Vicky went back to class afterward. But, she felt so confused because Annie had already left campus and she had no one to talk with about what was going on.
When it reached noon and the professor had concluded his lesson, she remained sitting on her bench, staring bluntly at the stage.
Emeka’s voice coming next to her, was the only thing that drew Vicky from her thoughts.
“Aren’t you going for lunch?” he asked.
She turned to him. “Hey. Amh, I don’t feel like taking anything. I think that, I’ll go to the store and return back at 3 for the next class.”
“You should take something.” He suggested and rose from his bench, carrying his clear-bag. “Let us walk out together. There’s a booth that sells great food just outside the gate.”
She took some time to make up her mind and then packed her stuff in her bag, ready to go.
They strolled silently out of the lecture hall to where the booth was. A lot of students surrounded the booth, eating with their bare hands or calling for their order.
Vicky stared at the scramble. She noticed then that, there were a lot of people in that school. Back in Africa, she could know the names of at least everyone within the campus but here, it was like, every day, there were newcomers.
“What can I get you?” he asked.
“Maybe a hamburger. Thank you.”
“Okay.” He said and joined the small commotion.
A few minutes later, the two were walking silently along a quiet craggy path that stretched around the campus to the dormitories. Students and teachers moved here and there making the ground quite live.
“So, what’s bothering you?” Emeka asked after an almost prevailing silence.
“Do you believe in God, Emeka?” she asked, twisting her head to face him.
The question got him a bit off guard. “Yeah. Why?”
“Do you also believe that, he can give you an objective to pray or to worry about someone who you don’t even know very well?”
He nodded. “Yeah. That is possible. In fact, we ought to pray for everyone.”
“I know that but, this case is different. In this case, it’s particularly one person and I think that, I am failing. I do not know what to do.”
Emeka took some time in silence, finding words to advise her.
She sighed. “Everything is going wrong. I don’t understand God’s message or at least, if there is even a message. Maybe it is my instincts that are guiding me.”
“But, what does the Bible say? I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go. I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Psalm 32:8. Have you taken advantage of an opportunity to ask God for directions?”
“Yes. I do that a lot of times.”
“Then there must have been something that God told you. Work on it. Vicky, do not do anything humanly possible, ask God. Ask God for instructions regarding your matter, be it small or great.” He said and added, “I will also pray for you. Will you come to the fellowship tomorrow night?”
“Yes. It’s also my turn to lead the praise.”
“So, that’s it then. Take the opportunity to ask God.”
She nodded. “You are right. There’s also this word that says in Isaiah 48:17 that, I am the LORD your GOD who teaches you to profit who leads you in the way you should go. Now I understand that, God means each and every clause of the word. He should lead me in the way I should go, not my emotions or my instincts or people.”
He smiled. “Good.” He said and looking around, spotted an empty rock bench at some meters off the path. “Can we go there and pray?”
She glanced at where he pointed at. “Alright.” She nodded and they began straying from the path.
“You know one thing about praying, value any moment you get to do so because, you do not know whether at that time, God will encounter you and or will heal you.” he said.
She nodded in support. She had never reasoned that way before. “Yes. You are very right.”
They came to the bench and sat facing each other.
“So,” he begun. “We are going to ask God to teach us and instruct us and lead us in the way we should go.”
She nodded and shut her eyes.
He led the prayers which also encouraged Vicky a lot.
#
Some miles away, Wayne limped to Mr. Hurts’ office; a stern black professor who was also one of the hardest men Wayne had known to exist within Ortegun.
With Linda gone, Wayne had a hard time requesting for leave to see his mother. After a difficult process in the secretary’s office, he turned into Mr. Hurt’s office.
“Good afternoon sir?” Wayne greeted, standing in front of Mr. Hurts’ desk.
The man turned to Wayne from a file in his hands. “Just the man I wanted. Here are with me all the assignments of class 100, where is your group’s, Mr. Harts?”
Wayne sighed. “Forgive me sir. I have come to ask you that we may delay to submit the work. I received a call from home that my mother is in a very bad condition.” He begun and placed the paper on the professor’s desk. “Please, may I leave to see her?”
The man frowned. “What is wrong with your class? You think that, you can give excuses just to leave campus and avoid responsibilities?” he bawled. “I already signed a Leave for Miss Earl and that was only because Professor Earl asked for it.” He said that and pushed the paper off his table. “Bring me your group’s work in thirty minutes or prepare for Supplementary.”
Wayne glanced at the gate-pass on the floor, feeling very bad. “Sorry sir but, my mom is very sick.” He added, pleading to him.
“Submit your work first and I might consider you.” Professor Hurts replied, focusing on the assignments on his desk.
Wayne sighed and picked up his paper, about to leave.
“I see here that your group is also the first one to present a case.” Mr. Hurts added, catching Wayne’s attention.
Wayne did not know that. “We are?”
“So there, you have got a lot of work. Bring those documents quickly.”
Wayne sighed again and left with devastation.
#
He could not get the work done in thirty minutes like the professor demanded but, he submitted it in his office later that evening.
