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story is an exclusive work of the author. All forms of
reproduction in parts or full without prior permission of the author is
vehemently prohibited. No part of this story may be reproduced, stored in or
introduced into a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic,
mechanical or otherwise).
This is a work of fiction, a result of my imagination. Although some of the places mentioned in this story are real, names, characters & incidents are the results of said imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business organization, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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CHAPTER ONE
It was a sweltering Friday afternoon with
the sun burning at its peak sending heat waves across the atmosphere. University
students sat inside the different reading rooms in the University of Uyo library grateful for the cooling effect of the
split unit air conditioners and ceiling fans. The library was filled to
capacity, it was mid semester and the exams were only two six weeks away.
Ken Johnson sat at a corner of the hall
hunched over the pages of Principles of Pharmacology
a bulky textbook lying on top of the reading desk.
He had been reading for two hours
resulting in a slight headache. He removed his medicated lenses, leaned back on
the chair and glanced around at the room.
Two female students sitting adjacent to
him were chattering away letting out muffled laughter every now and then. A few
drowsy heads were on the desks caught up in sleep, there was a general rustling
sound as pages of books were turned over, conversation in the library were in
hushed tones.
Out of the blues a phone suddenly rang
out with an ear splitting ringtone which was a popular dancehall song. The
intermittent sound brought out sighs and mumbles from the library users, the
section of the room became animated as necks were stretched out from the reading
cubicles in search for the offender who dared to break the peace of the library.
The offender was a heavily built male student
wearing a body hugging polo shirt seating at a table in the center of the room.
He was scribbling furiously onto a foolscap sheet.
Ken observed him, he didn’t look like a regular
library user, he was probably copying someone’s assignment into his sheet trying
to meet up the submission deadline.
The student slowly picked up the phone in
a move intended to infuriate the observers and ended the call. He turned round
and glared with fiery eyes at everyone who were looking at him A few hisses
& abuses were uttered and silence was restored.
Ken was a third year student of the
department of Pharmacy. A dark complexioned guy of medium height who always
wore a serious expression on his face, he was a brilliant chap sitting pretty
tight on a second class upper GPA.
He looked away from the room and took up
the textbook once again.
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The click clacking sound of a high heeled
shoe on the floor drew his attention and he looked up and watched as a girl approached
his corner. She was walking down the walkway between the cubicles searching
around for something.
“Excuse me please is there anyone there?
She asked as she pointed to the cubicle next to him where a book laid on top on
the desk with no occupant. Her voice sounded melodious and pleasant.
“I don’t think so, that book has been
lying there ever since I came in, you can use the space” he replied looking at
her.
She heaved a sigh of relief and said “whenever
the person comes in I’ll leave, i just want to write out something”. She walked
in and settled down.
Drug interactions may be the result of various
processes. These processes may include alterations in the pharmacokinetics of
the drug, such as alterations in the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and
excretion of a drug.
The text book was boring, he was tired
of reading about drug interactions, he gave a slight yawn and looked sideways
in the direction of his new companion.
She had a round face with red lips, her eyebrows were arched over the curve before
dispersing onto the bridge of her dainty nose, a dark wavy hair extended
down to her shoulder. Her light brown skin looked smooth and shiny. The girl
was dressed corporately in a blue blouse on top of a black skirt. She carried a
dignified air about her and looked exquisite.
She was writing out something from a
textbook onto a spiral notepad. Ken found himself becoming increasingly
fascinated with her, his mind was wondering “which department could she be in?.
She didn’t look like a science student
and wasn’t on black & white like the typical law student or casually
dressed like an Agric science student.
He will have to find out. He was
captivated and had lost all interest in the textbook he came to study.
She gave him a quick glance and he saw
dark brown eyes that were deeply mysterious.
Ken didn’t have a girlfriend, he was a nerd
who didn’t pursue romantic interests but with the mysterious girl seating next
to him he knew the time to reconsider his unromantic life had come. Valentine
day was only a month away.
