CHAPTER 3
Emeka’s eyes were swollen, red and like a brimstone, but this time, it wasn’t due to smoking or drinking, he has been crying his eyes out. If there were any begging position, he had already been there. But now, he prostrated on the floor, still begging Hannah to forgive him.
He has been begging for two days now, but Hannah had insisted that it was over. Something Emeka couldn’t take himself to bear. The first time Hannah said that, he almost drank himself to death. Even his friend, Ade, was unable to rescue him from the plank.
“You got to understand, please!” He kept repeating the verse like it mattered to Hannah, who was apparently not worried about the break up.
“Oh, I understood you the first time you explained, but you didn’t understand my own point, did you?” Hannah asked without looking at his wet face. She sat comfortably on the plastic chair with legs crossed, filing her nails that doesn’t need filing.
“Blessing is not more a problem, I promise you.” Emeka pleaded again.
“See, Emeka, when you approached me for a relationship, six months ago, I told you I can’t be with you unless you do away with… with that wretched girl! Everybody knows her background with her holier-than-thou attitude, just because her parents were pastors. She is poor, her parents are poor, and she is even a squatter because last time we heard, Bukky was the one paying for the hostel and she had never contributed a dime!”
“I swear, if you forgive me this time, I will never go back to her.”
“Yeah, heaven will come if I believe you this time. You know,” she stopped filing her nails, uncrossed her legs and bent from her chair to face Emeka, “the last time, she thanked you for being gentle with her while taking her virginity. This time, she missed you and will love to sleep over at your place. You know, I could only thank my stars that I had your phone with me on these two occasions, otherwise, you would have fooled me twice!"
“This time, I swear, it is over!” Emeka held onto Hannah’s legs.
Hannah yanked herself from him and walked to the window. “The worst part is, that wretched Blessing would have been bragging about you being hers, when I was bragging that you dumped her for me. Being in the same class with that wretched girl is shameful enough!”
“I am begging you. I cannot do without you, I swear!” Emeka sniffed and cried without leaving his position.
“The only way I can redeem my glowing image is to let everyone know that I dumbed you!”
Emeka assumed a kneeling position and walked on his knees to where Hannah was standing, he held on her skirt. “I don’t care if you told everyone that you dumbed me, but I am going to have nothing to do with Blessing anymore!”
“And how does that solve this whole issue?” Hannah turned to him.
“You know, I have just three months left in this university before my final papers, after which we can be together again.”
Hannah refused, and Emeka begged on.
*******************
“How is she?” Ade asked as he came into the hostel room.
“Still the same thing.” Bukky, who sat by a shivering Blessing answered Ade.
“That’s bad.” Ade said. “No improvement?”
“If you meant ‘after you left’, then, no.” Bukky replied.
Ade came forward to feel Blessing’s forehead. He quickly removed his hand. “Jesus! She burning up! Shouldn’t we take her to the school clinic?”
“She refused.”
“I don’t think she has much of a choice.” Ade said and moved towards Blessing’s bed, raised her arm and dropped it like a referee during a wrestling match. “She looks dead.”
Bukky scoffed. “She’s not dead.” She said and padded Blessing’s forehead with a wet towel.
“I am not dead.” Blessing said without opening her eyes. “Just get me my Emeka.”
“Is that what this is?” Ade was surprised.
“Yes, just get me Emeka and I will be fine.”
“I told you.” Bukky said.
“But I don’t know where he is?” Ade lied.
“You’re his friend, just help us find him.” Bukky shouted.
“Alright, alright, I will try and do that.” Ade replied uneasily. He started to think. Emeka doesn’t wants to be found, but it is looking as though he has no choice.
“Ade!” Bukky shouted his name.
“What? Why shouting my name? I am right here!”
“No, you were not. I called you three times.”
“You did?”
“Yes, she did.” Blessing replied to Ade’s question.
“What were you thinking? Did you know where your friend is?” Bukky asked Ade who denied.
Blessing sat up. “Ade, please.”
“What is the problem with you girls, huh? I told you I will look for him, okay? Take care of yourselves.” He said and both girls watched him leave.