Mr. Hurts scheduled his group to present on Friday of that same week so, Wayne had no choice but to remain in Ortegun. Throughout that time, he did not cross paths with Vicky especially because he could not lead the jog team because of his leg injury.
He still suffered terrible nights and consequently more horrible days. He constantly avoided to face the uncertainty of his mother’s condition. He thought that, she died and he did not want to reach home to confirm that. Whenever his father called, he shut his phone. Apart from drinking and smoking, he worked on his group case. The same group did not care about anything but, he disregarded that.
On Friday, he stood alone in front of the class, unlucky for him, Gregory (the other serious person in their group) was sick and could not make it.
Mike and Posh were around but, they were too afraid to stand in front of the class.
“You’re on your own?” Mr. Hurts asked, sitting on the front seats along with the rest of the class.
Wayne sighed and nodded.
“Where are the others?” The professor asked.
“Annie is out of town, Greg is sick and so are the rest.”
“So, are you a defense attorney or a prosecutor?” Mr. Hurts asked, deciding to overlook Wayne’s excuses.
“Prosecutor.”
“And who will defend the poor mouse in that cubicle?” Mr. Hurts asked, throwing a glance at a cube on the table with an isolated rodent.
“Amh. The class?” Wayne replied, wondering if that would be the right answer.
Mr. Hurts laughed cynically. “Mr. Harts you are obviously not serious with your work. Give me a jury.”
Wayne gulped with fright but, at that time he did not care what happened to him any longer. “You.”
Mr. Hurts perused on the group file in his hand, maybe he did not hear Wayne’s answer as the class laughed. “So, what is your accusation?”
“Its color.” Wayne replied.
Mr. Hurts raised his eyebrows at him. “Why’s that?”
“It’s brown. It should be white, right?”
The class broke into a laughter.
Mr. Hurts chuckled too. “Alright. Get on with it.”
Wayne took in a deep breath and begun, first, eulogizing the creature in front of the class and then, accuse it for being born brown.
5 minutes while he was still speaking, some of the students begun yawning while others were murmuring about their own stuff.
15 minutes later, Wayne concluded his case with more than half of the class, being occupied with their own business.
Mr. Hurts himself was staring anxiously at his wrist watch. “Time is over Mr. Harts.” He announced.
Wayne sighed. “I’m done.” He said, picking up his mouse cubicle.
Mr. Hurts turned to the rest of the class. “Anyone willing to defend the mouse?”
There was silence. In fact, they were hardly aware of what was going on.
Mr. Hurts turned to Wayne. “Get back to your seat.”
Wayne nodded and left the stage.
He spent the night in the club but, without his friends. Saturday morning Wayne went back to Mr. Hurts’ office to ask for the leave only to find that he had flanked more than 10 points in his course work.
“How?” he asked Mr. Hurts, after receiving his grades.
“You’re also the last in your class.” Mr. Hurts informed, as if he was pleased with it.
Wayne sighed. “Can I go home?”
“No. Not after that awful report. I will not support this stupidity.”
“My mom is dying professor and for all I know, she is already dead.”
The professor sighed, rubbing his chin in thoughts. Maybe he wanted to believe Wayne. “Don’t you have a phone?”
“It’s my mother sir.” Wayne retorted, sounding very emotional.
“Okay.” He agreed, finally. “But, bear in mind that, you will be putting your future at risk if you are not back and rectify this nonsense piece of work.”
Wayne was silent he did not want to curse him at that moment.
“Where’s your leave?” Mr. Hurts asked, extending his hand with his pen to the end of the desk.
Wayne felt his pockets for the gate-pass and took out his phone and identity card. “Where is it?” he wondered out loud. “I kept it…. Aaw.” He sighed. “I left it with my friend.” He said, referring to Mike. Wayne slept at Mike’s place two nights back, in preparation for the Friday presentation and, Mike took Wayne's stuff for his own amusement.
“Oh great. So, your ticket to see your dying mother is with the other dude?” Mr. Hurts asked, mockingly.
Wayne tried not to express his offense and said. “I’ll just call him or get it myself.”
“Make that outside my office and quick because, it is a half day and I’ll be leaving at noon.”
This is so unfair. Wayne thought. “Sir, please? Bear with me now, for a mother.”
“Astrophe, if you realized that, maybe you would have brought the gate pass.”
Wayne sighed and left the room, emerging into the lobby which was also partially crowded with people moving here and there.
He tapped the dial pad on his shattered phone and placed it against his ear.
The call kept ringing without being received.
He tried again. “Damn this guy is high again!” he cursed, rubbing his brown hair back in anxiety.
The call was not received.
“I hate this!” he shouted and lowered the phone.
Before he could retry, the screen flickered into Chris’ name and begun buzzing in Wayne’s hand.
Wayne gulped.
What happened? He asked himself.
He had not talked to his brother for over two years and his calling meant that something wrong happened to their mother.
He watched the screen blink off and sighed, leaning back on the door of Mr. Hurts’ office.
He knew then that, there was no need to go to Ohio any longer. It was obvious that, his mother was dead. He never went to see her. She must have died cursing him.
It was over. His life was full of terrible disaster.
End of PART I of this story.
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