Beryl The Noisemaker By Beryl Wanga Itindi

I have always been a noisemaker ever since I was born! Every class I ever sat in branded me a noisemaker. Ok, I had no problem with that. My mama made me understand that she was a noisemaker too and I had picked that trait from her. Ever since she told me that, I never feared a thing! It was up to the class prefect to decide what to do with my name. Akitaka kuniandika noisemaker sawa, kama hataki pia ni sawa. After all, my parents were comfortable with me being a noisemaker! Call them to school because I broke some other rule but not noise making!

So one time in High School, when I was in form one, my Mama moved in with akina Nebuchadnezzar and Batholomew. It was devastating but life had to go on anyway! I left school and went back home to help my Mama move into her new home then reported back to school after a two week break. To me, everything was supposed until my name appeared in the noisemaking list two days after I reported back! The teacher on duty took the list and started walking to the staffroom then he suddenly made a U turn back to class.

Teacher.......................Beryl Itindi!

Me.............................Yes Sir!

Teacher.....................Why are you in this list?

Me.........................(shamefully) I was making noise in class.

Teacher................(perplexed)...Itindi what is wrong with you? You lost your mother just the other day and you are already making noise in class.

Me.........................(confused) Aaaaaaaaaa??

Teacher....................Why are you still making noise in class and you are just from burying your mother? Was she your real mother?

Me.........................(still confused) Yes.

Teacher.................(walking away) You cant be serious! When will you ever be humbled? Follow me to the staffroom!

Ok, I was taken aback a little bit! What was the connection again between my Mom Nebuchadnezing and me noisemaking? I started following him to the staffroom anyway! When I got there, he gave me the list to take back to our prefect and asked me to go and call me fellows and come back with them to the staffroom. I took the list and went back to class with it. When he said "my fellows' I thought that he meant those who did not have parents. Si I weeded them out one by one......you should have seen me!! ......and we were all smiles!! We actually thought that some sponsors had visited the school and so scholarships were up for grabs and we were the first ones to be considered! It was a normal thing in our school for orphans to be called to the staffroom to go and meet their sponsors, so it wasn't something new. "Caro, si wewe pia huwa unaishi na uncle yako? Si baba yako alikufa? Kuuuuuuja!! Mary, Grace, Nancy, haki munajijua kujeni haraka bure mukose scholarships!

We were a total of 15 pupils from our class. We then went to the staffroom and I went in as they all stood out to tell the teacher on duty that we were ready. He told me to tell them to make sure that they were all in full school uniforms including sweaters before seeing him. Omera that alone even made us believe more that sponsors were here! We needed to be in full school uniforms to meet out future sponsors. You should have seen the energy we had as we ran back to class to put on our sweaters! It was Midday and the sun was high up! It was very hot and no one wanted to even see a sweater. But because our sponsors were here, we were ready for anything! #Tukotayari

Five minutes later we were back to the staffroom with full school uniform. Some had even borrowed sweaters from their friends. I again went in and told the teacher on duty that we were outside waiting for him. I was all smiles as I talked to him and it must have made him mad!

Teacher................Itindi you must be nuts!! You are still smiling at me?? Can you and your friends kneel outside there in the sun with your hands up in those sweaters! Let nobody take off her sweater!

Me....................(walking backwards very fast scared) Yes sir!

I went out and told them that we had been told to kneel in the sun. They looked at me and questioned why and I tole them that I had smiled while talking to the teacher.

Caro....................Beryl wewe unakuwanga aje? Unawezaje kusmile na unajua ni scholarship tunaorganiziwa? Sasa unaona umetuharibia kwa sponsors! Place kama hizo mtu huenda kama amenyenyekea ndio sponsor pia aone unateseka!

Mary....................(shouting at me) Haki Beryl umetuharibia! Sasa unaenda hapo ukicheka na unajua sponsor ako hapo na pengine walishasema vile tunateseka.

Me...................Eeeeeeeeee, sasa ningejuaje mtu hafai kusmile? Hebu musinipigie kelele! Sina experience! I am still new in this business! Its only been two weeks since I joined this quorum! Si mungeniambia mapema ati mtu anafaa kuhuzunika kama ako mbele ya sponsor! Nkt!

Teacher.............(shouting from the staffroom coz he could see us since the walls were mad of glass) I said knell down and put your hands up! What are you still waiting for?

Everyone of us was down in a minute and hands up! We knelt there for a very long time! We were not even allowed to break for lunch! Our hands up and the sun shining and yet we had our sweaters on! It was traumatizing! The teacher would just walk out of the staffroom and look at us from a distance then go back. Fortunately or unfortunately, the principal passed by and asked us why we were kneeling there! That is after she gave us some slaps for doing whatever we had done. Everyone looked at me for an answer......

Me........................ (Looking down in shame) Madam, we had come to see our sponsors then I laughed where I was not supposed to laugh.

Principal...................What sponsors?

Me.......................Those who had come to sponsor orphans.

Principal.................What are you talking about? Who told you to kneel down here?

Before we could answer, the teacher on duty had walked to us.

Teacher...................These are the noisemakers in form two West. Making noise even when people are supposed to be preparing for exam.

Principal..................Who are these students? Are they orphans or noisemakers?

All of us looked confused! Everyone was looking at me! I was looking at the teacher on duty, tired, worn out, hungry, confused, sweating! Dear Jesus, Mary and Joseph!! What had I gotten myself into??

 Story By

Beryl Wanga Itindi