FALLING FOR MY MISTAKE

THE FRESHER The aroma of fried plantain filled Lena's home. It was Sunday evening, a week before resumption, and the small dining table was full. Her mother had made her favorite, fried rice and plantain with chicken. But Lena sat at the dining table with her family, pushing rice around her plate because she was too excited to eat. Her spoon kept moving the rice from one side of the plate to the other. Her mind was not in the house at all. "Mum, Dad, next week is college!" Lena said suddenly, her eyes shining. "I can't wait to experience college life. I can't believe I am finally going." Her father looked up from his plate and smiled. He dropped his spoon slowly. "Are you ready?" he asked. "College is not easy. It is no longer a child's life. No one will wake you up for lectures. No one will force you to read. Everything is on you now." "I am very ready, Dad. Very ready," Lena replied quickly. She was almost bouncing on her chair. "I have been waiting for this since I finished high school." Her mother laughed softly from across the table. "You are not even a social person," her mother said teasingly. "How will you make friends on a big campus? You stay in your room always. College is full of different people." Lena just shrugged, but she was still smiling. She knew her mother was right. She was not the most social person. She preferred staying indoors, reading, or being on her phone. But in her mind, she was already imagining something different. She was imagining large lecture halls, students carrying backpacks, hostels full of girls talking, and freedom. She imagined herself walking confidently around campus, making friends easily. "Don't worry, Mum. I will try," she said. After dinner, her father cleared his throat and took out his phone. "Let me call your aunt," he said. "You need to be settled before clearance starts." He called Mrs. Rolake, his younger sister, who was a lecturer on the same campus where Lena had gotten admission. It was already arranged that Lena would be staying in her staff quarters for the first few weeks until she got a proper hostel. It was safer that way, and her parents were more comfortable with it. Lena listened as her father spoke to her aunt on the phone, confirming that she would be coming over that weekend to prepare for clearance on Monday. When the call ended, her father looked at her. "Your aunt said you should come on Saturday. So you have time to rest on Sunday before clearance on Monday. Pack your things well. Do not forget any of your files." Lena nodded and ran to her room. She was too excited to sleep. She brought out her big file where she had arranged all her college documents. She checked everything inside, closed it, and kept it beside her bed so she would not forget it in the morning. MONDAY MORNING Lena woke up by 5 a.m. She did not need an alarm. Her eyes just opened. For a few seconds, she lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling of her aunt's staff quarters. Then it hit her, today was clearance day. Her first official day as a college student. She jumped out of bed immediately. She arranged her bag, checked her files again to be sure everything was complete, and got dressed. She ironed her simple white dress, packed her water bottle, and wore her comfortable sandals. She wanted to look like a serious fresher. Her aunt knocked on her door around 6 a.m. "Lena! Are you ready? If you miss your departmental clearance, I will not be the one to beg your HOD! Your Head of Department does not like latecomers." "I am ready, ma!" Lena answered, dragging her bag. They left the staff quarters early. The morning was still cool, but the road to the campus was already busy. Cars, students dragging boxes and suitcases. By the time they arrived at the campus around 7:30 a.m., Lena understood why her aunt had woken her up so early. Everywhere was crowded. Freshers were everywhere, carrying heavy boxes and files, trying to find their departments and settling into their hostels. Some were with their parents, some were alone and looking confused. Some were already sweating even though the sun was not fully out. Returning students walked past them casually, chatting and acting nonchalant because they were already used to college life. They walked like they owned the campus. Lena watched them with admiration. For a moment, fear gripped her. A real, cold fear. I don't know how to make friends. I am not a social person. How will I survive here? There are so many people. What if I don't find my way? What if I get lost? Her hands started to sweat. The crowd, the noise, the large building, everything suddenly felt too big. But then she looked up. She looked at the large faculty building in front of her. Bold letters were painted on the wall: "WELCOME FRESHERS." She read it again. Welcome Freshers. She was a fresher. She was finally in college. This was what she had prayed for, what she had waited for. All the entrance exam stress, all the sleepless nights reading, it was for that moment. Her fear slowly turned into happiness. A small smile started on her face, then a bigger one. She held her file tighter and took a deep breath. She was finally in college. And she was ready for whatever would come next, the long queues, the signatures, the new friends she would make, and maybe even the boy she would meet tomorrow in class. By the time they got to the school, the administrative block was already full. It was only seven o'clock, but students were everywhere. Some were sitting on the floor, some were standing in long queues, some were arguing with officials. The sun was not even out fully, but Lena was already sweating. Her aunt, who was a staff member in the school, held her hand and led her through the crowd. That was the only advantage she had. While other freshers were struggling to find where to go, her aunt knew the offices. They moved from one office to another. In one office, they told her that