Flash Story: Scholastica’s Pain!

by Gloria Ezeh

‘Sister!’

‘Sister Charity!’

‘Sister Charity!!’

‘Sister!!!’

I turned back with great force to the yelling of my name.

‘Chinwe? What is it?’ I asked. ‘Why are you screaming my name like that, what is the matter?’

‘Sister, come o!’

‘Wetin happen?’

‘Na Scholastica, your roommate o!’

‘What is wrong with her?’

‘She’s been crying since afternoon!’

‘Since when?’

‘Since afternoon!’

‘Ha! But she was fine when I left the house in the morning?’

‘Sister, come o! I don’t know what is wrong with her o! She’s been crying and shouting that she will kill herself.’

Back at the lodge, I saw that Chinwe was indeed telling the truth.

The entire corridor was saturated with the noise of Scholastica’s wailing. I’ve always known that my roommate left the oven a few minutes earlier than usual, but this one was beyond me.

‘Sco-Sco,’ I called her as I entered the room. ‘What is it? What is the matter with you?’

‘Hehehe-hihihi-hohoho,’— the wailing continued.

‘What is it na?’ I screamed.

‘Hohoho-hihihi!’

I sat down on the bed beside her. ‘Babe, what is na? Did you get any bad news from the village? Is Mama fine?’

‘Mama is fine o—Mama is fine! Just leave me alone to die!’

‘Ha, what is it then?’

‘Hihihihi-hohoho!’

‘Is it because of P-Square again? They have settled na.’

‘P-Square ko, O-Square ni!’

‘Then what is wrong with you na? Why are you soaking the only mattress we have with tears and you know there is no sun this period?’

She wanted to talk but the pain flooded through her again and her lips went wider and a great deafening noise emerged.

‘Scholastica! What is wrong with you? Do you want all the lodge mates to start running to our room?’

‘Is today o!’

‘Ehe, what happened today?’

‘Today at the market!’

‘Yes, what happened? Did someone beat you?’

‘I went and bought another tissue paper, I did not know that the one we are using before is still remaining!’