₦airaland Forum

CHAPTER 3

Bayo felt a hand tap him from behind. His heartbeat stopped for a split second when he saw her. Except for the lip gloss, she had no other form of make up on, but the beauty was still striking. The expression on her face was hard to place. She was not shy and not confident at the same time. Bayo just sat there staring at her, and then she spoke. "Why did you want to see me?"
"You're so beautiful." Bayo didn't know when the words came out of his mouth.
"Is that what you called me down here for?" She started dangling her bag from left to right.
"No. No. Sit down." He motioned for her to take a seat opposite him. She stood for a couple more seconds not saying anything, and then she sat.
"Look, I really don't like coming down to this place, so tell me what you want to say, cos we don't have to submit the assignment till next week." She said and looked straight at Bayo. It made him nervous. He was wondering what happened to the friendly girl he had talked to yesterday. He finally managed to find his tongue after a couple of seconds. "So how are you doing this morning?" He didn't know if it was what he said, or how he said what he said, or just the timing, but the girl smiled.
"Fine." She replied.
"Okay." He said and there was silence again.
"So if you didn't call me down here to discuss the assignment, it means...you called me here for personal reasons?" She said. He didn't say anything, but his face answered the question. Then she averted her eyes.
"I don't know how to tell you this, but...I just like to be very direct before..." She was looking at the floor now. It can't be more than 'I have a boyfriend', Bayo thought to himself. She reached into her bag and tore out a piece of paper from a jotter, and then used her hand to cover the paper while she quickly scribbled something down. She handed it over to him; her face still with no expression. He read it and his face squeezed up in confusion. Bayo rolled up the paper in his hands and wanted to put it in his breast pocket, but she stretched out her hand indicating for him to pass it over.
"I don't normally care to tell people, but...You look like a really nice guy and all that, and I don't want you having dreams." She said as she put the rumpled piece of paper back in her bag. "I’m sorry, it's just the way I am."
'Whoa. What a waste’, Bayo thought to himself. He sat there staring at her, not knowing what next to say.
"Hey! You're making me feel very uncomfortable here; say something." She said and turned around to see if anyone was eavesdropping on their conversation.
"So…"
"Don't ask me how sure I am, because I know that is what's on your mind." Her eyes grew bigger as she spoke. You can't comprehend; you can't understand. You don't need to; just know that some of us are born this way."
"Hmm!"
"I do not feel anything, and cannot feel anything for you."
"So...So, even if I kissed you now...you wouldn't feel anything?"
"No."
"Can I try it?"
"Very funny; I'd probably throw up."
"Hmm!"
"What do you want from me anyway?" She kept her eyes on him, and looked away after a while. "There are a lot of more beautiful girls in that classroom, I'm sure..."
"You are different."
"You got that right. And that’s probably the reason why you and I can't be together." She said with a smile. Bayo laughed lightly at the joke and then settled back in his seat.
"Hey, don’t look at me like I am evil or something. I don't even know why I am opening up to you like this, or why I am still having this conversation with you." She started spinning her phone round and round on the table, but her eyes were still on Bayo. "Okay. Let me ask you a question, if I was straight, what would you need from me?"
"How do you mean?"
"I mean in a relationship or whatever."
"Umm! Companionship...a friend, a lover; stuff like that I guess."
'And sex of course.'
'No…I don’t place too much...Let me put it this way; You are one of the most attractive girls I have come across in a while, but when I first saw you, sex was the last thing on my mind. I just wanted to...I wanted to own you."
"Wow! That is frightening. You wanted to own me?"
"Not like that..."
"I am playing with you; I get what you mean. I'm sorry, but I am what I am."
"Well..."
"You know, if you say it's my time and companionship you want, I can give that to you." She said, beaming with excitement. "I can be your friend. Yes, I can do that for once; would that be good enough?"
"Umm! Well...I guess so."
"Don't worry; this is going to be better than you ever imagined it. Trust me." She said with a wink.

CHAPTER 2

On his way home, all he could think about was Anu. ‘Did she know he had had a crush on her way before they met today?’ He thought to himself. The girl was like a mystery to him. It was too good to be true. It was deeper than attraction. And their chemistry was just too fantastic.

He didn't need to open a gate because their house did not have one. ‘It must have probably been built for GT bank or something,’ he thought. GT bank office buildings never have gates or fences.

