Exam Day
It was the week before my Grade Six Achievement Test (G.S.A.T), the first major exam you can take as a child in Jamaica. This exam places you into the high school you would be attending.
“Wake up Jessica it’s time for school!” yelled mom from the other room.
“I’m up! I’m up! I said while yawning and stretching.
I got up and started to get dress for school. My brother Ishmel was still sleeping he doesn’t have school until 8am he’s in basic school. LUCKY HIM!! I went in the kitchen to eat the breakfast that my mom had made. She was talking my ears off about the exam I have coming up. I think she was more excited and nervous than me.
“Honey I hope you are studying hard because your Dad and I need you to get into a good high school.”
“I know Mom!” I said rolling my eyes.
My father was in bed sleeping so I gave my mom a kiss on the cheek and shouted out good bye hoping he’ll hear me. I had to go because my bus driver was outside. Yes, I have a personal bus driver because my parents don’t trust me or maybe they’re scared something will happen to me while travelling to school if I take public transportation. Whatever reason it is I liked being chauffeured to school. The bus ride from my home to school was like an hour no way I was going to do that at the age of 11.
I arrived at school on time as usual. Never have I been late. My teacher was doing reviews because it was 2 weeks before our big exams. The same one my mother was talking about. It is the Grade Six Achievement Test. G.S.A.T for shortening, all six grades across the country in Jamaica take this exam in March and our results are revealed in June. The exam determines which high school we will be attending. Low grades students would go to bad high school; bad as in graduation rates, education system, environment, crime rate etc. The high grades get you into good traditional high schools. You are given the option to choose 5 schools of your choice in order of most interested to least interested. My 1st choice was St. Andrews High school; it is an all-girls high school only the brightest of girls go there. My 2nd choice was Camperdown High school; my older brother went there and graduated, 3rd choice Holy Childhood (all-girls), 4th Excelsior, and my 5th choice Merl Grove; my mother attended there. So, I decided to place my mother’s former high school last solely because it was right up the block from my current school Dunrobin Primary. I wanted a sense of different environment.
My parents stress this exam so much. I really want to pass to make them proud. But I am so excited for high school I am ready to take this exam and get it over with. I am an all A’s student, so I was confident I was going pass.
“Jessica, I need you to stay after today I have something to discuss with you.” Said Mrs. Taylor.
“Okay Mrs. Taylor.”
I went back to doing my review sheets. Then the bell rang, and it was time for lunch. Everyone was leaving the classroom, but I had to stay back as Mrs. Taylor requested. I was a little confused why she needed to talk to me especially during lunch period. Like can’t this wait until after school?
“Jessica, I asked you to stay back now because I didn’t want to discuss this issue with you in front of the class or during extra lessons.”
“What issue?”
“I have been trying to get a hold of your father, your extra lessons fees are overdue.”
“OVERDUE??!!! My father never misses a payment, are you sure?”
“Yes, I am it has been 2 weeks the first week I let went by since it was his first time not paying but it has been 2 weeks and we have yet to hear from your father. I tried calling both your parent, but no one is picking up and I have left voicemails. So now I believe its best to let you know you cannot stay after today for extra lessons.”
“Okay” I said while wiping tears from my eyes.
Mrs. Taylor tried to comfort me and told me it is okay I should have a conversation with my parents, maybe they’re busy and forgot about my extra lessons. I don’t think my mother forgot about my extra lessons she is all school first and everything comes after. I remember when I started the 6th grade my mother made sure I was at everything extra lesson classes. She would say “Yuh tink ya come tun nuh fool in ya? Yuh betta gwan a school” Everyday she checks up on me and she inquires about what I learned each day. So, her not remembering seems a bit strange to me.
I left the classroom and went straight to the school canteen. I waited in line to buy my food and then I went back to my class to eat it. I usually buy chicken and rice but today I wasn’t in the mood, so I only got a soda and a Big Foot. I love the cheeses taste in big foot, it is so crunchy and cheesy, like cheese curls.
Lunch period ended, and class has started. I wasn’t focusing on the lesson and I just wanted to go home. I felt embarrassed to stay for the entire day because I didn’t want my friends to know I won’t be at extra lessons today, I didn’t want to explain why either, so I lied. I told Mrs. Taylor I was feeling ill and I wanted to go home. Mrs. Taylor spoke to my mother about me being sick and I overheard her asking my mother about the missing payments. Mrs. Taylor said my mother is at work, so she is going to send my bus driver over.
“Hi, Jessica why are you leaving school so early today?” said Joe while he takes my bag pack from my arms.
“Not feeling so well, I feel nauseous.”
