Katie wasn't surprised at all when I told her about it. It turned out that she was also selected.
"Are you going to participate?" I asked her.
"I don't want to do it because it means my parents will have to get me new clothes for each stage of it. I don't think I stand a chance because Winnie and her friends are also participating." Katie replied.
"What do you mean by that? You are very beautiful."
"You think so?" Katie asked me with a smile on her face.
"Of course, you have shimmering black hair, a pointed nose, brown skin and an oval face." I replied as I crossed arms over her shoulder.
Katie laughed heartily, "You are also beautiful."
"You are just returning my compliment," I said as I stared at her in disbelief.
"How did you know the pageant will happen in stages?" I asked her, changing the topic of the conversation.
"I took a peek at the letter meant for my parents and sealed it back up," She replied.
I was shocked at her response and covered my mouth with both hands.
"I know you want to tell me that it is wrong to read other people's messages, but I won't be giving my parents the letter, so they wouldn't know about it," She added after seeing the look on my face.
"Do you want to participate?" She asked me with a serious look on her face.
"No!" I replied abruptly.
"But I will tell my parents about it first."
"Here, have this," I said as I gave her a piece of the chocolate.
"Thank you," She said as she took the chocolate from me.
We walked for a while before we got to Katie's house.
"Ok, bye-bye," Katie said as she waved at me and went inside.
***************
As soon as I got home, I noticed the aroma of fried chicken. My mom was making chicken curry sauce and the scent was already making me salivate.
"Mom!" I called out to her as I ran into the kitchen.
"My princess," she said as she stretched out her hands for a hug.
I quickly ran to her and hugged her tightly.
"Where's Fred?" I asked after I pulled out from the hug.
I didn't see my annoying little brother anywhere, and I didn't hear his voice.
"He's sleeping." My mom responded.
I quickly brought out the envelope from my bag and gave it to her.
"A letter from the school....." She murmured as she took the envelope from me.
"Is it something serious that can't wait until you get changed and have lunch first?" My mom asked.
She turned off the cooker and took out the letter. She had a huge smile on her face as she read it and finally handed it over to me and started dishing out the food.
As I read through the letter slowly as some words used there weren't familiar to me, I found out it wasn't only about the pageant. They also wrote to inform my parents about other activities they wanted me to partake in and what was required for them.
I also found out what Katie said about the pageant having stages. It meant I had to wear four sets of clothing and felt it was a bother.
I focused my mind on the second activity and found it interesting. I had to give a speech as the ambassador of any country of my choice at the graduation ceremony. I liked the idea.
"Elsie!" My mom called out to me from the dining area.
I quickly ran to the dining room with the letter still in my hands.
"Sit down!" My mom said to me.
I sat down and listened attentively as I knew she wanted to speak to me about the letter.
"Are you interested in any of the activities?" My mom asked.
"Well, the beauty pageant is bothersome. I'll need new clothes for it, and I don't want to bother you and Dad. The presentation seems fun and I'll get to learn more about France." I replied pouting my lips as I expressed my thoughts freely.
"You don't want to bother us with getting you new clothes or you don't want to do it?" My mom teased me as she pulled my cheeks.
"Go upstairs and shower, then come down for lunch. When your dad comes back in the evening, we will talk more about this."
"Mom, I don't want Dad to know about this. I just want him to know about the one I finally get to choose." I said, tugging at my mom's cloth.
"Fine, I'll let you make your choice. I know what you are worried about but a few new clothes won't make any difference." My mom assured me as she patted my hair.
I wanted to tell her more, but I just gave up and went upstairs to my room. I wanted to do it but on a second thought, I gave up the idea. First, I wasn't that pretty compared to Winnie and her friends. Second, I would have to buy a lot of beautiful and expensive clothes to be able to stand out, and I didn't want to bother them.
I finally decided to opt for the second activity and told my parents about it. Everything went on well, and on the graduation day, I gave a speech in French and was dressed in two attires. First, a two-piece suit and second, traditional French clothing consisting of a beret, a paletot coat and trousers.
All those that participated in "Round the World" were supposed to visit the embassies of the countries they represented to learn more about it. I wasn't able to visit the French embassy in the capital due to some circumstances, but I got to eat Beef bourguignon at a French restaurant, An experience which I still cherish today thanks to my school.
The pageant went on as planned and Winnie emerged as the winner of the female category
************************
What I didn't know was that Mira's friend was also selected for the pageant but was later removed because she hasn't been in the school since class one and she only joined us in class three. I was her replacement, and they thought I played some games to be chosen. When they heard I wasn't going to be participating, they felt I was a proud person.
"Why can't they understand I gave up because I knew I couldn't win?" I kept asking myself after a classmate told me the reason why Mira was harsh to me.
That's how Mira came to see me as a person who pretends to be nice to get people to do things in my favour.