On a basketball court, the teenagers exercised their physical bodies, having fun as an addendum to the psychomotor activity. There is a storey building opposite them, made of woods but beautified with white paint and glasses. It was surrounded by forest. No road out or into the premises. The kids grew up to know the place as Love Garden.
Two guards in suit stood at the extreme of the building, monitoring the kids' activities. Suddenly, Daniella walked out through the door of the house to see her fellow orphans playing the handball. She directed her eyes to a wooden seat beside the court and saw Murphy sitting alone. She began to walk to him.
Her steps seems like a masculine's but possesses a groovy outlook like a girl from Owerri, eastern part of Nigeria. As voluptuous as her buttocks is, so are her two breast, looking very tantalizing and attractive. But she's not facially good.
"Hey, Murphy." She sat down beside the boy, watching other six fellows play the ball.
"Hey, you look stressed." Murphy glanced at her.
"Just coming out from teacher's office and trust me, you won't like to hear what he told me." her eyes fixed on Judith and Dave who consistently juxtaposed on the court like lovers.
"I'll like to hear it." Murphy adjusted forward.
Daniella turned to him. "All I can tell you is that all this lecture about love is for a purpose." She averted her eyes.
"We have no choice, teacher raised us. I don't mind dying for him." Murphy concluded. Of course the girl glanced at him for that statement. Both directed their eyes to Judith and Dave again.
Murphy could see how Daniella watched them like a jealous lover. Judith's cracking laughter filled their ears.
Murphy smiled. "It's obvious she loves Dave." he observed.
Daniella didn't say anything.
"I don't know why teacher teaches us about love, yet restricts us from having intimate love among us." he add, yetD Daniella still didn't say anything. Her eyes, mind, body and soul were at Judith's juxtaposition with Dave until she unprofessionally threw the ball to the forest.
"Ooooh!" Everybody groaned, dispersing to sit with Daniella and Murphy while Judith went in search of the ball followed by Dave.
The land where the ball entered was sloppy thereby restricting others at the court to see anyone down there.
Dave and Judith gradually surged through the sloppy land like an adventurous movies.
"Dave, please, come and hold my hand before I roll down like the ball." She requested, chuckling.
"If you roll like a ball, I'll play you!" he held her hand after making that statement but unfortunately, both rolled down the sloppy land like a ball. Getting to the base, Judith found herself on top of Dave with dried grasses all over them. They suddenly stopped laughing, admiring each other and exploring the feelings of love between them. They had the same brown skin colour.
From the ground, Dave could see the upper surface of her breast attractively staring at him as they pressed on his chest. Romantically, he slid her hair sideways as she gradually brought her lips then kissed him. Their heart accelerated instantly. They could feel it.
"What are we doing?" Dave whispered still caressing her hair.
"I don't know, Dave" she wiped out dust from his face, refusing to stand from his body.
They smiled then resumed the kiss intensively.
On the other hand, others chatted hilariously beside the basketball court. All could be seen chuckling for one thing or the other except Daniella.
"Hey, Ella, what's with the face?" Vivian, a female, observed her.
The girl didn't say anything.
"Teacher told her something." Murphy interfered.
"Did he try to touch your ass?" Vivian jokingly asked while they all giggled.
"Sometimes i wonder if teacher has sexual urge." Obi, the last male, added while they laughed out hard.
"I doubt!" Vivian began bitterly. "If he does, he wouldn't have restricted us from intimate relationship because.."
Daniella interrupted her by angrily walking out of their midst, going towards the sloppy land.
"What's up with her?" Ada, another female, spread her hands as all quietly watched her. "I dislike her attitude." She added.
"She acts like the boss after teacher." Cynthia, the last female supported. She was the meek and quiet one, behaves like the last born.
Standing at the edge of the slope, Daniella caught Dave and Judith kissing passionately like newly wedded couple.
"Hey, Judith!" she shouted.
Quickly, Judith stood up from Dave who also found his feet on the ground looking woozy. She picked the ball and left Dave behind as she walked up to Daniela who disdained her and left instantly too.
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Ten post meridian, the love garden became dark except the surrounding bulbs that illuminated both the interior and exterior, generating power from a solar panel. Two teenagers shares a room; Judith and Daniella, Ada and Cynthia. Only Vivian stays alone in a room. The three boys prefered sharing a room too.
