During my teenage days I was considered to be one of the smartest kids around my vicinity. My parents and my siblings esteemed me highly because I was the first child in the house to ever maintain a streak of first position in class for three consecutive years.
Those days I was still in junior secondary school, and I was so reserved and smart-looking. All my classmates respected me and my teachers treated me like gold.
In my local community, most elderly people believe that I am above my peers and know everything. Probably because of the way I dressed and the way I respond to situations even at that age.
I became so loved, I was young by age but I felt like an elder within.
My mom has this little restaurant, I always go there to help her serve customers and wash the dishes.
Some of my teachers even come there to eat and each time they do, they never cease to talk about me.
The whole thing became like I was the most intelligent, when customers who don't understand our native tongue come to the restaurant, my mom will send me to go and get their orders and it was fun.
One of those days, on a Saturday, a group of five men came to our restaurant in the morning, one of them was our regular customer but the remaining four were new.
As usual, my mother said, "Emreal, go and get their orders."
"Mommy, see Esther na, why must it be me?" I grumbled, protruding my mouth and frowning my face.
Ennnn? She paused and stopped mixing the soup. "I can see that your phone is becoming a distraction. My friend, go out there and get their orders before I show you my other side," she raised her voice.
My sister just finished washing dishes and was chopping the vegetables while I was playing snake xenia on my Nokia phone doing nothing.
I instantly became humble, "sorry ma," I replied as I put my phone in my pocket and walked outside to the mango tree where they were seated.
"Good afternoon sirs, welcome to our restaurant, what can I offer you?"
Ahhhh, "Emreal, how are you?" Mr Samuel, our regular customer, responded.
"I am fine sir," I replied.
"Okay, I would like a plate of pepper soup and jollof rice as usual, I don't know about my friends," he replied.
"Can I have the menu please?" one of them, who looks tall and dark in complexion having long beards replied with a deep voice.
"Menu?" I pondered quietly while moving my eyes from one spot to another. I didn't want to embarrass myself there, so I just said, "oh! okay sir," and walked away.
On my way to the kitchen, I overheard Mr Samuel telling them about how intelligent I am and my pride came alive.
Honestly, I didn't know what the menu was. Ideally, I was supposed to inquire from my mom or my sister but because of Mr Samuel's praise, I wanted to prove to our new customers that I am smart.
When I came back with their orders, mom asked, "what do they want?"
I said, "one plate of pepper soup and jollof rice for Mr Samuel, the rest of them didn't make any order yet, they seem to be busy but I'll get it when I take this to Mr Samuel."
At that point, I was just calculating what I was going to tell the other man because I didn't know what a menu was and I didn't want him to look down on me.
"Okay," my mom replied, as she packaged the food for me in a stainless tray.
"Here is your order sir," I called Mr Samuel's attention from the conversation they were having as I dropped the food on the table.
Then I said, "sir," and all of them turned, "no, not you, sorry, you," I pointed at the tall one with long beards who asked for the menu.
"Yes! where is it?" He demanded.
"Sorry sir, our menu has finished. My mom said just sent my sister to get some from the market, preparing it won't take long. if you would be kind enough to wait or make another order," I replied confidently looking into his eyes.
Instantly, they all turned and looked at me and began to laugh.
"Emreal, you don't seem to be as smart as I heard." He held my hands and dragged me to himself with a smile on his face while others were still laughing.
"Menu is a list containing all the food you have and drinks and well," he corrected me.
Gosh, I was soaked in shame, I instantly bent my head, fixing my eyes to the ground.
I managed to put myself together and then said "we don't have a menu yet, but I can tell you what we have, then you tell me which you prefer."
Hm! "I like this boy. Okay don't worry, just bring the same thing you brought for Samuel," he responded.
The rest also said, "bring the same thing." I felt like hiding in the ground as I walked to the kitchen to get their food.
After that day, the five of them always come to our restaurant to eat whenever they are in town and they always preferred me to serve them.
