Black Pelican

10-09-19

Oh, its Wednesday. MFM's programme day. This is the day they create human traffic and fill Unilag with cars.
I woke up early today. By 5 am actually.  I was contemplating going back to sleep but I had to attend prayer. Something was telling me to use the excuse that I was not feeling well but my conscience was having none of it. So I stood up, washed my face in the toilet. And looked in the mirror. The same black round face stared back at me, tired.

I wore my gown and wrapped my scarf around my head. Took my bible and phone and slowly unlocked the door so I wouldn't wake up comfort who was sleeping in the parlour. I went down the same path I took the day before, dragging myself by each step. I saw a lot of joggers along the road. I wondered why everybody seemed so into jogging. I was into it too till school work took over my mind. I've never jogged once since I gained admission into this school. But I've walked about. So I guess that compensates for it.

By the time I got to the chapel, they were still praying but they were kneeling down. That kind of picture when students are on their knees firing serious prayers really had an effect on me. So I took to my knees and proceeded to pray. But nothing sensible came out. I was shivering from the pains that my body was releasing and trying hard to concentrate on my own words. All I could say was lord, I commit these souls into your hands.

Midway into the prayer, I wasn't saying anything. I just stayed there on my knees slightly swaying. My legs became numb and I knew that the moment I moved, the pain would spread from my ankle to my knees.
So I stayed there hoping God would help me. I came here to get healed. I didn't want to be sick either.

We stood up and continued praying. But I knew I was on the verge of swaying and collapsing so I just crouched on the ground. When I couldn't bear that position, I sat down on the bump of a car. I could hardly hear Pastor's voice.

After the prayer, I wheezed around like a broken bike. Then I tried to push in among the masses of bodies around but I don't feel so comfortable. Then I started walking around with a stinky eye looking for my teammates. They were all supposed to be here but I couldn't find some of them. Even the new recruits were around for the prayer. God, what excuse do they have this time?

I think I looked quite crazy. Being sick puts me in a bad mood most times. Especially if things don't work out according to my plans. I tried to calm my irritation. I was too worn. I took out my phone and wrote the names of the missing members. Then I posted a message on the group chat that they were to DM me.
After pastor encouraged us to increase our publicity, he asked Excos to wait behind. Before that, I quickly tagged Bro Phillip and assigned him a job that was requested for yesterday night. I was not going to touch a laptop until I felt better.

Through the entire ordeal, I just felt like compressing myself. I hated being weak. I didn't want questions or stares. I just wanted to leave. But that was not until I met with Pastor and told him about how I felt. So he prayed for me. And just as I was about to leave, Big mummy Busola called me back and asked me why I was so pale. I had to tell her too that I wasn't well. She reprimanded me for not eating well and gave me money to buy what to eat. She's an amazing woman, no doubt. I didn't know what I was going to eat that morning if she hadn't given me money.

I gladly walked back, bought stuff to eat, entered the house, ate and slept. You know the kind of sleep that removes problems from your life, hat's the type I slept. I missed classes. But the fact was they'll only give me more headaches. So I asked kiishi to inform the lecturer that I was unwell. I had it in mind to call mom but I didn't remember till I woke up.

And guess who woke me? A call from bro Jerry. I could feel my entire body say don't pick. I was too groggy and my ringtone was loud. So I picked the call. Another job.
He spoke for like an hour or so, and all I could think was Ah bro Jerry, calm down. Let me give you my part of this gist.
After a while, I referred him to one of my team members and I went back to sleep.

I woke up again when I started dreaming about useless things. Like about mermaids and ursaids and some powerful beings. It was so terrible like manga that was wrongly plotted, that I had to wake up. My next thought was food. But I had to call mom first. So I called mom. She was so concerned and she prayed with me. I actually felt better. Then she told me she'll tell dad too. Yay Dad.
I stood up and went to cook indomie and egg. Then I took my drugs. My next plan was to work on learning on double exposure. But I was interrupted by a call from the lecturer whose house I stayed in. Its Nigeria, so I have to call him daddy.

He wanted me to bring him his charger which he forgot. My body started shouting excuses. Should I tell him I'm not feeling well? But he saw me yesterday na. Has he forgotten already? I had not even taken my bath!
But I didn't say anything. I just agreed to bring them. So I had to go and take my bath. Then I started searching the house for chargers. I found three, threw them into a bag, and picked up my purse. I was going to take a cab this time.

I locked the house since I was the only one left at home. Then I took a cab from DLI. At first, it was empty, and I had to resist turning away from it in my impatience. Empty cabs always try my patience. So I sat down there and waited for the cab to fill up. The lecturer had started calling me already so I knew I was late. After a while, it for filled and we drove to the main campus. I took the elevator up to the last floor where his office was but his door was locked.

I had to call him that I was around. He asked me to wait. Then after a while, he showed up on the stairs. Some of his colleagues started asking him if I was his daughter and making all kinds of jokes. I didn't care really.
He picked the chargee he wanted and gave me transport back. So I took the elevator back down. Normally I would have started dancing and doing weird things in the elevator since I was alone. But weirdly, I just stayed calm. A couple entered at the second floor( don't even ask how I know they're a couple. They started this issue talk in the elevator. They probably were arguing about his behavior to her. My ears are good listeners.)
They looked so young. The boy's voice didn't even sound mature. I just wondered when the breakup was commencing. Today? Tomorrow? Next semester?

By the time I got to the house, someone was inside. I tried to work on some designs but I didn't feel like it. The clock struck 6 and I remembered I was supposed to go for choir practice. Lazy me wanted to skip so I texted the choirmaster and asked to be excused. But he told me it was a compulsory rehearsal. So I sha carried myself again and matched out the door, all the way to Akoka church.
It was a nice rehearsal. My voice didn't try to skip me this time. But I felt that the choir was withdrawn. For one reason or the other, I couldn't feel the harmony. We also paid for wine roses which we were supposed to wear at the concert.
We were reversing for the concert on Friday. And we had to give our best. I was also extra cautious because one of the songs we were singing was written by a music lecturer in my department. He's a good music master. And he knows a fault tune from a good one.

If we messed up, he would know without checking twice. And I wanted us to seem like the best he ever heard. I couldn't control much. So I tried working on my output instead. It was all good and lovely until my mood went sour. I don't know if it was the continued rehearsal of one part or that I was just tired. I wasn't feeling the rehearsals anymore. When it was 9, I asked for permission and left. I still had drugs to take and I was putting a hold to late nights.

I walked back to school in the night and bought Akara and Bread. It is the best thing to eat if you don't have money or time to waste. Then i settled in my bed to eat and take drugs. I've been more refined to my room instead of lounging around in the sitting room. It wasn't my house and all, but communication had reduced to 10 word per day.
I don't really blame anyone. I'm busy, they are busy, and we just co-exist in the same matter of definite space.