EPISODE SEVEN
Opening my eye, I can see the person’s head shining, reflecting the white bulb in the anatomy lab. Temmy had old school hair style just like me, where the hell did his hair go. I checked the face properly and discovered it’s not my home boy.
Me: this is not Temmy, he has old school.
Doctor: This is not your friend?
Me: positive, he left home this morning wearing a native dress, green colour Ankara to be precise.
Doctor: Your own friend has old school and he’s wearing Ankara? (He asked with a confused face)
Me: Yeah, he’s supposed to be with a lady.
Doctor: Oh! Your friend is alive, only sustained a minor injury on one of his legs and the lady is perfectly fine. Go and check the emergency ward, he’s there.
Hearing this made me feel imaginary cold water poured on my b©dy and I don’t know when I screamed “thank you Jesus!” while rushing out of the anatomy lab.
Janet: What’s it?
Me: Temmy and Rachael are fine. They are not here.
Janet: so where are they?
Nurse: You guys can follow me; I’ll take you to them.
Moving towards the emergency ward, I started to reflect on what just happened. I never knew I love Temmy this much. Dude has been my twin brother from another mother since. Come to think of it, there are many destinies lying there unfulfilled. The thought that we are all going to be like that one day made me to think about my life. I’m not even sure of my Christianity, if I die, will I make heaven. And to think I just c@m£ from almost committing fornication (done in my heart alre-ady) means if I die now, hmm. God should just have mercy. I’m going to have to think my life throu-gh again.
Entering the emergency ward, I can see Temmy lying down resting his head on the elevated side of the hospital be-d with Rachael sitting by his side.
Me: How were you allowed into the male ward, even if it’s emergency?
Rachael: Oh Will! (She stood up and hvgged me)
Me: How are you now?
Rachael: I’m fine dear
Temmy: You no go re-lease my babe from that hvg? (We all laughed as we separated and Rachael meets with Janet and they hvgged)
Me: Thank Your God you are not dead. We were told you are dead. Menh I would have kill you. (we all laughed again). How are you bro?
Temmy: I’m fine (he stood up from lying position to sit down) The nurse said I;m good to go but will nee-d the doctors clearance.
Me: What about the bills?
Temmy: That’s true, let’s ask the nurse. Excuse me (waiving at the pas-sing nurse). Thanks for the other time.
Nurse 2: You are welcome
Temmy: plea-se how do I get our bill and where to pay?
Nurse 2: That’s being taken care of
Temmy: By who?
Nurse 2: The lady that hit you guys
Temmy: But the driver is a guy and he seems to be alone in the car. I remember that at least before I pas-sed out.
Rachael: You are right, it was a guy. But I saw him arguing with a lady over there the other time.
Nurse 2: The lady owns the car, I think the guy borrowed it. She asked me to call her when you are discharged.
Temmy: can you give me her number?
Nurse 2: Yes I can. But you guys (pointing to Janet and I) nee-ds to leave now. You can’t be here at this hour of the day.
Doctor: (Speaking from the nurse’s back) They all can leave. Doctor is around so I’ll take my leave too. (Facing us) You guys should wait for me outside, I’ll take you to your hostel.
The nurse then dial the lady’s number and they spoke a little while before handling the phone to Temmy, who spoke for some minutes.
Temmy: She said she’ll come to our hostel tomorrow.
We all left the hospital with the doctor taking us directly to our hostel, the four of us in our small room. We chatted throu-gh the night as Racheal and Temmy narrates their ordeal as the accident is concern. They all sle-pt on our four and a half inches be-d while I used the opportunity to check and recheck my introductory chapter. After re-writing for the third time, I decided not to check again as I’m sure I’ll see another error. Confirming the next day as a public holiday, I wish this man did not asked me to submit, I would have sleep and wake up so late.
Lying on the rug using my hunch bag as pillow trying to get some sleep, and the pictures of what transpired between Janet and I repla-yed. “I’m I in love with her? It’s obvious she likes me and I felt I’m alre-ady re-ciprocating. I’ll ask her out the next opportunity I have”. As I was thinking about this, the light was brou-ght and I decided to put on the Westlife mp3. As I was about to lie back down, I heard Janet’s voice.
Janet: You and Westlife
Me: You’ve not been slee-ping or I woke you up with the sound?
Janet: No, I’ve been watching you since.
Me: Hmm, you can sleep now as I am about to sleep too.
Janet: Are you sure?
Me: Yeah, that’s the work of the Westlife I put on.
Janet: Hmm, can I come and join you on the rug?
Me: Believe me I’m only managing here. Enjoy your sleep, good night.
Janet: I’m coming regardless.
She left where she was slee-ping carrying the pillow and lie right beside me, facing the ceiling just like I did. She turned and stretched my left arm, placing her head on my che-st. I seriously hope she wasn’t planning to sleep this way because I can’t sleep facing the ceiling, though I love the fact she’s in my arms.
Me: Jane
Janet: Yes?
Me: About what happened earlier, I’ll love to . . .
Janet: We’ll talk about it tomorrow. I just want be like this tonight.
EPISODE EIGHT
I kept mute and decided to think of something else to distract myself from the reality around me with no success at that. I pu-ll-ed her closer, k!$$£d her on the fore head and said “Good night”.
I woke up to a sweet aroma coming from our kitchen. Janet wasn’t in my arm any longer, Temmy is still slee-ping and Rachael is no more on the mattress. I also discovered I was covered with the cover cloth. It was 6:30 AM and I stood up to see what’s going on in the kitchen only to discover it was only Janet.
