He found his way with the assistance of a red notice board pointing the way to the express trains.
He rode an escalator down into the gleaming underground platform. The computer terminal displayed at the platform, the time of arrival of the next train and that would be in ten minutes. Taye did not believe it but at precisely eight forty five the new trains glided into the station. The doors automatically slid open and passengers walked in and out at ease.
The sitting arrangements in the coaches were very convenient compared to the old coaches he had just been in. Here standing passengers were provided with holds attached to the roof of the coach.
He strolled out of the train into another state-of-the-art railway station in Akure.
He took a bus from the premises of station, and in less than forty minutes he was at the gate of his former school. Taye approached the gate and expected the gateman to open on seeing him but not until the man had questioned him as if Taye was a complete stranger and a visitor to a place that until a few months ago, used to be his second home. Taye knew immediately what is meant by an old boy of an institution. The gateman recognized him only after the interview and Taye was still outside the gate when two taxi cabs parked from which some of his classmates alighted. The time was ten prompt. Taye had the pips form his electronic watch and as he glanced back to see the boys coming out of the taxis he heard the sound of a car approaching the gate from inside the school compound, He looked back to confirm that it was the Principal's car because he was already familiar with the sound of its horn. The familiar navy blue car soon arrived at the gate and stopped. The electronically controlled windows rolled down, and the woman behind the steering wheel peeped outside and called, "Is that you, Michael?" calling one of Taye's classmates who had just come in a taxi. All the ex-students ran to the car because the voice was familiar to them. It was the voice of the Principal's wife who also was a member of staff of the school. The boy prostrated to greet Madam, as the teachers and students of the school called her.
"Thank you", she said and paused long enough to switch off the 'noisy' air-conditioning system of the car before she continued to address Michael.
'The Principal would like to see you. He's at home. Make sure you see him before you leave the compound". And as an after-thought Madam added, "Well done, Michael. We are proud of you". She activated the power window as she engaged the gear and rolled past the gate towards the major road, waving to the gateman. Then something unexpected happened. A group of boys suddenly appeared from nowhere and, seeing Michael at the gate, started to talk and shout at the same time. "Senior Mike...oh! Well done...WAEC is disgraced. Thanks to senior Michael etc". Michael's admirers, for want of a better thing to do, lifted him off the ground and carried him shoulder high and started running slowly towards the Notice Board in front of the Principal's office. Taye and the other classmates of Michael joined in the forced race. When they got to the noticeboard, they put Michael down and moved back. Michael, Taye and the other boys now moved into the half-circle in front of the notice-board to trace their names and grades in each subject on the sheet pasted under the glass window of the board. Michael located his, being on top of the list. He stood on tiptoe to follow the line with his eyes and finger. He was also calling the subjects silently and grades as he went along.
"English Language Al, Mathematics Al, Physics Al, Chemistry Al, Biology Al. Economics Al, Geography A1, and when he got to the last subject Michael suddenly raised his voice and shouted, "Latin A2, oh! Damn you archaic language." The crowd lifted him off the ground again and headed in the direction of the principal's house.
It was after the crowd had departed that Taye could trace the grade he made in each subject. He became furious with himself when he traced it over and over again. He passed six subjects withcredits but failed the two compulsory subjects, English Language and Mathematics. "Oh what!" He shouted unconsciously. The other boy who had also been tracing his own result was over-joyed by the time he was through and started shouting to Taye congratulating himself and asking Taye about his own result. But Taye did not hear him. When the boy saw Taye's eyes, he let him be. What could Taye do without even an ordinary pass in any of the two most important subjects? Taye moved away sluggishly towards the gate, not knowing where to go. How could he face his ' old man with this result of his?