I got really nervous as the gap between our faces reduced to three inches. I saw
this willingness in her eyes that made my eyelids want to hug each other as the motion continued. But out of nervousness,
my left hand, which rested on the table
between us mistakenly hit the glass of malt
that was in front of me and it spilled all
over the table. Immediately, we retreated to
our normal positions, and the drink that had
spilled on the table became the talk of the
moment till we left.
Next morning belonged to a Monday, and I
was up and prepared to leave for work while
she was to leave for school. Ogechi was a
first year student of Creative Arts in the
University Of Nigeria. We bade each other
goodbye and left to our different
destinations. Before we left, she smiled at
me and said; I enjoyed your music. It’s
really nice. More grease to your elbow.
Thank you, I said, and we left. Sometime
later, Ogechi suggested to me that instead
of continuing my education at IMT, where I
obtained my ND certificate, I should apply
for direct entry at UNN and continue there.
I told her I didn’t want to spend more than
two years in any higher institution,
explaining to her how long Ive spent already
after obtaining my ND. She went ahead to
explain to me that if I’m taken into UNN via
direct entry, I’ll start from year two and
will only have to spend three years. Isn’t it
better to spend three years to get a
university degree than two years to get an
H.N.D, considering the fact that more value
is placed on a university degree? She tried
to make me see reasons with her.
After many arguments, I consented, not
really because of the B.A and H.N.D thing,
but because I was going to become her
course mate if I did. I studied
Communication Arts at IMT, and would be
admitted into the department of Creative
Arts at UNN with the necessary steps
taken. I had grown so fond of her that I
didn’t want to be apart from her when I
finally left her house. And talking about
leaving her house, I was to leave after two
months. But this is the third month since I
moved in. She hadn’t said anything about
me leaving. Seems like she had also gotten
to love my company so much that she
didn’t want me to leave again, plus, I was
really of good behavior. On the other hand,
I didn’t want to leave because I wouldn’t
get the kind of treatment she was giving
me anywhere else. There was another
reason why I didn’t want to leave, but I
hadn’t figured out what that reason was. I
just knew there was. All the same, I knew I
was going to leave some day, hence the
suggestion she brought up ensured that our
worlds never went apart after I left.
Ogechi got so concerned about the low
state of my finances and offered to borrow
me some money to start up any business of
my choosing, so long as I promised to make
refund on a promised date. I agreed to that,
and got N100,000 from her, which she
gave cheerfully. She really trusted me. I
added that to what I had saved up and
invested it in FOREX business. From then,
the mornings met me in front of my laptop,
and nights left me still trying to make
some profit out of the stock market. The
time I spent conversing with Ogechi
reduced, we didn’t hang out often again, we
rarely came together except we wanted to
have a meal together, which we always did.
I just had to make enough profit to repay
her on time and also have enough left for
me to become a big boy. After countless
sleepless nights, I started making profit
from the FOREX business and soon enough,
I hit my initial mark and repaid Ogechi.
Then my approach towards the business
intensified.
It wasn’t quite long before Ogechi’s elder
brother who graduated from UNN called in
and announced his coming over to Enugu in
three weeks for his clearance and some
other things he needed to do before going
for Youth Service. Ogechi was dull after the
call. I asked why she was dull and she told
me. I had only three weeks to get my own
apartment and leave before her brother
came in. Of cause everything was now okay
financially. All I had to do was to find a
good apartment for myself. I started my
search for a house and found one after
nearly two weeks. I paid for it and moved in
without even furnishing it. My plans was to
furnish it little by little after moving in
because I didn’t want to spend more time at
Ogechi’s house in case her brother decided
to hasten his journey down to Enugu.
Ogechi accompanied me down to my
apartment on the day I moved in. The
apartment was virtually empty. The only
things that could be found in there were the
ceiling fan, the carpet, wall hanger and the
mattress. These were the first of the items
I bought for the apartment after I paid for
it. We both sat on my bed watching a
movie (love don’t cost a thing) with my
laptop. It was about after 8pm when she
asked me to see her off. I urged her to stay
a little longer.
By precisely 9:30pm when she was about to
leave, the cloud changed. It was definitely
going to rain. She had to pick a cab or
board a bus before the rain started. We
both went outside and waited for the next
available bus or cab. Seemed like the bus
and cab drivers also wanted to hurry home
to avoid being caught up in the midst of a
heavy out pour. We still waited for a driver
that probably was still willing to do a little
business before retiring for the day. Then
suddenly, the skies gave way to volume of
water it held and it met us right there.
Apparently, there was no way she was going
to get a cab or bus to take her back home
that night. The only option we had left was
to head back to my apartment, and we did.
We started running back home, but before
we reached my house we had already been
soaked by the rain because my house was
some distance away from the tarred road.
We stopped at the veranda and waited for
some water to drain off our cloths before
getting inside the house to avoid messing
up the carpet. I took off my shirt and
trouser and hung them on the burglary
proof. I was left putting on boxer and
singlet. I turned and looked at her, and she
asked; what? You expect me to do that too?
I’ll do that in the bathroom, she said. We
went in afterwards and she hit the
bathroom to dry herself up and all that. I
heard her call my name from inside the
bathroom. I answered and she asked me to
get her something to change to. I had no
girl cloths whatsoever, so I brought an
oversize t-shirt that was given to me by my
father and handed it over to a hand
belonging to a body which hid right behind
the door of the bathroom.
Some minutes later, she came out of the
bathroom with her hair loosed and
scattered. The t-shirt swallowed her but
was a little bit above her knee level. I also
got into the bathroom to get refreshed. On
getting in there I noticed something. Not
only did I see her dress hanging in there,
her under garments were as well. She had
nothing on except the oversize t-shirt I
gave to her. On realizing that, my heartbeat
increased. I had promised to be of good
behavior, and I definitely was while at her
house. This was my house for crying out
loud. Does that promise still stand? Many
negative thoughts crossed my mind. The
more I tried to dismiss it, the stronger it
got. Then it became like Satan himself had
sent me a voice message from the depth of
hades when what I refer to as; ‘THE
STRANGE VOICE OF A DECEITFUL
THOUGHT’ crossed my mind. This is the
voice I heard in my head;
When the time comes, you will stop,
For now, you can go ahead and sin.
Even God knows you will flop,
So just keep the mess from being seen.
These sins take long to fill a cup,
So fear not God’s judgment, His mercy will
always win.
If you fall today, God knows there were
times when you were up,
So don’t panic, soon, you’ll again be clean.
Come on; take some time out from the top,
She eagerly awaits your arrival at her in-
between.
It’s been forever, since anyone went there
to shop,
So hurry! She’s already high on dry gin.
She wants to be harvested like a wild crop,
Ha-ha, don’t be amazed, it’s a thing in her
gene.
Play her like hip-hop,
Forget the saying that God watches you like
a TV screen.
After that finished playing in my mind, I
rushed out of the bathroom with an attitude
of determination and met her lying on the
bed and scanning through the songs in my
laptop’s music library. She noticed my
unusual manner, sat up and stared at me
confused while a song was still playing
from the laptop. The look on her face
showed that she perceived something
strange about me. But she neither asked
nor said anything. Instead she lay back on
the bed like one who ran out of defensive
measures, surrendering to an opponent that
couldn’t be defeated. That action of hers
provoked a powerful response from my
body system and……,
To be continued.
