Every minutes count from Fridays at Federal Gboks. very early, you either up on your own or await Gambs clarion call. "Unity House Girls come out before the count of five: one, two, three,...." Gambs voice resounded in my dream. I heard people jump off their bunks with shouts of dormies encouraging others to come out. I sat up for seconds, jump down from my up bunk, looked below, my bunky was already out. I quickly got my foot wear and ran out quickly, joined room two and stand sleep as has become the custom of the jews. Gambs finally comes. she does the screaming and goes back. "how many are yet to have their bath?" we rose our hands and she counted and gave us 5 minutes to do so. "what day is tomorrow? don't answer that. Tomorrow must be perfect. we must come among the first two. it is either first or second other than that, after lunch on Monday, do not go inside your rooms.
stay out and take a very nice position outside. make sure you submit your two buckets of water and mark your names with the water captain and before 6;30, every body must be standing by their beds for the inspectors today. i don't want to catch any body not doing their work especially sanitary workers and corridor cleaners. Mimi and Sarah make sure behind room 8 is clearly swept. Now for those who have not had heir bath, run and quickly do so, ehne, laundry workers of room 5 wait outside for me..." Gambs will go on and on and i will pray she stops even for a second to breathe not that i care if she doesn't anyway.
"stand up for prayers. for the food before us we thank you o'lord!" and we all say amen resoundingly otherwise, we will keep standing. The health prefect was on duty and Fridays breakfast has recently been changed to bread and egg-sauce with brown water that smells of smoke which we take for tea. Despite Olukoya's labor to feed us well, the kitchen women have determined that, where they work, "na dere den go shop na hin make he be workshop". After breakfast, we had to start running for assembly. Actually, we basically run for everything. for food, for labor, for games, for messages, wow. basically everybody was a runner although not as fast as Sandra Utyoh. we ran and gossiped. we were always in group. I had quickly look for any b'class girls and run with them. Actually your class members were your nuclear family although your best friend could come from any of the arms even juniors. I am by no means making reference to 'chokor' sha. Had to be clear.
On Fridays, we don't have assembly so i wanted to really enjoy my breakfast so i went with hot water flask and poured beverages and tried very hard to smuggle my bread out of the dining hall. so in class my benchie was chatting away with someone on the corridor. Mrs Agbaji came in for her English Period so that while i was busying learning the 'Th' sounding my bakie was busy sleeping. we also practiced the meows cats make. The class was filled with different versions of the sound all the while my bakie was busy sleeping while Agbaji was going through this stress. As she walked through the first row and saw Jay, she creased her face in utter disbelieve and landed a very hot knock on Jays head and shouted and she woke up with such fright and had saliva by the corners of her mouth, mumbled something that Agbaji did not clearly get and she got even more furious. "Even if you are the Governors child, i will still beat you. you say i have bald head, me agbaji," she said with a very thick Tiv accented version of the English language. Replacing the R and L all the way. Agbaji was so furious so she heard wrongly and we all had to hide our laughter. This hearing problem is not just Agbaji's peculiarity sha even Mama Fide, Mrs Adoga share in this hearing challenge. when next i visit will donate hearing aid to them.
so we proceeded to the hostel with oranges while some leave peels on the road. we had started taking fruits as a way to have balanced diet. we submitted our water and did some work in preparations for the big day. as we work each encourage their partner to do all that was required so gambs finds no fault from their sections. Those who had bunkies were washing and ironing. I was in the cub-webs department that week. so once in a while we stealthily run inside our rooms to smoke. Till today i still don't understand why we call taking of garri smoke garri. well, we also had garri cake, pkako(cabin , milk and sugar), cold water eba and spice soup, plenty jare.
"I hope there is no jew still lying on their beds by this time. Hmm! let no body make me angry today otherwise after inspection, you will all answer to me. how come no body is sweeping or clearing all these frontages, in fact, unity House Girls run out before the count of five; one, two, three, four..." we grumbled and sleepily came out. "Gambs just like plenty talk. ishh msheww" someone retorted behind me. After she was done addressing us, we went in to get our working implements. we moved our boxes and buckets of water to the box room. water is prohibited there but that is our only hiding place for if we keep it in the laundry room and meet it there after inspection, na God.
I saw how the corridor worker had angrily watched as the senior cat-walked the corridor she was still mopping and i picked my clue. The barb Wires were covered with lovely bedspreads, inner wears, towels while some Jews crucified theirs. Still wondered why we were called Jews o whereas we are all Nigerians. That should be a slang right? never mind.
"Everybody should be standing by their bed sides. if you know your nails are still untidy you had better chew them. for those jews smoking garri by now, if i get you enn. all dormitory workers, ensure your louvers are clean and the box rooms. if there is any complain from any where, walahi, you are dead...." Gambs's voice could be heard loud and clear even from purity house. Sometimes i wonder if her mouth does not ache from talking. "Bunky, get up get up" my roomie called out to her senior bunky. we all stood at alert, wore our best smiles and prayed while we greeted unhappily-cheerful. ' good-morning sir, good morning ma, good morning prefects' Gambs was just behind watching as they go round to inspect her work if you know what i mean.
Saturday comes to an end for us after film show. It depends sha. it could just be shows. If there is any club day, we prepare after decorating our corners and changing bed-sheets and chatting all the way on the days we were not quarried. They are kind of rare sha. Club days will be story for another day. Kai but Interact Club day and MSG boys was top notch sha.
