EPISODE 10
“Jesus” she shouted as the footwear landed a little above her che-st which i noticed made her b—-t jingle a bit.
I stood rooted to a point with my hands over my open mouth. I was oblivious of my posture. For some seconds i stood there not knowing what to do next. At this point Ada was observing her white t-shi-t and the dirty mark the sneaker had left on it. I managed to walk a little bit closer to her and noticed Lucy was with her. Lucy lived in our lodge and we were all very close. I was a little glad on seeing Lucy there, at least someone to speak on my behalf.
“Am really sorry, i never meant to throw that at you” i started to say in a shaky voice while i fidgeted my f!ngerswhich i had managed to slide into my pockets. She looked up at me with an expression that was ha-rd to decipher. Not smiling and not much frown there. She said nothing while trying to brush off the dirt on her shi-t. Lucy cast a glance at me and gave me one of her n@ûghty smiles. She pu-ll-ed a hanky from her pocket and used it in blu-shing the sp©t off. I was tem-pted to go over and lend a hand but i just checked myself to avoid stories that t©uçhed.
“Hmm, no problem, i guess i’ll just go in and take this shi-t off, lucky my Lodge’s over there” Ada finally said in a voice that made me want to ask her for a k!ss.
“OK, i will see you later” lucy replied her while i stood there almost invisible to them but i was glad it seemed i would be left off the hook. Ada walked past me without even looking at me. I heaved a sigh of relief as i turned and my gaze followed her for some distance. Honestly i was observing her perky a-s which Lucy seemed to notice. She dragged me into our Lodge holding me by my hand.
“it’s like you want to throw the remaining shoe at her bu-tt too” she said pu-lling me by my ear. I grimaced and pu-ll-ed myself away. I saw kossi peeping out from his door with a wicked grin on his face. I pu-ll-ed the remaining sneaker and threw it at him, this time ma-king sure it landed him squarely on his head before he ran inside.
Emeka rushed out from the room, observed me and broke out into a laughter.
“see them, busy b©dy” i said and picked the sneaker that i threw mistakenly at Ada. Kossi threw the other back at me and i caught it mid air.
“But seriously guy, Ada likes you o” Lucy said. I looked at her.
“Really?”
“yes nah, you nee-ded to hear what she told emeka for stepping on her sli-ppers that she kept outside and this one, you threw ur dirty shoe at her and she just let you go like that, maybe she dy trip for you” Lucy said smiling and wi-nking at me. I looked at the three of them hissed and went inside with my sneakers clutched un-der my armpit.
EPISODE 11
Exams were fast approaching. Just two weeks left. Usually i ha-rd ly t©uçhed my books until its a week to exam day but this time around i just decided to start early with no reason.
The day was Wednesday and the time was 12:45. I strolled leisurely into the school libr@ry with my books tucked un-der my armpit. My head was covered with a black face cap which p@rtly covered my eyes too, i just didn’t want to observe or be observed by anyb©dy there. I found a seat and sat there alongside a guy and a girl whom i suspected to be couples R0m-ncing their books more than they were re-ading it. I hissed lightly and ru-bbe-d my nose. Opened my mathematics textbook and started re-ading it. I was just a little too lazy to solve instead i solved in my head and crammed the formula for the ones i couldn’t solve. About 15 minutes gone, i raised my head from my books, i yawned and stretched my b©dy. Three rows from where I sat i noticed someone that looked like Eva. I wasn’t so sure and i couldn’t walk up to her seat to check. I screeched my feet on the floor, it made a little lot of noise. Few people looked at me, i managed to hide my face behind my face cap. But my plan worked, she managed to look up, i recognised her with the style of her hair. I smiled at myself and picked my books, i felt my pocket and made sure her pen was intact. I walked up to her seat and sat besides her. She didn’t even as much as look at me.
I coughed. She then stole a glance and focused on her book again and then looked back at me with an expression of recognition on her face. She gave a little smile and faced me fully.
“You again, i don’t have a spare pen here” she said
I looked at her with a fake shock on my face and smiled.
“so you are now calling me a pen borrower?” i asked still smiling
“Not exactly but i don’t see a pen on you and I’m quite sure u c@m£ here to re-ad”
I looked into her eyes and shook my head.
“You know there’s something cute about you” i managed to tell her with my heart pounding at the prospect that i was actually going to sweet talk her.
“Really?” she asked her eyes focused on mine.
“Yea, and i was hoping we could go beyond pen lending and borrowing relationsh!p” i said tou-ching her lightly on her hands.
