Weighing Your Options

It was a Monday morning. I slept late, still I managed to wake up as early as 5:50am because I had a class to catch up with by 8:00am. With full awareness that the lecturer strictly doesn't condone lateness, and would not allow anyone into the classroom 5 minutes past 8, I did all I had to do and by 6:58 am, I was already out on my way to school. 

 

Considering all odds, it usually takes me  approximately 45 minutes to get to class from home and by 7:45 I should be settled in class. But all my calculations failed me this Monday. I had to wait at the bus stop amongst hundreds of other commuters for over 45 minutes. All the buses either had their prices hiked than usual or had no space for me to sit. You were either the fittest survivor or just get lucky enough to get into a bus. Although, I was determined to pay any amount the bus might cost, because I didn't want to miss the class. 

 

Alas! I got to class 20 minutes later than commencement time; 8:20am. I mustered courage, stepped close to my lecturer to tender my excuse. Instantly, without listening to me he yelled "get out!" I was determined not to back down, so I pushed further. "Sir, it is imperative you listen to what I have to tender as my excuse. We have students who are diligent to their studies and to punctuality, but considering all ordeals we have to face with transportation within Lagos early on Monday, it would be a great consideration to give us a leverage of 30 minutes after the commencement of lecture before you bar us from coming in, or give us the listening ears to out tenable excuses."

 

I continued while he listened, looking at me like he was concentrating on a newscaster. "Not to question your authority sir, but I just have to voice out this proposition, so you could be considerate towards us." I ended my speech. The Lord only knows where those words came from.

 

To my dismay, he replied "Are you done?" I became dumbfounded as he began to rage. "What an impetuous insolence! Now, breeze out of my class like a flowing river and never look back! Don't even try to seek help to plead because you're failing this course. Like I say, some people, even God cannot pass them, you've fallen into that category."

 

I was sure damned to be in this quagmire as the VC wrapped it all up, "people live farther than you do, but still come earlier. While your were slaughtering your career in sheer stupidity, not bravado, you could have deviced a way to avoid falling in the pit of lateness. Boy, you had your options but just decided the worse between failure and success."

©Shomade Abdulazeez