DELE'S ORDEALS

I heard a knock on my door but I was just too weak to attend to it. It continued until every strand of DNA in my gene attained resonance with the emitting oscillations from the metal door. With a very squeezed face I opened the door to the shocker of my life. I saw a man dressed in an elegant navy-blue colored suit, smart dotted tie and had a pair of nerd glasses on. “Oh boy! What’s the time?” I asked with every sense of consciousness and tension. As the thoughts of what to say from the podium for my final year defence flew into my mind, my squeezed face on its own accord and that rapidly straightened. It was my final year project defence. Sorry it was that bad. In just three steps I was already on my suit, ready and good to go. We dashed out.

We got there by 10:30AM for a defence scheduled to start by 9AM. Fortunately for me, my name had not been mentioned. With heavy drops of salty fluid from my body I was trying to adjust and as it were enter character. It’s very sad and probably insane to be putting on a black coat under a solid heat from the sun all in the name to look good and impress. Unfortunately, barely 3 minutes I arrived the venue I was called up for my defence. “what!!!? As in for real? Like how?” All these came out from my mouth and I did not know. Not only that, I also did not know that I had forgotten my written project booklet. But I must still impress even if it is with a smart looking suit and a charming smile.

I walked into the massive hall to see the faces of my examiners. I stood before them and it was as if I saw the dead both small and great standing to be judged. “Akintola Delegiwa, where is your project?”. The question was directed to me. I first pinched myself and whispered “wake up dele, wake up now from this your dream.” But Alas! If there was anyone sleeping it was the security man at the back door of the hall. The question came again but this time I could boldly see the letters that formed the sentence. “Sir, can you give me time to rush back home and get all?”. This time a lady spoke in reply. Honestly, I wished I was slapped in church than the feelings I had after she spoke to me. Just three words spoiled my day, tore me apart and made me understand a reason why people commit suicide. Vehemently she said  “you’re an idiot!”. It was as if she jiggled the core of my being. What see said was common but how she said it was enough to summon my spirit from my body and it would obey. She had in her gut more than a country’s sewage. I turned to leave as I was told to, only to hear that I scored nothing for dressing because I was on a heavy red suit. Chaii! What a waste. An ordeal. Learn from it.

Written by

~ A.C. Daniel

copyright 2017.