The Waiting Game

The girl next to me suddenly rests her back, unfolding her slip, and I deliberately look away, not wanting to get distracted by whatever she's doing.

"Uhm...what course are you going for?" The voice is faint, but I sense it's directed at me.

I turn my head to the left, and my eyes meet the smile of the girl next to me, the glint of her lenses making it difficult for me to see her eyes.

"I'm going for public administration, you?" She asks.

"Uhm, I'm going for journalism and media studies," I respond.

"That's cool. Let me see your slip," she says, already reaching for my paper.

"Thanks," she says, unfolding both slips. "Oh wow, 264. That's incredible!"

I smile, feeling a bit proud that she aknowledges my hard work, "Uhh, thanks."

"Can I see yours too?" I ask.

"Yeah, you can," she replies, handing me her slip.

We exchange a brief smile as I take in her scores. She did great too, with 244, and our subjects align, except she took CRS instead of economics.

"Piiiiiiiiiiiihhhh!!!"

Argh!, The piercing sound of the speaker is deafening. It quiets the hall, with only a few murmurs still audible.

"Puph puph puph!" The tapping of the microphone implies that someone is about to give a speech, not a boring one I hope.

I slightly raise my head to see a man standing at the podium, with another man standing beside him.

"Good day to you all," he speaks into the microphone as he rests his elbows on the lectern.

"Some of you might be wondering why you're here, instead of being in the exam hall, taking your exams. Am I right?"

"Yeah!" Some people respond, and others murmur in agreement.

"Well, this gathering won't take too much of your time. It's just for us to address you on the basics of this exam and also the school."

"But before I begin, I'd like to welcome you all to Imo state University, as you all refer to as IMSU."

"Please give yourselves a round of applause for making it this far."

Everyone starts clapping, and I can't resist joining in. After all, it wasn't easy to get this far, so I applaud along with the rest.

The clap dies down and the hall goes silent.

"E no easy!" (It wasn't easy!) Someone suddenly shouts, erupting laughter from the crowd, even from the speaker.

"Very true," he speaks, silencing the crowd once more.

"So, some of you must have had sleepless night worrying about the exam."

Me, for instance!

"While some of you don't even care about the exam, because you feel your parents got you covered, with this," he taps his pocket, and the hall breaks out into laughter once more.

He chuckles into the microphone, "You know what I'm talking about, right?"

"Yeeesss!!" The crowd responds, some even still laughing.

We all know what that is, It's a reference to bribery and corruption, which are all too familiar to everyone.

"I want to make it clear that bribery will no longer be tolerated in this school. So, I expect all of you to dismiss any thoughts of resorting to bribery from your minds."

"Now, I'm going to explain how this exam will be conducted."

"Each subject has 10 questions, and you'll have 1 hour to answer all of them."

Really?

The people begin to murmur and complain.

"It's too short!"

"The time should be increased!"

"Quiet, quiet!" The speaker raises his voice, and the hall falls silent once more.

"There's a reason for the time limit," he continues.

"We have a large number of students taking this exam, and let me shock you."

Shock us?, In what way?.

"11,987 people are taking part in this exam, and 1,550 of you are taking it today!"

The crowd gasps and erupts into conversations, with some people exclaiming.

"Wow, that's a lot!"

"Really!"

"Can you believe that?" the girl next to me asks.

"Surprising indeed," I reply.

"There's more," the speaker says.

Just then, the crowd quiets down, and the speaker continues,

"Unfortunately, I have some difficult news to share with you."

What news?

"We will only be accepting a minimum of 5,000 students, which means the rest of you will have to come back next year."

What da heck?, Is he serious?, I simply can't come back next year, never!, And it's not only me who thinks that way.

The crowd erupts into complaints and protests.

"Next year?"

"Why?"

"I can't come back to write the post-UTME again!"

"Not happening!"

"Dey play!"

"Sorry for the heartbreaking news. I know it's hard for all of you to accept, but that's the reality," the speaker tries to apologise.

However, no one is willing to calm down.

I flinch as I suddenly feel a tap on my shoulder, and I turn my head to see it's Chisom, accompanied by another girl.

She leans in close to talk to me, her hand still on my shoulder, but I'm too distracted by the commotion to make out what she's saying.

I try to read her lips, but only manage to make out a few words, "you understand... telling... right".

I nod anyway, even though I didn't quite catch what she was saying. She nods and pulls her hand away from my shoulder.

"I'm leaving now... class," I think she says, before walking away. Her friend turns to me and says clearly, "Exam success!" with a smile, before following Chisom.

The noise in the hall begins to subside, "Your sister?" The girl next to me asks.

I turn to face her, "No, my cousin."

"By the way, we have each other's slips," she mentions.

"Oh."

We quickly exchange our slips, making sure to hold onto our own.

"So, I'll be listing the courses that should be present here. If your course isn't listed, then you shouldn't be here," the speaker says, clearing his throat.

I hope mine is included, I don't want to go through any trouble, please Lord.

He begins, "Accounting, Anthropology, Banking and Finance, Business Administration, Journalism and Media Studies..." Thank goodness!

"Economics Development, Geography and Planning, International Relations, Marketing, Political Science, Public Administration, Social Work, Sociology and Hospitality Management, Urban and Regional Planning."

"If you didn't hear the course you applied for, please leave," he says.

I'm so happy I got to hear mine, but there's a girl standing up to leave, maybe her course wasn't listed, she's the only one!

"Okay. You'll be leaving to write your exam soon," he says.

