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THE ONLY QUESTION now was which gift in me could I bring out to make me special? Definitely, there was none. It was during those period I learnt that money wasn't everything. Although I didn't believe in God but that time, I had to give it a try. Besides, there was no harm in trying. I knelt down and I prayed even though it was hard to believe I was actually the one praying. I read my bible, yet nothing happened; then I laid on my bed to think of my life. I meditated on the story of Jacob and Esau in the bible with my eyes closed. Then suddenly, something hits my mind and I quickly sat up and smiled. I looked at the sticker I posted on my wall and fixed my eyes on the word 'SMART'.

Even though there was nothing good about me but I knew one thing, I was smart enough to trick my parents. I have to play changed for two months; I have to convince everyone around me that I was a changed boy. I want my father to believe in me so even if I didn't present anything on that day, he would still have a reason to have faith in me and won't be all that furious. That was a good plan.

I began to play my trick by being the person to call for the morning devotions and even leading it. Then I did the chores without anyone telling me to do it. I even washed my father's cars and many other good things that I knew was the right thing to do. I could read the surprises on my mom's face but my dad well, he didn't show any. While playing changed, I still looked for a gift in me I could present on the talent show day. I read a lot of books including Chinua Achebe Series but nothing good came out of it. I kept trying and kept playing changed, I knew something good must come out somehow.

Something happened during my temporally change. It was a Sunday morning, 2nd day of May 1999. You won't believe it when I tell you that I was the one that woke my parents and persuaded them to prepare for church. My dad was now surprised, but that was part of the plan. I had to dress okay; I wore my suit and for the first time, I wore a tie. I carried my Good news bible and stood beside the car waiting for my parents to come out and to my expectation, they were astonished by my dressing.

"Josh!" my mum called. "Are you sure that's what you want to wear?"

"Yes! Is anything wrong with it?" I asked pretending like I didn't know what she meant.

"No!" she continued. "You look great and handsome."

"Thanks mom," I said smiling. "Now shall we?"

"Oh yes my boy." my mom replied happily. My father remained silent through out. I thought maybe he was studying the new change to check if it was genuine but trust me, I knew more tricks. On getting to the church, everyone was marveled with my dressing. Many commented good about it while some just remained silent with surprise.

Like I said, something happened that Sunday. During the service, the choir master asked if any teenager would come out and give us a worship. A girl without wasting time came out. Her name is Stephanie, an average height and chocolate skinned girl of maybe 15 years of age or so. Everyone knew her as a good child who should be a role model to her fellow age mates. But trust me, I saw her like a disgusting stupid worm. In all girls, I hated her the more. Every time I saw her, I imagined seeing the real form of the homo sapiens, habilis and erectus from the theory of Charles Darwin (father of science). To me, she was just a kook.

She always appeared in a flaying skirts which most of the time touches the ground. I was quite sure one of her skirts was big enough to sow two up and down dress for my dad. Sometimes during harmattan, I would think the wind was going to carry her together with her flying skirts. She always wore a long sleeve top and I haven't seen her with any earing. She was just like all the deeper life girls I normally see on the street. My parents would always wish I emulate her behaviour; God forbid, her behavior was a hell. Everyone loves her and it made me angry. I felt so guilty whenever my parents talked about her and I felt furious seeing everyone admire her.

I knew from the moment that she would be the one to come out but what I didn't know was that I would also come out, ask me how. The choir master later asked for another male teenager to join her in the worship but no one came out. Now can you imagine that out of the whole male teenagers in the church, the choir master pointed me out to join in the worship along side my devilish irritating enemy. It was so unbelievable and another worst thing about that moment was that I was to sing in the presence of a whole congregation. My church had this massive population that any day we dismiss, there must be a traffic jam on the road due to the number of members going home at the same time. Now I was expected to sing facing all the members along side the disgusting Stephanie.

I would've refused but do you know what? I've been playing a changed boy for a few days and I couldn't ruin everything then. In fact, that was the right time to prove to my parents that I was really a changed boy. I reluctantly stood up and went to the altar. At first, I was afraid of stepping on the altar. Our pastor was one of a kind. I've always seen him perform wonders on the altar and I've heard so many testimonies of the miracles of God through him on that altar. I feared the altar thinking I was not worthy to step on it. I thought it might strike me with a thunder once I stepped on it. Though I didn't believe in God but I feared the altar. Throughout the walk from my seat to the altar, I was praying for forgiveness. That Sunday, I believed in God by force. As I raised my leg to step on the altar, I became more scared then I remembered our pastor would always say 'our God is a merciful God'. So I became bold enough and matched on the altar. Truly, God is merciful; nothing happened to me except for a courage I've never felt before that made me climbed the altar, picked the microphone and led the worship with Stephanie.

Everyone including myself was surprise on how I led the worship with much boldness.

"My boy," my father began immediately the service was over. "You did great today."

"I didn't know you had such an amazing voice," my mom added. "You are a very special child."

The word 'special' rang in my head and sang like a song in my heart. I felt so motivated. I had the intuition that they weren't exaggerating.

"Could singing be the gift in me that would make me special?" I asked myself.

Many other members of our church came out with their own encomium. They praised and blessed me. I felt so important and for some seconds, I felt like I was soaring in the sky. My head became as big as my father's.

I really thought Stephanie was going to be jealous but I was wrong. She wasn't. She was so happy with me .

"Joshua," Stephanie began with smiles as soon as she came out. "You have such a wonderful voice, you did really good today."

Stephanie has this attitude of always smiling. I haven't seen her frown for once. She smiled at me with that her heart melting smile and for once, I saw that Stephanie was beautiful. She was really pretty only that her dressing betrayed her beauty.

"Thank you." I replied. My mom spoiled the moment.

"You two will make a good team." my mom bursted out of excitement.

"You think so?" my dad added.

"yeah! What do you think Steph?"

"That would be good." Stephanie replied.

I was struck with dumbness. I couldn't believe my ears. Then in a flash I remembered the talent show.

"That will be great!" I shouted to the amazement of others. "That will be really great."

Seriously, I never wanted to have anything to do with Stephanie but right now, I got no choice, besides it would all end in two months not forever.

"That means," Stephanie began. "You will be coming to the choir club."

"Yeah!" I replied happily.

"In the school." She concluded.

"Yeah... Wait what?" I shouted. "The school?"

"Yes." She replied.

Again, the school left me with an electrocuted body. I remembered Stephanie was in my school but maybe in the lower class. I didn't want my friends to see me associating with Stephanie. They would so mock me. Oh no, I really do preferred it to be in church because no one would notice except on the day of the talent show which would last only a day and it would be over, or so I thought.

"Why not in the church?" I asked.

"Son, the school is okay," my father said. "I know very well you don't belong to any club in your school, so this is the opportunity for you to join one, but you can also be coming to the one in the church too."

My father was damn right; no he isn't, I was in a club, 'the women hating club.'

I thought about it the other way round; It would be best if I performed on behalf of the choir club of our school during the talent show, it would look official.

"That's a good idea," I thought. "I'm smart, I will surely find a way to do everything without any of my friends noticing anything. It's just for two months. But if apparently Henry hears about this, it would be a great catastrophe to my personality. I've not only broken a vow but broken it with a girl like Stephanie the holy."