They had moved into the first flat on the ground floor of the 2 storey building a couple of months ago. All the flats in the building were regular 3 bedroom apartments. His neighbour's mongrel gave him a greeting by wagging its tail and rubbing its rear on Bayo's leg. He got away from the dog as quickly as possible to get to his apartment. As he walked into to the apartment, wondering why the door had been left open, his sister jumped on his back.

“Yeah! Big brother is home.” She shouted out.
“Get off me and stop acting like a child.” He said as he turned around and around to shake her off. She was a petite girl, and at eighteen, she could pass for a 13 year old. Since she finished secondary school last year, Bayo had been her best friend and only companion. She was awaiting admission and didn't like to go out much.

“I am a child.” She said as she got off and gave him a playful shove. He staggered a bit then just sat on the couch closest to him.
“A child? If you were in London you would have gone through that stage, what it is called?” He said and snapped his fingers continuously, trying to work up his brain.
“You mean when they launch the girl out to the world, and she is viable candidate for suitors?”
“Yes. You read your novels well. But stay off the romantic ones, they'll ruin the way you are supposed to think.”
“Hmm! How am I supposed to think?”
“You...Aww shit. Let’s just forget all this talk. What have you been up to?”
“T.V, eating, sleeping; I’m really tired of this routine.”
“Sorry, you are stock with that for now.' Bayo said as he pulled off his shirt.
“So will you take me to the new cinema today?”
“The new cinema?”
“Yes. The one they opened close to...”
“Yes, I know about the new cinema, but you make it seem like we had a pre-agreed arrangement.”
“Please!” She begged with her hands clasped together. Bayo's mind flashed back to earlier in the day, when Anu said the same thing. ‘Women, they always have their way with men.’ He thought to himself.
“So what car would we drive there?”
“Yes! Yes!” She shouted in triumph as she ran towards the corridor.
“You still haven't answered my question.”
“The mechanic is bringing the Audi home any minute from now.”She shouted out from her room.

The TV was on and Bayo reached out for the remote to flip through the channels. Nigerian TV stations were getting more and more interesting to watch. He stopped at a channel that was showing what seemed to be a soap opera. In the scene, there was a guy and a girl talking, and then the girl moved up close and kissed the guy. They actually French kissed for a couple of seconds. A real French kiss; it really dazzled Bayo. ‘Maybe these Nigerian stations were not even safe for Yemi to watch any longer,’ he thought to himself. He always acted like she was his responsibility. Whatever she turned out to be was up to him. Just like yesterday she was celebrating her tenth year old birthday, and he was already in the university. If he didn't have problems with his academics then, he would probably be working in a bank somewhere on the island. He didn't regret what happened; it probably was for a reason.

His thoughts went back to Anu, and he was happy he finally got to talk to her today. He was thinking of inviting her out to the eatery at the ground floor of the computer lesson building the next day. Just as he was falling asleep, the land phone beside him shook him back to consciousness. He knocked a glass, half filled with water, to the floor as he stretched his hand to pick the call. “Shit!” He exclaimed as he quickly picked up the cup to stop it from spilling all its content. The phone was on its second ringing session when he picked it.
“Hello?”
“Hey. Bayo, you are home! Where is Yemi?”
“She's in the shower.”
“Ehh...Tell her I have something to do for Mark's mom and I would not be home early. I need her to prepare soup before your Dad gets back.”
“Okay. I'll let her know.”
“Everything cool back there?”
“Cool.”
“Okay. See you later.” And she hung up before he said bye. Maybe she was in hurry or something.
Bayo heard a car drive in as he replaced the receiver.

The Audi used to be there mom's car, till she got a “Kia Rio”, now it was like the children’s car. He's younger brother, Bode, was a book worm, and didn't show any interest in learning how to drive. Bode was three years older than Yemi, and he was thinking he would probably teach Yemi how to drive before thinking of Bode. The last of his sibling, Faith was just 10, and nobody thought their parents were still having kids when they had her. She got into secondary school last year, and was hardly ever home. Even her holidays were spent at their Aunt Lilly’s place.

He did some thorough check up on the Audi before letting the mechanic go. Apparently, he had already been paid, so there was no need for Bayo to give him any money.
He got back in the house and saw Yemi fully dressed, on the floor, trying to mop up the water Bayo had spilled on their marble floor.

