Summer Vacation Of My Childhood, The Heat Entries

Entry 3

Daybreak came and I hopped out of bed. We got changed into our floral dresses more like a uniform then we headed for the dining room.

It was packed with children. I was the eldest. The smallest child was about the height of the chair. I wonder what their parents were thinking about leaving them here. We were in line to collect our food and Stella kept yawning and yawning, oozing bad breath.

'Oh. Sorry, it's the garlic. What can I do?'

The poise that came over me was unexplainable. Breakfast was simple and as I was to take a spoon into my mouth then the hostel manager walked in with a man around my grandfather’s age. He crouched as he walked in clothed in a coverall holding a shears in his hands.

'Hey everyone. Can I get your attention?'

The whole room fell silent.

'Mr Effiong here will be your teacher to guide you on the use of shears. Well, it entails a lot not just the use of that tool. Well, let's get to eating. After 20 mins, get to work!'

And she clapped her hands striding in the same direction she came in. The old man tagged along. I hurriedly clear my plates. Breakfast cannot be missed.

We are down in the garden with shears in our hands and he looks in my direction beaming with a peculiar smile. Miss Sadia paired us into 5 and the last people to register got the slots for the first teaching. What a consideration!

She hands me a list of the members in my group and the paper reads as thus:

Halimah (T), Versailles (V), Stella (A) Rubyna (M) and Blackie (N).

Before I could ask what the initials meant, she disappeared into thin air and appeared before me were 4 children with beaming and Stella was the youngest.

I didn't opt for this. A tall black beauty stretched her hands towards mine and said, 'I'm Rubyna, you are?'

'Halimah. I'm...Halimah.' I took her hands. Versailles forcefully grabbed mine. I took Blackie's hands as her eyes wavered from time to time. And Stella did a brute British greeting. I nod.

Then we were trimming the plants after being directed on how to and they were gisting and Blackie was silent all through.

'What is that?' Versailles brought to our attention a crumpled purple paper and she threw her shears to the lawned grass and she reads without hesitation.

'Dear Beloved Zainab, it is with deepest sincerity I write to you this letter. I can...no longer stay far from you and I want us to be together for eternity my dear and I know you said "no" but you'll fall in love with me. I tell you. I know it. And from the bottom of my heart, I have no choice but to let you be with me. Come and find me at the Library at 8 pm.

Yours sincerely, Zain.'

The look on their faces tells me that we were thinking alike.

'A love letter'.

'Hormones talking.' Rubyna replied Versailles.

'A madman.' Stella said.

'It's their business.' They all looked at me and turned to say something but my sigh says it all. I want nothing to do with finding out more.

'Let's check it out. He said 8.'

'It's a crumpled letter. Let bygones be bygones.' Stella tried to convince them to do anything about it.

'Halimah, let's go. Miss Sadia says we can't go anywhere without you. Please let's go.'

And they put their arms around me and lock it with theirs and I find myself moving along the wet lawned grass and Stella does nothing but watch.

'May your desires not kill you all.'