If I were to be asked to find an emoticon for my article's title, it would definitely be an eyerolling one. 

Daisy and Rose may be renowned flowers with unmatched beauty. Still, for today, they are two average-looking girls who have surpassed the elms of puberty and are trying to find themselves amidst all the happenings in their small society that could easily convince Africans that they emerged from Mercury or worse off came from beneath the earth’s surface again. 

Two is the common group content number for friendships, and Daisy and Rose are not beyond the ordinary way of doing things. Well, just judging from the discovery these two friends steeled all the way through primary school together, it is prudent to imagine they both once dreamed of becoming doctors before, well… before reality became a little more real.

But again, two girls of African descent starting from primary school with the fire and zeal of innocence are such sweet aromas in the nostrils of a deformed cultural, political and socio-economic ecosystem.

In primary four, when the history of Uganda is explained in meagre bits, they vowed to never follow in the footsteps of Gipiir and Labongo; so aggravatingly disturbing was it for them to picture the events that they'd never tolerate when they grew up. Daisy, for one, even thought she'd become a lawyer so she'd punish such atrocities as lack of humanity had she not been discouraged by the rumours that laws were a rock-hard path to follow. By the time they learnt of colonialism and the world wars, the girls had kindly and aggressively sworn to become steadfast politicians who would rule in the favour of the people. They also swore off everything of Western and European descent; well, that was before they got obsessed with modern television shows that were actually considerably more watchable than Ugandan shows.

Then the pretty girls learnt of Idi Amin and his exploits; for this, they could only say he deserved an earlier death than the one he had. Well, compared to how many he had killed, they thought it was only fair and just that he died earlier. Daisy even shed tears during the lessons. It was conscionable. They swore never to elect such a tyrant when they turned 18. It was quite a good cause; all the bad people actually deserved jail time, too. Even Hitler deserved a more public ending.

The moment the two girls grew up, the world would change. They would elect good leaders or contest themselves if there were no eligible candidates by then; they would also arrest the bad oppressors and nincompoops who sold young girls, just like in the movies. They were quite sure that they would sanction the leaders who made bombs like those that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and they would rally more citizens of their age to do just that, which would benefit a greener ecosystem.

But the world changed before they could. From the moment Daisy's parents perished one night when her father’s brothers set their hut on fire after months of dispute over a square piece of land. Daisy still remembers the sight of the charcoal flesh of her parents wrapped in white sheets. She still loved Rose, though, but her person was no longer backed up by her mother's tolerable nagging and her father's baseless silence whenever she asked about the formation of African lakes and mountains shortly before the European explorers who then discovered them and named them. It also didn't help that her aunt, who took her in, frowned at the idea of her holding a pen instead of a hoe.

But Rose diligently tried to show Daisy that bad people still deserved jail. Even though Rose too asked herself if it was true each time, she visited Daisy at her aunt's place and found her bruised but with a plate of food in her hands. 

Rose would love to keep the fire of innocence; it's quite possible given that she was excelling in her secondary studies, but sciences are not a walkover, and it got harder by the day as her parents want her in their path. She'd definitely use a little help from the new teacher; unfortunately, the teacher, on payroll, does not believe he could ever coach her for free.

The Ugandan education system, political atmosphere, and history should have taught all educated individuals that every event has an effect. However, for Ugandans, studying is primarily focused on passing exams, while life in general requires a different approach. 

It was quite shocking that Daisy gave Rose a "go-ahead" when she learned of the new teacher's advances. Rose thinks Daisy must have knocked her head somewhere to suggest this, but for crying out loud, where does she believe Daisy has been milking fees from? Seeing the fact that her aunt had just sent her packing out of her house a few months ago? Honestly, Daisy doesn't hate her aunt that much. Though a part of her was murdered by her after the beatings, flogging, and hard labour, she had still provided her with a roof over her head for a while and filled her belly with scraps, which she would never have had all alone. It only goes to show that she didn't think her aunt should go to jail after all. 

Daisy also wants to be somewhere by the time she becomes an adult, not wandering on the streets and seeing how far Rose has moved from the small town after her parents moved due to the pungent congestion and sticky, inhumane housing. She decided she'd work harder and be able to move away freely, too. A little sponsorship from a Don wouldn't hurt. No, she would never go back to the relatives who placed her in this predicament in the first place!

At the end of it all, Rose isn't actually cut out for science. All those late-night coaching sessions were in vain. She should begin formulating a rationale for her parents, though they would never know she just 'wasn't cut out' for it. The new teacher could just make a small comment and recommendation on her report card. "Yes", he'd say, "Rose is such a good literature student; I wish you would support her talent.” They could never know.

Well, even the government will never know. Who said they will? Wait, who is this government anyway? None of the girls will vote when election day comes; come to think of it, she doesn't remember seeing the police arresting the men who burnt Daisy's parents. And yet she knew the police were a big part of the government. She had no idea how many more awful things were happening to Daisy as she pondered this. 

Generally, Rose is disillusioned; she even thought of how wasted her questionable efforts were in learning sciences... wait, why hadn't she even thought of what could have made Daisy not question the teachers' advances? What had happened to Daisy? 'Rose, what a bad friend you have been,' she tells herself.

So, she begins to concentrate on literature late enough to not realise her potential, and then it crosses her mind, will the government even raise the arts teacher's salary? Her efforts on this one could also be in vain... Then, at once and in a short time, they both forgot about their childhood aspirations. The government will handle it.