Perfectly Imperfect

~53~

The whole of this chapter is like my small rant about Mental health and I really hope you learn a thing or
two, let's go.

                             ~KUNMI~

The highlight of the Art and Literacy Week was the Mental Health Awareness Campaign which came up on Thursday of the week. There were lots of Artworks depicting mental health disorders and illnesses, especially the common ones among secondary schools students. There were lots of green ribbons too, placed in strategic positions in the hall, again, to depict Mental Health.

We were all seated in the hall, I mean the whole student body and the loud chatters and whispers filled the entire hall. The program was yet to commence and trust students of Crescent High maximise any sort of free period to the best of their capacity and that was by making noise of course.

We were all on a single row with Aminah, Kunle and Gab, even Alex who acted as if I did not walk into him in the music studio, numb to the world, oblivious to everything around him. I wasn't sure he was acting, I was convinced that he had no recollection of the fact that I was even in the music studio with him because the next time he saw me, he raised his right hand up in a wave and he called me that weird name.

Weirdest!

And I remembered what Sophia told me about him losing his voice, an infection that'd have been treatable if he did not allow it to go on for that long, if he had actually gotten it treated immediately. I was sure he never saw it coming, he never envisaged it and the other things Sophia told me about him made me shudder, made me want to turn and walk to the opposite direction whenever I saw him coming. I remembered what he said the first time he talked to me, about wanting to do something desperately and being unable to do it.

But then, he had said it with so much indifference that I'd have never thought it meant something like that.

I wonder how he was living and smiling and being weird when he was unable to do that one thing he loved.

Must be very very terrible.

And yet, here you're, not playing the piano and singing.

The shrill sound the microphone made an its echo deafened me momentarily that I subconsciously covered my ears with my palm. The other students were mirroring me and some were even murmuring angrily as if the microphone was something they could get angry at.

The program finally kick-started with the opening prayer by a junior student, definitely a JSS1 student because of her frail stature. She was short, too short that she was barely noticeable on the podium but her voice commanded the much needed respect for her.

For the program, none of the teachers were allowed in, the NGO that was chairing the program vehemently that their lecture was aimed at the students and them alone. The program was mainly divided into two parts, the panel discussion and the guest speaker speech. I did not even know which one to look forward to. Is mental health conversations even something to look forward to in the first place?

Someone on the row in front of us yawned loudly that even students from the other rows turned to look at him.

"Omo, program never start, I don dey yawn. Proof that I'm going to sleep throughout the program."

I hissed, knowing the only one person that could have uttered such a statement and Adam who sat beside me just shook his head and I was sure he was feeling incredibly sorry for the boy's stupidity.

"I don't think it's actually possible for Ezekiel to become sensible again. It's already too late."

We all burst into laughter at Kunle's words and the guy in question turned back, his expression calm and serene for a minute, a spilt minute that I actually thought he was angry, then his eyes zeroed in on Adam and he winked, he actually winked and Adam cringed, leaning back towards me.