A mango in an orange tree

Kofi left the class as soon as the bell rang, avoiding the sluggish children who stood to stretch and talk to each other as they filed out of their classrooms and running down the dimly lit stairs as her vision blurred with tears. She stepped out of the academic block and unto the light drizzle of a previously stormy September evening turned nighttime pulling the hood of her sweater over her head, not just to keep her hair from getting wet and to protect herself from the cold September breeze but to hide her face as her dam of composure gradually crumbled to give way to a raging river of hot tears. The school looked enchanting that night with the dim lights which illuminated the paths leading to and fro reflecting off tiny water droplets which sat on yellow and red ixora petals as well as that of other differently colored flowers giving the illusion of shiny crystals diffracting the light into little spectrums. But Kofi didn’t notice it nor did she notice the sugar sweet smell of white roses which lingered in the air that evening. She couldn’t stop to enjoy a leisurely stroll to the hostels like the other students on this Friday night or at least listen to schools of crickets which sought to fill the then lonely path Kofi treaded with idle chatter. Her ears were filled with steam and her lead- heavy feet moved on the impulse of the chaos in her mind, nothing else mattered. She ran up the stairs of the dorm and headed for her locker where she speedily replaced her clothes with a towel round her chest and dashed for the showers. The dorms were yet to be filled with the voices of adolescent females bubbling with weekend glee and Kofi was glad, glad that none was there to see her, none to start a new chain of stories. She got into the shower turned it on letting the ice cold water surprise her as usual before the tears began to fall. The water gradually took some of the pain away like cool water hitting a hot pan, dispersing the anger like steam. Dotun said this pleasant school would be the best for her but news travels at light speed and a month into her stay Dotun was nowhere to be found. Kofi sneezed, it was time to leave the shower before she caught a cold. After drying herself with her towel she wrapped herself in it and headed to dorm. The hostels were then filled with girls who buzzed in and out of rooms, some laughing loudly while others gossiped in whispers. Most grew quieter and stepped out of her way as she walked past them others didn’t bother to look. Some who walked past whispered a new set of rumors about her to other girls. She thought by now they would have grown used to her but it didn’t surprise her either that they stayed away from her considering the news surrounding her life. She finally got to her dorm room, it grew silent when she stepped into room. They were twelve other girls in the room, six bunk beds which sat far from her bed in corner of the room. She walked past them heading for her locker while feeling the stares of a few of them. “Are you sure it’s her?”Kofi heard one of the girls ask another who whispered something into her ear when she came into the room. “Yes, Koby said it himself I was there.” The other responded with pride. Kofi stopped in her tracks for a second, curious to hear what it was she had done this time but the girls stopped talking, they didn’t think she had heard them. Eventually she kept walking until she got to her locker and began to change into her pajamas, she noticed them visibly exhale when she got to her locker along with some others who might have been listening in, waiting for her to react. “Hey! Kofi how you doing? I didn’t see you after the prep.” Her roommate Chijuo, a petite, slim girl with facial features that could pass as pretty to a few asked her in a mild soprano voice. “I left early.” Kofi replied as she put on a plain white tee before turning around to climb into her bed. “Ohh, I didn’t see you so I wanted to know if everything was alright.” Chijuo said trying to mask her disappointment with concern. A rather unimpressive performance. “Okay.” Kofi replied in a deadpan tone as she pulled her blanket over herself and laid to face the wall. “Well then, goodnight.” Chijuo said and turned to leave with a small smile. “Mhhm” Kofi replied without bothering to move her lips as she closed her eyes laying in wait for her footsteps to fade away into the background along with the rest of the noise, patiently waiting for darkness to fall on her conscious mind and send her to another reality. Maybe it would be dream-like or maybe it would be a hard squeaky chair in a pitch black room. There’s only one way to find out. To let sleep take her.