THE NIGHT BEFORE...

I still remember the day I had a deep cut under my leg. Infact, I only knew it was deep the next day when I was rushed to the sick bay with my blood dripping(literally pouring) throughout the school.

It had happened a night before the day our Mock exams(WAEC preparatory exam) were starting. 

I was outside, behind our hostel building,  playing with some friends. I'm still wondering how we were playing at almost midnight a day before a serious exam like that. But trust me when I say I was fully prepared. I just needed something to really get my mind off the exams. That was and is still my way. 

That was when it happened. My closest friend then, told me he was tired and needed to read a little more before he retired to bed. So he left me with the rest of our friends. 

I will not lie, this play was getting intensely interesting. And I knew my closest friend couldn't miss out on this.

Quickly, I dashed to the room where my friend and I stayed, with some 10 other people. I didn't know that my 'village people' had decided that this was the time I needed to sleep. 

Apparently, one of my roommates was playing with a glass bottle. I'm sure you know that glass bottles weren't allowed in most boarding schools, but this guy, the instrument my 'village people' used, decided to sneak in a glass bottle that day. 

Don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with glass bottles. My problem is that this my guy decided that he will break this bottle directly in front of my bunk. 

Remember that I dashed to my room to go and call my friend to come and join us outside where we were having the time of our lives.

I entered our room with a beaming smile spread on my face, shouting his name.

I tell you I was very happy.

In our room, my bunk was like two bunks before my friend's bunk, so I had to pass the bottles my guy had set for me before I'd reach my friend's bunk.

I still thank God it was only one step I took in those pieces spread over the front of my bunk.

"GOD!!!" This was the only word that came out from my mouth as my left foot stepped on that piece of broken bottle. 

I cussed silently as my roommates, the few who were awake, rushed to my aid. My friend was still lying down. When I asked him the next morning why he hadn't rushed almost immediately to the scene, he said he was dumbfounded and scared at the same time. 

He said he felt guilty that he knew about the broken bottle and would have told me to stop beforehand.

As one of my roommates whom we referred to as 'Doctor Men' tried to stop the bleeding, it bled endlessly as though the piece of broken bottle had pierced through my vein. He later tied my foot with a piece of cloth which calmed down the situation and I jejely climbed that my bed and slept.

By the next morning when I woke up, the cloth was soaked with blood. This was when I knew it wasn't a small injury.

This injury which I thought was small, made me spend the rest of that week and the next, writing my Mock exams at the sick bay. An added advantage, yunno.

But there are two lessons I learnt from this story.

The first is, no matter the situation, doing the right thing at the right time is always right. Playing at that time of the night just a day before a serious exam like that wasn't quite good enough. A time like that was meant for relaxation of the brain in preparation for the exams. 

Just so you know, the brain cells can be overworked too.

The other lesson I learnt is, do not allow your guilt cause more harm than good. Your littlest help can be what someone just needs to feel better.

Thanks for reading.

I hope you learnt your lessons too.

Tell me what you think in the comment section below.