Day 20/365
Olabayo J. Awodirepo
(Witty_Pen)
Actions Do Have Consequences
The year was 2008. I was in SS3, my final year of secondary school, and an incident happened that I’ll never forget.
As usual, the teacher came into the class to do a roll call. The routine was simple: he’d call out names, and we’d respond with a loud “Present, sir!” That day, however, he decided to use a new pattern. Instead of calling our names, he called out numbers assigned to us based on the class roster from the previous day. The problem? I had been absent the day he assigned the numbers, so I didn’t know mine.
When he called “Number 15” repeatedly, no one responded. Irritated by the silence, I was the one shouting, “Who is number 15? Can’t you answer?” I could see the teacher’s patience taking a break from him.
Finally, he decided to call out the name associated with “Number 15.” To my surprise, it was me. I just knew I had called for big trouble. “Number 15, come to the front!” he said firmly.
I stood frozen for a moment before dragging myself to the front of the classroom, where I was “baptized” with the most memorable flogging of my life. I can’t even start narrating the wonderful work of calmness the flogging did to me. I lost my “big-boyness” and wept like a little child before all those fine girls in my class. Chai!
For days, I hated that teacher. I felt humiliated and angry. But after a while, I thought about what happened and realized it was all my fault. You see, this wasn’t just about number 15. I had a reputation for teasing this teacher and mimicking him in class. Though he never retaliated or said much at the time, I suspect he stored all those moments away. That day, he must have thought my asking, “Who is number 15?” was another act of mischief, and he decided it was time to settle old scores.
You see, I can’t even blame him entirely. My behavior had been building up to this moment. That moment taught me that even when we think we’re getting away with something, the repercussions often catch up to us eventually. And as much as I hated to admit it back then, I’m grateful for the lesson of respect and humility. Sometimes, life’s most painful moments leave the deepest marks, not just on our skin but on our character.