The Externals - Chapter Twenty-Eight

Before the time my abusive mouth planned on unleashing the power of insults on Bene, Sukurat came in panting and apologized for the trouble she caused. She also explained the reason for her lateness - She was anxious about the trip so she couldn't sleep all through the night. Nevertheless, she woke up early and made it to her bus park on time. Her trouble started when she started slumbering and was taken beyond her destination. The wicked conductor whose bus she entered didn't bother waking her up since he was only interested in making more money off her.

In less than five minutes after Afusat's arrival, we prayed for the success of our trip and re-assembled ourselves in the rented bus arranged by the school authority to convey us to our destination, which still required us to pay the sum of Two thousand naira. Well, part of it was for the school's caterer to make the snacks we took along with us because we knew our bellies were going to make unpleasant noises if we didn't shut them up with those.

Our destination was on the island so the driver passed through the third mainland bridge which only three among us have through. Don't be surprised that it was my first time being on it. Its beauty and that of the spectacular natural forces around it were captivating. Still, my eyes didn't miss the heap of rubbish that lay on top of the water underneath. Seeing that made me so disgusted that I mistakenly cursed whoever was involved in dumping it there. Moreover, I got the "lapel du vide"(the call of the void) which made me feel the urge to jump off the bridge but I was able to overcome it.

I was also irritated by the prolonged gasping of my juniors caused by the overwhelming beauty of the houses, cars, roads, trees, and every other thing they saw on the island though I knew that was wrong. It wasn't their fault that they didn't have parents who could afford to live in such an environment. Perhaps, if some of their parents wait a little more before having them, or plan on making more money, luxury wouldn't be a new thing to them. I think the problem with most people in my community is that they're too relaxed, too comfortable with the situation they're in. If they hate it, they should be able to make moves that will get them out of it. The only excuse they're supposed to have is things not working for them despite the moves they made. Unfortunately, only one percent of them I think can say that.

"Good morning, miss. How may I help you?" My thought was interrupted by the receptionist who made me realize we'd really arrived at the broadcasting station. Then again, I was distracted by her flawless fair skin.

"Lily, are you alright?" It was Bene's turn to tap my shoulder instead.

"I asked you to come here first because you were the one who brought this whole idea. You shouldn't be wasting my time. I have other important things..", Mr. Yemi said, obviously trying to get the receptionist's attention.

"Please take it easy, sir. It's normal for teens to act that way, especially when they're in a public place", Her smile encouraged me to let unsaid words out of my dark lips.

"We're here because I wrote this organization a letter to allow us to visit and they accepted", I couldn't resist the temptation to fake a British accent. Funnily enough, she responded to us with a Nigerian accent all through.

"Ewo! Allen, who you dey form accent for? You wey never even reach airport before", He made a joke to make her laugh at my expense. Unluckily for him, she didn't find it funny. Even my juniors who were found of laughing hard to even dry jokes kept mute. They didn't want to be seen as rowdy and local kids.

"It's not bad to try out new things", She later fought for me and requested for the acceptance letter sent by the organization.

" Oh, my bad. I should have shown it to you as soon as we got here..", My English was back to normal. Well, I couldn't think straight then. I was scared that I might have forgotten my phone at home or deleted the letter by mistake.

"Here it is", Bene brought my phone out of his pocket and gave it to her. I couldn't even remember how it got to him. Anyways, the letter was the last thing he checked on it.

"Nice", She returned the phone to him."Your host will join you shortly.

"Thanks, ma'am", The three of us chorused.

"You're welcome", She said with a British accent way better than mine and used the landline to make a call.

Our dream of visiting a radio studio was finally realized when we were welcomed by an office messenger. The programme we came for hadn't started so the host nicknamed, "Madam Student" was able to educate us about the equipment our eyes saw there. As she said, radio stations use software to automatically run their station when there's no one there or assist a live DJ or personality with running the station. The microphones have types that are designed for voice and on-air work. They had a sport windscreen, which keeps the extraneous voice-like sound of breath blowing into a microphone to a minimum and gets rid of other undesired noise. Of course,  headphones are also important because they let Radio personalities monitor their broadcast and soundproof walls keep hollow sounds out of the studio.

"Hello, listeners. It's your girl, Oluwadara Adegbite, your one and only 'student madam' right here on Sauce fm, 100.0. Welcome to another beautiful edition of 'kiddies talk time', a program where we discuss various issues affecting children and teens in today's world", My mind kept reminiscing on what the broadcaster said about radio equipment even when she had started the program properly.