Dave folded his hands on a large family bed, wearing a pyjamas and staring at the ceiling like a broke family man. He couldn't stop thinking about Judith.
"Hey, man." Obi called his attention from another corner where he was reading a light story book because they were never allowed to access the internet. "What are you thinking about?" he asked.
Murphy looked up at Dave after his attention was drawn from the floor where he was also reading. "I guess he's thinking about Judith." he said.
"Judith?" Obi amazingly uttered. "Like they're in love? We're restricted from relationship here. Remember?"
"That's not my problem!" Dave spoke up bitterly. "It's Daniela! She doesn't like seeing Judith with me. I don't know what her problem is!"
"She's just a crazy bitch." Obi concentrated.
Murphy stood up to the bed. "Don't be too surprise about what I'm gonna say." the two other boys looked at him to continued. "I think Daniela loves Judith."
"I don't understand." They responded at once.
"You understood. Just that you don't wanna believe." Murphy covered himself to sleep.
"You mean she's.. like she's a.. ah.. I'll kill her myself if she mess up with Judith. I swear!" Dave sworn.
"All of you are insane" Obi began. "You don't know what teacher Nwachukwu gonna do to you guys if he finds out what is going on between you and Judith or her and her roommate. Spoilt children." he concentrated again. He was the mean and serious type. He carries an order like a robot.
"I'm not sure. I only gave a hypothesis about the two girls." Murphy's voice came from the blanket.
On the other room, Judith came out from the bathroom half naked with a towel tied across her chest, while Daniela watched her from the bed wearing just a pant. Both had not exchanged words. Judith rubbed body cream tenderly, put on a night gown and laid beside her roommate, turning her back on her.
"Hope you know what teacher could do if I should tell him what I caught you doing today." Daniella broke the silence.
Judith kept mute.
She softly rubbed from her thighs up her arms.
"Will you tell him?" Judith asked without turning.
"I will not." Daniela pulled her to herself in a way Judith faced her. "You know I'm always jealous when I see you with him." She began to kiss her.
"Daniella, wait!" Judith quit the kiss and pushed her away. "You have to stop this. I don't like it." She walked out of the room. Briskly, she was passing through a long passage only to meet Dave coming from the opposite direction.
"Dave?" She stopped.
"I was coming to call you out." The boy held her hand. "Where are you going?"
"To call you out too" she smiled.
"Follow me." Dave dragged her by the hand to the roof of the building where they sat down, admiring and watching the shooting stars. Judith placed her head on his shoulder.
"Sometimes i do wonder if I will see my biological parents." She said softly.
"Me too, but I promise to help you find them when you're ready." Dave paused to allow the romantic atmosphere get saturated. "But teacher Nwachukwu has been very good to us." he added.
"I know but why would he put us here?"
"I believe he has a good reason for that. Moreover, he promised us the main city soon."
Another tranquillity paved. Only the chirping of crickets and other insects could be heard.
"I want to ask you." Dave began, while Judith looked at him. "Does Daniela disturbs you? Like.. you know... like she's..." he swallowed hard. "Is she gay?"
Marvelled, Judith stared at him without knowing what to say. She wondered how the boy knew her roommate's sexuality, so she smiled.
"No, she's not." She covered up her roommate for a reason best known to her. "I don't want to stop feeling what I feel for you." she added.
"Me too." Dave caressed her cheek romantically.
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THE NEXT MORNING
A bell woke the teenagers up. The sound echoed the whole forest like a traditional war signal. But it wasn't for war. It was for a problem. So the teenagers ran out in their night wears, lined up like soldiers under training. All their hearts were pounding like a machine. Seeing teacher Nwachukwu coming out to them, the rate of the heartbeat increased.
The man stood before them. He wasn't smiling neither was he angry. As he gaze at them, a large white board with a large image of a building was being carried from inside to outside. Seeing that, the kids heartbeat slowed down, thinking it was another lesson on 'love'
"Judith, where did you sleep last night?" teacher Nwachukwu asked with two hands behind him like a Chinese kungfu master.
Hearing the question, Daniella's heart wasn't the only one that returned to race, even Dave's...
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TO BE CONTINUED