She got up from the seat after fifteen
minutes and walked away. She was leaving. Instinctively Ken got up and followed
her out of the arched entrance of the library.
He silently followed her keeping a safe
distance from her. Her steps were quick and graceful that she appeared to float through the air. She
turned round and looked back, he kept his face down, he wanted to remain
hidden. He stood by the post office and watched as she opened the front door of
a Honda fit car parked under the
almond tree besides Cbn auditorium
and got into the driver’s seat.
“Wow she has a car!” he thought to
himself. She wasn’t the regular campus girl. It was going to be a difficult
task to gain access to her.
Kenneth watched as she reversed and
drove off in the direction of the main gate. He knew right there within himself
that he was in love! From the first moment he saw her, his heart was ensnared, he
had no hope of escape.
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CHAPTER 2
It was obvious to every student in Pharm
lecture room 2 that Professor Udoka wasn’t interested in having a full Drug analysis lecture. He was in a
jovial mood and was more interested in cracking jokes. The Prof was noted for
his spontaneous as well as his tiresome 4pm Friday lectures.
“How many of you here are on Instagram?”
he asked the students as he pranced around like a stand-up comedian performing
on a stage.
“I think i need to open an Instagram account
seeing as it is the in-thing now”.
A short roar of laughter came from the
students as they imagined the possibility of the 60+ years old professor taking
a selfie picture.
“Oh
you all think I am too old to be on instagram huh? You don’t know I am a young
man? How old do you think I am?”
You are 20, 30, 15, no….40!....the suggestions
poured in from all angles by students who were indulging him.
“I wish this man will just cut this crap
and leave now, hunger dey wire me badly but if i leave now e fit give test”
Emma voiced out his frustration to Ken.
“Me too, my mind is not even here” Ken
responded.
He was sitting in the middle row sandwiched
in between Emma and Odiong his colleagues & friends.
After 20 minutes of aimless bantering
the Prof decided he had enough lecturing for the day to the relief of most of
the students who spilled out from the hall like ants happy over the early
weekend head start.
Being a Friday evening the unwritten
rule dictated that they head over to an eatery to assuage their hunger. Emma, Odiong
and Ken were on their way like most of their colleagues to their favourite
joint in annex campus. They crossed the busy Ikpa road and soon were in Mama
Peace restaurant.
Mama
Peace restaurant
was one of four identical residential shops located behind the M2 male hostel. A rectangular room with
tables covered with plastic covers, small plastic seats and flies dancing on
the tables. The price of a meal fixed at N100 per plate was negotiable.
Madam Peace the madam of the eatery was
a chubby woman who always had a sourly look on her face. Her food was reputed
to be one of the most delicious on campus so she had many customers. It was the
best place to get the Afang-Melon soup combination relished by most male
students. The size of the food serving per plate could be increased from the
standard size depending on a student’s flattery skills or loyalty as a
customer.
Ken sat with Emma at a free table
waiting for Odiong who had gone to the counter to place an order for their meals.
Mama Peace was busy working with her assistants dishing out different varieties
of food into tiny plates for the hungry customers.
“Emma the baddest boi!” was the hailing
by one of two guys who were seated at a table littered with empty beer bottles
at the corner of the room.
“Hey! My ogas I am loyal, how things dey
go?” Emma hailed back.
Ken recognized them. They were professional students only known by
their nicknames “Rockstone” and “Swaggy side”.
Their studentship was rumoured to have expired years ago, no one really knew
which course they were studying & why they were still hanging around in
school. However they were political stakeholders who played active parts in student
union politics. Emma had political ambitions and associated with them.
Ken ate his meal in silence listening to
a rather animated analysis of the upcoming weekend premier league fixtures by
his colleagues.
The mysterious girl he saw at the
library was on his mind.
“Ken you have been quiet all along what
are you thinking?” Odiong queried him.
