For years of living with her in that small nipa hut, I was used being told what to do and being scolded for things I did wrong every day. Sometimes it's tiring so I really prefer to go to school than stay at home. Now that Mama has a job all day, my day will be quiet as well.
A few days passed and still nothing changed in my life. After waking up in the morning... I will eat, wash clothes I and Mama had worn yesterday, will eat again, go to the neighbors to do laundry, go home, and wait for Mama when the afternoon comes. I have already collected enough amount of money but I still prefer to collect more because I know I will not be able to go to the neighbors when school day comes.
When Christmas eve came, we only had soup and rice ready. We also did not bother to give each other presents, so after few minutes after the clock struck midnight, Mama and I were asleep.
It was the same set-up when the new year came. But prior to New Year's celebration, someone from our neighbor gave us five pieces of fried chicken.
Their house was a bit far from our small hut but they still wasted no time in giving it to us. So Mom said that she would volunteer to do the laundry for the family without a charge. But the lady did not want to accept a free charge service from my mother. She said that she wanted to pay for Mama's services so she would give my mother a salary. Mama just nodded and said her thanks to the lady.
Having those friend chickens in our table during new year uplifted our spirits. Mama could only afford fish for the past few months, but the fish became expensive as Christmas was approaching so she could not buy it for Christmas eve. She also did not want me to use the money I had saved to buy Christmas and New Year's ready meals because she said that I needed it at school.
I did not force Mama because it was true that I needed to save for school. There were fees in class and sometimes, circumstances force me to buy a dish in the canteen every time I could not bring any in school.
After the New Year, time flew fast. I did not even realize that I would be entering school again next week.
I also did not understand why I was sad thinking that I'll enter school again. Maybe it’s because the house was quiet after Mama got a job, so in recent weeks I’ve been able to rest well. But even so, I still had to go to school.
Graduating school was the only way I saw for us to get out of poverty. Mama did not object to my studies in fact she encouraged me to study well, and that's one of the things I'm thankful for. One of my neighbors stopped schooling because her mother did not want her to study, instead her mother wanted her to work already. It was horrible for my neighbor but she could do nothing and just obliged to her mother's request.
I looked up at the blue sky. It was passed three o'clock in the afternoon. The sunlight was even on the trees nearby. I also heard the chirping of the birds not far away. There were no clouds in the vast sky so I knew that it wouldn’t rain at night.
Tomorrow's the start of another school days after a long vacation, so I had to go to bed early that night. I also cooked rice for dinner and I finished cooking the dish before the sun went down on the west.
I was just waiting for Mama, as I thought that she'll be home at six o'clock. I smiled softly as I stared at the lone cloud flying slowly away in the bluish sky.
My backpack was ready for school and tomorrow, I would do my best to study Mathematics. The exam's approaching and it should be next week, so I had to study hard to pass that exam.
The sunshine was beautiful that day as I rode a tricycle to school. Since I had saved a lot of money during the holidays, I decided to ride because I would be late for class if I did not get on the tricycle because I woke up late.
Fortunately, I'm not too late for class. There was no teacher in the classroom yet and my classmates were noisy. They were narrating what happened to them during the holidays. And since I did not have any friends in class, no one bothered me.
Soon, Teacher Anthony came inside. He had a bright smile on his lips and he was still carrying his big Math book. I then remembered that I had promised myself to study in that subject. Next week's the exam and I have to pass Teacher Anthony’s subject.
"Good day!" he greeted us. He looked around the classroom and when our gaze met, his smile widened.
My classmates greeted back, "Good day too, Teacher."
Teacher Anthony nodded and made us stand for a prayer. He then directed a student to go to the front and lead the exercise that morning. Fortunately, he did not point me. I could not bear to dance in front of my classmates. I still remember the scene at the Christmas party, when they urged me to dance. I gasped.
After the little exercise, Teacher Anthony told us to sit on our chairs. Then, he started teaching the lesson. He also informed us that the said lesson would be the last lesson he would discuss to the class, because the exam's approaching fast and he wanted us to study well the previous lessons.
"I'll not add another headache to you," he joked in front of class but my classmates did not laugh because they were horrified at the word 'exam'.
At lunch, I hurriedly ate my lunch, then heeded to the library. I still had forty minutes to read and memorize the Math lesson from the beginning of class. And five minutes before the clock struck one in the afternoon, I was back in the classroom for the afternoon class.
When the class was dismissed at four o'clock, I went straight to the library to study for a while. The library will close at five o'clock so I still have plenty of time to study the lesson.
But unfortunately, sitting in that quiet place was not good idea after all. I could not remember exactly what I had memorize during lunch.
I tried to write a formula on a paper and answered a math problem. Still, I could not get the right answer. I scratched my head and relearned the lesson I had memorized this afternoon.
The next day, I did the same. I went to the library to study the next lesson but sometimes, I would go back to the first lesson so I would not forget it. When the class was dismissed later that afternoon, I left the classroom and then hurried to the library.
But I found out that I kind of forgot the lesson I memorized yesterday, as I had finished memorizing the next lesson that day. I wiped the sweat in my face.
If this is how I do it -- forgetting the first lesson every time I memorize the next lesson --- I will really forget all the lessons when the exam comes and all the time that I had spent in that library will be wasted. I breathed deeply in annoyance.
"Sydnee," called a familiar voice in the back.
I turned to look the one who had called me and I saw Teacher Anthony. He stepped closer to where I was sitting. I swallowed and quickly looked back at the open book on the table. Why was Teacher Anthony here?
"You're studying. That's good," he commented and sat across from me.
My heartbeat suddenly quickened in fear.