END OF CHAPTER 3
Emeka’s eyes were swollen, red and like a brimstone, but this time, it wasn’t due to smoking or drinking, he has been crying his eyes out. If there were any begging position, he had already been there. But now, he prostrated on the floor, still begging Hannah to forgive him.
He has been begging for two days now, but Hannah had insisted that it was over. Something Emeka couldn’t take himself to bear. The first time Hannah said that, he almost drank himself to death. Even his friend, Ade, was unable to rescue him from the plank.
“You got to understand, please!” He kept repeating the verse like it mattered to Hannah, who was apparently not worried about the break up.
“Oh, I understood you the first time you explained, but you didn’t understand my own point, did you?” Hannah asked without looking at his wet face. She sat comfortably on the plastic chair with legs crossed, filing her nails that doesn’t need filing.
“Blessing is not more a problem, I promise you.” Emeka pleaded again.
“See, Emeka, when you approached me for a relationship, six months ago, I told you I can’t be with you unless you do away with… with that wretched girl! Everybody knows her background with her holier-than-thou attitude, just because her parents were pastors. She is poor, her parents are poor, and she is even a squatter because last time we heard, Bukky was the one paying for the hostel and she had never contributed a dime!”
“I swear, if you forgive me this time, I will never go back to her.”
“Yeah, heaven will come if I believe you this time. You know,” she stopped filing her nails, uncrossed her legs and bent from her chair to face Emeka, “the last time, she thanked you for being gentle with her while taking her virginity. This time, she missed you and will love to sleep over at your place. You know, I could only thank my stars that I had your phone with me on these two occasions, otherwise, you would have fooled me twice!"
“This time, I swear, it is over!” Emeka held onto Hannah’s legs.
Hannah yanked herself from him and walked to the window. “The worst part is, that wretched Blessing would have been bragging about you being hers, when I was bragging that you dumped her for me. Being in the same class with that wretched girl is shameful enough!”
“I am begging you. I cannot do without you, I swear!” Emeka sniffed and cried without leaving his position.
“The only way I can redeem my glowing image is to let everyone know that I dumbed you!”
Emeka assumed a kneeling position and walked on his knees to where Hannah was standing, he held on her skirt. “I don’t care if you told everyone that you dumbed me, but I am going to have nothing to do with Blessing anymore!”
“And how does that solve this whole issue?” Hannah turned to him.
“You know, I have just three months left in this university before my final papers, after which we can be together again.”
Hannah refused, and Emeka begged on.
*******************
“How is she?” Ade asked as he came into the hostel room.
“Still the same thing.” Bukky, who sat by a shivering Blessing answered Ade.
“That’s bad.” Ade said. “No improvement?”
“If you meant ‘after you left’, then, no.” Bukky replied.
Ade came forward to feel Blessing’s forehead. He quickly removed his hand. “Jesus! She burning up! Shouldn’t we take her to the school clinic?”
“She refused.”
“I don’t think she has much of a choice.” Ade said and moved towards Blessing’s bed, raised her arm and dropped it like a referee during a wrestling match. “She looks dead.”
Bukky scoffed. “She’s not dead.” She said and padded Blessing’s forehead with a wet towel.
“I am not dead.” Blessing said without opening her eyes. “Just get me my Emeka.”
“Is that what this is?” Ade was surprised.
“Yes, just get me Emeka and I will be fine.”
“I told you.” Bukky said.
“But I don’t know where he is?” Ade lied.
“You’re his friend, just help us find him.” Bukky shouted.
“Alright, alright, I will try and do that.” Ade replied uneasily. He started to think. Emeka doesn’t wants to be found, but it is looking as though he has no choice.
“Ade!” Bukky shouted his name.
“What? Why shouting my name? I am right here!”
“No, you were not. I called you three times.”
“You did?”
“Yes, she did.” Blessing replied to Ade’s question.
“What were you thinking? Did you know where your friend is?” Bukky asked Ade who denied.
Blessing sat up. “Ade, please.”
“What is the problem with you girls, huh? I told you I will look for him, okay? Take care of yourselves.” He said and both girls watched him leave.
END OF CHAPTER 3
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