She gave me this feminine laugh that warmed my heart and made her beauty animate.
“So what should we now lend and borrow?” she said
“Well i would love to borrow your heart and besides i don’t think you have any pen that you can lend me now, do you?”
“Well right, i don’t think i have a pen to lend you for now and about my heart, i also don’t think i can spare it either”
I knew it wasn’t going to be easy but i have started and i wasn’t going to st©p.
“Well i don’t necessarily nee-d everything, you can keep the p@rt that pumps blood and all, i just nee-d the emotional side of it” i said with a smile and still keeping eye contact.
She laughed.
“You are not serious” she laughed.
“I am” i said smiling.
She tilted her head and looked at me with the most charming smile I have ever seen which seemed to spre-ad into her eyes.
“Whats your name?” she asked.
“Tochukwu and yours?”
“I thought you alre-ady have a name for me?”
“Do i?” i asked
“Maybe, well i’m Eve” she finally said
“Well i was actually close the last time i called you Eva”
She smiled and said there’s a difference. I dropped my nokia torchlight phone on the re-ading desk.
I pu-ll-ed her pen from my pocket and waved it in her face.
“Well I’m giving it back to you on one condition”
“What condition?” she asked.
“That you write down your number for me with it” i said trying to sound confident.
She smiled, looked at me and then back to her still open books
“Well you may have to keep it for a long time” she said
“Why?” i asked a little disappointed
“Well, Because i can’t possibly oblige to your condition, and don’t border to push it cos it would be a futile attempt”
i moved my hand closer to hers on the desk, held her f!ngersand was about to tell her the story of my life when my phone vibr@ted in my pocket. I pu-ll-ed it out and saw my brothers name on the screen, i swore un-der my breath and picked the call, placed the phone to my ear and said hello with a killer frown on my face.
“Hello idiot come house” Martins said hastily and cut the phone.
I slid the phone back in my pocket. Picked my books. I made to pick my nokia phone on the desk but on a second thought decided to leave it there.
I looked at Eve again. Her shinning skin made me so weak i felt like i could fall. She looked at me and asked if I was leaving.
“Yea, my brother just called me”
“Ok”.
“So when would i see you again” i asked her.
“Well, whenever you see me, you see me”.
“Cool” i said and pu-ll-ed closer to her, planted a k!sson her cheek, stood up and observed the shock on her face which broke into a smile. I smiled back and turned straight for the door deliberately forgetting my Nokia phone on the desk.
EPISODE 12
“Hello, sorry he misplaced his phone, maybe you could help him pick it up” I heard a lovely voice say over the phone as i called my Nokia torchlight.
“Hey Eve, its me, tochi” i said
“Oh you, how could you be so careless”
“Ermm, things like this happen, thank God that you kept it”
“Okay o, so where will i be bringing it?” she asked
“where will be more convenient for you?”
“Maybe you should come around to my side for it” she said after a little silence.
“And where is your side? ”
” Just get to Five star junction, then call me”
“Okay, will do that”
“so when are you coming exactly?”
“I don’t know, is now okay?”
“Ermm, I guess yes”
“fine, I’m on my way, can i get your number so i can call you when i get there?”
She laughed over the phone and her voice was like a melody to my ears
“Nice try Clever guy, just call your phone when you get there, I’ve charged it full” she said, laughed and dropped the call.
I smiled as i l@yon my be-d staring into space. I prayed to God to grant me this girl as a gift for Christmas. I swore to myself never to look twice at any other girl should Eve ever become mine.
The next 2 hours found me patrolling around five star junction. I had called her like 2 minutes before i got to the junction. I was rehearsing my lines in my head, i was really determined to move to the next level with her. I called my phone for the second time since getting there, it rang and she didn’t pick. I was about calling again when I turned my back and saw walking towards me. She was exceptional as she had always been. She wore a hair net over her head, a loose white mini go-wn with flower patterns which revealed her fair l@ps and beautiful legs. Setting eyes on her walking towards me, every single thing in my head that i had wanted to say to her evaporated.
“Hey” she said as she got close to me
“hi” i said staring at her and lacking the right words to express myself.
“here, have it” she said after about 10 seconds silence and handing over my phone. I took it from her outstretched hand.
“thank you” i said putting it in my pocket.
“You welcome”
“So you live around here” i said looking around.
“Yes i do”
“Well i don’t think i saw which house you walked out from” i said.
“And i don’t think you nee-d to see which house it was” she retorted almost immediately.
“Well, i just wanted to know, in case i wanted to see you again”
“Don’t worry, if it ever becomes very necessary that we should see again, it will happen. She said turning to leave.
