I'M ELEVEN BUT I'M PRETTY
My name is Olufemi Love but everyone calls me pretty love.
My Dad is the manager of Nigeria Best Bank, Lekki but we live in the mainland and my school is Best Hope Ikeja.
I am a JS1 girl, the favorite Pupil in my class because I won the most eloquent girl of the class since the first term debate. The brilliant boy that competes with me is Tunde ,he's better in mathematics and social studies. we often score the same marks in Yoruba. My mum ensures I keep the traditional values. She was from Ife and she drives us back every year for OLOJO Festival, the only Yoruba festival I know of.
The pupil I liked most in class is Tomiwa, a quiet and brilliant boy. He's very neat and keeps a good note, he doesn't play rough like other boys. He doesn't know I like him because we don't talk.
My dad was usually very busy at work and he comes home late at night when I would have slept.
For some reasons I don't understand mum would wait until he was back, everyday even with swollen eyes, if I advise her against it. She'll shout at me that I should shut up. She doesn't realize that dad can care for himself. I have a 6 year old brother always attached to mum while I'm usually attached to my Android phone.
On a Saturday morning when dad relaxed at home, I told him I'd liked to be a doctor but he advised that I should be a lawyer because I'm outspoken which was true but I also loved to save lives.
On the last day of the third term, it was a happy day for all serious pupils in the school, there were awards and gifts the best students in each class for 3 consecutive terms will receive a scholarship. I had been best for the 1st and 2nd term. Before the ceremony began I had to go to the female toilet and as I came out I heard some boys talked Boy1"let me see very well "
Boy2" it's uncle Amos wallet and phone and I found it on the field, should we go and return it? " Boy 2: "Let's do a tortoise trick". There was silence and I knew they were JS1 boys, Tayo and Jaye. It seemed they counted the money. Tayo: "Take this eight #500 notes and I take the ten #1000 notes. Let us go and keep the empty wallet and the phone in Tomiwa bag , and let's keep our bags here so no one will trick us too" Jaye: " you're very smart, let's do it ". I entered back to the toilet, the boys ran to the classroom to carry out their evil plans.
Although shocked I went to Uncle Amos and explained everything I saw, he called me brave and my story was found to be true to the call. Mum had told me that justice is when bad people are caught and punished. Justice was served for the offending boys. Tomiwa was very happy. He hugged me and said I was a very good girl
At the awards I was the best student for the third time and I was so happy because I won the scholarship, when we got home my mommade me seat on her laps and said "you're eleven and you'll so pretty, I promise to buy you a new phone ". I was delighted.
©Ganiyu Taofeek
#ANSAchildrenliteraturecontest