But She Was Not Suffocating

Lanre walked back into her room with her hand rubbing her forehead. She was still trying to understand how they were already in a new month when she can barely recall when the last month came to an end. She sat down on her bed. She took her phone from under her pillow where she usually kept it anytime she wants to sleep. She checked it and saw K’s text.

“Had to leave early for work. Didn’t want to disturb your beautiful sleep. Happy new month my dream woman”.

Lanre shut her eyes. She decided to check date on her phone. It was indeed a new month because it was clearly saying first. But the new month she was expecting was entirely different.

“Eno!” She called. She went back into the dinning. She asked Eno when they will be sitting for their final exam again.

“Towards this month end! And it is not final exam, you just happened to make me take up one of the first exams. I will still have exams to sit for in the university”. Eno said. Lanre faced palm herself.

“Is it NECO or WAEC?” (Exams taken to determine if a student is qualified to leave senior secondary school and further into the university).

“Aunty Lanre, are you having an issue this morning? It is WAEC-GCE I’m sitting for That is the one you registered me for, saying it’s a waste of time waiting for WAEC”. Eno said.

“Are you saying we are in November already? No! I thought we were in June before?” Lanre looked confused at the same time terrified. Eno told her that that was not the case and that they were in October and had just entered November.

“You are wrong! This is supposed to be the month of July if at all it is a new month”. Lanre argued.

Eno shook her head. She told Lanre she was off. Lanre placed her hand on her forehead. It was hot. She was beginning to run temperature.

“Eno! Eno!” She called. But she got no answer. Soon she could feel her hands trembling. A rush of blood went through her veins and then she felt chills which were accompanied by goosebumps that were so visible.

“What the hell is wrong with me?” She cried. She felt terrified. And soon everything began to disappear from her eyes. The only things she could see were shadows and blackness.

Soon she began to hear voices but she could barely make out the words being said. She tried to open her eyes, but it was as if they were glued together. She could not open them at all. And when she tried to talk, her lips could not move, for a moment, she felt like she was going to die. But she was not suffocating. She decided to stay calm.

And that was how she slipped into oblivion of her surrounding. Not knowing anything, none what was going on.

“Lanre! Lanre! Open your eyes if you are going to. Stop keeping me in suspense”. A voice reached Lanre’s ears. A frown formed on her face. She could barely open her eyes, and here someone was telling her to stop keeping him in suspense. She wanted so badly to pull her hand away from the hand that was holding her and tell him to put himself in her shoes if he thinks it was easy.