Change

 

Everyone at the school was anxious. A new principal had arrived, and that meant change. The fear of the unknown had gripped everyone. Like life, life at the school seemed bleak.

Beside this uncertainty, disappointment also reared its face around the teachers' hearts. It was ridiculous that nobody from Kisumu had been chosen for the principal's position. The new principal was from Thika, which made the Kisumu staff feel undermined and disrespected. Moreover, the method the head office used to introduce the principal had not served him well. The chief finance officer had arrived with him, blazing fire and declaring how lazy the Kisumu staff was. The new principal appeared to adopt this subjective view, as his first speech to the staff he barely knew was full of threats.

Two weeks of holiday  passed, and a new semester begun.

Ochieng made sure he arrived early at school that morning. He had missed his cherished morning workout just to be on time. Unfortunately, his efforts were in vain. Mr. Maingi was already in and had signed the attendance register. Anyone who signed after him was late. Ochieng was not a person to notice such things. While knowing well the significance of keeping time at work, lateness was something trifle that warranted no to minimal reaction from the management. He took the book and confidently penned his signature below the principal's, claiming he had reached school at eight in the morning. He then opened his office, sat at his desk, and started marking exams.

Marking exams was the worst experience in Ochieng's teaching career. He didn't enjoy any bit of it. He hated having to think for the students, that is, trying to validate their wrong answers. Being human and subject to human failings, he hated seeing students fail. Thus, he took his time to go through their papers and think like them. This process was cumbersome and mentally tortured him.

 Striking the right balance among right, almost right, and wrong answers was a decision he faced in every question of the hundreds of papers he marked. But this time, he had to do it. The deadline for submitting the results had long passed, and the new principal, who seemed to be a lover of diligence, was already on their case.

 For a moment, Ochieng wondered whether he would have time for the long lunches outside the school premises, which had become his norm. He believed stepping out of that work environment was beneficial to his motivation at work and health.

 Ochieng's colleagues had finished marking their papers. They were in the process of creating student mark sheets and finally submitting the results to the exams office. Most of them had arrived late that morning, only to be surprised to see Mr. Maingi's signature on the attendance register.

 It was their concern about this occurrence that aroused Ochieng's interest. He had never cared that the principal had signed the register, locking out others. It was a non-issue for him. However, now that his colleagues seemed alarmed, his interest in the matter grew.

 However, Ochieng had no time for idle chatter. His focus was on beating his Friday deadline for submitting the exam results. He put his head down and continued marking.

 Only Lydia's arrival caught his attention. He liked her both as a colleague and as a woman. She was simple, which aligned well with his value for simplicity. Besides, Lydia was attractive - tall and slim, with a small waist that he often imagined taking hold of.

 

But Ochieng was a cautious man. He feared women and kept his distance as much as he could.

 Lydia's reaction to Mr. Maingi's signature was sarcastic. "I hope these measures will increase enrollment," she retorted and walked away.

As she approached Ochieng's office, she checked to see if he was in. Ochieng rose up to meet her and embraced her tightly. She seemed more beautiful this morning - the short holiday had done her good. He held her so tight for a few minutes, unwilling to let go. Once he stopped leaning on her shoulders, he held her waist and looked into her eyes.

 Lydia blushed, pulled away, and started laughing to hide her shyness. Unwilling to push things further, Ochieng exchanged greetings with her casually and let her make her way to her own office.

 Mr. Maingi had called for a meeting with the top management. He was then to meet the entire staff after this initial meeting. The management meeting was long and drawn-out, lasting the whole morning until noon while the staff waited outside.

 "What could they be talking about for so long?" asked Doram, anxious about the prolonged discussion.

 Ochieng had grown tired of marking exams. He had gone for a plate of "chapo and beans" and was back in his office. He also couldn't help worrying about that meeting. It reminded him of his time at Maranda High, when the boarding master and deputy principal would lock prefects in similarly long meetings. When the prefects came out of those meetings, they were like wasps that had sensed danger.

Ochieng hoped this would not be the case here.

 Precisely two minutes past noon, the entire staff settled into Lecture Room 8. Everyone seemed anxious. They all settled in the back row, leaving only Ochieng and Jane, the exams secretary, in the front row.

 Ochieng jokingly dared his colleagues to come occupy the front seats, but they vehemently opposed the idea. The room became uncomfortably quiet as the staff waited for the top management officers and the principal to arrive.

 When Jesse arrived and settled on a seat reserved for management, Ochieng felt his heart skip a beat. Jesse had often avoided such seats, opting to sit with the staff in most meetings. This change in position signified a possible change in heart.

 The principal then walked in, and the meeting began.