I stood, still. I wanted to go, but I couldn’t take another step, I wanted to tell her that I didn’t need the helper of a murderer, and that she could go to hell, but all that came out was;
“Really?” and then, like I was awoken from a bad dream, I said;
“I don’t need your help”. Then I walked out.
I was breathing heavily when I left the room, one mind asked me to keep walking, while the other told me I was a fool for letting such an opportunity pass me by. I told myself that there was no way she could simply have helped me, she didn’t even know anything about me, and that seemed to repress the thought for a while. As impossible as it seemed, I tried to avoid her throughout the class that day, and throughout the week.
The next week was crazy; it was closing time, and I was just about leaving the class room when I bumped into Alice, the most popular girl in school. I never saw her coming, so I mistakenly stepped on her shoes. She stood there for a while, staring at me with a blank expression, then her crew crept behind her. I was so scared and confused so I apologized and was about leaving when she pushed me back, I almost fell but I struggled to remain balanced.
“Clean it” she demanded, looking me straight in the eye and pointing at her shoe.
I didn’t know what to do, I was confused. There was no rag anywhere that I could use, and this was the very first word Alice would ever speak to me, she was my role model and I didn’t want to get on her bad side, not that I could even if I wanted to.
“Are you deaf, or do you have something in your ears?” she asked sternly. Almost half of the school was watching now.
I shivered, then I bent down and used my hands to clean her shoes, then she suddenly raised her legs and stepped on my hands. I shouted, and then she said;
“Next time you look where you are going” then she pressed her foot even harder as she walked away. I tried to keep the tears that had welled up in my eyes from dropping, but I couldn’t; they came strolling down my cheeks as I made my way pass the crowd, then I caught the glimpse of an eye; It was Barbra, she had a wicked smile on her face as she entered into the patrol car.
I thought that was the most humiliating moment of my life until I got to school the next morning. It was a terrible morning for me that day, as I woke up with chronic menstrual cramp. My mum had told me not to go to school, but I was adamant because I had a test that morning. As if that wasn’t enough, I got to school only to realize that the incident that happened the day before had kind of given everyone the feeling that they could use me the way they please because they knew I wouldn’t refuse.
I entered the school that day, and one of my class mates, Eunice dropped her bag and asked me to please pick it up because she had waist pain. I was shocked, but then I did, and then, Larry dropped his pen and asked me to pick it because he injured his legs, I did that too, and that was the beginning of slavery for me. I was been tossed around the whole day, and I couldn’t refuse despite the fact that I was sick, and it continued like that the whole week. My life was terrible, but it became even more terrible when I saw Barbra walking towards me one Thursday morning;
“Hello servant!” she chuckled, waved and walked pass me. Then she came back again; “how long are you going to continue like this? Because I tell you, these people are going to use the shit out of you” she said with an almost concerned expression. I looked in her eyes as tears dropped down my cheeks and I said;
“What do I do?”
“Now, that’s my girl, let’s talk over lunch” she said and walked away.
I was the first person in the dining hall that day, I sat and waited patiently for Barbra. She came in some minutes later with her tray and sat beside me;
“What took you so long” I asked curiously.
“Is that really important now, or should we just go straight to the point?” she said biting the apple in her hand.
“Okay, so how do you think you can help me?” I asked impatiently''
“Why don’t you let us start with an apology?” she asked as she crossed her legs and looked me straight in the eye.
“An apology for what?” I asked confused''
“For hurting my feelings the last time.” She said with a serious smile.
“Whoa… what? “ I took a deep breath and said;"fine, I am sorry”
“Much better. So, we have started”
“And what do you mean by that?” I asked even more confused.
Then, she stood up, walked a distance, and walked back towards me, then she dropped her apple;
“Oh my God” she yelled; “Clara, can you please help me pick that up? I think I just hurt my foot” she cried out loud. Everyone threw their gaze at me, and my legs began to shake, then she whispered to me;
“I swear, if you move an inch from there, I will not help you” then she began crying, one would think it was real.
I was clueless and didn’t know what to do, then someone shouted;
“She can’t even help her friend and she calls herself a pastor’s daughter” and they all began to murmur. I felt weak, but then I summoned courage and said with a trembling voice;
“No! Pick it up yourself”. I could see the mixture of surprise and disappointment in the face of some students, while others had Amazement and disgusting look.
She picked it up and threw it into the bin, she then looked at me, clapped her hands and said;
“Nice start, you learn faster than I imagined” she resumed back to her seat; “now that that is done, other students would be afraid to ask you for anything for fear of embarrassment, the next thing to do now is to change your looks, especially this annoying turtle neck and pop socks you wear under your uniform”
“What! My mum will kill me” I said eye wide.
She then looked at me, pointed at my uniform and said; “is that black with white stripes or white with black strips?”
“What has that got to do with this?”
“Answer my question”
“How am I supposed to know?”
“Good! I don’t care how you do it, all I want is that on Monday, I don’t want to see you on them, or you can say good bye to my help!” she left before I could say any word. My mum would skin me alive…