Quiet Reflections

ONE

I sat quietly by one of the windows of management sciences' hall 7, waiting for the lecturer to come. I looked around. The class was noisy due to the incessant chatter of students. I looked at my phone's screen. It was 7:58am. Our lecture was expected to commence in two minutes’ time. Suddenly, a dark complexioned middle aged man walked in. It was our lecturer for political science, Prof. Onu James Onyema. He climbed onto the little podium and scribbled on the white board, 'PUB 103 INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL SCIENCES', in a black colored marker. Then he turned around and cleared his throat. The class was still noisy but some students had begun to take their seats. I looked back at the lecturer. He didn't seem pissed. He just stood quietly and patiently waited for the noise to die down. I felt a lump in my throat. I had begun to think what if the lecturer had something sinister in mind? Both the offenders and the innocents would all be in trouble. And of course, the penalty would be a reduction of marks in his course. I silently prayed that the students who had itchy mouths would see reason in maintaining silence and order. It took about five minutes before the noise died down and everyone became aware of the lecturer's presence. He cleared his throat again and adjusted his glasses. He smiled at the class before he spoke.

“Good morning all.”

“Good morning sir!”, we all chipped in.

“Thank you. I want to believe that you all are acting like animals due to the fact that you are year one students.” He paused and looked around. Then he continued.

“But it would be in your best interest to know that I don't care what year you are in. So today's punishment for your rowdiness and complete ignorance of a lecturer would be that I WILL NOT start my lectures until 9am…”

There were exclamations of 'heei', 'Jesus', 'God', 'aaah', in all corners of the hall. The lecturer wasn't done yet.

“...I will leave your class and come back by 9am on the dot and IF I walk in to a noisy class again, we would forfeit lectures for today and the next time you see me, we would be treating a different topic entirely!” he concluded and walked out of the hall amidst the pleading of some of the students.

The noise rose to the highest immediately after his departure. The course rep., with a beaten look on his face, tried to caution the students at the top of his already low voice. It sounded like trying to get a ball to pass through a concrete wall; it was of no use.

I looked at my phone's screen again, ‘8:21’. I unlocked my phone and began to chat with my mum on WhatsApp. I continued from where I stopped on giving her a list of the things I was in need of.

“Mummy good morning ma…

Hw're u n hw's work?...

I also need onions and my cabin

biscuits remains two…

The school has given an ultimatum

for the payment of fees, so I need

to pay on time before the deadline

…”

“Good morning, hw are u?...

I'm fine and wrk is fine…

Ok…

Don't worry abt ur school fees…

U will pay before the time, just

relax…

Don't be thinking too much

instead do what I sent u to school

to do…

Be reading well…

U will come home next week to get

ur provisions…

I've already started gathering them

small small…”

“Ok, thank u ma…

I'm reading well n I'm not thinking

too much…

Mummy, I'm in class nw, I'll chat u

later…”

“Ok nw…

Be gud…

Bye…”

“Ok…”

I put my data off and locked my phone. I had seen what time it was before locking my phone. We had fifteen more minutes until the commencement of lectures. I looked around to see if I could keep myself busy with something or someone. I was becoming emotional again. I tried hard to keep back the tears from falling. I didn't want to think of the fact that things were not easy for us at home and despite that, my mum was doing everything to make sure I passed through school. I successfully got my feelings under control. I wasn't just going to study and pass. I had made up my mind to make a name for myself through my writing so I can be able to take care of my family. I was about to unlock my phone again to start writing but thought against it because it was almost 9am. I sat calmly instead. Someone came in and announced that he sighted the lecturer and almost immediately, the class became as quiet as a graveyard. Within a minute, the lecturer walked in smiling. He made reference to the absolute silence of the class and then began his lecture.

TWO

"Dear D, I made three friends today…Ujunwa, Dominic and Anthonia a.k.a. Mother Mary (^ _ ^). Uju is cool actually while Anthonia loves to drag us down while walking ( she's cool too though) and Dominic loves to talk…he's our chit-chatter. It's nice having him around sha because us three girls re a boring folk…me especially. So D, I sincerely hope and pray that this new relationship lasts till our final years in school and beyond and we each achieve our respective dreams, amen. But it doesn't mean I'll forget you or smth. You're my number two frnd after the Holy Spirit. Do hv a nice day, D. Kisses…"

I returned my diary back to where I took it from. I sighed. I was at a loss at what to eat or cook. I didn't have much food items. I only had half a cartoon of indomie and my two cabin biscuits, a container of St. Louis sugar, royco maggi, salt and enough garri. I walked into the kitchen. There were dirty plates in the sink and it had begun to attract little flies. I was feeling a little lazy but I had to wash up the plates and clean the house before worrying about what to eat. As I cleaned, I thought of asking my roommate for some food items since she had a lot of them but I decided against it.

She had fed me the previous day and I didn't want to seem like a beggar in her sight. I had some money in my account but I didn't want to spend it either because I had other important things to do with it. So I decided to take garri and buy hundred naira okpa as my morning and afternoon food.

I finished with my work, had my bath, and proceeded to the school gate to buy okpa. In about ten minutes, I was back at my house. I got a plate and a spoon for the garri which I consumed hungrily in no time.

I laid back on my bed. There was nothing to do as I didn't have lectures today due to today being a Saturday. I looked at my phone. It was filled up because we had light all through yesterday. I hissed loudly. My roommate raised her head and looked at me with a puzzled face.

“Wetin happen?”, she asked.

“Omo, everywhere is boring and I don't even have an idea of what to do.” I hissed again.

I looked at her. She was smiling this time. I smiled back and picked up my phone. The only options left for me were to either read or write and I chose to write. I opened my Word Document app and continued from where I stopped in Red Roses.