Ezeguy, I have seen her. That was what I texted to a friend of mine when I first met Sandra where I went to study in preparation for my first semester exams in school. She was beautiful and all that but I didn’t care about her beautiful face because I cared mostly about character than facial outlook but there was something about her that I couldn’t let go of, that was her chatty nature. Like, she could start a conversation with anybody and I was just one of such people.
That night, I actually came to share fliers at the reading hall as we were organizing a reading competition in the field the next day and we were mandated to invite as much people as possible because there were lots of prizes to be won, property exhibitions and also business opportunities but I momentarily froze along my line of duty as I beheld her beauty. One thing told me to move on but another asked me to wait and see if she was going to start a conversation with me. As I stood there with my mouth opened a little, wondering which of the voices in my head that I should obey, somebody bumped into me from the back and my charger fell down. When I looked back, it was Onyedika, he had finished sharing his fliers and was almost going when he noticed that I was standing as a person who saw a ghost. So, he decided to, “shake me up!” according to him, I was not discharging my duty well but I wasn’t ready to hear his apologies. So, I bent down to pick my charger but it was not there. People of this world. What have I done? I asked myself as a flux of ugly tears welled up in my eyes and I imagined what would happen if I go home without that charger. It is tantamount to living in a hole forever without any hope of crawling out of it.
As I made up my mind to allow the little rain that had gathered in my eyes to drop helplessly, someone handed the charger over to me and started laughing and others joined her. It was she! The fair girl. I wondered if it was a good moment to ask about her department, course of study, registration number or even her age or not but time was against.
So, I handed over one of the fliers to her in exchange for my charger and we left the hall hurriedly. I went home hoping that she would come but we didn’t sleep all night as we kept performing rehearsals for our performances the following day. So, the power holding company decided to bless us with the opposite of what they’re known for. So, we murmured and slept off.
***** ** ***
The following day, Ezeguy called me and asked me about the girl but I told him that he should forget her. He asked me why and I told him that it was a long story. He tried to press on but I told him to hold on until we leave the camp.
It was an Arzimuthal Parade day so we went for our daily routine, returned to the tent and got ourselves prepared as we moved to the field where the main event was to take place. I didn’t know what to expect as we got closer but we noticed that crowd were already gathering and were waiting for us. So, we hurried up.
Throughout that afternoon, I wasn’t myself as I had not seen Sandra nor any of her friends. So, I handed over the trumpet to another person and sneaked out as I wasn’t concentrating.
As, I moved through the passage to join a group of guys at a joint outside where they were selling kunu, zobo and soft drinks with snacks and other delicacies, I noticed that someone was following me. At first, I thought it was village people but I looked back and forth with the skills of a trained eyes and noticed that it was a female shadow. So, I stopped. She said hi. I couldn’t breathe. Behold, it was Cynthia! I had forgotten her five years after our secondary school and now, nemesis is catching up with me! I will tell you more about Cynthia but first, let me finish drinking this kunu!
Cynthia was the girl I always stole her sharpener. Eeh, I stole her sharpener and so what? I was only a child. Besides, someone also stole my exercise book and I couldn’t figure out who it was because it was a random act but now, I am trained and I could easily get the culprit if it happens now but wait oo, why am I even making all these confessions, was it your material that I stole? Abeg, be calming down.
*** ** **
Cynthia how are you doing? I managed to ask her as I had taken down two bottles of kunu mixed with soya milk drink with a tincture of flavour of ginger and garlic as I had unbuttoned my shirt a bit to let breeze come in, I noticed she was busy smiling sheepishly. “I am fine, I just want you to show me around as I am new here.” She answered.
My dear, I cannot show you around oo as I am equally new here and I don’t know much people except…
“Me!” a voice cut me short and when we looked around, it was Sandra and her cohorts. So, I started shouting, “Ezeguy, Ezeguy and tried to run back to the arena where the programme was going on and they held me back. My shirt tore a bit and I knew I was in trouble.
The three girls held me down and my plastic bottle of kunu was seen flying in the air miles away and some of the contents pour on some people but it only caused minimal damages to the colour of their clothes. Suffice it to say, I was in a very hot soup as Cynthia just looked away!
When they finally let me be, they asked me why I was running away and I told them that their madam dressed like a skeleton or a masquerade that I used to see only in the dreams while they remain unseen physically.
So, they started laughing and said that it was a costume for their drama and I relaxed. All these while I noticed that Sandra was just quiet by the corner shedding tears as she watched my stupidity with the girls and she concluded that I was a material for theatre art course but I refused because it was her department.
When I got home that night, Ezeguy asked me what happened but I told him I wouldn’t want to talk about it at all because I don’t want to have nightmares. So, he relaxed and we slept off. The following morning, two girls were already standing in front of our door knocking and when I came out, it was Cynthia and one other friend of hers that I have never seen before. So, when I asked her what the matter was, she said that Sandra sent her to call me. I was shocked.
Are you now working for that girl? I asked her. She said no that Sandra was her sister from the same village and that she had just came around to see her as she heard there was a big event coming up in school that week. So, I agreed to follow them. I warned Ezeguy not to touch the remaining pap that I had in the fridge that day as I would soon be back but I was wrong. I was neither back on time nor even returned that day and Ezeguy on his part welcomed the pap into his belly when he couldn’t wait for me anymore. I don’t blame him much because I also do same to him when he is not around but he should have waited a bit or even asked about my whereabouts but he didn’t neither did he call me on phone. So, I guess he slept off on the almost empty bed alone because the room we shared was spacious and I can guess, no one came to visit me.
So it was that Cynthia and one of her friends took me into exile in the company of Sandra and her three friends and I was left to imagine how blink the future was if help doesn’t come my way in a matter of hours. They took me into a bush and made me to do all manner of rough works like climbing of mango trees, plucking flowers and helping them cross over rough bridges and it was all fun for them as I went through hell while pretending to be strong as they promised to pay me N20 each as they claimed I was their guide for a tour in the forest within the school premises. Ezeguy should have accompanied me or even called me back.
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