May went to the lecture room with her backpack hastily, knowing that one of those hearthardened lecturers was going to test them on one of the courses he lectured them on. You could choose to come early and stay throughout his lecture which is still not a guarantee especially when the devil had marked you the next in line for Mr Obaro's vexation during the lecture. May quickly sat on a long seater on the second row. Mr Obaro was strict and asides that wicked, no one ever wanted to cross his path; and if you did, you either get a carry over or you are in for one of his demands.
At 7:10, he walked in with a briefcase as usual and began his lecture. Each person amongst the 500 individuals in May's department were listening in the for the first thirty minutes then the back seaters seemed less interested and began gisting away for the next two hours before Mr Obaro sent forty students out after they wrote their matric number on A4 paper which meant.... Carry over. After 5hours more, every student in the lecture room were tired; To them the course lecture was not just long but very complicated. Every student attended the lecture because their attendance mattered and it was a 5unit course. A few minutes later, Mr Obaro was done with his lecture then pointed at a lady sitting right next to May to submit the assignment of everyone which he gave the next day as early as 9am.
Few hours skip.....
May was so done with lectures and decided to walk all the way to the University's gate, as she did; twenty minutes later, she walked past Mr Obaro who later called her after she took her second step away.
"Young lady" Mr Obaro called out.
May looked behind her to know if Mr Obaro was referring to her.
" Oh, yes. You" Mr Obaro answered the question she was about to ask
May walked back to talk to him "Good evening sir, how can I help you sir?" Her accent flowing with every word she said.
"I like you already" He said and laughter followed shortly. " Well, I am Joel. What's your name?"
"Like me?" May confused as she has never had any conversation with him before now. "Am May sir. What can I do for you sir?" She asked quickly ignoring that moment of confusion.
"I want to see you more often in a personal space not in the lecture room. I would like that May very much if you don't mind. And drop those formalities too. You know my name, don't you?( May nodded) so it's Joel to you" Mr Obaro smiled again.
" I don't understand that very much. And what do you mean by personal space? You see sir, what I understand from all these is not making any meaning to me. You have to be very precise in this matter sir and I don't think I have such time sir." May said, getting pissed off already but was careful not to annoy him just wanted him to understand that she wasn't interested
"You see, I understand all you are saying. Let's not create a scene here, come see in my office on Monday after lectures. I will be expecting you May. Do take care till I see you" He told May in hushed tones then left her standing not wanting an answer.
May just continued walking to the gate then got into a tricycle home as it was very close to the university. May met Felicia at home, it was just the both of them home at that time. Their parents were at work while Audrey was at the boutique with their grandmother.
"Hey" Felicia hugged May as she opened the door to the living room.
"Hi" May replied and left her sister to lock the entrance door, moved towards the couch baby blue soft couch, dropping her backpack on the couch and rested her back wwith her eyes closedon the couch.
"Hectic day?" Felicia asked with a small smile.
"Really hectic. Feels like I donated blood this morning"May said and chuckled before opening her eyes.
" Want to talk about it?" Felicia inquired then sat down on the couch where May sat.
"Oh yeah. The highlight of it all is that sily old man,Mr Obaro who has asked me to come by his office by Monday" May told her sister and rolled her eye. May continued telling her sister how it happened actually
" I hope you don't intend to go to his office, you know what he wants right?"
"Of course, that old sily man wants to see me in his personal space. Sis, he wants friends. I'm not friend material to such old persons" May retorted
Felicia laughed at the naivety of her sister before talking" May, are you being serious now?? You think that man is in need of friends, of course not. He wants to know you differently, wants to be with you, like romantically, do you understand?"Felicia began explaining.
"Oh really?" May was sounding unsure of what her sister told her. " But he seems like an honest, good and trustworthy person Licia" She told Felicia being considerate
"Well, I'm sorry if that's the picture you have of him in your mind. That man obviously wants more than a student and lecturer relationship and I am strongly against it, May. You might not have crossed anyone who did all these as he did or given anyone a chance in the last two years of being in the university but you are going to see more of all these if you get interested in a guy or you dump your zero fashion sense of dressing" Felicia advised her sister, making May smile a bit.
"Fine... I understand. I will just go upstairs and shower, I hope you made some food sister" May asked politely and climbed few stairs before looking at Felicia who was still sitting down trying to switch on the television which switched on two minutes later showing one of her favourite **Telenovela series " Legal Wife"**
"No... I don't remember when you paid for any cooking services to me Mam. Kindly go upstairs and shower and come to the kitchen to make food for yourself or you can do cereals" Felicia teased.
"But I love your food more" May pouted.
"Of course, that's how you sweet talk me everytime. Do what you should do and your food is in the kitchen waiting for you" Felicia told her while May said a loud "thank you sis" and went to her room.
@**The Boutique**
"Grandma, I think we need to go home. We've had enough sales for a day. I am weak from all the work in school and moreso all the stress I have gotten from being with you here. Can we go home now?" Audrey complained, doing some stretching.
"We have staffs in this boutique which are as dilligent as you can imagine so I don't understand what you are talking about. I told Michael that he has spoilt you girls a lot, he said girls are to be pampered. Back in the days, when there was no white collar jobs, no internet and all that, your father siblings wake up as early as 3:30 to take their bath and then move to the farm to take the cassava out while your aunts peeled the cassava including your father, your aunts go to the engine to grind the cassava, your father and his brothers go back to the farm,some of them were, make heaps or even tap on the palm tree. He was so hardworking, I wondered how he gave birth to lazy girls like you and your sisters. It must have been that your mother..... Grandma scoffed while talking before Audrey loudly interrupted her
"Grandma!!! Mom is still married to Dad please" Audrey got serious not expecting her grandmother to blame her mother or how the conversation at hand concerned her Mom.
"And so what? He can get married again. We as Igbos can marry as many wives as we please. I can arrange another young woman for your Dad who would give us a male child" Grandma smiled as she said this.
"Grandma,I think I need to get home. I can't believe you at all. What has Mom ever done to you that you are so bent on breaking her home. Grandma, please let's not talk about this again because if you did this in the presence of my sisters, you might not like their reactions. Please" Audrey was disappointed not angry about every word her Grandmother said but she could do close to nothing about it.
"Sure. I remember once when that granddaughter of mine, Felicia almost burned the whole house down just because I said something about that daughter in-law of mine" Grandma said, her smile followed which disappeared almost immediately.
"I'm glad you remembered who Mom is to you. Can we not talk about this anymore?" Audrey pleaded.
"Yes baby" Grandma replied. Although she had other reservation, she still loved this granddaughter of hers very much so succumbed to what she wanted. After few hours more, they decided to lock the boutique and go home.