Today reminds me of the school's founders' day in 1998. I was in SS1 (fourth secondary school year), Shade, my younger sister was in JS1 (first secondary school year ). It was the 90th anniversary. It was a celebration galore and students and teachers alike were to go to all the royal palaces in Egbaland on foot to pay tribute to the kings. There were band players playing and all of us were happy, dancing and jubilating. My sister and I spent our taxi-fare on water and meden-meden (junks).Milo sponsored this foot parade and we all had a cup of cold milo each at the palace of Oshile of Oke-Ona amidst rapturous chants of the old Milo advert song- 'Milo! Pa, Pa, Pa!'. Right there at Oke-Ona palace, some people started turning back and returning to their houses, but Shade and I were determined to visit the five palaces. So we moved on with others. I almost missed her at a point because she wanted to follow one of the vehicles that bore some students, thank God for a friend that hinted me. It would not have been funny as there were so many people. Eventually we decided to turn back when we almost reached Ibara palace. We were not alone, some friends were with us. Remember we had spent our taxi fare home, by this time we were tired, but we knew we had no other option than to walk home (and home was still very far).
At a junction (Ijaye Junction), some friends going to Elega (our route) changed direction. My sister and I supposed to join these people because that was the shortest route home, but we foolishly opined it would take longer so we walked down with the rest of the party to Idi-Aba (our school area). We even went back to the school compound because we were very thirsty and needed to drink water.
From school, we resumed our journey home. We dragged our feet along, tired to the bones. It was then we realised we made a sheepish decision when we did not follow Ijaye earlier, but it was too late. Normally, it should have taken us about an hour and thirty minutes to get home from there. Now, from Ijaye to Idi-Aba was thirty minutes and from Idi-Aba to Shaje, where we lived, was almost two hours. It was a real tiring-go-round. We were hungry, we were thirsty, we were koboless, we were trekking.
At last we reached home around 5 or 6 pm. No one questioned our lateness at home because they all knew it was a special founders' day edition. God bless Nice Vita--a chocolate drink in those days. That was what we prepared for ourselves, thick and cold to drink before eating. Then we vowed we would never be so silly next time. But we could not fulfil our 'vows' for the next time founders' day was to be with such jamboree was 2008 (by that time sef I don graduate from university).
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