When Ona came to, she was lying on the ground looking up at the blue sky framed in a circle by the heads which stood over her.
"Where am I?" she whispered.
She recocgnised her dad with his outstretched arm as if to help her up. She tried to take his hand with all the strength she could muster, and her reached further down to match her 20% with his 80%. He had a look of confusion mixed with a furrowed brow he wore when shaken by worry.
"Ona!" she heard her mother's footsteps pitter-pattering wildly whilegrowing louder in the distance, while her dad gently helped her up.
"What happened? Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"I am fine mama. No, I did not hurt my head. I just felt strange and I am very hot. I lost control of my legs and I don't why."
At that moment, a member of the university staff gesticulated for the trio to make their way into the air-conditioned building to sit down on a chair which had appeared out of nowhere. If she had known that all she had to do was faint to skip the line, she would have done so a long time ago. She had always hated long lines.
"This way ousie," called out one of the attendants with a wave of her acrylic tips in the air. Before launching into official business, she asked if Ona was ok in a concerned tone.
"Mmmh" was all she could muster.
"She did not hit her head, which is what I was most concerned about. I went to go get myself some water and sit in the shade in this heat, on my way back I just saw her fall to the ground!" exclaimed her mother.
Her dad looked at his daughter, now with careful concern in the place of the seething anger and disappointment directed to her less than 30 minutes ago. Fainting in public also gets your parents to forgive you it seems. How wonderful.
The attendant nodded, satisfied with Ona's mom's response to her question. It was clear she had genuine concern and did not ask simply as a mere courtesy.
"Okay Mma, that's great to hear. May I have ousie's student number so we can finish registration, and get her something to eat and drink? These girls! They take for granted the importance of eating a meal before leaving home," she tutted while refocusing her red rimmed glasses on the screen in front of her.
"Oh and one more thing! Welcome to UP Ona."