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CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 1


Pararara pararara pararara ra… My phone rang in the most common but still unique Nokia tune. Who could it be at that time of the night? I didn't make night calls, and that was a particularly odd hour. I stared at my zoo101 textbook, which was not even sinking into my brain and I was interrupted by my phone again. That textbook was literally a torture to me, very boring and annoying classifications and descriptions of different classes of animals, designed in a puzzle like text. The book was best read during the day, not at night, but my days were always polluted with my roommates’ hyper social activities. So I'd no other option but to stick to the odd hours, when they were all fast asleep. The other unpleasant option was the school library, where I would most likely be asked to roll up my trousers (nahhhh, I’ll pass).

All my roommates were asleep. Haastie was snoring on the top bunk, Idris and Afin lay helplessly on the floor with PlayStation 2 consoles around their heads. They probably played themselves to dreamland. The scholars in my room were probably in the library glued to tons of books. Timi from the next room slept on the reading chair in a position I can't really describe, I doubt the guy woke up without a backache.

Pararara pararara pararara ra… my phone rang again. It was even an unknown number; I wondered who calls hiding his/her number at such ungodly hour. I shook my thoughts away and answered the call Nigerian style (I didn't speak at first till the person said hello). It was kunle my home boy. He shouted into my ears

“TEE, OAU LIST IS OUT; YOU HAVE BEEN ADMITTED TO STUDY PHARMACY. I JUST CHECKED IT NOWWWW!”

I was dumbfounded for a few seconds; not because of the weight of the news, but by the way he shouted. I almost dropped the phone. I knew he was very happy because we both got admitted but that didn't mean he should destroy my eardrums to show how happy he was. (How would I enjoy the admission then and go through with lectures?)

I was very happy; though I knew I'd be admitted after destroying the post UTME and had a great result (yes please, I’m allowed to blow my own trumpet). Yes, I was a matriculated student of a faster university, but I wasn’t studying pharmacy. Pharmacy had always been my dream course. I didn't know why I had a special and strong interest in the course, but I was very sure I didn't want to study medicine which was my Dad's laid down path for me. I discharged kunle after some minutes of exchanging strategies and plans on how we’re going to do registrations and other stuffs.

I went to Idris’ bunk, switched on the Powerful sound system and started blasting terry g's hallelujah at the highest volume. Afin was the first to feel the impact of the music. He opened his eyes gradually; I guess his first thought would have been that I might have been high on weed.

“Tee, you no look time ni or you wan make this potter come meet us ni?” he buzzed.

I screamed “Bleep the potter, Bleep DSA, and Bleep the VC. I've been admitted into a better school and for a better course at that.”

He looked at me,” iro ni o!” he said.

Then with a kick, he woke up idris and haastie and as if they had planned for a party from dreamland, they joined in the celebration. We danced till exhaustion set in and we slept off.
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CHAPTER 2


I was seated at a conspicuous spot on the walkway, stylishly eyeing one cute lady who was buying stuffs in the store directly opposite where I was sat. I was partially day dreaming and consciously rehearsing my killer, sure to work, but never tested lines (you heard that right). I was interrupted by Ayo, my course mate who tapped me.

“Bad boy, na oyinkan you dey devour like that with your big eyes abi, let Dr Obateru catch you, you don face Tanke be dat ooo!”

I smiled because he caught me, but I wouldn't have minded facing Ogbomosho for this cute girl (errrrrrrrr, did I just say that? Anyways, things are not always as they sound). After a few 'guy man' words with Ayo, he gave me some hot details about the girl, Oyin was a 100 level engineering student and the daughter of the dean of the faculty of sciences. By then, she moved to a different spot on the walkway, sitting alone, sipping the la casera she bought. I told Ayo to wish me luck, but I couldn't stand up to approach her physically, but in my imagination, we had started a sweet talk.

Ayo teased, “Tee a shey o ti e le, iwe nikan lo mo, o mo fine gal toast’ (meaning: tee, so you’re a weakling. You are only brilliant; you don’t know how to approach a beautiful lady). I surveyed my surroundings; the place was unusually crowded that day. Why did that always happen anytime I saw a hot chic?