“It is nothing really, its just that there’s
this girl I met in the library today and she seemed to have found her way into
my heart…”
Odiong and Emma exchanged looks of disbelief
and burst out into hearty laughter attracting stares from nearby tables. Ken
frowned and shook his head. He couldn’t blame them for their reaction. They all
knew him as the nerd who spent most of his time with books looking forward to
attain a first class/2-1 degree. But things will have to change now. He was
ready to love. The problem gnawing at his mind was how and where to meet the
girl. He didn’t even know her name.
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CHAPTER 3
Dr Martin Oladapo looked down at the
foolscap sheet lying on top of his desk, his eyes quickly raced through the
list of names and hovered on number 15; Eva Essien. He picked up his blue biro
from the desk and underlined her name. She was indeed a student in his
department. He had earlier instructed the class representative of year two to
submit the names of all 200 level students of the department of English
Language to him just to confirm if indeed Eva Essien was on the list. Now the confirmation
he wanted was lying in front of him, it was time to make the next move.
Dr Martin was a playboy lecturer who was
into having affairs with female students. The game was simple: pick any female
student that caught your eye, make advances towards her, threaten her with
failure and victimization if she resists you and in no time she will succumb. Some
of the female students who are not serious with their studies would even offer up
themselves to you to get good grades. They give you what you want, you give them
what they want.
He had spent 9 yrs as a lecturer in the
University system and had racked up an impressive body count.
Eva Essien first came into his radar at
the hangout with like-minded and “fun loving” lecturers like himself at Emjem wine bar. Dr Idiok Udo had brought
up her name as a potential good catch as they compared notes and reviewed their
list of “possible catches”. Dr Udo
extolled her qualities of being a young beauty with brains, she was beautiful,
brilliant and above all was the daughter of Chief Essien a wealthy political godfather
in the city. When he heard this he decided he had heard enough and immediately took
up the challenge of being the first to get her. The benefits will be enormous.
He loved beautiful girls. She would be a
good tool for his intimate satisfaction, heck! he could even convince her to marry
him if she proves to be a wife material, he was fourty years and wasn’t getting
any younger. Through her he could get a chance to hobnob with Chief Essien and
his political associates which could land him a political appointment.
He gazed into the small face mirror
tucked in a worn out project file and looked at the reflection of his clean
shaven round face with admiration. He was handsome enough to get any girl he
wanted. Getting Eva won’t be an easy task as she wasn’t the regular insecure
girl that could be enticed with money, gifts and good grades. He will have to
look for another angle to slowly lure her into his net.
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“Una fit laugh me but i dey serious, I
really like this babe” Ken defiantly told his friends as they walked passed
Hall 4 girls hostel on their way back from Mama Peace restaurant. He was
slightly peeved at their reaction to his confession.
"No mind me abeg, when next you see
her just talk to her, make sure you collect her phone number” Emma advised and
continued “I fit help u with words wey you go use talk capture her mind”.
“Mehn just be yourself and maintain your
swag, she will feel you” Odiong chipped in.
“and whatever you say please don’t tell
her you love her, that will only turn her off”.
Ken shook his head as the dating tips
poured in. A naïve fellow like him needed all the help he could get but at the
moment all he wanted was a nap to clear his head.
They went their separate ways outside
Annex small gate. He boarded a keke tricycle to his one room apartment at Gibbs street. It was going to be a long
weekend with images of the girl at the library flashing through his mind.
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CHAPTER FOUR
Monday mornings on campus were the
busiest periods of the week. The “heavyweight courses” were always slated for
Monday mornings in the timetable leading to increased academic tempo as
students ran from venue to venue jostling to keep up with lectures.
Ken was among the early birds who were
already seated inside Pharm lecture hall Rm 3 for Dr Etiowo’s Phy 303 lecture. They were only 6 minutes
into the lecture when an army of students swarmed in with a lecturer at the
forefront claiming ownership the venue. It was one of those inevitable clashes
of venues due to timetable irregularities. Dr Etiowo deferred to the other
lecturer who was a senior colleague of his.
