Last week Wednesday (short story)
I felt much relieved after a cold
bath. Stretching out my legs, I use one pillow for my head and hug the other
one tightly like something so precious I don’t want to lose. As usual my ritual
before sleeping is to recollect the entire event of the day.
The alarm woke me up by 5:30. Though
I had kept it a little far so that I must get up, I actually got up and killed
the alarm. I went back to sleep. By 6:13 or thereabout, I finally got out of bed and
woke my roommates so that we could pray.
They had both slept on the bed while I was
on the rug. The rule is, that the first to sleep decide where to sleep and the others grab
the available space.
Sometimes one of us may even need to go to a neighbour’s room to pass
the night if the available space is not ok for him.
Well I can’t remember if
that rule was really ever made but, that tradition in my room could be said to
be judicially noticed.
After the prayers, I picked up my
guitar and started playing the beginner cords. I played from the G major to the
D major and C major with a two stroke count each and a return to D major to
complete the four music count and my instructor told me: “every song you know
has the count 1, 2, 3, 4”.
Well Isreal did not like the beginner sound of
guitarist so he left the room as usual. Some other days he will probably shout
on me to stop the insanity before deciding to leave or put an ear piece in his
ears.
The guitar is, as I have always said, my only girl friend and I call her
– kemi. Joe joined me by singing any song he thought could go with my
progression. If it is not flowing, he just freestyle anything – just enjoying
himself warming his voice. He soon brushed his teeth, hair and slipped into a
Pam sandals and said goodbye that he was going for rehearsals in one Emma's house
who has a keyboard in his house. When I asked him if he won’t be going for Prof’s
lecture this morning, he said; “hmm Prof no get our time yet, till like two
weeks’ time. Bye.”
About 10 minutes later, I got bored
and felt dizzy so I dropped the guitar.
I called Isreal's cell phone, but, he knows he dear
not pick the call since he is in our neighbour’s room. When he entered the
room, I was already in the bathroom so I shouted to him so he could hear me
above the noise of the water and he shouted back too. I ask him if he was not
going for Prof’s lecture and his answer was in pari-material to what Joe said
earlier. I got dressed anyway and off to school I go, I will rather find out
myself than be told. And i was out by 7:58.
By 8:36 I was walking back to the
room-Prof had not come as they prophesied.
The off campus room suddenly seem too far and I felt so tired and
stressed out already. The lecturer professor Abdulkarim Sule had only thought
the class twice since the semester began about 2 months ago. The prof’s had
personally fixed the lecture for 8:00am this morning only to call the calls rep
at about 8:15 that he will no longer be coming without any reason for his
current decision. Disappointing the half of the class that took the courage to
come again.
“Na my white shirt pain me pass”
David a course mate said, walking up to catch up with me just when I was about taking the
corner close to the female hostel.
“Me too” I responded, joggling back
to reality. ”I’m tired self, let me go home and sleep then later I will do Dr.
Antony’s assignment.”
We were already in front of the
hostel and he was stretching out his hand to shake mine, meaning he wants to
take the other way.
“Na true. Make me check Veronica.
Later man! No follow woman” He said.
“You too dey careful the kind of
woman you dey follow.”
I snicked into the room, closing the
door behind me carefully and quietly so that my neighbours would not know and
also Isreal may not know. The single room
self contain was still the way I left it, un-kept and un-swept. All the same I slipped
into my blanket and breath in the air in the stuffy room and silently wished
the room will remain quiet at least for a while.
I have not even finished making the
wish in my heart when Isreal bumped into the room so noisily that it irritated me.
“who enter this room?” He said; and seeing me he busted into laughter which irritates me the more.
“You no even fit pull your precious
white shirt before you lie down for bed?.” He added.
“How that one take affect you?” I
snapped.
He kept on laughing and I felt like
hitting him.
