I got really close 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 cho, 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.