“Sir Acb
room 9 is free we can use there” Emperor the class representative informed Prof
Etiowo who gave the go-ahead for the venue swap. They rushed up the staircases of
Acb lecure block only to find all the lecture rooms occupied.
The
doctor postponed the class and ordered the class representative to resolve the
venue issue in the timetable before his next lecture.
Ken slowly descended the staircase. His
next destination was Annex library. The next lecture was a general studies
course holding in two hours time at business
lecture hall 1 in Annex campus.
“Good morning Ken” a slim shaped dark
complexioned girl wearing a rose patterned blouse on top of a black jean skirt greeted
him, she flashed a quick smile at him revealing a gap tooth.
“Good morning Idara, what’s up, how was
your weekend?
‘It was cool, where are you heading to“
She inquired.
They were standing in front of the senate
building.
“To Annex library” he replied.
“First class material!” she teased him. First class material was a slang used to
describe students who were overzealous in academic activities on campus.
“I wish I was one!” Ken responded
grinning.
“Hey one of your buttons is loose!” she swiftly
moved close to him and tucked in a button which had slipped out of the button
hole.
”Thank you”.
He had helped Idara Etuk with an
assignment three weeks ago, ever since then she had become extra courteous to
him.
“I
will join you as soon when I am through with some few stuffs in the
department’s office, reserve a seat for me o” She enjoined him.
“Ok, i will”…he knew she probably won’t
show up.
He turned and walked away and after a
while glanced back, she was standing still looking in his direction.
This was
the third time in two weeks that he had caught her staring at him. This made
him uncomfortable.
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Ken strolled leisurely on the pavement
of the drive from the main gate hoping and praying to bump into the mysterious
girl he saw at the library. He walked past the department of music studio, got
to the community center and was approaching the ravine when a sudden
premonition made him turn round. He gave a little gasp as he saw two girls
walking out from the community center building. The long dark hair! it was
unmistakable, one of them was the girl he met in the library! A cold chill
enveloped him and he could feel butterflies flapping their wings inside his
stomach while his heart hammered away. They were walking behind him.
Just
do it
the motto of Nike rang through his head. This was his opportunity of getting to
know her name and maybe getting her phone number. Just do it.
He bent down and fiddled with the laces
of his black suede shoe to allow them gain distance on him. They walked past
him and moved on. He straightened up and followed them.
She was stunning with a black sunshade on
her eyes, her flowing hair ran down the length of her shoulders, she was
wearing a white embroidered blouse on top of a black skirt whose hem barely
touched her knees.
“Excuse me”….”sorry excuse me”. The
girls swiftly turned around.
He looked at her and addressed her
“Hello, I am Ken, I think we have met
before”.
She removed her shade and looked into
his eyes. Ken found himself staring at her sensual lips that had traces of red
lipstick while he silently prayed that she wasn’t offended. Her companion had stood
aside.
“Yes’ I can recall seeing your face last
Friday at the library” she replied.
“If you don’t mind please what’s your name?
He probed further.
She turned to her friend and they
exchanged a conspiratorial look. She smiled exposing a perfect set of icy white
teeth.
“I am Eva, 200 level Department of
English, You?
“Ken as I said earlier Pharmacy dept,
300 level”.
“Cool, meet my friend Juliet”.
“Hello Juliet”
“Hi”
“See
you later Ken”. Eva said as she moved on with her friend.
“oh..ohkay…see you later” Ken couldn’t
find the words to ask for her phone number.
He watched them as they moved towards Prefab girls hostel.
Omo
you dey push my button tim tim/blow my horn pi pi pim/
Dial
my number ring ring/things you do/omo u dey make my heart go bim bim/
Make
me wanna sing sing/baby oh you dey do me strong thing.
He heaved a sigh of relief, he had her first
name and department, he will get her number in a short while, the boring school
life was getting interesting!
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TO BE CONTINUED
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