WHEN SHE WAS A GIRL

Sometimes, I wish I could be that girl playing with sand laughing. That girl walking about with empty tin cans preparing play food for invincible customers, lol. That girl is grown now. That girl is me.

Today, the bell rang for break. It was 11:20am. I had barely finished the topic outline I was teaching my students. At that moment, they just want to leave the class same as I. I quickly wrote an assignment on the white board and called it a day.
I packed my lesson notes and instructional materials and left the class for the staff room. While I walked down the corridor of the classes.

Students buzzed about chattering excitedly. Some stood in groups on the hallway arguing at the top of their voices. The newbies, JSS 1 students, walked aimlessly licking ice-creams. Others walked in pairs to the school mini Mart for snacks and the rest stayed back in the classroom.

You know what caught my attention in the midst of this temporary disarray? I will tell you. Do you know not even a single one or at least two girls did I see playing any games. Things have really changed, I thought.

No, it hasn't. My brain retorted. Probably because it's a secondary school and not a primary school or because it's an urban school.

I reminisced on my childhood days. Back then in school, even when we had nothing for break. Our faces beamed with joy on hearing the bell ring for break. And you'll see us the first to run out of the class. Like Squid game, we had our games too mostly played by girls. We had ten-ten, suwe,I call on, tin-con-tin-com, Cinderella dressed in Yellow...(I think I those are wrong spellings) but they're funny names, yeah... I know right. Describing these games and how they played here, I'm afraid you won't see the fun in it. A video will do justice to it, I promise you one (remind me).

Do you know they are so easy to learn . Sometimes, I want to play these games but no one is interested anymore and tag it children's stuff. I look at them and wonder how maturity won't let them be a child and enjoy the escape from responsibilities for once. Well...

Like the saying, "the young shall grow". No one can/will remain a child forever. Growth, like change, is constant.

Just thinking out loud...✌️