Living In The Ghetto - Episode 32

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The first week in the University was weird for Chimaobim. He would always attend classes and walk back to his room. Since he found out about a church he attended at home, in the campus vicinity, it had been from class to the library, church - sometimes - and back to the hostel. His roommates had fully resumed and the four-man's room had become a room that harboured more than eight people. Students squatted friends who didn't get a bed space as it was allocated on the first come first serve basis and the bed spaces weren't enough . Chimaobim didn't squat anyone.

He had made a new friend, Femi. It's been more than three weeks in school and he hadn't seen Tobi around. It dawned on them that this is a University, a reflection of another community on its own. Tobi was admitted to study Botany which is in an entirely different faculty as Law. Chimaobim thought that his friendship with Femi can be likened to how he became friend with Tobi but in a reversal. 

It started the day he walked into the lecture theatre while some of the freshmen chattered and related with each other as if they had known themselves before. Coming from a ghetto where education is seen as a second option, only few of them furthered their education beyond secondary level and some that tried, got delayed by JAMB and at the end, they got frustrated and found a means of earning. At the end of the day, less than ten from a most sets in their secondary school pursued higher education studies

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. Most of them end up in a college of education, polytechnic and lesser University.

Chimaobim sat down and moved his eyes to and fro without anybody acknowledging him. The only friend he had made was Simi which he met during his registrations. They were in a different faculty and hadn't met each other since then. Chimaobim tapped on his phone button, the brightness came on and he checked the time. It was still few minutes till lecture started. A boy walked in. He was smartly dressed and light-skinned. Chimaobim admired his outfits and how smart he looked. He guessed he would be one of the most popular boys in their class. The boy walked towards and sat beside him. Chimaobim adjusted a bit for him to seat.

"Thank you," the boy said.

Chimaobim nodded. The lecturer walked in immediately and everywhere became quiet. Some students that sat on the table stood up quickly and made to their various seats.

Chimaobim looked forward and noticed a girl that had been making an eye contact with him. He tried to smile at her, but it wasn't conspicuous. The girl tapped her friend and they continued gossiping. 

The lecturer, an aged man in his early fifties, adjusted his eye glasses, while the marker hung in his hand. His hair was fully grey making it shiny and beautiful. Chimaobim admired it and smiled. He imagined how his own would be when he is finally old. He is seventeen and was almost sprouting beards. His hand could feel some strands of beards on his jaw. "It's been three weeks since resumption and I haven't--" the lecturer said.

The boy interrupted Chimaobim with a tap. "Hey, you just resumed?" He asked.

"No, I resumed on the first week" he replied.

"Oh, I'm just seeing you for the first time since I resumed.

"Same here. We are quite much in the class. I saw over two hundred students on the admission list. You can't know everybody within few weeks."

The boy rolled his eyes. "Well, I thought you were new. You seem quite and wasn't talking to anybody when I entered."

Chimaobim wanted to laugh but covered his mouth. He looked up and noticed the lecturer staring at him. He muffled his facial expression and kept a straight face. The lecturer continued with his talk.

"You people seem unserious until 100L pass you by and you notice you have wasted a year you'd have used to build your CGPA. Law is not an easy nut to crack and it gets harder as we move higher. If you perform woefully in 100L, you have really missed it..."

The boy tapped Chimaobim again but he gestured for him to calm down. Everybody brought out their notes immediately the lecturer started lecturing.

***
It was an hour class and some minutes before the time was up, the lecturer started rounding up.

Read " The Thorny Path " by the same author ( Obinna Tony )

. The boy dropped his pen immediately the lecturer dictated the last word. "I am sorry for disturbing you," he said turning towards Chimaobim.

"No problems," Chimaobim said.

The boy wanted to speak but the lecturer interrupted. He gestured and shouted, "one class, please."

Everywhere became calm. "I forgot to introduce myself. I am Dr. Eluwande," he said and walked away.

"I am Femi," the boy said and extended a handshake.

He slung his bag to his shoulder. "What about you?" he asked dissappointed.

"I am so sorry. I was overwhelmed. I'm Chimaobim."

"What a nice name."

Since then, they had always been seen in the same locations. Anybody that came earlier kept a seat for the other. They mostly walked to the restaurant together after class most of the times.

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