To prove Ayo wrong and definitely for the records, I stood up and started walking towards Oyin, rehearsing my lines powerfully. I got to where she was seated; I sat beside her comfortably and looked straight into her eyes. I muttered some words which I could not even decipher myself, but she was polite and smiled.

“I'm Oyin; I'm in chemical engineering department, part 1. You are tee right, the MCB scholar?”

It felt like she injected me with something, as my brain started to function normally and I started voicing out with the confidence I never thought I had. After few minutes, we started laughing together; I looked towards Ayo's side, and he was wearing a smile. After the whole talk, we exchanged phone numbers and I promised to call her even though I had already sealed a date with her for Saturday at Mr. Biggs at Tanke.

I stood up majestically some minutes after she had gone, my head felt bigger than it was before and headed to the ZOO102 class. I was already 30 minutes late but who cared, shebi na the textbook they usually read for us self, I consoled myself.

I was at the entrance of SLT, where the class was holding when my phone rang, I answered it and it was my course advisor. He asked me to see him in his office before 6pm that day. I was worried or maybe scared, why did the man want to see me, what had I done wrong again or had he heard about the hostel issue? I checked the time, it was 1.37pm. I strolled into the class, it was not as large as it ought to be, guys had decided to avoid the boring read aloud class. I was about to sit down when the lecturer looked up and shouted

"Mr. Man, Out of my class”.

Immediately, the class turned in my direction and I hurried out of the class, eliminating my initial thought of begging the lecturer. I waited at the store downstairs until the class was over, to see my friend Moyo, who was also taking the course (retaking the course actually). Few minutes after the class, he bounced out and was like

“Mr. Man, you are lucky ooo, Dr Alex just sent you out without even asking for your matric number. You don't venture near his class once he has entered.”

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CHAPTER 3



"Oyinkan! The lady responsible for these feelings… My feelings are so intense, that words cannot ever describe them; even if I've a Ph.D. in English. Even my spirit is in tune with it. Everything seems so perfect, yet dreams are not turning into reality. Emotions are boiling up inside me but not even a little vapor of it is yet to seep out. So many nights of dreams, so many days of imaginations

Sometimes it looks so real because I feel it deep in my heart.
I know some day, dreams might turn to reality. But what if this dream chooses another path, it will become a nightmare, haunting me while I'm trying to adapt to a new scenario.
What if I wake up one day to see her in another man's arms, with her angelic voice piercing my spirit with these choking words: 'meet my boyfriend’? Will I be able to say congratulations?

What if she looks into my eyes with those charming eyes and says to me 'I told you from the start, I love you, but... Will I be able to forgive myself for having those 'buts' and never working extra hard to get rid of them?
What if she doesn't even feel the same way at all? What if she thinks I was just joking all this while? Will I be able to live with the reality of having her as a friend, ‘wife to some other guy' forever?

What if the dream even becomes a reality, will my heart be able to withstand such happiness of being called the man of such a decent rare gem, whose vision and beauty is one of a kind? Will I be able to look into her eyes without fearing it will just be temporary?
Will I be able to stand her sweet voice calling me names like ‘honey’,'sweetie', and ‘darling’? Won't I go crazy?
Will I be able to stand seeing her in her bad moments, moments of anger, despair, and fear? Will I be strong enough for her?
How did I even get myself into all these? Why all these thoughts. Why all these feelings"

“Tee, Wow! You can really write, in fact I'm speechless. All that for me? I don't really know what to say right now.”

She continued “This is the best write-up I have ever read. You know I love you so much, but you know also know that I've a boyfriend and we've been dating for so long even though we're not in good terms and now. I...................”

