FIRST LOVE (episode 17)

I repeated the words contained in the text as many times as possible as if to be sure I truly understood its contents. I must have stood for over 10 minutes trying to decipher the contents of the message, for it was only when I turned around that I got to know that all my roommates were back and in the room and one of them was talking to me. I didn’t bother replying them, in a flash, I disappeared out of the room to Mt’s room, whatever made me did that was and is beyond me even till this moment. I was literally jumping the stairs due to the fact that, the joy in me didn’t permit me to run. I continued my high jump when I got to Mt’s block, I must have been on the 2nd floor when I tried to jump, one too many. I jumped probably farther than the stairs, I was probably heading for the sky, unknown to me that there were so many hurdles above, I hit my head on decking above the stairs, and I found myself back on the ground. I was trying to rise to my feet, when a sudden darkness came over me….

‘I’ll always be there for u, I love u, gudnyt’ I was repeating those words when I opened my eyes and found myself on my bed. I sat up and found Mt, Ykay and Id in the room ‘wetin carry una come here?’ I asked but got no reply. I searched for my phone but couldn’t find it, I asked who took my phone, yet my friends remained dumb. It became clear to me that something was wrong, ‘make una talk na’ I was becoming worried. Ykay broke the silence as he went on to narrate how some students walking down the stairs had found me laying unconscious on the stair case, how they rushed me outside the block and poured water on me before I opened my eyes, he went further to narrate how he and Mt had joined the crowd and found out I was the one, they brought me back to the hostel and stripped off my clothes leaving only my boxers.

‘guy u dey mad o’ Mt interrupted Ykay obviously angry, ‘y u wan kill yourself because of one girl?’
‘abeg u cook?’ I asked him trying to change the topic even though I was truly hungry as my stomach had only water since morning.
‘loverboy take ur phone, so hungry dey worry u now, when u don almost kill ursef, make we go my room go chop’
‘na u sure pass’I said rising up to my feet.
Id who had been silent all through the discussion, as we were walking out to Mt’s room, he broke his own silence in the following words;
‘if u kill yourself because of one woman, thousands go waka spit on top ur grave’.

After eating, i got back to my room and resumed my madness. the text message was still having its effect on me. I dialed Funke's number but it didn't go through. As such i set out to write her a poem :MY MADNESS FOR YOU ', for despite what happened to me on that night. it was obvious the fire of love burning in me was inextinguishable no matter the flood...for it was an immortal one ...

MY MADNESS FOR YOU.
Tears beneath my eyes
Only u can make them flow
In my heart so many sighs
As much as u wish to know
Some say I’m infected
Perhaps I’m under a spell
Others say my brain cells are dead
And burning in hell.
Oh lord I pray everyday
If what I feel for u is d meaning of madness
May the scientists never find a cure I pray
For as long as its my happiness
Your love stupors me into intoxication.
Although never did I taste champagne
For this infection u are d only injection
For at ur every thought I go insane.


I sent the poem to her through text message; although I had initially planned to recite it to her but her number didn’t go through and I was low an airtime as well. I reminisced the events of the day, a part of me told me something was wrong somewhere beyond my knowledge. The other part of me which was more aggressive in its argument posited I was fine and reminded that if love is not madness, it is not love at all.
I was still trying to give a verdict on the arguments of the two inner speakers when nature passed its own verdict and sentenced me to dreamland.

I was woken up the next morning by deafening voices of jubilant students. The only reasonable words I could decipher from their voices were ‘we must go’. I was curious about where they wanted to go so badly as to wake others from their sleep. I rose from my bed to discover it wasn’t early after all. But then I wondered why Mt didn’t come over to wake me up for lectures. In my curiousity I ran downstairs to inquire the reason for the jubilations, and all I got as a reply was ‘ASUU STRIKE’
It was at that point in time it dawned on me that the rumour which had been circulating among students for week has finally come to pass. I rushed to Mt’s room, where I found him among many other students who were in the room playing video games- their own way of celebrating the industrial action. I inquired no further about the news but joined them in the celebration, although I may not pass for a totally unserious student, but the happiness which the news brought to my heart was inestimable. This was probably due to ‘brokedom’ and hunger!!!



That morning I received a call from my mum and she complained about me not calling her. Since my dad had set a rule that I mustn’t lay any complain about my finance or whatsoever at school to my mum, I limited my contact with her in order not to invoke the wrath of a soldier man. But that morning I broke the rule, I told her of my hand to mouth situation at school, which made me unable to afford card and in extension, my inability to call her. I clearly omitted the ASUU STRIKE development during my conversation with her for reasons best known to me.