"Also, those of you who missed their exams, probably due to late arrival, you are to wait behind."

"This exam is only for those who are scheduled for 12 o'clock."

"You will be given a card to indicate that you're supposed to be writing this exam by your scheduled time," he says. "And that card will be requested when you get to the examination hall."

"But before we begin distributing the cards, I'd like to call the attention of those who are pregnant."

Really? Who could be pregnant?

"Please, step forward."

My eyes widen in surprise as I see a lady walking forward, her stomach huge, she's really pregnant! And I'm not the only one watching her, everyone in the hall is literally staring at her.

"Okay, then. We'll begin distributing your cards," the speaker draws back our attention.

"As soon as you get yours, you are to stand up and leave through that door," he points to a door on his left, which is widely open with sunlight streaming through.

"And form a straight line, walking to the building. Am I clear?"

"Yes!" Everyone responds in unison.

I think he must be referring to the building I saw when I was outside, the one where people were lined up and walking into.

"Good luck with your exam!" he says, stepping away from the lectern.

People in the last column are already stepping out, they must have received the card the speaker was referring to.

"Phones and bags!" someone shouts, their voice coming from the side of the exit door we were told to walk through. People gather around a particular place, up at the podium. "Keep your phones and bags here!" The voice continues.

"I wonder if they would allow glasses," the girl next to me wonders, bracing herself.

I simply smile, unsure of what to tell her regarding that.

Soon, the people in the column next to ours begin standing up and leaving. They must have received their cards too.

The person distributing the cards, a man, is already approaching our column. I notice his lips moving, as if he's reciting something to himself or counting.

He's getting really close, and my nervousness is shooting up! My palms are cold, and I'm sure they're shaking badly. What if he notices it when he gets to me? Oh no!

I take a deep breath, let it out, and hold my slips tighter, trying to calm myself down.

"sss pss ss," I hear him whispering as he hands me my card.

I gently collect it and stand up. It's just a simple green square card. I make my way to the front, with a few others following behind me.

At the exit, some people climb up the podium to hand their bags to a girl standing by a table with a paper and pen. She's probably the one who told people to keep their bags there.

Good thing my mom came with me, I don't have to leave my bag with anyone but her.

As I step out, I see a lot of people around, and a long straight line ahead. That must be the line to the exam hall!

I hastily join the line on the right, clutching my card and slips tightly with my sweaty palms.

There are two lines, both really long and not moving. I'm stuck behind a girl with a simple black dress and styled edges.

I feel people joining behind me, and the line is extremely long. I'm not even close to the entrance of the building. And to make matters worse, the sun is scorching hot! But I'm not feeling the heat due to my nervousness, my palms are cold and shaky instead.

I fold my arms, staring at the girl in front of me, the best posture to hide my nervous condition.

"Omo, you know how many times I've written post-UTME here?" a male voice says behind me.

I thought it was the girl I sat with, but it seems it's someone else.

Does he mean that "this isn't the first time" he has written post-UTME here? Has he taken this exam multiple times before

"Ah, you no mean am," (you don't mean it) another voice responds.

"I mean am o. Someone will just spend transport money to come here and fail in flying colors," the first voice says.

"God forbid o! That one no be my portion," the second voice says, laughing.

"No be your portion in Jesus name, but you heard what that man said right?"

"I did."

"Out of over 11,000 people writing this exam, only 5,000 will be given admission," the first voice says, laughing again.

Could that man really have meant what he said? Only 5,000 people will gain admission? Oh Lord, please be my guide. Let me pass this exam in flying colors and also gain admission, please Lord. Thank you.

The girl in front of me suddenly moves forward, and I follow. The line seems to be moving, but slowly. At least it's moving.

"Bro, it's just to pray. Sometimes even if you get a high mark in post-UTME, you still might not gain admission. It's like someone who fails will be given admission instead," the boy behind continues.

"Bro, that's a lie," the other one responds.

"Hmph, okay o."

I just hope I gain this admission, I don't want to take another post-UTME exam.

The girl in front of me moves forward again, and this time she's walking non-stop. Both lines are moving, and I'm getting close to the entrance of the exam hall.

I gulp down my saliva and unfold my arms, placing my hands on my waist instead, and stare at the grass. Lord, please take away any spirit of nervousness in me right now, take away any form of anxiety. Let me step in there and be myself in the hall.

I still remember when times like this came. For example, during my JAMB exam, when I was in the hall, I was literally being hasty, just so I could get over with it and go home, but I still ended up with a great mark. I hope it's different this time, I hope I'm able to calm down and focus properly.

I was so lost in thought that I didn't even realize the girl in front of me was now far away, with a huge space between us. Oh Lord!

"Move na," the guy behind me taps my shoulder.

I could feel stares at me, and I couldn't maintain eye contact as I felt embarrassed for causing a holdup.

I quickly walk forward, closing the gap between me and the girl. What the hell was that? Why did I lose myself that way? That doesn't matter right now, I'm the third person on this line, and I'll be walking in soon!

There's a lady collecting the cards we were given, or rather two of them. They are checking our slips, and retrieving our cards.

"Go back, go back!"

My eyes widen, and my heart begins racing as one of them harshly hands the girl back her slip and pushes her away from the line. That's rude.

I'm now the second in line, and I'm really hoping I don't get treated that way. Oh Lord, please hear my prayer!

"Go back, move away!"

She yells at the girl in front of me. Why is she acting this way? What did they do wrong?

I take a deep breath and step forward as it's now my turn. I hand her my card and slips, my heart racing as I await her reaction.