Mr. Sign

                         Mr. sign:

  “Darkness again,” said Joshua while stretching himself. This man has forgotten to put on the generator again but why is it so dark this in the morning these days?

  He reached out for his touch but it wasn’t there. He was sure that he kept the touch under his pillow, before he slept off.

  God, let it not be that someone took that touch.

  Coming down from his bed, he looked at his bunk mate but he was snoring like a pig. Suddenly, he remembered his phone.

  “Ahh, my phone, I didn’t unplug it yesterday.” He said and walked to the next bunk for the phone but the charger wasn’t there any longer, only the phone. Those series of ugly event almost spoilt his morning.

  They were eight occupants in the room. A spacious room, with milky coloured tiles. It has a wall built in form of a wardrobe demarcating it into two; inner corner and outer corner as most students often called it. Four people stay in the outer corner and four at the inner corner, double bunk each with a space in between them for passage.

  Joshua took his phone and sat down facing his reading table. He often read every morning, after waking up, taking a cup of water with a spoonful of honey and saying his prayers but now he was lost in thought.

  Staying in this school hostel has done him more harm than good. His Chelsea jersey, the one he loved most was stolen yesterday, his roommates took his things without permission. For God’s sake, he needed privacy but he needed a sign. A sign that will convince her so spiritual mother that God wanted him to stay off camp. Living in the xschool hostel for a year should be enough.

  “Josh man. How far?” Peter said as he was coming out of the lecture hall and saw Joshua.

  “I’m good bro.” He put on a fake smile.

  “You are late again today. What’s the issue with you man, hope all is well?

   Joshua nodded

  “Lets go outside and sit down. The lecturer isn’t here yet. We are blocking the path”

  Catherine, their course mate walked passed them and greeted. They had adjust for her to pass since they stood at the threshold of the door.

  “Bro, seriously all isn’t well. Sorry I had to do as if it is.” Joshua said looking down.

  “I knew something was wrong, although you tried hiding it. Now tell me, what’s that?”

  Joshua went quiet for a moment. “I need a sign “

  “A sign for what, this old man?” He chucked

  “A sign that I shouldn’t stay at that fucking hostel again. I’m just tired of everything. This morning, I had to wait for three people on queue before I can take my bathe and ……”He sighed.

  “Mr. Man, calm down. Allow me to swallow it bit by bit before it chokes me. Firstly, why would you need a sign just to leave the hostel. I thought staying off camp only requires paying for the rent and getting a room mate if necessary.”

  “Yes, you are right but in my case. It’s different”

  “Why?”

  “Emm, my mother believes that I’m more safe in the school hostel than staying off camp unless God wants me to leave. And a sign, is the way out.”

  “What type of sign?

  “Spiritual physical sign, I guess.”

  “Hmmm, anyway I wish you good luck with the sign but the bathroom waiting stuff isn’t an excuse for you to be frequently late in school” He said looking back.

  Catherine called him, “the lecturer is in class.” She whispered over the window.

  “Come, let’s go attend the lecture”

  “Story for another day, Pet.”

  “You are funny Josh. No, Mr. Sign.”

  Joshua went home that day, looking for a sign. Is he supposed to be angry or frustrated that his best friend now nicknamed him Mr. sign just because he opened up to him. Either way, it’s a negative feeling.

  He laid on his bed and a thought came to him. This would be a good sign. He stood up from his bed, smiles bathed his face and walked out of the room. His roommates wondered what put him in a happy mood instantly.

  Standing at the corridor, he said a prayer in his heart. 'God if it rains this evening, I’ll take it as a sign that you want me to leave the hostel.’

  That evening, it rained heavily but he knew he cheated. It has been raining everyday since that week and goggle showed that it would rain too.

  He called Peter at night and told him about the rain sign.

“Anyway, you already know that that wasn’t a good sign, Mr. Sign.” He teased. “Find something that will rarely happen and if I’d happen. Then, that’s your sign.” He said before they hung up.

  Joshua was asleep when his phone rang. He slept early because his bunk mate was making unnecessary argument with his friend that visited, another was playing music with the speaker at its highest volume. More reasons for him to leave the hostel.

  “Mum, good evening.” He said while yawning

  “Sorry my dear. I guess I woke you from sleep.”

  “Yes mum.”

  “There’s something I want to tell you.” She paused and continued. “I had a dream about you with your blood strew on the floor. I don’t know exactly what happened but I think you engaged in a fight with your roommate. Please dear, make sure that you don’t have any issue with anyone. Also, I’m thinking about you leaving the hostel, though it’s still under probability.”

  Sleep eluded his eye when he heard the last sentence. “Thanks mum, I love you so much.”

  The next day, Joshua told Peter about the good news. They made merry about it and parted ways after lectures. And, the word probability has a way of favouring the unfavoured option.

  Three days later, Joshua called his mother to know her stand about staying off camp but her words broke his heart. “My dear,” She said gently. “Stay at the hostel for the next level. After then, we will think about it.”

   He is in 200 level now, that means staying till the end of his third year. That’s not possible. He hoped a sign related to blood may come. Maybe, that would change her mother’s heart. Since it would be related to her dream and Voilà, it happened.

  One evening, two of his roommates were having a friendly argument about Messi and Ronaldo, who was better. They were best friends, one in final year and the other in third year. He got fed up by their shouting and went downstairs to do the dishes.

When, he came up. People clustered in front of their room. What was wrong, he wondered. And on entering his room, there was blood everywhere. The argument later lead to a gruesome fight.

“They have rushed Kingsley to the school medical,” one person said.

  At first he was confused. Secondly, he was happy and finally, he was sad because he was happy. Anyway, he’d seen the sign he was looking for.

  Shortly, his mum called. This time, she wanted him to leave that fighting den latest before next week. He wondered how she knew. Maybe, his cousin Stephen told her what happened.

  “Congratulations, Mr. Sign.” Peter said when he visited his room off campus.