Jummy at the River School by Sabine Adeyinka

Author:Sabine Adeyinka
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic

The river brought me back from my reverie by making swishy-swashy sounds against the big rocks sitting at its edges.

‘Matron said I am not to talk to girls like you.’ I grinned at Caro.

‘Yeah, only ajebutter ones like that one over there.’ Caro grinned back, pointing to a girl who was hopping about to avoid the water touching her toes.

We giggled.

Caro’s face became serious again.

‘You should have seen Matron when she came to our house just before the summer. She was so grand in her crisp white dress and cap. She brought so many things for our family: yams, eggs, corn, bundles of fabric, bread, sticky treats like the ones in the van. She told Mama that all I have to do is clean her house in the morning and then she will send me to nursing school and pay for everything. Everyone was excited except me. I never said I wanted to be a nurse!’ Caro made a face. ‘If I could be anything’ – she paused and looked longingly at the river – ‘I’d be a dancer, no a mathematician.’ She shrugged and let out a deep sigh. ‘Anyway, there was no time for fantasies, Matron said we had to go that evening because of registration and sewing my nurse uniform.’

‘I only see you wearing this blue pinafore and working for Matron. Where is your nurse uniform?’

‘Ask me o! The last time I raised the topic, she shouted at me for one hour! She used big big words to show her anger.’

‘Can’t you tell your father to come and pick you up?’

‘Jumoke, you always think we are wearing the same slippers.’

I smiled sadly. Caro was so clever with words.

‘My parents are really struggling with the seven of us. It was a huge relief to them to have one less mouth to feed. Will I now return because of a few insults? Ingrate! Yes, that was one of the words she called me!’

Caro took her feet out of the water. We walked towards the trees that had swings hanging from them. We chose one that had two swings facing the river.

‘I don’t understand, though. Why does she need you?’ I sat on the swing, my feet not touching the red soil. Caro sat on the other swing, her feet firmly on the ground.

‘She needs a maid. Someone to go to the market, cook food, clean the house, wash clothes, plait hair for girls like Princess Bolaji and, as you can see, sell her tasty treats. I even do Bolaji’s homework. The maths here is too hard for her.’

‘That Bolaji is a spoilt brat,’ I snapped. ‘So how did she pass the exams?’

Caro shrugged and whispered very low. ‘Matron went to Bolaji’s house and gave her the questions.’

‘What? How do you know this?’ I practically screamed.

‘Ssh!’ This girl! You want to put me in hot soup, ehn? Don’t tell anyone because they will know it’s me.’ The fear I had seen in Caro’s eyes that first day started to return. ‘Swear you won’t tell.

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