Joy to Joy

Chapter Five

Unlike my previous school, the one I currently attend has better infrastructure than our apartment.

I get out of bed to brush my teeth when I realize that the tap does not let out water.

Moving to the other rooms, I see they also do not have water. There is no electricity, so I use a torchlight to dress up regardless of the circumstances.

Wearing my school uniform, I leave the apartment with a bucket to fetch water from the tap near the gateman's house. That is the only place with money during these situations.

"Joy, you are still in this house?"

I walk past Faith without uttering a word.

"And from what I see, you are also experiencing the same situation,"

I start to water fills the bucket.

"Hey, I am talking to you." Suddenly, I feel cold water fall on my neck.

"See, do not think that since my school uniform is expensive, I will take nonsense," I approach Faith when a figure appears from my left.

"You this girl. Can you stop picking a fight every time?" The gateman points at me.

I blink back. "What do you mean? It was her that started it."

"No, it is always you. Last week you almost spoilt another neighbor's car. If you don't stop this nonsense, I go report you to your mama," He speaks in broken English.

Picking up the bucket, I eye her before walking back to my apartment.

Faith and her pointless arguments bother me even till lunch break in school.

"Why aren't you eating? Is the food not good?" Faisal and I are sitting at our usual dining table, and he notices my mind is out of the dining hall.

"I just thought of that neighbor, Faith. She gets me so angry."

"You told me about her. Show me her picture," He points at my blazer, and I carefully bring out my phone.

"This is Faith."

"She is fine. Look at that angelic smile," Faisal takes the phone and zo

oms into the picture.

"Pictures can be deceiving. We were once friends and schooling in the same institution, so I know she is the opposite of that," I pause at seeing his eyes glued to my phone screen.

"What are you doing?" Not getting an answer, I take the phone from his hands.

"That is why I don't give people my phone," I scroll through all the apps he went through.

"Joy, forget that girl. She is enjoying herself in school, and you are here gossiping about her." My mind is no longer in the conversation but at a table distant from us. Faizal turns back and watches one of our classmates laughing with a group of boys.

"Oh, Titi. Do you remember what Ade said about her? That it is her relatives that are paying for her tuition fees."

I keep silent for a while. What has that got to do with us?

"Faisal, my tuition here is also being sponsored."

"Well, of course, it is," He thinks for a moment. "I just don't like how she keeps bragging that her parents would help pay for most of our social events when -"

"Faisal, you are right about this, but why don't we study and stop talking about rich people's problems?"

I could understand were he is coming from though. His mom is the secretary of this school and he often times complain of how he gets discriminated on because she earns pennies while working here.