her passport photograph was not clear enough. She had to go and reprint it outside the school gate. In another office, they told her to go and photocopy her admission letter again. Her legs were hurting. She was tired and hungry, but she could not stop. Everyone around her was going through the same thing. Some girls were already complaining, some boys were already making friends while waiting in the queue. By eleven o'clock, she was finally done with the main clearance. Her file had been signed in almost all the offices. She had only one signature left, and that was from her department. When she got to her department, the office was locked. A notice on the door said the Head of Department was at a meeting and would be back by one o'clock. Lena sighed. She had been standing since morning for nothing. Her aunt looked at her and said, "Let's go and eat. You have not eaten anything since morning. When we come back, she will be around." Lena followed her aunt to the school cafeteria for lunch. Just entering the cafeteria took another kind of boldness. The place was packed. Students were everywhere, chatting loudly, eating, laughing, and even playing music from their speakers. The noise was overwhelming. Lena paused at the entrance. She immediately remembered her secondary school. In her secondary school, this kind of noise in the dining hall would have gotten everyone punished. The teachers would have walked in and made everyone kneel down. But here, nobody cared. This was a different world entirely. No uniform. No one controlled the noise. Just freedom. She was now a university student. She and her aunt found a small table in the corner and ordered food. Rice and chicken. Lena was so hungry that she started eating fast. While they were eating, her phone started ringing. It was an unknown number. She cleaned her hand and picked it up. "Good afternoon, is this Lena?" A firm female voice asked. "This is your Head of Department." Lena almost dropped her spoon. Her Head of Department was calling her directly. She had never spoken to a university lecturer before. "Yes ma, good afternoon ma," she answered quickly, sitting up straight even though the woman could not see her. "Welcome to the department. I saw your file earlier, but I had to go for a meeting. I will sign it when you come back after lunch. Also, a w******p group chat has been created for all freshers in your department so you can all connect and get information about lectures and orientation. Make sure you join. The link is on your department portal. And be early for orientation tomorrow, eight o'clock." "Yes ma. Thank you ma." The call ended. Lena stared at her phone. Her heart was beating fast. Her Head of Department already knew her name and had her number. She had not even started lectures. Her aunt smiled when she saw her face. "Why are you scared? That is how university is. Your Head of Department is like your academic mother. She will guide you throughout your stay. You will get used to it." Lena nodded but she was still nervous. She finished her food quickly. After lunch, her aunt went back to her office and Lena walked back to the staff quarters alone. The sun was still very hot. It was still afternoon, around two o'clock. The road was quiet compared to the busy administrative block. She got inside the small flat, locked the door, and freshened up. She removed her gown, which was already dusty from the stress of the day, and changed into a loose shirt and shorts. She fell on the bed with her phone in her hand. Her body was tired, but her mind was still active. She remembered the instruction from her Head of Department and opened her department portal. She logged in and saw the link. She clicked it and joined the w******p group chat. And behold, messages were already dropping rapidly. She scrolled up and saw over a hundred unread messages. One person wrote, "Hello everyone, who else is in this department? I just joined today." Another replied, "I am here, I just finished my clearance today. It was so stressful." Another person asked, "Does anyone know where orientation will be held tomorrow?" Another person said, "Please, who has an idea about hostels? I have not gotten one." They were already talking like they had known themselves for a long time. Messages were coming every second. Stickers, long paragraphs, questions, answers. Lena just scrolled. She read everything but did not type anything. She kept wondering how they were able to talk so freely to strangers. How do you just start talking to people you have never met before? She wanted to be part of it, but she did not know what to say. She typed, "Hello everyone, I am Lena," then deleted it. She thought it sounded too boring. She typed it again and deleted it again. She dropped her phone and stared at the ceiling. The fan was making a slow noise above her. She thought about tomorrow. Orientation. Her first day in a real university class. New faces, new lecturers, new environment. She hoped that by tomorrow, she would be able to make friends. She did not want to be the quiet girl in the corner for four years. She wanted to enjoy her university life. Her phone rang again. This time it was her mom calling. She picked up immediately. "Hello mommy," she said. Her mom asked how clearance went. Lena told her everything. She told her about the crowd in the administrative block, how she had to reprint her passport, how the department office was locked, how noisy the cafeteria was, and how her Head of Department had called her directly. Her mom laughed and prayed for her. She told her to rest well and not to worry about making friends, that friendship would come naturally. After the call, Lena felt better. The room was quiet. The afternoon sun was still shining through the curtains, making the room warm. She put her phone on silent, closed her eyes, and slept off. She was exhausted from the day, but deep down, she was excited about what tomorrow would bring.