Saturday, January 31, 2009

AND THERE WAS A FIRE

Whoosh! The week has gone in a rush and i don't know where to start except with the fire. SUNDAY EVENING;
At about nine thirty pm, came the voice of someone I've never heard before. 'Fire FIRE! Pls help.' I remember reading online before the electricity went off with no warning. My roommate was fast asleep after ingesting all the pathology she could take. I remember adrenalin rushing as i opened my room door just to check and ascertain if it wasn't my own room burning and my sigh of relief when i realized i was fire free, before beckoning to my room mate. 'Omotola! Tola wake up. There's a fire!' By this time, i was in my nightwear but i wasn't going to miss the fun so i grabbed a veil and made to go off. I think it was my haste that triggered Tola's instinct as she stood up immediately and grabbed me. Even i panicked. ' Tola,what is it now?'
'Where are you going?' she asked aggressively.
'Relax, Tola. There's a fire on F block I'm just going to see!' She was no longer listening to me but checking her face in the mirror, all ready to go out. It was later on i could laugh. For God's sake, you're in apparent danger and all you could think about is your face!!
By the time we got downstairs, I had my mouth open in shock. The flames were in the distance and Twas huge,like serpents of fire struggling incessantly to burn up the wooden block. F block is a wooden block of quarters that used to house the administrative arm of student government, as well as the clubs and the various press , but was on the verge of renovation hence it was a lucky thing that nobody inhabited the building cuz no one could have survived that fire with the way the harmattan wind picked it up. True to form, a crowd had gathered to watch the fire burn with a number of guys manning the extinguishers and the females shouting. 'OMO'[detergent], PLEASE BRING OMO! As i stood watching the dancing flames, I knew no amount of Omo would bring back this building. It was a goner.
NIGERIAN FIRE SERVICES. As we stood watching the fire burn, a number of people were already making phone calls. 'PLS What is the fire helpline.' [Jolly just come said whaat?]
'Hah, there's no fire service in this state.'
'Haba, of course there is.'
'yeah, there is. But they would not attend to you until the governor calls them.'
'HEHnhEH' 'Maybe i should call the vice chancellor, he'd call the governor.'
'No, call the provost. Better yet call both of them.'
All these conversations were going on in my vicinity but this particular night the fates had it in for F block and the phone network was terrible. The guys tried their best. One good thing that came out of it was that they learnt to use the fire extinguishers right.OR NOT! The fire would be on the left and my guy would fight the non existent flames to his right. And all of us onlookers would shout. 'Are you blind, the thing is on your right now!' Eventually, the fire people arrived with their blinding lights and headache granting sirens. They succeeded in putting out the fire sha [After it had burnt the building to the ground] and avoided it from spreading to the nearby G block.
THE GOOD AND THE UGLY; It got to a stage that many were alternately gisting, taking pictures and videos. So was i, I'm in the press and my editor kept shouting at me. 'Sola, are you getting This?' Take as many as you can get. 'Olu, A. GO On with the interview' The guy should have been in journalism, with the way he kept licking his paw and reciting to my tired ears. 'There's no news like bad news.' When my editor wasn't bugging me however, I was chatting with everyone. Fire does that to people, Here i was talking and flowing easily with people i'd normally not talk to, with each person lamenting on what the fire meant to him. I didn't think it had anything to do with me until someone shouted.'OH my God. the decoder is burnt.' and then i screamed. OH God No!No dstv. When someone suggested that the internet might be affected, i screamed louder. Just how was i supposed to survive with no entertainment. But i didn't have to worry, Didnt Y exist to entertain me?
I was taking a picture from a safe distance when he approached me.'Having fun?' he asked me and he was smiling, staring at my editor who was on Olu's nerves for botching something[ i have no idea what] cuz my heart had picked up at his arrival. i murmured something that sounded like no and he helped me adjust the camera. It was like my brain went into hibernation and I couldn't stop staring. ' Sola, this is bad! there's a fire and you're staring at boy. Get a grip jo.' 'what could have caused the fire' he mused aloud and i rounded up on him. 'There's a rumour going round about it being caused by a cigarette butt, don't you and ur crew smoke there?' And he had the audacity to laugh and say something about.'Don't turn presswoman on me.' 'Seriously, though.' i persisted 'the fire could have been caused by you people smoking in there.' He only shrugged but unluckily for us, We were standing right next to Bunmi whose mouth tends to run off with her. 'It's true Y. i know you people smoke in there.Where were you when the fire started? ' In my head, i'm thinking 'WTF! DID SHE JUST GET A DEGREE IN PRIVATE INVESTIGATION?'
'I did not cause the fire.' he answered quietly, staring at me and I believed him but Bunmi is really loud and her voice was already attracting attention. 'It's true now, all ye smokers should pay for the decoder. I swear if the internet is affected, i'm coming to meet you.' She was saying it jokingly but her voice was carrying and i could already hear whispers of 'serves you right 'upon all the lung cancer lectures .'mssheww' and echoes of abi o!' And, i exploded. I tend to do that sometimes and when i do i can't stop, so i gave a piece of my mind along the lines of. 'What is your problem? didn't you hear the boy say he didn't do it. If he decides to smoke, just how in heck does it affect you?' In retrospect i think she was dumbfounded because she kept quiet. I guess she didn't know the thing[whatever it is] going on btw myself and Y.
We didn't stay long after that. Y walked me to my room and said thank you for defending him [As if he needed any defense] but i told in in no uncertain words. 'You're going to die young if you don't quit.' He laughed at me. [I pity you! i said that righteously.] and said thanks anyway.
WEDNESDAY; I floated on air for two days until Wednesday when a professor called me a blockhead when he asked me a question and i didn't know it. There's such a thing in medical school where you never say. 'I don't know' you HAD to say something even if it was wrong. And then you'd be insulted [Along with your family, your generation] then corrected . I'd been told to expect the insults but i'm bad when insulted i tend to cry. So i just stood quietly through it all not uttering a word because i knew if i did, i'd probably burst out crying. Probably because i wasn't entertaining enough, he moved on to the next person who turned out more interesting but i couldn't laugh no matter how much i was dying to because i knew he'd jump right back on me.
ON FRIDAY; [sing song]i got a Daaate. Nope, not with Y but with a doctor, a professor , Professor Lagbaja. Okay i have a psych appointment. Nope i am not mad. I'm in psych posting and with all the hype about the absence no clinical psychologists and patients in Nigeria, the dude is employing medical students in his research {i am so getting used to being the guinea pig!}My mates are dreading it, not me. I'm scared and excited. What kind of crazy person would get excited over a psych appointment? Meeee!
'Will there be a couch, a sofa or a wooden chair? Will we get to talk about my totally fabulous life and how significant my mother lying about the tooth fairy relevant to my distrust in humans. Will he finally explain why i'm always late[African timer] and why I'm scared of relationships? I can't wait!!