I looked straight into Oyinkan’s eyes, that was another confirmation that I should switch to OAU.I couldn't stand seeing her with another guy, even though it was only few weeks ago I met her sitting on the walkway. Her love had melted my heart like a hot spoon on butter. She sat there telling me gibberish (so it sounded to me, blame it on the bitterness I felt). I stood up and started walking to a place only my spirit knew. She stood up to follow me but I told her to stay. I had gotten the final confirmation I needed. Instantly, I made up my mind to head for Ife the next Monday to see what destiny held for me there. All through the night, it was nightmares about Oyinkan.

UniIlorin was not my dream school; I went there because my ex-girlfriend Bunmi broke up with me over the phone when she gained admission to the school, for refusing to accept 'Botany' which the University of Ibadan had offered me. I was curious to hear her say it to me in person, because I never believed the breakup was real, not after our 8months of hot and serious ‘love yous and love you toos’. So I filled in Unilorin as my second choice in my next JAMB form I got. It was as if my plan was working perfectly until I saw Bunmi (my ex-girlfriend) after I gained admission and the first thing she did was to introduce me to her new boyfriend as an ‘OLD friend’. I felt like subliming into thin air. Girls are wicked sha I thought to myself. I went because of a girl, and I thought it wouldn’t be bad to leave because of a girl.

I logged into OAU's website and I started my registrations online…

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CHAPTER 4

I woke up very early on Tuesday in order to travel to Ife and return to Ilorin before nightfall. By 8a.m, I was set. I asked Iris who was based in Ilorin, where I could get a straight bus to Ife.

“I don't think there is a straight bus o, but if you’re lucky sha, you might get. Just get to the car park at post office first.”

I picked up my file (containing all my vital documents) and said a few words of prayer to God before setting out. I had to make a quick stop at the banking area to withdraw some cash; it was there I bumped into Oyin.

“What are you doing here so early?” She asked.

“hmmm, I’m going to ife for …” I went on to tell her everything .

“So you've really made up your mind about this Ife sha Tee; what will happen to me now?” She asked.

I hugged her and said I was only going to Ife to do some minor stuffs, and I had not yet concluded on leaving ilorin or not.

“You know I've built my world around you. I’ll see you in the evening” I assured her.

I just had to twist the truth to please her temporarily, as I didn’t want to upset her and give her a bad day. She insisted on walking me to the park instead of going for her lecture.

On getting to the park, luckily for me, the bus going to Ife was almost full; so I didn't spend so much time at the park. I asked the man beside me how long the journey would last and he said about three hours if the bus moved fast.
Mehn, it's going to be a long ride, I thought to myself. I put on my earplugs and starting listening to music, providing enough background for the daydreaming and imaginations that might follow.

Campus!!! Campus!!! Campus!!! Those were the screams that woke me from my sleep. I had fallen asleep while listening to music. The bus was already in Ife, in front of the school gate itself. If not because some people wanted to alight at the school gate, I’d have been driven to the bus terminus. I quickly jumped out of the bus in my half-awake state.
I found myself walking down the road after getting direction from a cute girl. I always asked for directions from girls just to be on the safe side. After looking at me like a bloody fresher, she pointed to a tall building down the road,

“That’s pharmacy building" she said trying to form Americana form me.

I thanked her and faced the road, even though I didn't know the ‘tall building’ she pointed to amongst the numerous tall buildings that lined the road. I continued my walk in faith and after walking a few meters, I finally spotted the building. It was an architectural masterpiece, lined with a flight of semi-spiral stairs. Everything around looked calm and clean, it looked more like a big laboratory to me. I ascended the stairs like a gentle guy too. I saw some students gathered in front of a door on the second floor, I couldn't see the sign on the door but I walked towards the crowd all the same. As I got closer, I didn't need whatever was written on the door to tell me I was in the right place, as it was very obvious through the anxious faces I saw, with hands clutching brown files all about the place. Normal fresher syndrome I thought and as I was still looking around, someone tapped me.

“I'm Kaka. You’re here for the registration right?”

I nodded in agreement.

