ThrowBack

ThrowBackThursday! 

Primary school days! 

"Aunty, Torbo, is writing love letter to Patra" a concerned class mate of mine yelled, drawing the attention of the whole class, as all eyes shifted between aunty and the writer.  As tender as we were then,  our self righteous nose got sticked out, as we get eager to hear the content of the love letter written in piece, folded neatly and is being smuggled under the desk to the recipient.

The expression of guilt is tangible on the faces of the culprits especially if the letter was being replied to before it was reported. 

"You are the cockroach in my cupboard, the rat in my kitchen, the mosquito singing sweet melodies in my ears"

Since old school days girls has always been labeled with derogatory names in the name of love, such horrific names like mosquitoes, rat, and depending on the mood of the writer, the girl can be the apple of his eyes!  These lines were always the repeated contents in the letter passed from lovebird A to his lover bird. 

"Oh" We sighed in disbelief, as the culprits match forward to receive their strokes, they were flogged for being in love, for the very fact that they felt something for each other. 

This was common from 2001 to 2005 my Primary One to five days, as tender as we were in Primary one, letters were flying around. 

Once in Primary three, a girl rumoured to have lived in America came to join us during the second term. And in no time, she was roped also to the love letter sending gang.  The dear Aunty Chinyere, got to find out and they were asked to write on a full eighty leaves exercise book, that from that day, they will not say or do bad things again!  

I use to wonder why I wasn't part of those stuff,  but I had always been careful not to get caught red-handed in the act.  I don't have time to put my feelings and thoughts in a sheet and risk a third party seeing it, I believed in,  if you love me,  let's meet when nobody is at home and show ourselves what content of love we are made of! 

Those were the days men sharpened their proposing skills, the days when Obi knew how to spin Ada and make themselves Adaobi the days when you will be shocked to know that the little fingers and small brain of a five years old primary one boy works wonder in drafting stories. Love stories!  And many times, we caught our teacher rolling their eyes, as they read,  "I thought about you last night, and your thought so consumed my heart that I couldn't sleep", pray the ever forgiving Lord that your letter didn't get aunty's eyes rolling, you will be the scape goat!  Aunty success won't spare, aunty chinyere knows how to serve you guys good writing punishment, aunty Margret?  Let's just not talk about her. 

Tell me pals, did you ever write love letters in primary schools?  Were you ever caught?  I didn't write, I knew the consequences if I was being caught, if I had maybe by now my proposing skills would have been enhanced. 

But the comments are open, tell me about yours?