Stranger in his Homeland

Chapter Fifteen

119 Chapter Fifteen T here were three main items on Antony’s programme for the next day: he was to visit the University Library and Bookstore to see how he could update his research, visit the Dean of the Faculty of Arts or the Vice Chancellor and finally go to the Ministry of National Education. The University Library was situated just below the Chancellery. It was a sprawling unpainted structure that looked more like a museum than an environment to stimulate learning. The lawns in front as everywhere else in the campus were littered with rags, papers and dried leaves that might have spent months where they lay. With only one door, the building looked to Antony like a death-trap, should a fire ever break out there. To the left as you entered the building, was a small door that bore the words: HEAD LIBRARIAN: NO DIRECT ENTRY An arrow pointed towards another door after which was written: SEE SECRETARIAT. Directly opposite the entrance and close to the door of the Secretariat was the Receptionist’s desk, a high structure over which you needed to be very tall to notice the presence of anybody behind it. Antony walked slowly straight to the reception and tapped the desk to draw the attention of a man whose head he noticed from the door. The man was working on a crossword puzzle and may have reached a crucial point in the game because it took three knocks from Antony to cause him to rise. “What?” the man inquired with a haggard frown, his index finger stuck between the pages of his crossword puzzle book. Antony bit his lower lip for a while unable to understand how he had offended the man. “I would like to see the Head Librarian,” he said. The man, probably in his forties and with rapidly greying, scanty hair sighed 120 Linus T. Asong and then dragged a large exercise book, opened to a blank page and swinging it round placed it in front of Antony. “What am l supposed to do with this?” he asked. “Did you not say you want to see the Head Librarian?” the angry man behind the counter asked. “That’s right.” “Then how will you see him without signing the Visitors Book? Write your name, qualification and the reasons for seeing him.” Antony wrote his name as it ought to be: Dr. Nkoaleck. As for the reasons for seeing him, he simply wrote RESEARCH. The book was taken away. “He will see you,” the crossword man said. “When?” Antony asked. “I say he will see you ,” the man said with even more anger. “When the time comes, won’t you know?” *** Antony waited for exactly forty minutes, during which time he looked round the place. Between the Head Librarian’s door and the Secretariat was a show case, a cupboard of about a metre and a half high and about the same length in width. There were several new books on display, mainly journals and sports magazines. Antony got attracted to one book: HOW EUROPE UNDERDEVELOPED AFRICA. “Can l take a look at that book?” he said to the receptionist. “Is only for display,” the man said. “But l can’t even touch it?” “When people touch it, they dirty it.” “So how does one get to know and read a book without touching it?” The man did not answer him. To the right of the receptionist’s counter was a huge long cupboard containing drawers of authors and Title Indices. Antony walked up to the drawers and pulled out the first to see the cards inside. “You don’t just pull things anyhow like that,” the receptionist bawled from his hide-out. “Then how do l know he books you have?” Antony queried. The man walked round and came out to where Antony was standing. 121 Stranger in his Homeland “Was it not you who said you wanted see the Head…” “Does that stop me from doing anything else?” “Okay, what book do you want?” “Do you have National Geographic Magazine?” Antony asked with severely suppressed irritation. “I check,” the man said and then walked across to the drawer marked NA - - NU and pulled it. Antony looking over his shoulder noticed the man turn over to NATURE…, repeating to himself: Natural Geography, Natural Geography…” “I’ll be damned,” Antony said to himself. “I said National Geographic Magazine,” he told...