J ust as I slowly stood up, I
could see over a hundred
eyes boring holes on my body.
I tried not to turn my head,
because my mind could go
blank if my eyes meet with
any lady in class. I cursed the
devil silently who had
succeeded in putting me in
such situation.
"will you answer my question
or get out of this class" Dr.
Mike barked when I didn't say
anything after a while of
standing
"erm.........erm.........." I
stammered
"actually.......... I..........I"
That was the last words I could
remember saying. I knew I was
still speaking, but could not
remember what I was saying,
because my mind was far from
what I was saying. All my
attention was focused on the
eyes in class boring holes on
my body, especially the ladies.
I kept wondering what might
be on their minds as they
stared at me. could they be
thinking bad of me. could they
be saying I'm not smart
enough to be in this class. All
these and other thought
occupied my mind.
It was when I heard a big
round of applause from the
class that I realized I had
answered the question. I
focused my attention back on
the lecturer standing in my
front. He observed me for a
while before speaking.
"so you knew the answer all
this while and you didn't
answer" he said
I kept mute
"why did you wait until I point
you before you answered the
question?" he asked
I remained mute
"Anyway, I will pardon you
this time, because I like the
way you answered the
question. you gave a detailed
explanation just the way I
want it. what's your name?"
he asked
"Christian" I answered sharply.
"okay Christian. Once you
know the answer to a
question, don't wait until you
are called before you answer
the question. is that clear?"
I nodded in affirmation
"good" he said
"you can have your seat now"
I sat down immediately and let
out a hot breath which I didn't
know I was holding all this
while.
Dr. Mike walked back to the
podium and continued with
the lecture. All other questions
he asked were answered by
other students without delay.
The class went on smoothly
and he joked from time to
time which made us laughed
out loud. I later found Dr. Mike
to be an interesting lecturer.
After lectures for that day, I
quickly rushed to the school
restuarant to have lunch
before I collapse. it's as if the
few words I said in class had
drained all my energy. I didn't
even allow my food to be
placed on my table before I
started devouring it.
After a while of eating, I heard
someone screaming my name
from behind. my heart missed
a beat when I realized it was
the voice of a lady. I slowly
turned to see a lady standing
at the entrance with smiles on
her face. she must be my
coursemate for her to know
my name. she must have
heard it when I mentioned it
to Dr. Mike. she started
walking towards me. my
heartbeat kept increasing in
geometric progression with
every step she took. she got to
me and sat opposite me.
"hi Christian" she said smiling
I couldn't say anything. I
couldn't even stare at her. I
just kept staring at my food on
the table.
" hello" she stressed the word
when I didn't respond.
I waved at her and said "hi" in
a whisper. I was sure she
didn't hear that, because it
was not audible enough for
her to hear.
She observed me for a while.
"Christian are you okay?" she
asked
"yes" i responded sharply
"okay, i just want to thank you
for answering Dr. Mike's
question in class today. you
are our saviour. who knows
how many students he would
have sent out of his class if
not for you. I'm very sure I
would have been among those
that would be sent out because
I had no idea of the answer.
you did really well. by the
way, I'm Joy." she said
I didn't respond. I just kept
staring into air.
"are you sure you are okay?"
she asked
"I........ I.......... I want to go
home. I feel dizzy" I said
She quickly stood up from her
seat and sat closer to me. she
placed her hand on my
forehead.
"Are you sick?" she asked
Her closeness made me more
uncomfortable.
"I'm not sick. I'm just tired. I
need to rest." I answered.
"okay you can start leaving.
make sure you take care of
yourself" she said feeling
concerned.
I stood up immediately and
was about heading for the
door.
"wait" she said walking
towards me
"let me have your number so
that I can call to check on you"
I didn't like the idea of giving
her my number. what am I
suppose to say to her when
she calls. she stretched her
phone to me and I collected it.
I typed my number and gave
her back her phone.
" okay I will call you" she said
"I hope you are coming to
school tomorrow?" she asked
I nodded in affirmation
"okay see you then"
I waved at her and left the
restuarant immediately.