“You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.” - Steve Jobs
1997 was a defining year for me at Morgan, I wasn't a bad
student but being raised by a single mom took its toll. The freedom turned into
waywardness while mum was away from home fending for her children. The day God
allowed the soul of my father to depart this earth was a defining one. Kenneth Hagin sums up well how his heart felt for his mum in one of his messages, the feeling is mutual.
So it happened that one day I was late for school with one
guy who was in Form 4B2 called Kuda, to avoid punishment we went to Mukuvisi
bridge which was close to the NRZ yard, we chilled there reading some magazine,
bags on the floor looking into the water. One guy called Luberto a brother to
my classmate Michael Luberto grabbed my bag and Kuda hassled his from him, we
wanted to make a run for it but he quickly checked my bag saw a book with my
name and class then said I'm brother to Michael and a member of the School Dev.
Association, let's go to the Headmaster, I tried negotiation but this guy
wouldn't budge. Kuda refused so we went, taken to Gundani Senior Master, lucky
Nyaruviro was out as he was the Deputy at the time, Masanganise was on leave.
Gundani gave me 3 canes, I refused knowing who the form 4 guy was, just said we
met near the gate.
I was told I'm being suspended and must come back with my
parent, I could not tell my mum this as it was too much. I went home and said
levy arrears are needed and I must come after only I paid. My mom was broke so
I had to stay home; it was about 3 weeks before school term ends. If I had not
returned by closing day I would consider myself expelled from school. A
classmate Givemore stayed close to my home in Chitown, he was sent with an
ultimatum letter 7 days from closing day, I opened it and shred it to pieces.
My form teacher Mr. Chikwanda was also not in good books with me, he was
ecstatic, this was payback and he couldn't wait to rip me to shreds, Gundani
also was happy that one of the naughty ones was caught offside, I was ready for
the slaughter but not as a lamb but guilty as a fox cornered by sheep.
The money for levy was finally gathered but my mom wouldn't
lose a day of chasing much needed money to attend some petty levy issue. I look
back at these events and thank God, it's a major reason I turned to God and
always insist on faith because I know what Grace looks like, how Grace operates
and the how Grace does not condemn. I wouldn't say it was down to my wit that
events turned out the way they did. On the day of closing school, I went with
my sister to meet Gundani & Chikwanda, I was prepared for any eventuality,
I was broken, scared and scarred, and I had resigned to fate. It so happened
that we arrived late I think about 12 midday, saw a few students who grinned
knowing my plight and marvelled, some had that look, "so long sucker, your
luck ran dry". You see Mr. Nyaruviro had been telling classmates I was
caught at Mankis Paradise, it had been reported earlier that students from
Roosevelt, Cranborne and other schools were meeting at some places in Mukuvisi
to have sex and do drugs. So the story was I was caught there with some ladies
busy in drugs. This is one of the 2 reasons I never indulge in drugs because I
was out to tell my story, to write my history which was already in tatters.
It turned out Mr. Chikwanda and Mr. Gundani had decided to
leave early for home or were holed up somewhere in meetings, so it was straight
to Mr. Masanganise the Headmaster. The story of levy was recited to him, my
sister innocent as a nun busy parroting my line, if God was merciless, He would
have sent an angel to rebuke me and tell the whole truth, nothing but the
truth. The truth sets us free indeed, but the Grace of God qualifies us where
we fall very short of qualification. Mr. Masanganise, bless his soul may he
rest in eternal peace. He accepted the story, enquired, "is it why you
have been suspended?” I muttered yyes sir. He said the case is solved; you can
come back to school next term.
I was off the hang man's noose, declared not guilty! I said
there must be a greater power up there. Went home and told my partners in crime
that I'm sorted now. They could not believe it. You see the devil can drive you
into a corner, see your life from the future and do all he can to derail it
because when I join the dots looking back, many see a mess, I see Grace. Third
term came, first day at school I was seated in my class and boy the classmates
were having a go at me, asking about the drugs the girls and how Mukuvisi was.
This world is cruel and many judgmental people are out there, if I was the
violent type that day in B23 I would have committed murder or maimed some that
I would have found myself back on suspension. Mr. Chikwanda came and ran his
eyes over his class, saw me and wore a wide devilish grin, the Grim Reaper
type, white turned into a probe, "urikutsvagei muclass mangu?" I said
the Headmaster allowed me. He said no way under hell is it possible, declared
it a lie. So was told "follow me" as the demon possessed classmates
chuckled in glee, so down the corridor, down the stairs and right outside his
door was Mr. Gundani, he was equally happy to see this hapless soul. He like
Mr. Chikwanda dismissed my story as bullcrap.
The headmaster did not help my
cause, pardon his old age, he had no recollection of seeing me on the last day,
so off I went to bring evidence that I was there, my sister and when the
Headmaster saw her he said I remember now, yes I solved this case he can go to
class, I had won a match played in hell, Chikwanda was dejected. But this was
my route to recovery, some months later I was receiving my O Level results, I
had managed some As and Bs and few Cs, I had done better than most who had
written me off. Life is tough, the people in life make it tougher but that also
toughens you up. The struggles we go through eventually define the people we
become. Steve Jobs was right about the dots, one day they will all connect and we can
give back to the schools of hard knocks where we were knocked into the right
paths.
