5. new stage

Her best shot. That is what she called it.

Esther can't wait to begin a new life. Yes, that was Senior High, she was going to go to Uni.

Her dream university as well. "University Of Ghana!" How she never thought she was going to make it there.

Like, the pressure was too high. Teachers calling her, classmates there, then juniors. She had a lot on her mind that she was even afraid to discuss her final exams with someone.

She was somehow shocked to have wrote the papers with ease.

Luck was on her side at last.

One thing Esther never forgets is to thank God, for how far He had brought her. She will always remain indebted to the Almighty. Without him, nothing could have been possible to her.

"Preparation to go to university!" She shouted.

She and her mum have been discussing about the things to take to Uni. There was a lot to do. Buying cooking stuff, the kind of food she will send, even her character. Her mother explained she had to buy that one as well.

As for the clothes, her dad gave her the green light to go and shop for whatever kind she needed. She loved how she was treated.

After all that, she has to say goodbye. Not that she's going to miss her mum or anybody, but the place.

She never misses anybody except for the place. All the memories too would stay there; the fun, the tenants and even those little brats of the other tenants.

***Yeah, she was really growing.

It was a shame her dad wasn't around to take her. There were a lot of people reporting in. Some had some crazy dressing on while some too just maintained themselves. Her mother went with her in order to see the hostel facilities. Luckily for Esther, she wasn't allowed in there. She had to wait outside for her daughter to take her things into her room. Her mum even asked of her roommate.

There was nobody there when Esther got in. Her things were already there.

Whoever she was, she was very early. Now some were getting in. She heard noises behind the door. She guessed it was the other roomies. The room was spacious to even cover ten people.

She remembered vividly that it was more spacious than the room she shared with her mum back at home. There were two beds in there. One at the far right and the at the far left. The first which was already occupied by her roommate. She guessed the second one was hers. She went outside to say goodbye to her mum.

Esther wanted it to end.

"Don't forget to always read your Bible. Remember your daily prayers!" Her mum advised. She could see other people passing by glancing at her.

There all had the same facial expression and same question.

'Is she a kid?'

Esther bowed her head.

It was only her first day and people were already marking her.

"Avoid bad company." She continued.

"Mum I've heard. Seriously, you've been preaching to me since last week." She raised her head whilst talking to her mum. Then she told the woman not to worry. Her mum began to walk away. She turned as she remembered she hadn't said something.

Esther knew she would turn and did not even move an inch.

"Also, I want information about your roommate. I don't know who she is or what kind of influence she will have on my daughter."

"Yes ma'am." Esther salutes her and leaves to unpack her things. She sees other parents dropping off their children. Some students also came on their own.

She was really in the University Of Ghana. One of the most prestigious universities in the country. The place had a clean sheet. It had about sixty thousand students. Some of which from her own country Ghana, and others from abroad.

As she walks back to her room, she thinks of how different university is.

It was way different from High School, particularly Senior High.

Esther remembered back in SHS the rules she had to follow to survive over there. Even going for entrainment wasn't a chance. Although she used to.

This place was like a free man's cage. You can dress all you like. You can decide to go for lectures or not but still write exams.

After getting into her room, which was very hectic. She lost tracks and had to ask around. Asking itself wasn't that easy. Everyone was busy, though it wasn't only level 100 students there. Some of the girls were in the hallways were doing snaps while others were busily making phone calls.

'Can they just go into their rooms to do it!'

One girl gave Esther a dirty look only for asking around.

Esther laid on her bed after cleaning the big mattress and covering it with clean sheets. She thought she would have to set a kitchen in the room, not knowing there was a kitchen at the back of the room. Her roommate already had set hers and had left a portion for hers as well. She quickly packed her kitchen sets as well. She didn't have time to count them or marvel at her roomie's. She went back to her bed to lay her head down.

The ceiling was painted white. It had two fans. One at her side and the other at her roomie's.

Thinking of her roommate, who was she anyways? Will she be nice towards her? Will they get along?

Esther didn't know why, but somebody like her in a room with a total stranger, even poeple she knew weren't much into her.

She herself knew she was hell.

Like being talked to and friends with. The kind of person she was, wasn't something she herself was happy with. She hoped she would actually get along with her roomie.

The room wasn't bad. At least over there, they were only two. What of SHS that they were about twenty people in a room. And yeah, the dormitories were shared with those evil insects plus chop boxes. There, she got her own wardrobe.

She remembered a senior told her that, if one went to boarding house and bed bugs didn't bite that person, then they didn't go at all. She knew bed bugs weren't at the University. That this new stage that she was at, was surely going to turn her into something unexpected.