8 comments:

  1. Lol....you're crazy to be excited about a psych appointment and i can assure you, you will get no answers!
    Thank God the fire didn't spread...Naija fire service...*sighs*

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  2. Wow! I hope there were no casualties in the fire sha.

    U are just like me. Naija profs can induce my 'never far from spilling' tear ducts. Psych appt ke? Is this normal? abi u don start to dey kolo small small? lol.

    Comeback and tell us all about it!

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  3. thank God no one was hurt....sorry bout the dstv o, i can just imagine, a life without entertainment? ugh!

    awwww its cute how u jumped to Y's defence..lol....so really, has the cause of the fire been revealed now?

    LOL @ 'Will there be a couch, a sofa or a wooden chair? Will we get to talk about my totally fabulous life and how significant my mother lying about the tooth fairy relevant to my distrust in humans. Will he finally explain why i'm always late[African timer] and why I'm scared of relationships? I can't wait!!

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  4. Writefreak,i'm still excited! Thanks for stopping by.Nefie; No, there were no casualities, just a bruised arm from the president(association) attempting to rescue their computer. Thanks buttercup, actually they repaired it some days later, something about guys and their football match.

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  5. WOW! Thank God that no one was injured.

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  6. Thank GOd no one was killed in the fire
    and sbout Naija fire service...........Our house was gutted by fire about a year ago, and 3 fire fighting outfilt were there. Trust them, just like you expereinced, they put out the fire so it would not spread to the neighbouring buildings. They also came without water , then asked for money to go get some 'special water' and still came back and could not do anything to salvage the situation.

    I believe things would get better in Nigeria, and I pray it would be soon.
    and as for your appointment with the 'pyshco' prof......I wish you the best o!

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