Chislow leaned forward and closed his eyes as if lost in thought. Perhaps the memory of the things he was about to tell me was painful. I remember our school days. The gaunt looking man sitting beside me was in no way like the young exuberant youth that was transferred to my faculty during my second year. He looked and acted changed. He was a man full of remorse and regret for a wasted life.
Chislow sighed and slowly opened his eyes then blinked a couple of times and starred into no where. Slowly, soberly and with a sense of urgency and purpose, he continued his story…

Chislow talked with Lajoe boy for a while at the senate building. They talked of old times; they talked about secondary school days. How Chislow became a prefect in secondary school is a story that I will recount at an appropriate time. Chislow asked Lajoe boy to show him the way to the Faculty of Engineering.
“O boy, you mean you don’t know the way to engineering?” Lajoe boy asked.
“How will I know? I be angel who knows everything? Man, this is my first time in this school. I hope you guys are ready for me.” Chislow said.
“You! This school has seen the best rockers, movers and shakers that any university has seen. What can you do? Lajoe boy asked.
“Just get ready for me, the best is yet to come,” Chislow replied.
“You this boy. Just make sure that at the same time you also watch your GP or else it will sink into the Lagoon,” replied Lajoe boy.
“Go away my friend, all that is story. Do I look like a dullard? Even Albert Einstein can’t compete with me,” Chislow replied as he patted Lajoe boy on the back.
“You know I trust you. If you need any help, just make sure you get in touch with me,” Lajoe boy said as he gave Chislow a friendly punch on the back. He next gave Chislow directions to the Faculty of Engineering.
“What time are you supposed to be at your faculty?” Lajoe boy enquired.
“10:00 am prompt.”
“Yehh! Yekpa! Do you know the time now?”
“Yes, quarter to four.”
“You are late! Hurry up and get there!”
“Relax. Just chilax, no cause for alarm. De person wey go attend to me, hin get fire for head?”
“Ahh! Going as late as this is gingerous, no be small dangerous be dat, my guy.”
“I say no worry.”
“Okay O! If you say so. I will see you later.” Lajoe boy said as he pumped Chislow’s hand with a warm handshake took his school folder and went towards his faculty. Chislow took the file containing his documents for registration and headed towards the Faculty of Engineering.
It was quite easy for him to locate the venue for the registration process. There were (it seemed him) three million students all hanging around the place, each with two files. He made his way through the crowd of ‘JAMBITOES’ and found himself in the middle of a clearing, where a woman and a man were in the process of clearing out several stacks of files.
“Good afternoon Ma, good afternoon Sir,” Chislow greeted both of them.
The man did not bother looking up. He just continued what he was doing. The woman, on the other hand, looked at Chislow from the corner of her eyes as if she was scrutinizing a dog for sale.
“Good afternoon Sir, good afternoon Ma,” Chislow repeated his greetings.
The woman still gave him the same look, the only difference this time around is that she looked at him as if he was a cockroach. The man with her, continued putting together the files on the table, but this time around, he lifted his head up, glanced at Chislow and said,
“We have closed. Don’t disturb us.”
That wasn’t good at all. Chislow knew today was supposed to be the closing date for registration. He had to act fast.
“No problem sir. I only wanted to ask if I can help you carry files or do anything for you,” Chislow replied back with the innocence of a one day old baby.
The man stopped. The woman glanced at Chislow with suspicion, without saying a word. Chislow noticed, as the woman stood up to pick up a pen from the floor that she was heavily pregnant. He quickly dashed forward and scooped up the pen before the woman could so much as fully bend down for it.
“Aunty, here is your pen,” Chislow said as he handed over the pen to her.
With out a word, she collected her pen and continued with what she was doing. Chislow smiled to himself.
With a quizzical look on his face, the man said “Yes, help me with these files and follow me to my office.”
Chislow tucked his file under his armpit and lifted up the stack of files the man had pointed to him. He waited as the man took up another stack of files and a lunch pack, said goodbye to the lady, who he addressed as Mrs. Davidson, and then followed him.
Silently, Chislow followed, as he groaned within, under the weight of the files. They went to the senate building, using the elevator and ended up on a certain floor in a certain office which Chislow asked me not to disclose. The man went to the left side of the office where there was a fridge and dumped the files he was carrying, on it. He pointed to the floor for Chislow to drop the files he was carrying. Chislow dropped the files and said, “Don’t mention Sir,” in response to the man’s ‘thank you’ and made as if he was about to leave. At the door, with his hand on the door knob, he paused.
“Excuse me sir, will there be any more registration again?”
“Haven’t you registered?”
“No sir.”
“What have you been doing since last week?”
“I am sorry sir, but WAEC did not release my maths result until yesterday.”
“So, why didn’t you register today?”
Before Chislow could think of the next lie to tell the man, the door opened and Mrs. Davidson poked her head in and said something in Yoruba to the man, who smiled and replied in Yoruba. The man’s reply made Mrs. Davidson laugh profusely like an elephant trying hard not to belch.
I am sure this woman will give birth to twins Chislow thought as Mrs. Davidson came into the office. I wonder how she made it here so fast Chislow wondered. He was glad when the conversation between Mrs. Davidson and the man came an end and she closed the door and left. She did not even behave as if she had seen Chislow in the office.
“So, why didn’t you register today?” the man repeated the question.
“I had to help my neighbour to take my mother to the hospital. She gave birth to twins early this morning,” Chislow replied.
At this reply, the man broke into a smile. “What did she get?” he asked.
“One boy one girl sir,” Chislow replied.
“Congrats. See me tomorrow.”
“Thank You Sir! Good bye Sir!”
With that, Chislow left the office of ‘the man’ and whistled a tune from a song he heard on the radio recently. He was through with Unilag for today. It was time to go home.

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