Me: Good morning Jane
Janet: Will! How was your night?
Me: Great, and yours?
Janet: Fantastic!
Me: Hmm, where is Rachael?
Janet: She’s using the toilet
Me: I see. I’m enjoying this aroma
Janet: Don’t worry, it’s for breakfast
Me: I can’t wait
We both laughed as Rachael comes out of the toilet, which also combine as bathroom.
Me: Rachael good morning, how is your b©dy now?
Rachael: I’m fine, except the pain I’m feeling on my right leg which I did not feel yesterday.
Me: Sorry dear, by the time you eat and take your drug it will be down.
Rachael: Thanks. Temmy is still slee-ping.
Me: He only sleeps like that when he’s extremely tired or ill.
Janet: Will, what’s your plan for today?
Me: Well I have a paper to submit, nothing more.
Janet: When will you be submitting?
I was about to answer when my phone rang. Checked and it was an unfamiliar number. I picked the call and caller started dishing out commands without introduction.
Me: Hello
Caller: Hello, I want you to meet me by 7am at my office and I hope you have some money with you because we are going down to Akure this morning to get some of the materials you’ll be nee-ding for your project. Hello are you listening?
Me: Yes sir, I. . .
Caller: Good, I’m alre-ady on my way to the school, if you miss the 7am time, you’ll meet me in Akure by yourself or you don’t graduate. (He terminated the call)
Me: How on earth did this man get my number?
Janet: What’s wrong?
Me: My supervisor just called, we are good to Akure by 7
Janet: 7! Meaning you has 15min left. Your lecturer is crazy o.
I rushed down into the bathroom, took my bath as if I did not, brushing my teeth simultaneously. Dressed up almost immediately and re-ady to move.
Rachael: eat something before leaving now.
Janet: Yes, no matter how small.
Temmy: Boy where to?
Rachael: Akure, his supervisor just called him
Temmy: Oh! That madman, let him go on time, the man can do and undo.
Me: Boss, how’s your b©dy now? plea-se take your drugs, I’ll call when we get there. Rachael, Janet, you guys should take care. See you later.
I hurried out of the room walking so fast as if I’m being chased. I checked the time and it’s 7am alre-ady and I still have some miles to cover before I get to his office. I really wish bikes go throu-gh school, it would have being easier for me. I got to his office around 5min after 7, sweating profusely, only to meet the door locked. I thought to myself “has the man alre-ady left? How did he expect me to be. here by 7am around that time he called? Why didn’t he inform me yesterday?” I decided to sit down on the pavement in front of his office not knowing what next to do. “Should I go back home and carry over the course has he had threatened or go to Akure on my own. By the way, where do I know he’s going in Akure and today is public holiday”. While waiting, I was joined by two others whom the man also supervises. He had called them to me him by 7am too. Well, now that we are many, maybe we can take decision together. We all sat there discussing our different encounters concerning chapter one, there I discovered I was the only one to have submitted anything at all. I bec@m£ their tutor, giving them guide lines on how to go about it. While doing this, the man eventually arrived in his black Toyota corolla. He parked right there on the road signifying to us to come to him.
Supervisor: How long have you guys been here?
Guy: Before 7 sir, I’ve been here since 10min to 7.
Girl: Yes sir, we c@m£ together.
Supervisor: And you? (Pointing to me)
Me: I got here around 5min after 7 sir (After saying that, I discovered I might have put either myself or the others in trouble)
Supervisor: So you met them here?
Me: (I know it, trouble has come) they are likely going to be around maybe checking the notice boards when I c@m£.
Supervisor: You are trying to cover up for them right?
Me: Sir, that’s . . .
Supervisor: Anyway, you guys just had your first test with me.
Guy, Girl, Me: Test?
Supervisor: (Laughing) you’ve not being told? I give my marks from tests and not from your write ups. Because I’m sure you’ll write ru-bbish anyway. You (pointing to me)
Me: Williams Albert, sir
Supervisor: What? That’s your name?
Me: Yes sir, Williams Opeyemi, Albert.
Supervisor: Why bearing English names? Anyway, out of 20 you’ve scored 10 marks.
Me: 10 marks sir?
Supervisor: Yes. Out of the 20 marks, you have -5 marks for coming 5minutes late and -5 marks for trying to cover up for them.
Me: Sir, but . . .
Supervisor: Gbenusoun! (Shut up), you thought I’m just coming? (Pointing to students’ affair building) I could see everything clearly from there. I’ve been here there since the time I called you guy, so you two, your score? Zero out of 20. You better be at alert, you can never tell when your next test will be. Out of three tests (60 marks), you’ve done one. The remaining 40 marks will be from your write up and defence.
He took my write up and correct it there, asked me to re-write it while he put on his system, inser-ted his modem and started surfing the net. I returned the write-up back to him, he checked and said “good, let’s do your Literature Review together”. While we were doing this, the other guys just stood there looking. Sighting them, he asked them to leave since they’ve nothing to tender. We were there together surfing, copying and pasting on his system. By the time his l@pt©p battery went down, we looked and found a wall socket outside the offices and plugged the system. I wondered why he won’t let us into his office. We were done with my Literature review, typed my introductory chapter and methodology. He made sure all the necessary stuffs were written and then took me in his car to a printing shop where we printed the project. He signed right there and said “go and be preparing for your first defence and enjoy your weekend”, and he drove off. I couldn’t believe what just happened, after all I’ve heard about this man, he seem nice to me, though I don’t think other guys will say the same thing.
Tbc