age and also to get used to her presence. She remembers what her grandmother used to tell them when they were young that, “what you teach a child is like writing on a rock and when dried, it would be difficult to erase.” She always teaches them lessons from any experience that comes their ways.
Their mother enters and sits between Bint and Jamila, Bint’s immediate elder sister on the edge of the bed.
Omar 18 is Ummi’s first child and the only male in the house, Teemah a female is the second child, Jamila also a female is the third, Bint is the baby of the house. The children and their friends call her mummy and don’t call her Mama as done by the children in the community to their mothers, or Ummi her name which is also translated to mummy in Arabic hence, she is a mummy to everyone.
She was given the name Ummi after her paternal grandmother. It is only Omar, the first child that calls her Mum. Ummi is not even bothered about what she’s called, but respect for one another.
Ummi educates them on the discourse that Mallam Salihu, the social studies teacher was only trying to perfect his knowledge of the little French he knew. She said they should even commend him for accepting not knowing the question asked, that other teacher could say that au revoir means welcome without minding whether the children know it or not.
Bint interrupts here that au revoir means “goodbye until we meet again.” The mother responds that she knew but an angry teacher could tell them that any word means whatever he tells them.
Bint replied that it would not be fair for a teacher to do that. The mother also advised that it was not also fair to push their teachers beyond what they know. Bint responded that they were the ones that act as if they know everything. Bint forgets that her mother was once a teacher.
At times the children forget that she was once a teacher during hot arguments, but never bothered to remind them not to destroy the flow of the discussion.
As this conversation goes on, Omar knocks the door and enters immediately shouting, “I made it, mum, I made it!” His sisters stood up and asked her what he made. Omar answered that he made it to the university. They all screamed and shouted.
The news came as a surprise to them as nobody knew where he was going but looking anxious while he went to greet her mother in the morning. Omar is a child that is always neatly dressed and appears older than his age. He is eighteen but looks twenty.
The mother was happy when Omar handed the Joint Admission Matriculation Board letter to her. He is given admission to study Law at the Kongo Campus of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. The mother is happy as their father had planned to study law but eventually ended up reading accounting.
Teemah, the first daughter, asked Omar the course he was offered to study. Omar responded proudly that everybody in the house except their parents should henceforth address her as “My Learned Brother.” He explained further that they called themselves “My Learned Colleague” in the school, but they should call him “Learned Brother.”
Teemah teases his brother Omar for calling himself Omar Esquire says it is “running before learning crawling.” Omar is annoyed with his sisters and says they are jealous. Bint afterward congratulates Omar with a hug. Omar gives Bint an exception to call him whatever she wants.
There is a great affinity between Omar and Bint, the baby of the house. He tells Bint that they would take anybody that calls his name anyhow to court. They all laugh over it.
The mother tells him that there would be a grand celebration of the admission when their father comes back. The sisters are eager to know the form the celebration would take. She told them to wait for their father who works in the bank and closes at 5pm. It is the only bank in the community.
Omar then tells their mother to warn her children, especially Teemah not to tell their father about the admission before him. He explained further to the mother that his father has promised to change his torch light phone to a smart android phone. Teemah opposes Omar by saying that Omar was telling lies that there was no way their father would promise him a smart phone and leave them behind using torch light phones. Omar calls the attention of their mother that Teemah is only being jealous and that is why she is not tall.
Their mother leaves them for some time to hit at each other. She then tells them that the decision on the celebration or on the purchase of a phone lies with their father when he comes back. Omar repeated again that nobody should give their father the information before him. Their mother then seals it up that Omar would be the one to break the news to their father upon arrival.
The children and their mother are forced to leave the room as a result of heat; since there is no light for the past two days and the generator needs repairs. They then moved to the courtyard.
Bint then tells her mother that she wants to drink Zobo. Omar responds that he could buy it for everybody and tells Teemah who sells it to bring five bottles. Teemah tells him to bring the money first.
Omar looks towards their mum with annoyance showing on his face. He tells their mum, “you see, mum, Teemah does not even trust me.” Teemah responds that Omar doesn’t trust himself when it comes to the issue of money. She said he has taken her Zobo several times without paying.
Omar replies that he wasn’t an undergraduate then that she is now talking to a potential lawyer. He also warned his sisters to be careful with him as they could be in trouble one day that he would be the one to defend them. Their mother tells Teemah to go and bring the Zobo that she would pay. Omar thanks their mother for this.
As the joyous mood goes on, Binta suddenly calls on their mother to tell them a story. Ummi ruminates over the type of story to tell the children. She thinks of Omar who has been living in that community all his life and now going to town; a civilized university community where he would have total freedom.
She thinks of telling them about her experiences in the university or her life before marriage. She discards it that the narratives would not interest any of her children. She then resorts to asking Omar how he got the admission since nobody came to his aid to fill the remaining two or three hours before their father arrives.
Omar narrates to his mother and sisters all he went through in passing his SSCE and JAMB examinations. He said, “there is always a silver lining in the cloud.” This means that every difficult or sad situation has a comforting or more hopeful aspect at the end.
He said after he passed his SSCE exam which he referred to as a small feat. Teemah, who always looks for his brother’s trouble, interrupts and asks him what he meant by no means a small feat. Omar then tells their mother to caution Teemah from interruption whenever a lawyer is speaking. Omar then addresses Teemah himself, reminding her of some of his colleagues that had their exams sat for, or some that their parents paid huge money to Miracle Centers for them to pass their papers.
He told her that he has the right to be proud of his achievements in the WAEC exam where he scored seven credits including English and Mathematics in his first attempt. He repeats again that it is no means a small feat. Teemah sees that her utterance really hurts Omar, she then stops the attack on him.
Omar continues that after the WAEC results were released that they obtained JAMB form which they filled online, people were then running here and there from one school to another looking for assistance for their children.
He said he prayed to pass the exam well; he eventually scored three hundred and thirty out of four hundred. Jamila also interrupted him saying that they could not sleep that day the result was announced but Omar ignored her.
He said his friends just called him two days ago to check the admission online. He looked at his mother somehow here and explained to her the importance of having a smartphone.
He said most of his friends checked their admission status from the comfort of their rooms while he had to wait for two days before going to an internet café and finding his name among the successful candidates. He told his mum to let his father know that. His mum assured him that they would see to it when his father arrives.
His mother then educates him on the implications of the admission in his life. Omar has earlier said that the admission means he had arrived and a member of the intelligentsia. His mother proved him wrong and told him that the admission was a life changer for him; the admission will change him as her own changed her.