He continued stairing at the book without being able to read out a single word from it. The lady's picture continued to appear in the book instead of the texts he was expecting. With so much anger, he flung the book away and bowed his head in sorrow.
"What is this feeling called." John asked himself. "Why should I keep seeing the lady's picture everytime."
"What is wrong, John?" James who had been studying John for a while asked.
"Nothing much brother." Replied John. "Don't just bother yourself on that."
"Come on, will you stop that?" John faked a form of anger. "When did we start hiding something away from each other? Are you telling me that I'm an outsider that shouldn'tknow about your personal affairs?"
"Not that I'm hiding it away from you, James" John tried to prove his innocence. "I'm just not so sure that you will understand my situation if I try to explain it to you."
"Come on, am I that daft?" James went to sit beside John, and patted him on the back. "Explain to me in any way, and if I still don't get it, bro, you can then ridicule me. Come on, feel free to share your problems with me. A problem shared is a problem solved na."
"James, I was in the library, reading when I felt this gentle air blew behind me, I looked at my back to see if someone was using a fan but to my greatest surprise, It was only one girl like this that passes by. She looked like an angel, I've never seen someone as beautiful as that in my life."
James was impressed. For the very first time he had seen his friend sing praises of a girl. For the very first time his friend had fallen in love.
"Did you approached the girl?" John asked.
"Why should I?" John asked innocently. "Do I need to?"
"Well, sorry. You may not need to. What happened after Then?"
"Ever since then, I discovered that I'm seeing her illusion everywhere, everytime."
"Did you see her inside your note as Well?"
"How did you know That?"
"I saw you throwing away your book the other time."
"Yeah, I was seeing her inside my note. What do you think is wrong with me."
"You are now having a sickness in your heart, bro."
"Heart's sickness? What is its name and what is the medicine I'm gonna use to cure it?"
"No medicine can cure it, bro. Scientist are still working on the medicine."
"Ha!" John exclaimed after being shocked by James's last statement.
"Don't worry, John. Nothing will happen to you. Just that your heart has been stolen away."
"My heart?"
"Congratulations, you are now in love, brother."
"In love?"
"Once you fall in love, James. Those are the strange feelings you will start experiencing."
"Am... am I really in love?" James stammered
"At first sight, when you saw the girl. What did you feel?"
"I felt like spending the rest of my life with her."
"That is just what is called love at first sight. The girl has stolen your heart, John."
"Is she a thief?"
"Keep quiet and stop acting as if you don't understand what I'm saying. John, you have to go and woo the girl. You are also handsome, I'm so sure she will consider you."
"I'm..... I'm .....I'm " John was unsure of what to say.
"Get a gift that you know she might like for her and woo her. It's just a simple logic."
The second day, James and John went to a supermarket to look for a particular thing that might be loved by a woman.
"She might love an already made gown, or what do you think?" John broke the silence which had been maintained before this time.
"Do you know her size? Do we know the size of clothes she uses?"
"Oh! Sorry, I should have think before saying anything. Well, don't you think she might love some chocolates, as in a pack of chocolate is enough."
"Oh! Wow! You make use of your brain for the very first time. Chocolates will be okay for her"
James scratched his hair as the statement; "You make use of your brain for the very first time." Echoed in his hair.
"Was tgis guy trying to say I've never make use of my brain before this time?" James asked himself.
They left the supermarket after buy a small pack of chocolate which may contain twenty sachets of chocolate inside. They continued walking round the campus as if they were looking for a job, but they were looking for the girl John had seen the other time. They didn't know her hostel but they have decided to walk round the campus to look for her.
Luckily they found her after walking for thirty minutes in the hot sun. She was coming out of the library.
"That is her." John quickly pointed at her immediately he saw her."
"Wow! She looks so beautiful, I'm jealous." James left his comment. "But we've been acting foolishly all this while. We should have come to the library first instead of walking round the campus like jobless fellows."
"Oh! That is true. Since I met her in the library the other day, we should have come to the library first to check on her."
"You know what you will do now before she goes so far. I will stay here, you have to run after her and tell her what is in your mind."
"You have to help me, bro. I've never woo a lady before, how will I be able to do this."
"A particular habit starts one day, it's not being brought from heaven. Practice makes perfect. Go to her now and tell her whatever your mind asks you to tell her."
John was sad, but he gathered some courage and ran after the girl, it took him no time to catch up with her.
"Hi."
"Bonjour." The girl replied.
"For goodness sake, I've fallen in love with someone that doesn't understand English while I myself doesn't understand French." John said to himself.
"comment puis-je vous aider?" The girl asked.
"Actually, I........I.... Hmn." John was unsure of what to say.
"Oh! You can't understand my language!" The girl exclaimed
John was relieved. "You speak English too?"
"Yes. How can I help you?"
"Hi! I'm John." He reached his hand forward for an handshake.
"Madeleine." She replied and exchanged handshake with him.
"Hmm.... hem........ ehm." John was lost of words.
"Please, I don't have much time, John. Why are you stammering? Say whatever you got to say."
"Ehm. A small gift for you." John managed to say, handing the small polythene bag that contains the chocolate pack to her.
"Oh! Thanks a lot." She said as she collected the polythene bag from him. She turned to leave.
"Can..... can I have your phone number?"
"Sure." She gave her phone number to John and walked away.
"This way, you are behaving like a moron, will she ever fall in love with You?" James said to John when they came together again. "You didn't even express your love to her, you only collected her phone number."
"Are you expecting me to express my love to her immediately? It's a gradual process na."
"Oh, sorry, brother gradual process." James mocked him. "Stop being stupid, going straight to the point is one the ways to win a girl's heart. You praise her beauty and then tell her your mind. But if you keep behaving like this, when will she fall for you."
"But, James. I'm scared to tell her I love her. You know I'm a black and she is a white girl. Will she ever agree to date a black man?"
"Am I not also dating a white girl?"
"That is you na."
"And am I in any way different from You?"
John apologised and promised to call Madeleine on the phone to express his love for her.