THE MASKED GIRL

43

Hafsat

Living. The state of being alive or the condition of gaining from life by being always busy and trying new activities, as defined by the dictionary. But it is difficult when one is thinking about the past or worrying about the future. I am living to the fullest and enjoying the moment meaning I am not thinking of the past or worrying about the future anymore. I understand what makes me happy and what I want to achieve, I am alive and I am happy about it. I am living.

Maryam is the best friend I was lucky enough to have, I pushed her away at my lowest and told her I didn't need her anymore. I shut her out every time she reached out and she always reached back again. She calls me even though she knows I won't answer and text me nonstop. She told me how her life was going and always asked how I was doing.

I was tense about meeting again, after ignoring her for more than two years but she didn't mind it was like nothing had happened like I was just away and came back. I never had friends growing up just classmates, Maryam was the only one and still is. I have classmates I am close to and a group of people I am always with but never friends.

I was like that before so was now. Maryam is the only person I comfortably relate with though she is three years ahead of me but we are always together, We go in different directions on the weekdays and spend the weekends together.

Three years passed in a short while and Maryam graduated, I was of course happy for her and at the same time sad that she would be leaving me. My parents came alongside hers to visit me and also congratulate her, I was beyond happy. I would have also be graduating if all that hadn't happened, only if. I had a good moment for the two days they were here before they left.

I never thought that by twenty-three I would be just three years in school. I never thought about a lot of things that had already happened. I never let that worry me anymore. My life is not just mine, Allah decides for me.

Yes, medical school is stressful and all, and I have luckily gotten used to it, At first I was either the last or the second to the last in everything. The unanticipated events that happened in my life almost took everything away from me. But I slowly learned and got better, I am not the best but I am good. I even find the time to take pictures during classes that I find very hard to do back then. I find the time to rest and live a little and I still do very much good at school.

My addiction to kdramas escalated though I don't watch a single one when school is ongoing because it is addicting, once I start an episode I will never rest until I finish the whole season and it was impossible. It is a difficult habit to break so I don't. So I binge-watch it during the holidays, it is more satisfying now that I understand the language.

Social media slowly grew on me again, I found myself on it each time I was free. Especially when most of my lectures were online. While scrolling through the public stories on Snapchat, the last thing I do before sleeping every night I see the story of the person that I try to keep at the back of my mind every day. I would have not viewed it if I had known it was him, he might think that I was stalking him. I did my remaining nightly routine before falling asleep.

The next day during lectures while me and two of my roommates were sitting at the far end of the hall because we had yet to finish the last episode of the show and planned to finish it in the class because we had specifically read the class ahead just to watch it, that is only when we have the time to finish it. We were watching it on my phone under the desk and it was going fine and we were oblivious about it but a notification from my Snapchat had me exposing us. I wanted to clear the notification but the name of the person who sent the friend request made me yelped involuntarily, he has seen that I viewed his story.

I didn't yelped loudly so it was only them that heard me and a few other students but we just burst out laughing when we looked at each other. Why did I yelp? The laughter soothes down a little but continues once we look at each other again. The lecturer heard us this time and looked in our direction, Luckily for me I had stopped when he looked our way but my roommates were not so lucky.

"The two of you should stand up" He ordered and they complied. I put my phone back into my back in case he asked me to join them. "Can you care to share what is funny to the rest of the class?

They looked at each other and then back at me, I put my head on the desk to avoid laughing again. "It was nothing sir" Eun Ae answered him as Nafisat was yet to control her laughter. "I would love to hear what nothing is," He told her and walked towards us. "Or you explain the term on the board to the rest of the class"

I was the one that read through the whole book last night and I know they couldn't explain it so I spoke on their behalf. "It was really nothing sir"

"Join them" He looked at me and shook his head. "Let your leader come and explain," He said again as he found a place to sit.

I always have a way to get out of trouble, that is one of the good things about me. I always read ahead when I knew I would be sleeping or watching a film in the class, that was how I always escape. My roommates slowly joined me and together we rose so Nafisat started as the leader and we took turns in explaining.

I was uptight at first and didn't openly relate with them but I gradually let them in and realized how amazing friendship is. We are a group of four, three of us in the same department and the four of us in the same dorm. Nafisat and I are from Nigeria while Eun Ae is here and Vidya is from India. We are always together except for lectures, We all have different personalities but our differences make us stronger.

I only have my full attention on social media at night so I didn't accept his request until when I was ready for bed. It was a few minutes after midnight and I automatically knew that it was four in the evening in Nigeria because of the eight hours difference. He texted me some minutes afterward.

"Hello Foreigner"

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The way I am rushing to finish this book is no joke🤧 I am just writing.