A good story from Frank The Writer Follow him for the rest and other interesting stories.
I was young and naïve when I came to the campus. It was a new beginning, a new phase of life, and I was just 21. I came into this school knowing nobody. I was a certified loner as well, and it didn’t bother me much about associating with people. I had my phone and other gadgets to keep me bubbling and alive.
The only issue I had then was the low power supply in Eziobodo (off-campus). That was the area I started my life in Uni. ( Federal University of Technology, Owerri). We hardly see light there and we could go weeks without seeing lights. Too bad though. We survived mainly on generators and shops nearby.
Well, that is by the way, that’s Nigeria for you.
One evening, I was particularly happy this evening because as a new student and wanna be a first-class student, I had spent the whole day at the school library solving mathematics. The last time I did maths was during my WAEC. It was never part of my Jamb combination. I knew I needed to study harder if I wanted to make good results in my Mth101.
Astonishingly, I understood everything I read the whole day, ranging from Indices and Logarithm. I just couldn’t wait to attempt past questions on my Mth101 material and also daunt the lecturer with questions in class to capture the attention of Cynthia, my day one crush in my department.
Ever since I set my eyes on Cynthia at Sosc extension, there’s been a different story in my head as I kept imagining things, just vivid imagination.
For weeks, I’ve been battling on how to capture her attention and probably shoot my shots, but things kept falling apart like Chinua Achebe's wonder book.
Cynthia wasn’t catching my shots, even though I have tried being her seatmate during lectures. I’ve also tried initiating conversation because that’s one thing I’m good at, but it seemed as if I wasn’t making a meaningful effort to get her attention.
I always lose concentration during classes because of Cynthia, especially during the Mth101 lecture where she usually sits in the front row.
Something in me has told me to let go of her and move on because she would likely not pay me any attention. She seemed to come from a rich family, judging from her outfits and overall look.
Unperturbed, I resolved to keep on pushing. I was positive I would eventually win her heart, even if it takes me the whole of my year one to get Cynthia.
She is the epitome of black beauty, with her dashing dimples, syrupy sweet lips, charming eyes, and voice that could melt a man’s heart.
There were other beautiful girls as usual, but her beauty really caught my attention I desperately wanted to have things to do with her.
Two weeks ago, I overheard her telling her friend Jessy that she has been having difficulties in Mth101, most especially in Permutation and Combination.
This was literally one of the things that made me put more effort into Mth101 as if my CGPA depended on it. I was willing to show myself during the next lecture and hopefully woo her with my free Mth 101 tutorial.
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Heading back to my lodge after a fulfilled day at the school library, hunger soon overtake the quench for Cynthia as my stomach rumbled and sang songs of praise. Earlier in the morning, I had a light breakfast of beans and custard— the only thing I tasted before heading to the library.
Meanwhile, I had a leftover soup I had been warming for days, almost tasting like "Agbo". I had garri and sugar in my room as well, but there was no water in my room.
So, I quickly stopped by Mama B's provision shop, opposite Imo Signature, Futo Road, Eziobodo.
It was around 6:30 PM and I was feeling very famished. I contemplated on what to eat, something heavy, preferable swallow, but the soup in my room had lost its taste. I began to solve trigonometric calculations in my hand on what was best to eat for dinner. If I decide to soak garri that night, hunger would do me shege in the middle of the night.
Well, in the end, I resorted to having tea and bread.
So, I walked into the popular Mama B provision shop which was close to my lodge. I wanted to buy bread because I already had tea and milk in my room.
Mama B is a superwoman of my street as she has been saving us (students) from blackouts. Her shop was more like a charging center where students charge their phones at night and sometimes during the day. I remember the day I almost lost my phone in her shop when I quickly went to my lodge to get something.
She had told me why it was advisable not to leave one's phone without having someone to watch over it.
"Good evening, Mama B." I greeted her as I entered her shop to buy bread and a bag of sachet water, which amounted to #850.
I peeped inside the shop and saw one of her daughters devouring a bowl of eba and egusi soup and it reminded me of my old soup in my room.
"Mama B, I want to buy Fanta," a feminine voice spoke from behind.
It was an angelic voice from heaven, and it made me turn to see whose voice it was. The creature behind me was glamorous that I stared twice at her spotless face. She was carrying her gas cylinder in her left hand. I presume she went to refill it.
"Any other thing?" Mama B asked as she handed me the bread and pointed outside where the sachet of water was packed.
"Nothing." I took my change and turned. I was just going to get home, eat to my satisfaction. Scroll through all the WhatsApp messages on my departmental group chat and have a sumptuous sleep in preparation for my proposal to Cynthia the next day. But right before me was an Angel from Mama B's sop, staggering with her 6 KG gas cylinder and other things she bought from the shop.
We were both heading in the same direction. I haven’t seen such beauty before in my lodge. Could it be she stays in my lodge?
But then I thought of what I would do to mesmerize this pretty girl. Should I assist her with the gas cylinder?
Maybe that will seem too forward. I dismissed the thoughts.
She was slowing down due to the heavy cylinder she was carrying. Then I walked past her and that was when I resorted to doing a kind of acrobatic display with the bag of sachet water when I was sure she was staring at me.
I left the pure water on my shoulder without the support of my other hand, and just when I made a step further, boom, the nylon went skrahhh, leaving the entire sachet of water on the floor.
Damn, I was so embarrassed that I just wanted to disappear and reappear in my room.
Surprisingly, she rushed forward, abandoning her gas cylinder to assist me.
"Wait, let me get a bucket from my room." She announced, almost running into the lodge.
Wow, I never knew we stayed in the same lodge.
She returned quickly with a small blue basin instead of a bucket. I bent down and began to pick the sachet of water into the basin while she freely assisted me as passersby watched us with enthusiasm.
While we picked the water, we simultaneously attempted to pick a particular sachet of water, which made our hands touch.
I felt a chill in my spine. My heart seemed to pause from beating. Everything went slow, like in the movies. We both raised our heads and looked deeply into each other’s eyes with electrifying affection. it was magical.
My eyes got shut, and I moved my lips forward in an attempt to...
