Jennifer Nwadike

Hello Is Not Just A Word

Hello. Hello. Hello. Someone I knew used to do that. Every time he spoke to me, he would say Hello. Hello. Hello Every time he entered a room, empty or not, he would also say hello three times. When he was leaving? He would say hello to the hallway three times. When he had to come back into a room five minutes later because he forgot something? He would go through his ritual again. And he could never just whisper it, oh no. Never hide it under his breath. He would say hello as if 12 old men suffering from -I believe the ailment is called tinnitus, yes that is correct- tinnitus were in the room. He never said goodbye. Not even an “I’ll see you later”. Reader, understand that he always had to say hello.