The moment the word came out of my mouth, I realised what a big mistake I had made. She turned dramatically, like in slow motion, her brows furrowed. Slit-eyed and arms akimbo, she looked like she’d apprenticed with the Witch in Snow White.
“What do you mean? No, no, no. I mean, can you explain what you just said?”
Her voice was barely above a whisper but the coldness in it sent a shiver down my spine.
The moment she walked into the restaurant, the room went silent for at least two seconds as everyone stared at her. But she didn’t mind. She didn’t seem to be bothered by the attention. Her eyes searched the room until they spotted me. I waved shyly and her face lit up and she waved back and headed my way.
“Emeka!”
Mr Balogun’s sharp call drew Emeka back to reality, making him jump. The class laughed quietly.
“Sir?”
“I asked you a question.” Mr Balogun said.
“I-I’m sorry sir, I didn’t hear the question”.
“Apparently, since what I’ve been saying since doesn’t concern you, right?” Mr Balogun said, walking up to Emeka’s desk.
The rain came early this year, but that was not the problem. The problem was that I had forgotten about the leaking garage roof. And that wouldn’t have been a problem if we had not moved some boxes out of the house to the garage pending the time we would “sort the wheat from the chaff” as Funmi delicately put it.
Call me a hoarder but I like to keep memories in boxes.
Do nights turn to days?
Or days to night?
It matters little when you laze
Around with no hope in sight
Or work yourself ragged
Blaming it on the times
As days and nights are logged
As the same in your mind.
He had gone to bed fagged out hoping he wouldn’t have to get up any time before 9 the next morning – and under normal circumstances, since it was a Saturday, he really should have been able to sleep in.
But he was too tired that he forgot to turn off his alarm set for 7 am which he had set so as to complete a pending project.
When the high pitched ringing went off, he was pulled out of a very pleasant dream. It took him a minute to remember where he was and finding himself alone in bed made him a bit sad.
The post new year/Christmas atmosphere is still charged with excitements and greetings of “happy new year” to friends and colleagues you’ve not seen since the new calendar year started.
You know deep within you that it means nothing and nothing is new. After over two and half decades of doing it over and over again, you’d be a fool to not know that it’s all nonsense.