The by-product our conversation that morning was a voice filled with worry due to my complaints. I was happy, not because my sweet mother was worried, but I knew her worry would produce something positive. My anticipation wasn’t in vain unlike the labour of our 'heroes past' that is now in vain. About an hour later when the message tone of my phone rang, I didn’t bother to check the message. In its stead, I raced majestically to the ATM arena just opposite my faculty to see what sweet mother had for me. 3000 naira wasn’t bad after all for a housewife who survived on monthly ‘soup money’.

I withdrew 2k out of the 3k and recharged my line with the remaining 1k. I called my mum to appreciate her message whereupon she asked me to keep it from my dad ‘as usual’. When I got to my room, I met my roommates packing their belongings in preparation for the ‘vacation’, and within 30 minutes, I was the only one left in the room. This afforded me the freedom to call my darling Funke right there in the room unlike when I had to go creep to the bush or sports centre to make calls.
By noon on after eating and taking my bath, I retired to my bed and the call began. She received my call at the other end of the phone with a harsh voice of ‘is this when you are supposed to call’ and as usual I went on my knees, no thanks to the absence of my roommates, and pleaded her pardon as I responded to her query. I acknowledged her message which I got the previous day; I playfully asked whether she truly meant the contents of her message whereupon she replied ‘I don’t know’.

Her reply somewhat hurt me, but I skillfully covered my change of emotion and diverted the topic to the poem I sent her. She requested I recite it to her hearing and much to my delight. I activated my sweet voice and acceded to her request (I have a fairly good voice o). She kept repeating ‘hmmn’ all through the recitation, and at the end I got an ‘okay’ in place of ‘thank you sweetheart’ which I was expecting. Nevertheless I took solace in the fact that I was happy just hearing her voice, be it insult or indifference.
The call went on and on for over an hour touching different topics. What was there to bother about airtime when the heart was joyful? At a point in time she asked why I despised eating noodles and, I told her it I had never eaten it all my life and didn’t plan to in the farthest future.
‘Will u do me a favour’ she asked
‘Anything for you dearest’ I replied in anxiety.
‘Okay, thank you. I want u to go and cook indomie now and eat it, call me when you are through bye’
‘But u know that’s not possible’ I said in protest.
‘Remember u promised to do anything for ur love'

FIRST LOVE (episode 16)

I was woken up by the excessive laughter ringing in my sleep; I opened my eyes to see Mt and Ykay mocking me with all seriousness. It was glaring that I only slept due to hunger, for the Wasak they knew never slept during daytime. I quickly rearranged myself and prepared for the next lecture which was to hold in the new campus. Despite the mockery from my friends, I considered it a blessing in disguise because I was broke and couldn’t afford transport fare; they therefore had no choice than to raise me.

By the time we got to the new site, the lecture hall was filled beyond capacity as usual; we rushed to the back of the lecture hall and stood with our fellow late comers. Although the theatre was a 500 sitter, the population of students from political science, mass comm., English , history , economics and law combined was too much for the hall to bear, as such it rewarded its occupants with ‘HEAT’; one that was more than enough for all to share, the lecturer inclusive. I was still recovering from the laughter caused by the incessant comedy of the lecturer when my phone started vibrating in my pocket; I was surprised to see Funke’s call, for her calls were seldom. I concluded something important was at hand, and I therefore rushed out of the theatre to call her.

When she picked up I immediately asked what was wrong for I was really worried by her august call. She nagged about me not calling her for over two hours; I tried to explain that I was busy with lectures, to which she replied by asking ‘are your lectures more important than me?’
‘Never, sweetheart if my lectures were more important I wouldn’t have left the lecture theatre to call you’ ‘I replied ‘I’m sorry sweetheart I never meant it that way’ I quickly added.
‘beg me very well jor’

Immediately I heard this, I was forced to move farther away to avoid sight and hearing, I quickly moved to a deserted area of the school since the theatre was close to that part. I begged her with all sincerity, when I was sure none was looking, I went on my knees, this probably impressed her for she told me she was not angry any longer. I requested her permission to return to my lecture theatre, to which she obliged. I walked briskly back to the theatre.

I saw people exiting the theatre, I checked my time to confirm my sight …the lecture was supposed to end officially 10 minutes ago. I dialed Mt’s number to confirm their location but a beautiful voice politely responded ;’u do not have sufficient credit to call this number’. Not that I cared about their whereabouts, but where exactly was I to get transport fare!!!

