I Don't Mind If I Do.

Classes were getting boring and I needed some kind of escape. I sat there, playing out scenes from the episodes of ‘Super Mario’ I had seen the previous day. Only, this time, I was the hero in the picture. I was jolted back to reality by the sound of the class teacher's cane hitting the wooden table coarsely.

“Listen up pupils of primary five.” Mr. Bayo announced “ you are all going to match in a single file to the assembly ground. While there, you are expected to be of best behaviour.” He paused to read the room before proceeding “I am sure you are well away of what I do to pupils who do not act right.”

“Yes teacher.” we all chorused. Mr. Bayo was a disciplinarian who believed in the ‘catch them young’ slogan. He always reminded us that we were grown ups irrespective of age of stature and he made sure to treat us as grown ups.

“Good! Now, single file everybody.” He ordered.

We all sprang up from our seat and scurried to form a straight line amidst murmurs. We had a few questions as to why we were going to the assembly ground when we were supposed to be learning but nobody dared question Mr. Bayo’s directive.

On a single file, we marched down to the assembly ground only to find out that students from other classes were already there, chattering like their life depended on it.

It was a really exciting feeling to be outside during class hours and I was certainly going to make the most of the freedom. The students of my class settled in among the crowd as we waited eagerly to see how things would turn out.

A few minutes after all the classes gathered, a few individuals wearing ‘Indomie instant noodles’ branded t-shirts stepped forwards and began giving their own round of lecture.

“Do you know about Indomie instant noodles?” “Can you sing the Indomie song?” "Can you spell Indomie?" “Who is your favourite indomitable character?” and whatnot. Answering these questions was fun at the time as everyone screamed out their different answers causing a ruckus. All the while, Mr. Bayo stared at us from a corner just to ensure his pupils were all in check.

The individuals taught the school the Indomie song which became one of my favourite songs to sing at the time. Shortly after the song, they asked one student from each class to step forward. One would think that students would dash at them at this request but they didn't. All the kids who were less than ten years old, developed stage fright; including myself.

Eventually, pupils from each class stepped forward but nobody from my class wanted to. I didn't know why they requested pupils and I wasn't about to be the scapegoat or so I thought. In a bid to avoid the gaze of the Indomie individuals who were pointing at pupils, my eyes met with Mr. Bayo's. His arms were folded, his eyes lacklustre and one could tell that he wasn't exactly delighted to be there. With one head gesture, he nudged me to step forward which I did without hesitation.

My heart was beating so rapidly and I could feel beads of sweat trickle down my spine. From the moment I stepped forward to the moment I returned to my seat, everything seemed to be moving so fast.

“Can we clap for our star tasters!” One of the Indomie individuals announced and all I could do was wonder what it meant to be a star taster as I fidgeted.

A few minutes later, we were given seats and a bowl of hot steamy noodles with a slice of boiled egg was handed to us. Basically, we were supposed to eat and tell the rest of the school how the noodles tasted. I was definitely up for some steamy noodles.

Without wasting any time, I dug in. Savouring every inch of the noodles in front of me as the crowd cheered. In less than five minutes, we were all done eating. We were asked for our reviews and I can remember saying that it was yummy through my broken teeth.

After the reviews, we were given branded notebooks and stationeries in a branded bag and sent back to our seats. I would have easily described that moment as one of the best moments of my childhood life as I didn't get branded gifts everyday.

Soon after, they rounded up the advertisement and we were sent back to our respective classes with cartons of noodles for lunch. I do not know what happened to our class’ carton of noodles because no pupil ate from it.

On the flip side, I had gotten the break I truly desired and also, I got something better than ‘Super Mario’ to think about.

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