Twenty years ago, Ummi gains admission into the university and gets married to her husband even before she starts her registration. Ummi tells them about the freedom and the carefree life of students in the university, the difficulty in distinguishing between teachers and students with female dressing almost naked and how some faculties are required to be on dress codes. Ummi further discloses her experience with Salma, a sophisticated young lady.

Salma arrives at the faculty registration much later than everyone else but expresses discomfort and irritation about the delay in the registration process. Salma is interrogated by a young man in the queue and he continuously engages her in a discussion. However, Salma continues to criticize and overgeneralize her opinions about lecturers. Salma does not only create a similarity between lectures and policemen who can be easily bribed, she also boasts about her ability to win the lecturer’s favour if she gives him as low as two or three thousand naira. Unknowingly to Salma and to the astonishment of everyone on the queue, the young man she has been conversing with is the lecturer in charge of the registration procedure.

Ummi proceeds to her departmental registration and she is directed to the HOD’s office. The HOD is seen exchanging endearing pleasantries with Ummi which she finds rather discomforting and inappropriate. Ummi assumes the HOD is trying to making a pass at her. She indeterminately manages to accommodate this until she is given her matriculation number and leaves the office irritated and angry. On getting home, Ummi tells her husband about her experience at the HOD’s office but she is astounded to learn about the friendship and rapport between her husband and Dr SamJohn.

Possible questions and answers from this chapter

1. What condition did Ummi’s father agreed to?
   Ummi gets married to him before graduation. (See page 11)
2. When did Ummi get married to her husband?
   Ummi got married to him before school registration (See page 11)
3. What was the double celebration in Lafayette?
   Ummi’s admission and marriage (see page 11)
4. What the dress code for students in law faculty?
   Black trousers, white shirts and black ties for the boys and dittos and skirt for girls (See page 11)
5. According to Ummi what is the first thing one is likely to notice in the campus?
   Difference in dressing (see page 11) or Freedom of dressing (see page 12)
6. How would you describe Salma according to the text?
   Salma is a fair complexioned girl, tall, slim and rather busty (see page 12)
7.  Where did Ummi and Salma first meet?
   Faulty registration office (see page12)
8. How long did Salma arrived at the Office before she started complaining?
   Barely fifteen minutes (see page 12)
9. Who was last on the queue at the faculty registration office?
   Salma (see page 12)
10. Who engages Salma in a discussion on the queue?
    The lecture in charge of the faculty registration (see page 12-14)
11. Why did Salma create a similarity between policemen and lectures?
    They both can be bribed (see page 12)
12. Why did Salma suggest policemen are better than lecturers?
    Lecturers do not have a stand (see page 13)
13. What was Salma's animalistic description of the lecturer in charge of the faculty registration?
    Monkey (see page 13)
14. What is Salma’s surname?
    Mohammed (see page 13)
15. How much did Salma claim will be enough able to win the lecturer’s favour?
    Two or three thousand naira  (see page 13)
16. Who was in the office while the students waited in the queue?
    John, the office cleaner ( See page 14)
17. Who was bereft of words and fidgeting and why?
    Salma, after discovering the man she had been conversing with was not a student but the lecturer in charge of the registration (see page 14)
18. Who is described as a woman of few words?
    The secretary to the HOD (see page 15)
19. Why was Ummi shocked when she saw the HOD?
    The HOD was a young person (see page 15)
20. What is the name of the Ummi’s HOD?
    Samuel Johnson (see page 15)
21. What is Ummi’s full name?
    Ummi Ahmad (see page 16)
22. Why did Ummi develop a feeling of claustrophobia?
    The HOD had asked her if she needed something to drink (see page 16)
23. What is Ummi’s matric number?
    UG0001 (see page 17)
24. Why did Ummi left the HOD’s office angry?
    She thought the HOD was trying to make a pass at her (see page 16)
25. Who assisted Ummi’s Husband with Ummi’s admission?
    Dr Samuel Johnson (see page 19)
26. Ummi’s Husband calls the HOD_____?
    Dr. SamJohn (see page 19)
27. What tribe is the HOD
    Yoruba (see page 19)
28. How is the HOD described by Ummi and her husband?
    He has a tribal mark and he looks like an igala or Yoruba man. (See page 15 & 19)