Short Story: Vivian's regret

Vivian hurriedly dressed up for work. She had slept late the previous night and, therefore, could not wake up from bed early.  As she sat in front of her dressing mirror to apply some makeup, her eye caught the numerous earring piercings on her left ear. She stared at her ear and was soon lost in deep thought.
Like any Ghanaian girl, Vivian grew up with only one piercing on each ear lobe.  Witty and intelligent, everyone grew to love Vivian. Her main flaw was that she was a rebel who resisted any attempt to correct her.  She was sweet with people around her because though troublesome, she got along with everyone easily.

Just when Vivian was about to complete senior high school at the age of 17, she and a couple of her classmates decided to do the weirdest of things just for the fun of it. They took to ear piercing and tattooing their bodies. They claimed that was the trend and moreso, the school authorities were focused on preparing them for the WASSCE, therefore, their attention would not be on them.

Vivian knew very well that their decision was bad, yet she could not bear to be the odd one among her group of friends.  “I have a reputation to protect, but, now that I have been registered for the WASSCE, there is no way I will be sacked from school,” she assured herself. After drawing that conclusion, she decided to join in and go for both the tattoos and the extra ear piercing.

That night, just when the sirens went off for prep in the school, Vivian and her friends jumped the wall and went to town to have their bodies tattooed and their ears pierced. Unfortunately, by the time they got back, the school authorities had noticed their absence.

The group tried to sneak in through the back gate but the house mistress and prefects had mounted surveillance on them and, therefore, they had no escape route. At morning assembly the following day, the headmistress informed the students about what Vivian and her group had been up to and for their punishment, they were all sacked from the boarding house and made to write the final exams as day students.

Instead of feeling sorry for their actions, they walked about proudly showing off their pierced ears and tattoos to their mates. Luckily for them, they all excelled in the examination, especially Vivian who became more arrogant and bragged about the fact that despite being punished, she passed with flying colours.

For being one of the best, Vivian and three other students were selected to represent the country at an international cultural exchange programme for the youth in Canada. Only one person would have to attend the programme.

Unfortunately for Vivian, during the interview for the selection, she exposed her tattooed body and the multiple ear piercing was also visible. Most of the members of the interview panel were abhorred, especially because she was still a teenager who should not be doing that.

They thought that those acts did not reflect our Ghanaian culture and since she was to represent the country, it would not be right to send her abroad. She was, therefore, disqualified even though she had the highest score.

The one who came second was given the opportunity to attend the programme. Later when Vivian was told the reason why she was not chosen, she wept day and night but there was nothing anybody could do to help her. She had brought the misfortune on herself.

Fortunately, due to her good grades, she was employed by a private finance company and she resolved to save money to further her education. What she thought was fashionable had cost her so much - a great opportunity had been lost so she vowed never to follow friends or copy blindly.

Amidat Akogun,
Blessed Schools Complex Ltd,
Dansoman.