“At least, see me off” i begged her.
“Tochi, can someone ever tell you off” she said folding her arms and looking straight at me.
“Eve, you can’t tell me off, just walk with me a little distance plea-se?”
She sighed and followed me. We walked and talked. Most of the talking was done by me, it was mostly a question and answer session. Eve really had a thick skin on her. She was however very beautiful so i didn’t expect anything less.
We ran into a friend of hers who happened to be heading for her lodge.
“Evelyn, where are you going?” the girl asked as she hvgged her.
“Seeing him off” she replied nodding towards me. The girl looked at me like she was just observing me for the very first time.
“Hmm, tochukwu right?” she said looking at me, i was surprised but i didn’t show it.
“Yes? ” i said giving her a puzzled look.
“Hmm, what are you doing here”
“Well c@m£ to pick my phone” i answered trying to figure out if i knew her from somewhere.
“Hmmm, pick your phone?” she said looking at me and then Eve.
“Yes, he misplaced his phone and i picked it for him” Eve sh0t in
“okay, i see” she said smiling.
“Do you know each other? ” Eve asked, i shrugged.
” Yea, we live in the Same street” she answered.
“Really? ” i said folding my hands.
” I am Ada’s lodge mate, since you don’t know me, you should know Ada naa” i smiled, bade them farewell and turned to go, only to be called back by Eve, she held Her friend by the hand and faced me.
“Tochi plea-se come, On no account should you ask Tonia for my contact and Tonia” she faced her ” and should he ask which i’m very sure he will, on no account should you give it to him” we both smiled.
“Yes madam, Tochi you have heard naa” Tonia said
I nodded and was about to protest when Eve gr@bb£d Tonia and the both left.
“Greet martins for me” Tonia called behind her.
I shouted okay and boarded a bike back to my lodge…
EPISODE 13
I started frequenting the libr@ry on daily basis with hope of seeing Eve. I would go there with my maths textbook and re-ad up about 2 to 3 chapters before going home.
On the third day, on my way home, i was clutching my math101 textbook on my left hand and my iPhone 6s on my right. An earphone connected to the phone was plugged in my ear and i moved to the rhythm of music that pla-yed in my ears.
As i pushed the gate to our logde open, someone t©uçhed me, i turned around to see who it was and Ada stood there. I was startled, i wasn’t expecting her to even look in my direction talk more of walking up to and tou-ching me.
“Hi” i said pu-lling the earphones from my ear..
“Hey, do you know how long i have been calling after you?”
“I’m sorry, i had these on and i couldn’t hear you ” i said referring to the earphones.
” Okay, you are tochukwu right?”
“Yea, i hope no problem?”
“Not really, just that i saw you coming with the maths textbook and i wanted to ask if you offer math101”
“Yes, we do, i’m engineering so we are mathematics ”
” Okay, ermm, i was thinking, Can you teach me? As in help me with mathematics ” she said scratching her head. I was taken aback by this request. I wasn’t even that good in mathematics but i nee-ded to give her a positive reply, first, not to let myself down or make myself appear an olodo to her and second, i nee-ded anything that will bring me closer to this dame.
“Well, yes i can help you, but it may have to be more of a study together thing ” i said trying not to pres£nt myself as a whizkid in case i flopped in my teaching duties towards her.
” Okay, its cool with me, i don’t mind ”
” Yea, so where do we meet?” i asked her
“Is my room ok for you or do i come to yours?”
I weighed the balance and decided it was going to be her room. I didn’t nee-d my nosy lodge mates or my hyper active brother interfering.
“i think your room is just fine”
“okay, can we start tomorrow, you know exams are coming up and apparently i must confess i really svçkat mathematics”
“okay then, tomorrow by what time?”
“Is the afternoon conducive for you?”
“Yea, its just fine ”
” okay then, thanks dear, see you tomorrow afternoon ”
” You welcome ”
” Hope you know my room” she asked while backing away
“I’ll find my way”
“Okay then bye” she said and left for her logde.
I looked at her as she walked into their gate and in my mind i thought
“we are going to make one hell of a study group Ada”.
I walked into our lodge and my brother was there at the front of our room smiling sheepishly at me.
“Oga maths lecturer God don bu-tter your bre-ad o” he shouted at me.
“Martin were you eavesdropping on us”
“No i was just pas-sing by o”
“Na you sabi” i said and walked into our room.
“See better girl you for bring over here make we teach am the maths together ” he said.
I acted like i didn’t hear him.
Tbc
⬅️ PREVIOUS episode