I walked in a running manner to the bus park where I was almost sure Mt and Ykay would be. Many students were queuing for bus; I concluded my friends would be among the queue since they left the lecture hall not quite long ago. I walked to and front the queue rotating my eyes in all directions searching for any of them, this movement of mine purchased me suspicious eyes who probably felt I was up to something mischievous. When it seemed as if my search was futile and the eyes I bought were becoming too much a burden for me to bear, I chose to do the expedient.

Stooping so low to beg from strangers wasn’t any option for me, so despite the crowd of students at the bus park, I couldn’t approach anyone with my self-inflicted predicament. The distance of the park to the exit gate was just over a kilometer, and I made up my mind to trek as far as my legs could go. I brought out my ear piece from my thigh-pocket, actually the ear piece was the only property in my pocket aside my phone, I didn’t have a note for that particular lecture , since I just went there for fun, quite surprisingly I had an ‘A’ in the course. I started playing my favourite song ‘Angel of my life’ by Paul play’

So did I set out for my adventure under the scorching sun which communicated with my skin in a merciless manner. After trekking for about 1 hour 45 minute, I was drenched in my own perspiration, I found myself at the back gate of my campus, and luckily for me our hostels were located close to the gate. A sudden joy came over me which gave me a sprinting energy to complete my adventure. On getting to my room, I met my roommates arguing about the lectures they had, it was only then I remembered I had missed another lecture; I walked in silently and collapsed on my bed in fatigue.

Hardly had I settled on my bed when I heard familiar voices, laughing crazily and walking towards our room which was the last on the floor. Mt, Ykay and Id walked in, they were with their bags which meant they were just returning from lectures. I tried to feign sleeping in order to chase them away for I was too tired to start enduring their lousiness.
‘ idi.ot y where u go wey we no c u again?’ Mt asked
‘Guy I beg I wan sleep …later ‘I said turning to the other side of the bed
‘wetin happen na? We wait for u for new site we no c, na Raf use im ride carry us come back self’ Ykay added

At this, I narrated my ordeal to them, how I had left the theatre to call Funke and my search for them. They patiently listened until I got to the part where I trekked back to school. They all busted out in laughter, even my dumb roommates were not left out!!!!
After the visit of my friends, I sat down and regurgitated my life, I played the past few months with Funke before me and watched it like a tape. I wondered about the pain love has caused me, I thought about Christina Milan and her film ‘love don’t cost a thing’. ‘Why did she deceive me that love costs nothing? I’ve spent time, money, and energy, to what end?’ ‘What exactly is love? I asked myself rhetorically.
I remembered the saying of my dad that excess of everything can be intoxicating, his sating was reflected in my thoughts that afternoon. The excess love I had for Funke was the root of my madness, at the same time; the excess hunger of that afternoon accorded me the opportunity to reflect on my madness which has never stared me in the face since its inception.
Despite my deep reflection which almost caused a revolution against the regime of Funke’s love in my heart, I found myself missing her even more. I lay helplessly on my bed thinking about Funke praying silently that sleep would overcome me and save me from further torture from hunger. My prayers never came true and I had no choice but to endure.
Around 5 pm when it seemed as if I would die of hunger, I rose from my bed to pay a visit to my aboki, I drank two cups of water to add a little weight to my empty stomach while I heard near silent voice in my mind ‘thank God water is free’
I had intended to bail myself out of hunger by getting a few cups of Garri from my friend, but I found myself doing something else. Obviously the need to hear Funke’s voice was more pressing than the need for food. I dialed her number once again, immediately she picked I apologized for not calling earlier. We started chatting as usual, me expressing my love for her; even hunger had to pause to listen to the purgation of emotion.
‘I never believed love exists until this moment I’m spending with u, I wouldn’t still believe love exists, but for the fact that all parts of my body could testify. If my heart could speak it’d tell you that the only source of happiness for me is the sound of Ur voice. I haven’t tasted anything but water today, yet I have I’ve recharged 200 naira on my phone to call u alone.’ I said in an emotion-filled voice’
‘are u serious?’ you’ve not eaten today,y?’ she interrupted me with an expression of shock.
‘For the past 3 days, my pocket has been empty’ I replied.
‘Then how are u getting card to call me? She asked
‘Indifference will always find an excuse, love will always find a way sweetheart’
‘I have to go now, I’ll call u later’ she finally said
‘ok I love you beyond words, bye’
‘Bye’ she hanged up.
Few minutes after she hanged up, a text message entered my phone, and it boldly appeared on the screen ‘message from unbeatable love’…Funke had never sent an sms, ‘what could this be?’ I wondered before reading !!!