MY GCE LOAF OF BREAD

This is a story that takes me back to when I was in Form 5 at Sacred Heart College, Mankon, and precisely at the time when the lower forms left us the Form 5s to write our GCE in peace. At the time the school did not have a High School section. One day when it was relaxation time and those who felt like going for sports could do so, I chose to sit on the continuous low wall that ran from the auditorium and was parallel to the chapel. I was alone and do not now remember what was going through my mind. Then I saw Bonaventure Joko who was in Form 4 walking towards me from the Assembly Ground area. He was carrying something wrapped in a paper. I did not think much about it. After all, I was neither expecting him nor even looking forward to anything whatsoever from him. As I watched, he matched straight at me, greeted me and handed me the parcel. He said, “Take this. It`s for you!” When I opened it, I realized it was a whole loaf of bread. “Thank you, Bonaventure”, I managed to say, totally overwhelmed. He did not stay for long. What surprised me so much was that although we knew each other at school, I did not think we knew each other so well that I would be a beneficiary of such a great gesture from him. But there it was! I took the bread to the dormitory and shared it with the classmates who were there. I think they were Emmanuel Ngwa who was House Captain and Class Prefect of Form 2A while I was Assistant House Captain and Class Prefect of Form 2B. Also present for a slice of the loaf of bread must have been Paul Njofang, Micahel Tandiba, Joeph Tibui (Joe Louis) and Charles Bongjoh. I may have forgotten some others. What has resuscitated this story is that after so many years, in fact, after thirty eight years, Bonaventure and I met in Limbe on Wednesday, Christmas Day, just two days ago. We were both guests at the residence of Dr. Donald Achidi Ngundam, founder of the erstwhile Donangu Pharmacy in Limbe and today, still a pharmacist and chairman of the Groupement des Pharmaciens Nationaux (GPN Sarl), as well as General Manager of the Cameroon University Housing Corporation (UHC/SA), with headquarters in Meyomessala Sub Division. Meyomessala is incidentally the Sub Division to which President Paul Biya`s village of birth, Mvomeka belongs. Dr. Ngundam`s lovely wife, Grace, made all of us the guests feel very much at home. In fact she served us graciously and gracefully. Bonaventure and I exchanged cards. He is today known as Bonaventure Wakam, President of the KHAM Inc. business valuation, sales, mergers and acquisitions firm based in Ventura, California. The name change is in comformity with a Sacred Heart practice by which students are made to take the names they were supposed to bear on a permanent basis. I changed mine from Robert Tikum Mbah Azonga to Tikum Mbah Azonga. Tandiba changed his from Michael Tandiba to Fombutu Michael while Bongjoh changed his from Charles Bongjoh to Bongjoh Charles Alessambom. My chance meeting with Bonaventure in Limbe gave me a unique opportunity to thank him once more for the gift that has now gone down in history as my GCE loaf of bread.