Not All That Trifle

He sat there mopping for about twenty minutes or more. He has found out that what he is going through is not unique to him alone for he has discussed it with some of his course mates and few of them acknowledged passing through such an experience too.

He marvels at times at some phenomenon some people pass through without paying adequate attention to it. Is there anything like a readers block? at least he knows of writers but readers? Ha, he has not heard that one being discussed or written about anywhere. Yet, that is what he has noticed is becoming what he experiences any time he wants to read his book in the night.

He could not say he is one of those people who like reading books and by books, he meant classroom works, not novels or email newsletters or anything of such nature, he never for once rated those as books or reading. He found they were the ones that attract him, not the other way around. But in classroom work, he found it extra hard to concentrate at any time. But he found out that following the advice of a lecturer in fine and applied arts departments, a man from their town who helped in registering him when he first got admission to the institution, made his work and stay in the institution easier. The man had been talking with another lecturer who engaged him on the issue of the youths of that era and their attitude to school work but was indirectly talking to him too. He had said that: "once you can try to attend ninety percent of the classroom work without skipping lectures as many do and if you can afford to read each day for thirty minutes after class work, there is no way you can't pass your exams with ease"

Jude was like,. Ha!, only thirty minutes each day after school works? That is a piece of cake. He never regarded the man's utterances seriously that very day but, three years on, it had been the method that suited him and his academic ability the best.

This time around, he has automatically fallen into the normal routine that has served him well like a shoe that was custom-made for the user. Attend as many lectures as you can, read thirty minutes each day, and then wait for the exam time to burn the midnight kerosene or candle. Funny how electricity is not a trusted thing in the country. People have more hope and trust that wavers not on the moon up there than the electricity generating companies in the country raised to power ten.

He sat for more than five minutes with another instruction he overheard from another source he has forgotten. The voice had said: "each morning drink a cup of cold water for it would help to flush your system away and keep you set for the day. If you enter the loo and nothing refuses to come out, sit and tell nature: 'Look, here I am to answer your call so, let hear you' Such expressions work like magic"

He sat for a few more minutes and suddenly, he noticed he was in a good reading mood, and for one hour plus, he was at it with the three courses detailed for tomorrow morning.

But there is this tiny incident that kept intruding into his thoughts. The school management had their problems they are subtly shifting to the students. It's like they are telling the students to fight and kill themselves over desks that are supposed to be in their court, they left it in the hands of the students to solve. It is like: "If you don't have enough desk to write on, write standing up" They admitted students over what they provided sitting arrangements for and care not how they do their exams. In the two days now the exam has taken place, there had been minor squabbles, and security officials were able to dip it in the mud but watching this morning's incident, he knew that the security guys might not be able to handle it anymore next time. It seems as if some frustrated forces among the staff were indirectly behind today's incident. He can see propelling invisible hands behind today's incident if you know what to watch out for. He said his little prayers and went to bed.

Woke up around 5:30 to read for another thirty minutes according to the old format that was picked up from eavesdropping. But he can't swear this morning's reads had any impact on him. Maybe they do without his knowledge. Anything that warrants his eyeing the little table clock by his right unconsciously, he knew he wasn't concentrating. Reading is what one does with zero mind, not scattered mind.

He has his first paper around 9:30 a.m. and the remaining two around 2:45 p.m. The problem with not waiting for the time before you enter your exam hall is that you are not sure of the desks. At times, when you set and arrange the place you have an exam tomorrow morning this evening for example, and chain the door, some pick that door in the night and Carter away the desk to their hall. That had been a situation of things since he could remember exam periods in that institution.

Around 8:45, he made his way into the school compound to his exam hall, he was surprised to see that the hall had only eighty percent of the needed desks. He sighed loudly, asked a few questions of those around on what happened to all the desk.

" Some people came to carter the desks away claiming it had their department logos on them and there was little dragging and cursing that resulted in some of the desks breaking and security department got involved. Some guys are still with them there talking and they are threatening postponement of our papers"

"That is part I don't want to hear. Any paper deferred doesn't usually end well for me" thought Jude. He sighed loudly again. Learn his body on the rail in the passageway skimming his book, on the same Comparative economics he is no longer sure of for the day. When he tore his eyes from the notebook and eyed his watch, it was twenty to ten. He sighed loudly again eyeing the direction of school administrative blocks.