Jollof Rice

A short story with lessons to learn.

I had just finished writing Neurobiochemistry MCQ and was
walking back to the hostel.
Phew!
The MCQ was fair, but the theory which we wrote earlier in
the morning, meeehhhnnnn, it ‘ ’made sense’’ (Your guess is as
good as mine if you understand what I mean) .
I sank to my bed and with a lot of thoughts running through
my mind. I struggled with the urge to get up and check my
notes to see if my ‘’gamble’’ to write whatever came to mind
during the theory paid off or not. I eventually got off the bed
and realized that for one of the questions, I wrote close to
what was required and for the other, I went totally ‘’off-key’’ .
‘’Chai, this one is ‘strong’ , I said to myself and sighed
deeply. I moved back to the bed to resume my brooding but
at the instant of dropping on the bed, I glanced at my locker
and a smile formed on my lips. I remembered that after the
theory earlier in the day, a wonderful friend and senior
colleague had brought a package for me.
Welfare.
Yaay! At least if exam no sweet, I can always fall back to
sweet Jollof rice, a beautiful aspect of exams in the college
as welfare will always come.
So, I moved to the locker and opened it. The welfare wasn’t
from ‘’ PEPSI” , neither was it from ‘’ ITEM 7’’, but from ‘ ’ MD-
CAN’’ (Restaurants in the College)
Oh my!
I salivated in a manner Pavlov’s dog would be jealous of,
forgetting my Bch troubles for the moment.
I had not tasted any meal from MD-CAN before and I
relished the opportunity to do so for the first time. It was a
mixture of Jollof and Fried rice, crowned with a big meat
and surrounded at all sides by pieces of Dodo.
‘ ’Ho mai God! Na me be dis?
I brought it out, it had already gone cold and as a person
who ain’t a fan of cold meals decided to get it warmed. I put
it on the table, and looked for the hotplate where it should
normally be but it wasn’t there.
” Kai! Which kind wahala be this?”
I went from block to block, checking rooms where I thought
it could be. After 15 minutes of my walkabout and my
efforts to no avail, I decided to enter the room before mine
to borrow theirs but just as I looked beneath the table, I
found the hotplate lurking there. The look on my face alone
without speaking prompted the only person I met in the
room to immediately begin to defend himself, saying he had
no idea how the hotplate got there, that he had his own
hotplate bla bla bla…
”What consign me sef?’’ I shrugged.
I have ‘’kuku’’ seen what I needed and that solves the
problem. But then, it struck me that the person who
borrowed it must have made a mistake and entered E7
instead of E8. No problems, I entered my room and got
ready to warm my rice with the smile returning to my face. I
cleaned a pot, and I opened the plate to transfer the rice into
the pot.
I got a shock!
‘’Oh oh God! Not again’’ I exclaimed. ‘’These cockroaches.
Now you have gone too far. Just too far’’
I dropped the plate on the table and sank onto my bed
dejected.
I was very angry as well.
Why of all things to attack but my beloved rice? I sadly
stood up and dragged my feet to the dustbin and poured the
food away (I can’t remember if I took out the meat or not,
Maybe I did). I didn’t even save the plate. I disposed
everything off. I trudged back to the room and sat on my
bed with my hands on my chin, still annoyed. I then felt a
sensation at the base of my leg around the ankle.
Another cockroach.
This time, I must even the score. Immediately, I dusted it off
my foot and stamped my foot on it immediately. Then, I
remembered most of them had made my suitcase their
abode (even when I traveled back home last December they
even made the long trip with me). I carried the suitcase to
the open courtyard, picked the broom, determined to kill as
many as I was able to shake out of the suitcase.
Having satisfied myself and with a sweaty face, I returned
to my room, dropped the suitcase to its place and sat back
on my bed.
The hunger was biting hard (remember an angry man is a
hungry man) and then Bch thoughts returned. I sighed.
Then, from under the bunk, another cockroach came out, I
stood up still with the annoyance, to stamp my fooot on it
and kill it. But, just as I was about to stamp on it, something
crossed my mind.
These cockroaches had actually been getting on my nerves
ever since the session started, attacking my sugar and other
provisions. I even had to throw away my golden morn that
was still remaining more than half. But I didn’t complain, I
was bearing it but on that fateful Wednesday, coupled with
the Bch exam, I just couldn’t take it anymore.
I sat on my bed and watched it until it disappeared out of
sight. I began to calm down and then pondered on the
situation and the actions I took.
I thought: ‘’shebi I also sin to God almost on a daily basis’’ ,
be it consciously or unconsciously, but still that doesn’t
mean he would use His foot to stamp on me.
I learnt a lesson, that no matter how angry or hurt I may be,
I should always be ready to forgive and forget too.
God says in Hebrews 8:12 ‘’and I will forgive their
wickedness and will remember their sins no more.’’
Same should apply to you and I. Remember Jesus said,
“Seventy times seven”
But (frowns face), I hope something is done about those
cockroaches before I get back to school, because I will kill
them and it won’t be because I’m angry, but because they
are trespassing.
Shalom,
Jesus’kid.

Author's Note

You can contribute what other lessons can be learnt from the story.