HORRIBLE MONDAY
“Hello!” Biodun exclaimed,
stopped the moment he walked into a very pretty looking damsel at his
departmental block on his way to class.
Biodun, a three hundred level (300 Level)
student of Mass Communication department in the Olabisi Onabanjo University
(formerly addressed as Ogun State University), Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State situated
in the South-West geo-political zone of Nigeria, was actually headed in
opposite direction to the supposed recipient of the unexpected greeting.
Unfortunately, the lady in
question ignored him, kept moving, which wasn’t unusual to the public lifestyle
of most Nigerian single ladies.
Persistently, Biodun hastily
reversed his movement and camly double-crossed her, though he wasn’t standing
directly in her front but very closely by her left side.
She stopped furiously. “What is
it?” She eventually uttered though in a low tone, frowning.
Both parties whom had campus notebooks in
their respective right hands were still facing opposite directions based on
their original destinations.
The melodrama was taking place
at about 08:12am on Tuesday March 5, 2002 during the first semester in the university’s
academic session.
“Honestly, I am deeply sorry for
bothering you,” Biodun apologetically said. “I never meant to hurt a pretty
damsel like you.”
He was really looking sorry. With
the look on his face, only a Jezebel-like creature wouldn’t succumb.
“I have heard you. It’s okay.”
she responded. “Just that I detest strangers embarrassing me this way.” She
said, gesticulating with her left arm which was her only free arm.
“I understand.” The hustler appreciated.
“So,” she chipped in. “To what
do I owe this?”
“Well,” he submissively replied.
“I am Biodun.”
“Okay,” she said. “I am Kemi.”
“That’s a lovely name,” he
teased, smiling. “Belonging to a lovely creature.”
“Thank you.” She stylishly appreciated.
Kemi who was dark, about
5.1-foot tall and slim wasn’t just beautiful but magnificent. She was putting
on a grey skirt, white top and black cum white flat-heeled sandals. Her hairs
were gorgeously plaited. Whilst, Biodun who was clad in black jean trousers,
multi-coloured polo, black baseball cap and ash trainers was chocolate, plump
and about 5.4-foot tall.
“As you can see,” she added. “I
am on my way to the class.”
“Sorry for going further,”
Biodun pleaded. “Are you in this department?”
“Yea.”
“Interesting...”
“What’s interesting about it?”
Kemi interrupted.
“This is my department too.”
“Okay,” she uttered. “Now I
understand.”
“You must be a fresher?”
“Why do you think so?”
“Because, you are looking very
fresh.” Biodun cleared the air.
She smiled. “You might be
right.”
“So, you are a first year
student of Mass Communication?” He verified.
“Yea.”
“Be my guest then.” He hinted
cheerfully.
“How?”
“You just came in of course,”
Biodun highlighted. “So being an old student, I am meant to be your host.”
“You are so funny.” Kemi
applauded, displaying her white teeth.
Biodun couldn’t hold his heavy
smile. He was very glad to see her laughing.
“So, what level are you?” She curiously
enquired.
“300.”
“300 level?” she exclaimed
surprisingly.
“Yes.”
Apparently, he needed not an
interpreter to notify him that he had won a bit of her seeming invisible heart.
“Wow,” she said. “You are
already through.”
“You can say that again.”
“I am so happy for you.”
“Thank you.”
“As you can see,” Kemi
observed. “I am already late to class.”
“Oh, so sorry about that,” the
lover-boy appreciated. “What time is your lecture?”
“My first lecture begins by
eight thirty a.m.”
“Same here.”
“You mean, you also have a class
by eight thirty?”
“Yes,” he replied. “And the
lecturer in question is a no nonsense woman.”
By this time, it was about 08:25am.
“So, can I take my leave?” She
requested.
“Of course,” Biodun approved.
“You are not in a prison yard.”
She smiled. She was no doubt really
fascinated by his sense of humour.
“Please, before you do that,” he urged. “Can I
have your number?”
“You mean my phone number?” She pretentiously
enquired.
“Yes.” He responded. “So I could
glance at this lovely face once again.”
“Okay,” she admitted having smiled. “Let me
have your phone.”
Having transferred his
notebook to the left hand, Biodun quickly dished his right hand into his right
jeans’ pocket, brought out his cell phone and handed it over to her.
She hurriedly but stylishly
typed the awaited eleven-digit number on the phone’s keyboard and returned it
to the owner.
As soon as he received the handset, he hastily
and gladly flashed her so she could have his. “Please, save the number.” He
enjoined.
“No problem.” The apparently
20-year-old girl pleasantly replied, left immediately for her lecture class
that was situated upstairs.
Biodun who watched her depart, quickly took
his own leave for his classroom.
Considering the warmth feeling he was
abruptly filled with, it was indeed an epoch-making day for his person.
Barely two weeks later, Biodun and Kemi
became best of friends on the campus. The unannounced intimacy was undoubtedly
to the envy of their friends and foes. The relationship continued persistently
that they could never spend a day without seeing each other.
One
year after being 2003, Biodun successfully graduated and left the university.
The distance created after his graduation almost took Kemi’s life. Everyone
around her was of the view that she wouldn’t survive the ordeal.
In spite of the inevitable challenges, the relationship, which could be
best described as that of oil and salt, metamorphosed into a more formidable
entity to the utter amazement of everybody within. Aside his unending and
regular phone calls, Biodun was frequently paying her visit on campus even
during his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme which took place
between 2004 and 2005 notwithstanding that he was serving at a distant
destination, Kogi State precisely.
Kemi
completed her four-year degree programme in 2005 and consequently embarked on
her compulsory NYSC programme in Niger State in 2006 which lasted till early
2007. Before this time, Biodun had secured an employment in a broadcasting firm
in Lagos State.
In April 2007 immediately after
Kemi’s youth service, the two vibrant and brilliant youths (Biodun and Kemi)
who hailed from Ogun State got engaged. Thereafter, they were addressed by
their close friends and relatives including their parents as ‘Tom and Jerry’
owing to the manner in which they were piloting the love affair.
Same year (2007), Kemi got a job with a
national daily newspaper in Lagos State. This development made them became
closer again just like when they were still on campus, that, they could see
each other even on a daily basis if they wished. At this point, Kemi who had
clocked 25 couldn’t wait to embrace her wedding day.
In January 2008, Biodun who was 28 thought it
wise to quit bachelorhood, thus he and his fiancée agreed to have their
traditional marriage as well as church wedding in March 2008, which would mark
exactly six years they met each other. Their traditional wedding was scheduled
to hold on Wednesday, 5th of March 2008, which was the very date
their first meeting transpired six years back.
On Monday March 3, 2008, which was barely 48
hours to the D-day, something very tragic and unthinkable occurred; Kemi was
killed by a stray bullet during a robbery incident that took place at one of
the commercial banks within her place of residence when she was headed for her
office. It was unarguably a horrible Monday.
On his part, the incoming groom,
who consequently saw life as useless, made several attempts to commit suicide
but was rescued by well wishers.
Comrade Nwaozor, a novelist, playwright & poet,
is Executive Director, Docfred Resource Hub (DRH) - Owerri
_____________________________________
frednwaozor@gmail.com
+2348028608056
Twitter: @mediambassador