“I saw a movie once where a man slipped from water spilled on the floor, and died. So don't ask me why I am taking this so serious' She said. She was in white and blue polo top, black jeans, and blue converse all-stars snickers. Bayo looked at her, and wondered why she always liked to dress masculine. He walked up to his room to drop his bag and change. He thought he needed a shower. A quick one, so he got into his towel, and just as he was about to walk out of the room, Yemi walked in, and went straight to the last wardrobe at the far end of the room.
“Hey! No privacy?” Bayo inquired.
“Sorry, just needed to get a rag in a hurry.” She said and was going through a pile of old clothes.
“And who said my room is where you find such?”
“Trust me; I’ve gotten a lot from here in the past.” She said as she held up a pair of boxers’ shorts and threw them away irritatingly when she found out what she was holding. Bayo just walked out of the room.



As Bayo lay down to sleep that night, he wondered what tomorrow would be like. He remembered earlier that night, when he and Yemi had sat at an eatery at the cinema, how happy she was to finally be out of the house. Life is too short to spend it doing nothing. He knew he had to make tomorrow and the days that were to come memories that would last in his head forever.

It Was Not a Lie
BY
KAYODE ODUSANYA






















© 2016 Kayode Odusanya


CHAPTER 1

He smashed the cockroach with his shoes and watched it run off without its head. It’s a wonder how cockroaches can survive without their heads; then what part does the thinking?

Bayo looked up, and his eyes went back to the mysterious girl he had been staring at all day. He always had problems approaching girls he felt something for, but he wasn’t going to let this one go just like that, he had to figure out a plan.

The teacher started saying something that brought his mind back to the classroom; something about a group assignment. The girl shifted in her seat and Bayo got a better look at her. Thick black hair; brown skin; pretty face; athletic figure, just the way he liked his girls. She always kept an expressionless look on her face, so it was hard for him to tell the kind of person she was.

The teacher had started grouping people into three's, and giving them there various assignment titles. He would call three names, and ask them to move to the empty benches at the back, so they could get acquainted, and start discussing their assignments. Bayo thought of how he hated group assignments, he always liked to do his things solo. Before academic staff of the university he attended went on strike a couple of weeks ago, he and some of his course mates had been given a group work due to be submitted the next week. Then the strike happened, and it was 4 weeks now. He hoped nobody remembered the assignment when they resumed. He didn't even really care, because the ladies in the group always helped him out and he'd end up not doing much. His looks had always helped him out. He wondered why this particular girl had not noticed him yet.

Bayo heard the teacher call his name, and he signalled by waving his hand. Then the teacher called another name he didn't know; he didn't even know anybody's full names.

“That is the last group. And I am sorry, but you are one man down; you just have to manage.” The teacher said, but Bayo didn't hear that because he had just found out that he was going to be in the same group as the girl he had been day dreaming about. The girl picked up her bag and walked to the last empty bench and table at the back, and Bayo joined her.

