The dining hall was filled with students. Some lined at the counter and took their meals in turns, some sat in groups at round tables with their food before them. Some stood at the corners of the hall, gossiping, and like Diva and Hailey, others tripped in and out of the hall.
Diva scanned the hall. Rectangular tables with chairs around them occupied the middle area where the counter stood by the far end of the left side of the hall, on entry into the room. Loud chatters could be heard over the clinking of cutleries against the ceramic plates.
She didn't know why, but when she saw the number of persons in the hall, some of her age, her heart tightened and her palms got wet. Could this be what Dawin was talking about when he said that anxiety and fear would play strings in her heart on her very first day?.
If there was one thing she was exceedingly glad for now, it was having Dawin as a friend. He had been supportive since childhood and over the weekend when he was less busy, he had paid her visits. She will never forget the intense happiness and extreme excitement that were knitting in his eyes, rolling into his actions when they went shopping for school bags. He was overjoyed when her dad told him that she was on the same level as him. And even though, they were not in the same class but in different arms, he still showed he was that ever-supportive friend of hers.
' Come on, the line has lessened. Let's go before someone else take our spot '. A tug at her sleeve made her conscious of her surroundings as they were still at the entrance of the hall.
She turned to Hailey with a sweet smile of apology and a little embarrassment where she let the latter drag her to the counter.
' What would you like to eat? '. Hailey asked her as they neared the counter and glanced through the delicacies that were displayed on the table.
' African dishes- '. Hailey had told her. ' -mainly Nigerian delicacies '. She was yet to get herself familiarised with the tastes of different dishes, so at this point any meal as long as it was of a delicious aroma and hot, she would go with it.
' Anything on your mind? '. She asked Hailey in response.
She had no allergies and she had somehow let Hailey gain her trust, so there was no harm in trying?.
Hailey nodded and turned back to face the chubby, round face, braided hair woman that stood behind the counter. Though she wore a hair cap, Diva could still see the braids inside the hair wear as it was transparent.
' Two plates of jollof rice with chicken and two bottles of coke to go with '. The woman took the order and went about to dish their meals.
With their trays in their hands, they both moved towards the left of the middle hall where the students had gathered around tables, eating or chattering.
' I love this side of the hall because it is quieter and less busy. Students hardly come here '. Hailey confessed as they dropped the trays on the table and got seated.
Diva turned to notice the reality of what she said. They were indeed in the furthest part of the dining hall. Not that they were isolated but the students didn't reach the end of the hall where almost everyone took their seats in the front or middle. Maybe they were a little bit - isolated.
She nodded and saw how the girl used only one cutlery to eat - the spoon. Not that she wanted to be nosey, she just had to ask. ' You use only one cutlery to eat? '. She had been trained as a princess to use all three when eating.
Hailey who had just taken a spoonful of rice in her mouth, looked up at Diva's question, only to notice that the latter had not touched her plate. She bent her head in embarrassment. Her hand reached the rim of her glasses in time and she pushed it up the bridge of her nose.
' I don't like using all three. I just prefer using the spoon. I feel more satisfied when I use it '. And after a while, she looked up. ' You should use it. It's faster and more enjoyable '.
Diva looked at her and saw her genuinely smiling at her. She sighed and picked up the spoon. Hailey was already embarrassed by the question she threw at her and she didn't want to say or do more things that would make her feel bad.
Picking up the spoon, she filled it with rice and as Hailey did it, she used her right hand to feed herself. Something new but it was worth it. It was probably the fastest way to eat, as she only had to scoop and eat.
The two girls enjoyed their meals in silence, pausing once in a while to take a sip of water. Good thing that the welfare committee made it compulsory that a glass of water be added to every order of the meal. Now they could save their drinks for the end of meals.
They had just halved their plates when suddenly the screeching sound of a chair echoed amidst the clinking of cutleries.
A heavy silence fell on the hall and everyone had to halt what they were doing and turned their heads to the source of the sound. Hailey and Diva were not exempted as they too were disturbed by the irritating sound.
At the far end of the hall, just two tables away, a group of four boys dropped their trays on a table and sat around it, unaffected and less bothered by what went on in the hall.
Diva, who was the last to look up as she was patiently waiting to read the thoughts of the students to get a glimpse of what was happening, fell her lips in awe as she recognized one of the boys in the group.
Seriously, was this guy a delinquent?. He didn't look like one in the class earlier. He was calm and composed then, but now, he wasn't. His top buttons were left opened and his tie was tugged out of place. In his hand was a bottle of coke and he swirled it after gulping it.
As if sensing her gaze, he looked up and Diva shuddered in fear.