“Hey, are you not a Nigerian? Or is that you don’t know
where your mouth is again in the dark?” my cousin asked as insisted on having a
light put on in the room before I eat, “better eat now,” he continued, “because
you don’t know when power will be restored; besides your food is getting cold!”
I sat there at the dining table and watched the others ate
in the dimly lit room. Then finally my aunt arrived with a candle in her hand.
“Sorry Josh,” she said, “your uncle seems to be having some little trouble
starting our generator set. Let’s hope power will be restored before it gets
darker than this, but meanwhile let’s still manage the candle light.”She looked
at my plate and observed that my food was still the way it was, then she asked,
“But why are you not eating? You don’t like it?”
“Don’t mind Joshua mum,” my cousin retorted as he made some annoying
sounds as his eating spoon made contacts with the ceramic plate. “He likes
forming a lot, as if he isn’t the same Josh that left home for school less than
four months ago.”
But all the while, I was mute. The dining table was now fairly
lit and I could clearly see every thing that was on the table. So I picked up the
spoon and shoved it into the bowl of the Jollof rice apportioned for me.
Gradually, my mind went back to the event that happened to me at school, I
smiled.
It was late in the evening on that faithful day; and as
usual some of the guys at my hostel went out to play football at sports center.
Later that day we returned hungry and exhausted, as usual, after taking my bath,
I brought out my cooking pot from the cupboard. I believe I was one of the
smartest dudes at the hostel. I always made sure that I had something ready for
dinner before I join others in any sporting event. So that day I had already
prepared myself some few slices of yam and fried egg. I then hurriedly dished some
for myself and put in on the table. But as I was about to settle down to eat
one of my colleagues knocked on my door. Immediately I heard his voice I hid
the plate of food under my iron bed, I was famished and wasn’t ready to share any
portion of it with anybody, besides I already knew what he had came for.
Earlier that day in class he had already pleaded to come late in the evening to
borrow one of my textbooks and I obliged – one act of generosity a day was
enough, I reasoned. I urged him to come in as I began to search for the text
book in my locker. But shortly after, the light of the hostel went off, it was
around 8:30 PM; however I was lucky enough to have spotted it some few seconds
earlier, so I picked it up and handed it to him in the dark, then he left and I
was relieved. It was my room, so navigating through it was not an issue for me since
I understood all its nooks and crannies - even in the dark!
Then I stretched out my hand under my bed and picked the
bowl and placed it back on the table. Immediately, I went to lock the door so
as not to be interrupted once again. Then with my thumb and fore finger I reached
into the bowl and picked up some fried eggs and sandwiched then between two
thin slices of yam. I took it straight into my mouth and took a heavy bite; I masticated
it heavily then swallowed, it was cold! With the other half still clenched
within my fingers I observed something hitting one of my fingers in the dark. And
at that moment, power was restored at the hostel. And alas, I saw in my hand a
half mutilated wall gecko waggling its tail within the two slices of yam I was still
holding. Instantaneously, it dropped from my hand and my heart began to beat
faster. I have devoured half of the poor animal with my bare teeth – Uncooked!
Quickly, I reached for the door, opened it and ran into the
corridor for my dear life as the memory of its lifeless carcass on the floor
was still vivid in my mind.
“Helppp!” I yelled as I bumped into several people passing
by at the corridor, “I’ve been poisoned, I’m dead!” My act was funny enough to
get the attention of those who cared. Some even ran after me into the toilet and
witness how I struggled to vomit what I had eaten. “Please help me,” I cried,
“I have eaten a wall gecko, would I die?” I asked! Some of the students
starting at me then laughed and asked me to relax. One said, “Common, it’s not
that bad, people eat Lizards in china!”
And three months down the lane, the memory still lingered,
only to be re-enforced anytime my food was served in the dark.
“Josh!” my aunt’s voice startled me from my reminiscence.
“Josh, I asked you earlier that why aren’t you eating before? You seem to have
changed a lot since you got admitted into the university. Tell me, what really
is the matter?”
I looked at her and smiled, and then I began my story.
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