There is no word to describe Thursday. It was a roller coaster
of activities. The day didn’t even start like any normal day. I didn’t go for
devotion because my eye was still hurting and I couldn’t open it, so I spent
more time in bed. Only to be awaken by the voice of Nnamdi yelling my name. He
said he wanted my crested vest so I stood up to give it to him. Thursday was
the day the Batch A corp members of 2015/2016 set passed out. So everywhere was
abuzz with activity. They all stomped out in their Khakis rather late as usual
to converge at the NYSC secretariat in GRA llorin.
So we waited for them to return and the lodge was awfully
quiet. There is this tradition we have at the lodge where we pour water on
those passing out that is after we take their certificates, while we waited we
filled up buckets with water and used it to block the entrance to the lodge.
Slowly they came back and we judiciously bathed them with water. Each and every
person that came through the gates and was a batch A corp member we gave a
water baptism.
That part was fun. Godswill tried to run away from his but we
managed to corner him.
As the day went by the time for the hangout drew closer and
tensions were rising. Nimi had gone to the market for the things we needed
while fellowship was going on. On Thursdays we have our weekly fellowship and
this last one was more of a thanksgiving service for the Batch A fellas.
Godswill the chairman of the hangout
committee had gone to get the drinks, fruits and cake for the hangout while I
tried to tighten the program with Koch, we managed to set some questions for a
section and play about for a while. Then disaster struck. From nowhere rain
started to fall and I have to say it was not a drizzle or light shower, it was
a full blown rain fall. We had to push the time the program started. At a point
after running around to arrange chairs in the hall and rouse Churchill to turn
on the generator I noticed that Godswill was missing. I found him hiding
although he still insists he wasn’t hiding I believe he was. With much ado the
program started around 10 pm and I have to say it was a lot of fun, we ended at
about 2 am. The menu was dope!!! Firstly we had small chops, then Pepper Soup
and then white rice with curry sauce followed by Ice cream and cake. Then it
was topped up by some fruit. I just have
to say regardless of the hiccups we faced the program went smoothly and the
best part of it was that people turned up.
On Friday I woke up and trudged my way to my room and saw
that all the guest we had the previous night had returned to their houses. It
was time for some general cleaning because we were expecting some of the
Alumnus of the house for the reunion weekend. I was to clean my room and I also
had a meeting with some members of another committee I was also on. The
committee was for the send forth. Then something came up and this was something
that would hound me for as long as I don’t know. The previous day one of the
Alumnus had gotten into Ilorin and this particular person had called me few
weeks before the program to inquire as to what arrangements had been put in
place for those coming. I had done my best to inform him on something I wasn’t
very sure of.
So when he came I felt it was my utmost duty to make sure he
was very comfortable, but because I live with people who for the life of me I
really don’t understand and will never understand, they saw all of this as
unnecessary.
I had offered to help him get credit on Friday morning, if
only I had known that people can be really dense a lot of times (I know this
but I like to forget and be hopeful that people would grow some sense) I would
just have ignored the person I felt responsible for like every other person and
gone to do something that could be handled by other people. Well I didn’t I am
not like everybody (huge tragic flaw).
When I returned I cleaned thoroughly to the best of my tiny
ability, made some inputs in my committee blah blah blah and went to sleep only
to wake up like four hours later.
Did some laundry and went to get some food. While I ate I put
a movie on; 42 it’s about the first
black baseball played in an all-white team; Jackie Robinson. I decided to just
read up on him before I continued the movie and as coincidence would have it,
Friday was also the same day as Jackie Robinson day.
We had another program
that evening to mark the beginning of the anniversary, so I had to pause my
movie to attend the program. Then we dispersed for the night. Jennifer had gone
to the market earlier so she was feeling the toils of the market. Somebody also
celebrated her birthday that night; Maggie and we had more cake and drinks.
Went to bed and that was the end of the day for me. Or so I
thought…
Nkem Oyaghire
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