He led me to a class right beside the door with the inscription ‘el said’. Whatever that means, doesn’t sound like much sense to me, I thought and chuckled lightly. I was asked to pay for the ‘Pans due’ which without it according to kaka's theory, I wouldn't be able to start my registration. I could not but comply and parted with my precious one thousand naira, in exchange for a small receipt and some colorful souvenirs with ‘pharmacist in training’ boldly written on it.

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CHAPTER FIVE

I didn’t know what caught my attention. All I knew was that I heard a sweet voice that stood out of the several annoying murmuring voices of the freshers waiting outside the faculty office. I looked up and behold, I saw this innocent-looking, pretty lady clutching her file like a real Jambite. Immediately, I was hooked; nothing could make me take my gaze off her.  I was so engrossed, that I didn’t notice when the number 5 tag I held was called. My mind was already at work, composing another amazing story in which this cute fresher and I were the characters. She noticed my gaze and smiled or frowned (I didn’t even know which and seriously, didn’t really matter). She was talking to a lady beside her, so I’d a good excuse and justification not to have approached her immediately. I started rehearsing my killer lines again (thanks but no opinion otherwise is valid).

“At least nobody knows me here; so if the worst should happen, I will just cover up with an ‘all-is-well smile’ (even though we’ll all know all is not well). All I require now is to gather enough courage to do this mission; If not for anything, to have a good story to tell my roommates of my adventure in Ife. Even if I’d to fine-tune it for them, there just must be a story!” I thought to myself.
I summoned courage and moved towards her while visualizing how the whole show would go down.

“Excuse me, please can I borrow your friend for a few minutes,” I said to her friend smiling

She obliged then I stepped aside with the cute girl. I started to unleash my killer lines on her, a very easy and straightforward script, which I must try to act rightly.
I was still in motion when a voice barked out from the faculty office “Next”. Nobody charged forward as usual and I was the only one in motion. With the fear that I might end up being speechless and look like an idiot before the cute girl, I quickly redirected my energy towards the faculty office before the original ‘NEXT’ showed up.

The office was just like a typical office. There was nothing special about the office apart from the non-smiling faces I saw. I was still surveying the office when I heard

“Your admission slip, your passport photograph, your WAEC result, your…..”

I was lost for a moment; I eventually succeeded in getting out all she asked for. She scrutinized each document as if her eyes were specially built to determine the authenticity of the documents. After the scrutinizing and stamping sequence, she gave me some forms and asked me to proceed to the next stage; as if I knew where and what the next stage was. I move outside joyfully with the hope of executing the mission I abandoned earlier…

I came out and continued gazing at this beautiful creature. No wonder star gazing is passion for some people. It is so much fun gazing at a beautiful thing. I was so deep in my day dreaming and gazing that i did not notice that the beautiful girl I was gazing at had moved closer to me, she had to tap me before i came out of my dream state and seeing her in front of me was like dream in a dream. Thanks to Leonardo dicaprio’s inception,now i know dreaming in a dream could happen.
Lets take a walk she said, i couldn’t disagree nor argue. Her physical presence was too much for me and my powerful lines appeared to be bottled somewhere in my head beyond my reach. Wow, this girl is so pretty from the curve of her lips,to her eyeballs. Everything looked so perfect.
Why are you staring at me?, she asked. I have been standing here all day and you have been staring at me which is making me uncomfortable. I was startled and shocked cause i didn’t an opening like that. Why can she just be like Oyinkan that bailed me out with her sweet welcoming opening. I started muttering the words again. I took control of myself and cooked up a more stupid story which the delivery was even worse. In the end she left me alone without allowing me finish my sensational story. At least she is not even that beautiful, i consoled myself and we moved back to d queue which seems to have shrinked in size. After waiting for like twenty minutes, a woman came out from the room i was meant to continue my second phase of registration to tell us that the internet network was bad and we would have to come back the next day. I felt bittersweet, bitter because i had to sleep in ife and sweet because i had a chance to go back and rehearse my killer lines and also strike a better deal with the cute girl . I called kunle and he told me to come and spend the night in Awo Hall.

CHAPTER 6