“This is going to be your assignment.” The teacher said and handed them a small piece of paper. The girl smiled briefly, and Bayo caught sight of the finest set of teeth he had seen thus far. Her face was even more beautiful when she smiled.
“Hi? My name is Anu.” The girl said with a straight look on her face.
Bayo shook her hand and said “I am Bayo. So I guess we are in the group together.”
“I guess so.”
“And I can see you are not very interested in the work.”
“You guessed right.” She said and they both laughed.
“Let’s just discuss the topic, and then we'd go home and do some...” Bayo was saying then he paused when his phone started to ring. “Sorry, excuse me one minute.” He said before picking up the call. He spoke for a couple of seconds, and a frown appeared on his face around the last couple of seconds of the conversation.“Sorry about that.”
“No problem. Can I see your phone?” The girl asked with her hands outstretched. He handed it over to her, and the Sony Ericsson W810i passed an electrical current through it for the split second their hands held it. He was sure as hell he felt a jolt, whether he imagined it or it really happened, he couldn’t really tell.“Can I go through your pictures?” The girl asked.
“Sure.” Bayo said and was about to reach out and show her how to navigate through the phone, but he guessed she didn't need any help, as she was already helping herself. After going through a couple of pictures, she turned the phone to face him and asked,
“Is this your girlfriend?” Bayo looked at the picture and saw that it was the photo he had taken of Yemi, just this morning.
“No; it’s my kid sister.” Bayo said and she kept on flipping through the pictures without another word. ‘This girl must be a nut case or something, maybe that is why she does not talk much,’ Bayo thought.
“Don't worry; I am not a psycho.” She said without looking up.
“What?”
“I can read people's minds, and I know what you are thinking.”
“I wasn't thinking that.” Bayo said in defence.”
“Even if I couldn't read minds, your face says it all.” She said. Bayo started looking to the right with his left eye, and to the left with his right eye. Then the girl laughed and dropped the phone on the table.
“Are you trying to see your face or what”' she said, still laughing.
“Yes. I guess that is what I am trying to do.” He said with a chuckle.
“That is hilarious; very funny.”
“So the thing about reading minds, is it true?” Bayo asked when it got quiet again.
“So you really thought I was a Loony?”
“Well, kind of.”
The girl looked into space for a while before talking. “The brain is like a radio; Not really, more like a broadcaster and a receiver, in that it receives and lets out waves.”
“I don't get you. You mean the brain broadcast like a radio?”
“All your thoughts flow out of your brain like a wave on a frequency. And the brain also has the capacity to receive waves flowing from someone else’s brain. So if you meditate hard enough, you get the frequency through which the next person to you is broadcasting, and you get all his thoughts.”
“No way, that's crazy.”
“It might sound crazy, but it works.”
“How are you sure?”
“Because I tested it a couple of times and...Look, I’m sorry, can we change the subject? I don't feel comfortable talking about this any longer.” She said and rubbed her forehead.
“Wow. Just a couple of seconds ago you were so happy to talk about it.”
The girl didn't say anything, she just put on the expressionless face that Bayo had known her with. And then just as Bayo was about to speak, she spoke.
“I'm sorry, it’s just that my mom found out what I was doing with the mind reading thing, and asked me to stop because I was really getting deeper and deeper into it. I promised her I would never do it again.”
“Hmm! It seems very interesting though.”
“Get this book, THINK AND GROW RICH by napoleon hill, he talked about it in a particular chapter.”
“How come I have never heard of it before? It does sound really realistic.”
“I don't know. Maybe there are just some things we should leave alone if we want to live normal lives.” She said as she retrieved her phone from her pocket and waved it at Bayo.
“Oh! Cool. We use the same type of phone. Can I see yours?”
“Sure.” She said and handed it over to him. “So you don't have any Indecency on your phone, how come?”
“I'm not really into Indecency.” Bayo said and started going through her phone. “So why did you ask if I had Indecency? You like porn?”
“No. It’s just that…I don’t know…guys always have those kinds of stuff on their phone.”
“Cool, you have a lot of Rita Dominic pictures. We have one thing in common.’
“I really like her.” Bayo said.
“And also many pictures of Ini Edo.”
“The same reason; although I am thinking of deleting some of her pictures.”
“Halle berry, Angelina Jolie, Monica Belucci, Salma Hayek, Eva Mendez… and this girl, I don’t think…”
“Let me see.” She said and leaned over to look into the phone. “That’s Kerry Washington; the girl that stared alongside Chris Rock in I THINK I LOVE MY WIFE.”
'Oh, yea, Nikki, right? That was her name in the movie.”
“Yes.”
“Hmm! No Kim Basinger, or Joke silver, or Meryl strip, or even Sandra bullock, just the hot chicks”
“Well…I never really thought of it that way. So what's up with the work, I got to be somewhere.”
“The work?” Bayo asked. He had totally forgotten what they were put together for. “Oh. Sorry. I totally forgot what we have to do.”
“Yeah! But it is more like what you have to do, because I am not really into assignments.”
'Wait, why do I have to do it alone? I thought we agreed...”
“Please!” She got up just then to give him a hug and a peck on the cheek. “I'll make it up to you. I promise.” She said and started working backwards towards the door- her eyes still levelled with Bayo's. He noticed a girl at the door he had not seen before. The girl grabbed Anu from behind and she jumped, faced the person, and playfully punched her arm. Then she turned around and gave Bayo one last look and she was gone. He thought about that look; there was no expression in it, just like a stare- like a blank check.
‘So let me do a check on what just happened; I got to talk to the girl I have been dreaming about all week, and we are stock in a group together for at least a week, and we had a very nice conversation, and she even gave me a peck after only knowing me for just a couple of minutes, so far so good,’ Bayo thought to himself.

He looked around the class, and everybody was in one group discussion or the other. The teacher had left the class. It was 12.05 by his Casio watch, which was 55 minutes to end of the school. He packed his things and left.

Goldenprinz:
bro wotup up nw.......u no upload again?

Coming up by or before 8pm.

yorhmienerd:
Superb!

Thanks.

pweetyz:
OMG.. This is awesome

Thanks.

omeira:
I'm a big big big fan of this genre. Double applause kayo80. More ink to your pen.

Thanks!

yorhmienerd:
Applaudise

Thanks a lot.

specialson11:
nice work brother

Thanks.

specialson11:
now you are talking.
o owe you 20naira groundnut and roasted plantain...

lol!