"Of course, Dara is not the only one in the studio. An original Edo babe that you all know is here to keep you happy for the next one hour. Don't touch the dial just yet. Keep it tuned to Sauce fm, 100.0. We'll be back shortly after leaving you to enjoy, "Sweet Nothing" by Calvis Harris, one of my favorite songs", Her co-host said.

"Only God knows what you made you like this yeye song", Madam student said after they'd gone off-air and turned to me since the co-host chose not to let her kill her vibe."You'll be going live soon. Are you ready?"

"Yes, ma", I failed at hiding my nervousness and shivered due to the influence of the ac in the room. The broadcasters were obviously used to it so they weren't affected by it at all.

"Don't worry, it's going to be alright", She patted my shoulder and picked up her headphone, ready to go live again.

"Babe, abeg wait make I finish this song now", Edo babe pleaded.

"Something that you'll still hear tire on your way home", Madam student hissed and went live again." My beautiful people, welcome back to the show, you're still tuned in to Sauce fm 100.0 and listening to 'kiddies talk time, your favorite radio show with Oluwadara Adegbite..".

"And...your confirm Edo babe", Edo babe continued the conversation."Today, we'll be discussing a very important issue, an issue that has caused many teens to make poor decisions and jeopardize their futures. Madam student, would you be kind enough to let our listeners know what this is?"

"It is crush oo...C.R.U.S.H.", She raised her voice and brought it back to normal."I've been opportune to speak with many teenagers and realized how difficult it is for them to talk about it openly with adults though it really affects so I decided to bring it to the show, to raise awareness. Moreover, students from Grace Model College are also here to shed more light on this issue".

"Hello, listeners. My name is Lily Allen, the secretary of the press club of Grace Model College. My I and my colleagues are excited to be here today to speak about this important issue", She gestured for me to speak and I did so one by one. Even though I rehearsed my first speech over a million times, I still had to look at the jotter I wrote it down to get it correctly. My brain went blank as soon as I used the headphone that was given to me!

"See how she's talking like someone who has a crush already", Edo babe joked.

"Abeg, no spoil the small girl. She never knows anything", Madam Student switched her accent to that of a local woman.

"Hmm...if in this twenty-first century, you're still thinking that your teenage girl or boy doesn't know anything about having feelings for the opposite sex, I pity you oo", Edo babe exclaimed.

"Why you dey tell me that kind thing? Wetin this marina sabi about love?" Madam Student shrugged.

"Don't worry. You'll understand when we return from our commercial break", Edo babe smiled.

After the commercial break, Sukurat was asked to recite the poem she wrote concerning the topic and she did so in a way that made the broadcasters impressed - her voice didn't doer at all as mine did, and that got me a bit jealous.

Next, Bene analyzed the poem and encouraged parents not to debar their children from talking about emotional and sexual issues with them. He believed that if Nigerian parents allow that to happen, teens will be encouraged to make good decisions despite pressure from the emotional troubles they're going through. There will be a drastic reduction in the number of teens harboring sexual infections or unwanted pregnancies. Teenagers will see no reason to commit suicide after being rejected by a crush.

The broadcasters agreed with everything Timmy said, building more points around it. Towards the end of the program, they also allowed me to speak on it and admired my ability to have a dream and not give up on it until it was accomplished - That if I had given up on it, then neither I nor my colleagues would have able to share our life-changing opinions to everyone who cares to listen. More also, they allowed other club members to wish the listeners and their loved ones, "a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in advance".

Before leaving the studio, we took a lot of pictures with presenters that we'd longed to see and celebrities (Falz and Olamide) that were around during the time of our visit for an interview. Bene was happier he got to take some astonishing portraits of Fela Anikulapo Kuti, posted on the reception walls of the studio and I was too, because I was allowed to take a full shot with my headphone on. Mr. Yemi also got to get a selfie with the receptionist because she summoned the courage to ask her for one and she didn't snub him. The only problem was that the manager of the radio station surprisingly walked in as they were doing so!

Don't worry, your pretty receptionist didn't get fired and my beloved teacher wasn't thrown out of the building by hefty bouncers outside in a violent manner. The happy-go-lucky manager even joined them in the selfie and encouraged them to consider anchoring a show for couples together! That must have him happy because he seemed like he was really into her and I had never seen him like that. He was always harsh on the female teachers back in school, even the ones that seemed to like him. Don't tell anyone you heard from me!

Well, at the end of the day, we all got home feeling happier than ever. We just couldn't stop talking about how much fun we had at the studio. The manager who saw my letter by chance with his own eyes and approved it got us milkshakes before we left. It was indeed a memorable day and we couldn't wait to tell other students our experience. For seniors particularly, we envisaged our juniors telling the incoming set about the things we did before we left. It was the best legacy ever!