“sha I tell you say prof no go show
that background, you go dey form geek, wear white…”
“Abeg, shut up!" I snapped, "You way dey house,
waytin you do, see plate, to wash no wahala, see food, to cook na gbege, tap no
rush since yesterday, to go tank fetch water for compound here na jamb, you go
woman room go dey watch movie”
“see what prof has done. Na me make
you vex? Na me say make prof no come? Abeg no do any transfer of aggression for
here”
Well, I knew he was right, am only
pouring out a little bit of the frustration I felt this morning. After wasting
so much energy walking and even running to school so as not to be late and also
to find out that my roommates were actually right and I was wrong.
“Joe never return?” I asked. Calmly this
time as if avoiding sorry but apologizing still.
“Na today be the finals of the Campus
Icon talent hunt so the rehearsal for today na one with a difference.”
“Hope say you go go cheer am up for
the show”
“Yes oo. You too?”
“I dey go fellowship now, abi you
forget?”
“meself get where I dey go later
today”
“joint things again….” But Isreal you
suppose they reason this ……."
Joe bumped in smiling and laughing as
he look into his phone. Something tells me Isreal was greatfull for that
interruption which have just saved him from another marathon advice and sermon
for him to change.
We are all use to Joe smiling and
laughing into his phone so we all waited patiently for him to relax. He
breathed in and out a couple of times to regain his control.
“Guys” He started. “Musty posted this
on facebook some minutes ago” He started reading.
“6 diploma students in diploma II in
Economics department went to their Dean and reported the level coordinator that
they paid money to the level coordinator so that they would pass his course,
but, that he gave them carry over instead.”
“Wow!” I commented as we all roughed
in laughter.
“Some people foolish”
“call it self indictment”
“Wait." Joe continued "Check out this one; A Judge
called the court register and ask him to call the defending lawyer who has
earlier sent in some money to bribe the Judge on behalf of his client. When the
lawyer came in, he handed over 5000 (five thousand) over to him. The lawyer was
surprised. Then the Judge said; ‘I know you gave me 55,000 (fifty-five
thousand) as bribe but the other lawyer has also given me 50,000 (fifty
thousand) earlier so am returning the change so that it could be balanced and I
will decide the case on its merit.’”
We roared and roared in laughter. And
with that the mode of a proper day was set. We continued talking and laughing.
I was already up from the bed, change my cloth and we all set out lazily to do
something. We talked while we cooked, washed the plate and fetch water. We
talked about law, music, celebrities, girls, and even meaningless things. We
ate together, played cards and I later left them and I slept around
11:30 to 12:00 noon. I think I heard someone say round two(sleep).
I was up at about 1pm and still don’t
know what to do with the about 3 hours I have before I initiate my evening
plan. I brought out Joes’ PC. I was greatful he did not go out with it. I started
to watch a two-and-half hour movie. Joe soon join me and since he did not tell
me what will happen next, it only means he had not watch the movie himself.
Before the conclusion of the movie, I had washed my faced, brush my hair,
change cloth and prepare for my evening phase. I checked my bag again, my
books, Bible, jotter and phone charger were all intact.
I wish Joe luck in his
audition and in less than 15 minutes after the movie, I was out.
The evening went well as plan with
very little and in significant distractions and disturtions. I went straight to
the class, finished my assignment. What is left is to type and I can do that
with Joes’ system. Then i went to the fellowship, checked on a friend and I got
back home at about 10:45.
For me and my roommates, the
night-begin by 11:30pm. So I was not surprise that I did not meet any of them
at home. I was glad that to still find some food in the pot which I ate without
warming even before going to the bathroom.
Now I smile as I remember that
Wednesday will soon be gone in few hours if not minutes. In my mind, I draw a
skeletal picture of my schedules for tomorrow. I will add flesh to it in the
morning.
For my roommates, we have a lot in
common and so do we have a lot not in common. The three of us came to this
school about four years ago like tabular rasa, now as semi-finalist, its like
we have chosen our parts already. I love the church and the academic field and do not care
much about my music even though I can sing and play about 3 instruments. Joe
love music and do not care much about academics even though he is intelligent.
However, Isreal who should have being the smartest of the three of us because of
his earlier exposure is the one who has chosen to drink and smoke till his
lungs burst.
As I slipped
into the dream world, I prayed a short prayer and hope that one day when I
looked back at my day I will be proud of how I spent my days.
©Joshua Boyede
