The Honest Flake

 

That Friday morning at around 9:30am, they noticed a white salon car slowly  driven into the school compound. The driver, seemed  unfamiliar with the environment from the way he was driving, popping out his elongated neck through the window looking for a place to park. It was his slow movement that caught their attention as he carefully parked the machine under the tall umbrella green leaved jacaranda tree.

" Is the county Director of Education and his team paying us another visit in school today?" asked one of my colleagues passing by briskly. He quickly dashed into the staffroom rushing to put all his documents in order. Following the previous term's unannounced visit by the team, nobody wanted to be caught unaware in such a mess again. Failing to keep your teaching materials, learning and professional documents in order meant lack of quality and skills as a professional teacher.

 The man took  five minutes or so  before he could get out of the car. I walked into the staffroom too only to be welcomed by a busy staff trying to run up and down. Others complained of unexpected visit by the team while the  others looked at each other curious and nervous.

" I haven't updated my records of work..." said one. "Can you send me the schemes of work in soft copy?" Said another looking outside through the window.  In one minute, I saw  each one of them. How they looked and seemed so confused and agitated at the same time. Did they have to come?

They busied themselves trying to beat the unexpected and forgot about the visitors. The deputy suddenly walked into the staffroom. No ones seemed to notice her presence. Even her greetings were unanswered.

" Excuse me colleagues!" She said authoritatively...I can see that you are all bees at work... I appreciate what you have been doing in school towards our students' great performance. We noticed she was  being accompanied by another person. The staffroom became silent. So quiet that you could hear the ants talk.Everyone looked at the deputy.  Looking very angry because nobody was giving her the attention that she needed. "Excuse me colleagues? The gentleman that you are seeing standing here right next to me, has come from the County and he wants to sell to us something.... some goods and services.  Let him introduce himself and thereafter tell you why he is here."

They all stopped doing what had busied themselves to give the gentleman their attention. At  least there's no cause for alarm since the man did not seem to come from the County Director's Office of Education. It was indeed a relief...

He was a salesperson from Garrison's Home and Utensils Services. He was selling kitchenware and household goods. After his introduction, another man walked into the staffroom. He was his business partner but, from the look of things, the person who was doing the marketing looked more like his manager. He carried all the stuff that they needed to showcase. The man was  ordering the other around all the time. He was very authoritative. His forehead had wrinkles like a rhino's head.

The teachers flipped around the goods that were being sold for. These They held one after another. For the things that they wanted, they had to pay for them. Mr. Brook , walked towards the manager doing the sales and marketing. "How much?" asked Mr. Brook pointing at a dinner set of utensils. " I need this for my wife. It looks very nice and I am sure that she will love it." The sales manager moved closer to explain to Mr Brook the cost of the dinner set. He gave the manager a broad smile- an assurance that he was able to pay for the item.  All his attention drifting from the other teachers who looked like window shoppers to Mr. Brook, a would be buyer.

Madam Jane seated at the corner of the staffroom stood from her seat walking towards her friend and a female colleague's direction bursting into laughter while  clapping her hands. They all laughed hysterically. Some teachers stared at one another giggling and then  buried their heads into the books in front of them. Mr Brook moved closer to the sales manager trying to make bargain for the items.

The sales manager took out his receipt and started writing Mr. Brook's details. Indeed it was a good sales day for him. His facial expression looked like that of a person who had won a lottery after betting for years without winning.

Their gestures communicated more as Mr. Brook tried to make a bargain for the dinner set. In the end they came into an agreement and the good was sold.

Only a few teachers managed to buy the goods. After the salesperson had left, Mr Brook was seen looking at the dinner sets that he had bought. He admired them so much and he loved what he had got. He came into terms with the salesperson that he would pay the goods on monthly basis. For a start the sales person allowed him to pay half of the money and the remaining half which was  sixteen thousand Kenyan shillings he was to pay in three months instalments. He had used his February salary for that month to buy the dinner set. Some teachers were even talking how he was going to survive through the other days of the month-Brook  had a tendency of borrowing money from people and not paying in time or even not paying at all...he would only if you pressurised him. The reason Jane busted into laughter when he was convincing the salesperson that he would pay as per the agreement .

One month later, the teachers saw Mr Brook always on frequent calls. It was the salesperson trying to reach him demanding for payment for the month. Once in a while one would hear Mr Brook remark, " what is wrong with this man? Doesn't he understand that right now I don't have enough money to pay for the items! " He had breached the contract to pay the money instalments -monthly basis. At one point he decided to switch off his phone and change numbers. Reaching Mr Brook became like forcing a camel through a needle hole.

That Friday afternoon a white saloon car was driven into the school compound. It moved swiftly and parked next to the principal's office. The driver got out river got out of the car banged door and walked swiftly towards the principal's office. You could only see his brown khaki coat disappearing into the administration's entrance.

" Where is your principal. I want to see him  right now! it is urgent. Very urgent" he told the secretary as he wiped sweat from his face with this white handkerchief. Even before the Secretary had told him to go into the principal's office, he had locked the door behind him.

" Good afternoon... Mr. principal. I'm sorry to get into your office in this manner. It is just that I have an urgent issue...very urgent and it needs to be addressed... One of your teachers bought my items on monthly instalment basis and has refused to pay the money. He is even saying that we never signed an agreement..."

Before he could continue with his report, the principal told him to calm down and sit to have a talk..You could see froth coming from his mouth and he was very agitated. He asked the secretary to serve him tea but he refused. He said the matter could not wait even for a cup of tea.

The sales manager had been calling Mr Brook who had refused to answer his phone calls occasionally. Brook had not made an effort to pay off his debts and that was what was making the salesman ravenous.

The principal told the Secretary to summon Mr Brook to immediately go to his office. No sooner had the Secretary walked into the staffroom then she saw Mr Brook walking out of the school compound. He had told one of the staff members  he had an emergency at home and he could not wait. The colleague had to make an impromptu visit to the principal's office asking for permission on his behalf. Truth is he had seen the sales manager drive into the school compound, and he knew why he had come...

Then followed the Secretary trying to enquire what she was doing at the staff room. From a distance You Could See Jane gossiping with the secretary as she pointed the direction  towards which Mr Brook headed.

 The next thing witnessed was the sales manager leaving the school compound at an alarming speed. He hooted from far. The security personnel opened the gate hurriedly. He almost fell off his feet . He could not understand why the man left speeding from school. Some teachers craned their necks to see through the window at the car was driven off.

Very early in the morning, Mr Brook came to school. He was carrying a big Manila bag. It  looked heavy. He placed it next to the security personnel's office. He took a heavy deep breathe as he placed it down. He had returned the goods since he could not pay in time. His wife had even started using the dinner sets. The sales manager had told the Principal to inform Mr Brook that he should pay him his money or return the goods or worse, prepare to go to prison should he fail to do either of them. The sales person had promised to come with police officers.