Joe took my bags and helped me in the car. He gave me a bottle of water and told me to lay down in the back of the car. After like 20 minutes I heard the car stopped, so I got up to see why we stopped. We weren’t at my house, but I knew where we were. He took me to my mother’s job. I saw my Mom outside sitting under a tree in the parking lot area, she’s smoking a cigarette. What is she doing she never smokes, what is going on this day keeps getting weirder.
I got out the car to approach my mom, she saw me coming and throw the cigarette away. I acted like I didn’t see that.
“Ma, Mrs. Taylor said Daddy didn’t pay for my extra lessons in 2 weeks, I have to take my extra lesson classes, I need to pass the G.S.A.T exams and extra lesson classes are a big deal Mom.” I said disappointingly.
“Listen you think I don’t know? Calm down you only missed a day, you will be fine, your father will make the payment today.” She said strictly
“But Ma 2 weeks? What is going on and I saw you smoking why are you smoking ?”
“Lil girl who’s the mother here? Stop with the questions”
I got mad and ran inside her office. My mother works a government job where she issues tickets to people and businesses that pollute the environment, she also tickets and has the right to confiscate street vendors goods if they are selling in a no selling zone. My mother main zone area is Half Way Tree, it is a huge shopping and commercial area in St. Andrew, she sometime works downtown Kingston at the coronation market.
One time my mother took me to work with her it was a holiday and her and her coworkers were chasing after a cotton candy vendor that was selling on the street corner. The guy saw that I was her child and offered me some candy. My mother and her coworkers didn’t ticket the guy they have him a warning. Not because of the free candy but because he was begging them to.
I sat in her office and I kept thinking and wondering why she was so rude to me and what is causing her to smoke. I knew something was wrong this morning because my father was not at breakfast he was still in bed. I decided to go over the review sheets since the exams are just right around the corner.
***
It is exam day. Everything went back to normal. My father paid for my extra lessons and my mother was acting like her normal self again. Everyone was at breakfast, Ma made cornmeal porridge and fried dumplings with ackee and salt fish. All my favorite food to eat for breakfast. My older brother came just as I was about to leave out he gave me a pencil he used when he took the exams years ago.
“Hakeem you so silly you held on to this for so many years?”
“Yea sis me wah you fe get me good luck charm.” He said while laughing.
I laughed and kissed them goodbye because Joe was waiting outside to take me to school.
I was happy to see my older brother again. He doesn’t live with us he moved out after college. I appreciated him stopping by specially to wish me luck today. I held on to the pencil twisting it between my fingers.
“Jessica you nervous?” Said Joe.
“Is it that obvious?”
“You are holding on to that pencil twisting it back and forth, so I had to ask.”
Joe spoke a confidence in me. Told me I will pass and be positive. I got to school on time. Everyone was waiting to find their assigned seats. This exam is major, so the seating was based on our last names alphabetically. My last name is Brown so I am seated right at the front. The exam started at exactly 7:30 it was the math exam and I was extremely confident because I am very good at math and the questions weren’t hard. Yes! I got this! I felt relaxed and I starting breezing through the test.
The day went by so quickly before I knew it I was done with all 5 exams. I was happy and relief. Joe was waiting outside for me. I went in the car and was excited to tell him I think I passed. I was looking so happy, but he expressed that he was happy for me. I could tell he was hiding something, but I didn’t bother to ask.
Finally, I got home, and I bussed through the front door to express my excitement to my mom. My mother was sitting in the living room bawling with a letter in her hand.
“Ma what’s wrong?”
She wiped her face and tried to fake a smile.
“Hey baby girl mommy is okay, how was your exams?”
I ignored her question and picked up the letter from the couch. The letter was addressed to my mother from my father. It reads…
Dear Tina, I am leaving you not because you did something wrong but because I fell in love with another woman. She is pregnant, and I must be a man and take care of my responsibilities. The restaurant we own together is all yours. I don’t want you to worry about finance Hakeem, Jessica and Ishmel will be well taken care of. I know this must sound selfish, but I am in love.
Best Wishes,
Richard.
I couldn’t believe what I had just read. My father must be crazy, like how dare you leave us like this? I started to cry, mother cried even more.
***
Three months later my exams results came in and I was placed in the school of my second choice. Camperdown High school, the same school as my older brother Hakeem. I was happy I passed but I am sad I will go home with good news to my mother when she is still grieving being a single mother. I sat in my school yard under a big tree near the entrance while I waited for Joe and all I kept thinking was will mommy ever be happy again? Was it something we did why he left? Should I tell her I passed? Was daddy taking the restaurant money to give this lady? Is this why mommy was smoking, and my extra lessons weren’t being paid. Joe came, I sat in the car quiet with my thoughts thinking of ways to make my mother happy again.
