Fauziat- A true story‎ (Part Two)

I cleared my throat and said hi. He turned looked at me and my heart skipped a beat. I noticed his eyes, his mouth and nice set of teeth as he smiled. I then introduced myself. "My name is Fauziat Shaibu, I am in your class," stretching out my hands. He smiled again and said, "I am Adewale Ayodeji." I rolled my eyeballs and said, "I am not used to Yoruba names, please can you give me another name?" So he said, "My name is Khalid." I immediately fell inlove with the name and repeated it three times.

I didn't know what to say next so I said "I saw you with a walkman and I have been looking for someone to lend me one, I need to listen to a programme this evening on radio but I don't trust PHCN. I promise I will give it back to you tomorrow."
This was just a strategy to make me spend some time with him again the next day. 

He lent me the walkman and walked me down to the school gate then we discovered we were actually going to the same direction. We took a bus to the main bus stop and as I wanted to stop a bike to take me to my residence, he said "do you take bikes every day?" I said yes then he said he walks and wouldn't mind if I take a walk with him. He promised to walk me down to my house before going back to his. 

The distance was a bit far, in fact, it was far. I wondered if I wouldn't collapse before getting to my place but the mere thought of walking with Khalid for that long kept me alive.

We walked and talked a bit then I found myself home and safe but tired and happy at the same time. When I got home, I opened the door and my countenance changed. I was not happy in the house any longer, I wanted to leave; I couldn't wait for my school to be relocated.

I got home and saw my aunt already in the house. I greeted her and kissed her baby then I went in took a shower, put on something, ate and slept. I couldn't wait to wake up in the morning to go to school. I imagined a lot of things until sleep came. I was far away in my sleep when I heard a knock on my door; I stood up immediately, rushed to the door and silently locked it. I knew it was pastor because his wife sleeps early so as to get up early for work.

I later heard a whisper through the key hole calling my name. Yes it was pastor, he was still standing there. He wanted to gain entrance into my room and for what? I thought; I didn't open the door until I forgot he was there and slept off.

I woke up happier than I have ever woken. I went to the bathroom, took a shower and picked out my most preferred cloth. It took me a long time to get dressed then I went to school before pastor finished his prayers.

At school, we had free period until 10am so I had two hours to be with Khalid if he was around. I got to the class and looked around but I didn't see him so I went to my corner to meet with my friends, Tobi and Deborah. I told them what happened after they left school the previous day and they couldn't believe. Tobi said "you, you did what?" "Don't mind her, she has started with her jokes again,"Deborah said. I told them it was true and they were marvelled. "You mean, he walked you home, he gave you his walkman," they asked. 

Fauziat, Tobi said, I heard he and Tolu are dating and I heard she doesn't allow anyone go close to him, not even his friends can take him away from her for too long. She is very possessive." I laughed and said "friends if I want him I will have him and make sure his Tolu girlfriend doesn't see him as much as she wants, do you want to bet on that?" As we were talking he walked into the classroom, it was 9.15am, I have only 45mins and I will make sure I make good use of it, I told myself.

I left them and went to him, greeted him and handed his walkman to him. "Thank you Khalid, it was very useful, I said." "You are welcome," he replied then I added immediately, can you give me your phone number please? He said yes and started to call the number but he didn't finish it when Tolu came in. "Adewale, where have you been, I have been looking for you, please let's go outside, we need to talk."

I became furious; she should have allowed me get the complete number at least before stealing him away. I wanted to snap but cautioned myself. "That Tolu must get out of my way," I thought.

After class that morning, we had another lecture until 2pm then I went to the mosque to pray. After praying, I started to hurry back to class when I heard a voice call my name. I turned back and it was him, "Khalid, don't tell me you are coming from the mosque," I said. "I am," he replied. "Are you a Muslim," I asked again and he replied "Insha Allah."

 I smiled and said to myself "I have got you Tolu, let's see how you will keep him to yourself when you are a Christian and I am a Muslim."

I asked him "If you are Muslim, why are you dating Tolu?" He looked at me, smiled and said, Tolu is just my wife for this session, I always have a girl I call my wife every session and after our holidays, and we move to the next class, she will stop being my wife. I will then pick another wife for the session. I am not dating Tolu, she is just being over protective."

I laughed and asked "Why do you change them every session?" He replied "Nothing, I just want it that way. I feel I shouldn't be too close to only one girl throughout school so she won't start having other ideas."

"Well I am not ready to wait until the end of the session to be your girl, I am not even ready to wait for Tolu's tenure to end before I become yours," I said to myself as we walked down to the class.

When we got to class, Khalid couldn't find Tolu, he called her number it was switched-off, he was uneasy and I was angry. Her friends later told him that she was in the school chapel and won't be done until 5pm. He told me after grumbling and begged me to stay in one of the empty classes with him until she finished. I agreed of course and sat with him in one of the classes that students don't usually frequent at that time of the day.

We sat and talked for three hours. I found out he was even more handsome, he spoke intelligently, he laughed in a special way. He talked about his family. He has two sisters and they lived with their parents at that time. He asked about me too and I spoke with the sweetest voice about my family and life and everything I wanted him to know.

I tried to impress him in all ways I could. We talked and didn't realise it was already 5pm when his phone suddenly rang and he said "hello, I am in the class after the technical laboratory waiting for you, please come quickly, I want to leave this place."

I was angry when he said those words "he wants to leave here quickly, does it mean he is not enjoying my company? I thought."

She came and he introduced us properly and told her I spent all the time she wasn't there with him. She said, "thank you for taking care of my husband," held his hand and pulled him out of the class. She shouted bye to me from a distance and I shouted back at her but added quietly "exam is next week, I give you two more weeks."

I was left alone to go home and I wasn't happy at all. Well, I had no choice but to go home so I left. I got home and met pastor sitting in the living room, he looked at me as I entered the house in anger. He asked why I didn't inform him before I left for school and started complaining about so many things. I explained that I checked on him but his room door was locked and I guessed he was praying so I left because I didn't want to disturb him.

He then changed the topic to the previous night "why didn't you open the door for me when I knocked and called you at night," he asked. I denied hearing him knock or calling. He then said "from today, you won't use that room again, change to the other empty room that has a bad door lock. It is because your room has a lock that you can ignore me. I am supposed to have access to your room whenever I want. This is my house" I wanted to speak, and scream at him but his daughter came into the living room where I stood talking with him and gave me a hug.

I hugged her back and wiped the tear that was running down my cheek then I took her to my room and gave her a biscuit I got for her. We stayed in the room until her mother came in and I joined her in the kitchen.

I was so sad, sad to the extent that aunty Evelyn noticed. She asked what the problem was and I told her that her husband asked me to pack my things to the other room. She smiled and said, "Is that why you are sad, the room is not too bad, it is even better than the one you are using."

I told her the door lock was bad and I want my privacy so she told me that she would tell pastor to fix the door. I said thank you and went in after I had eaten and laid down. As I was on bed my phone rang, I was reluctant to take the call but when I looked at the screen it was Khalid. "What does he want, I asked myself after leaving me like that in school."

I took the call and when I heard his voice I immediately forgave him. "Hello" he said. I said hi and kept quiet. "I am sorry about what happened today, I didn't know Tolu would react that way, I wanted to say bye to you and walk with you again to your house, I had fun walking with you yesterday."

"You did?" I said to myself. Blushing I said "its okay, I forgive you, hope you got home safe and sound."

We spoke for about 5 minutes then I slept off and had the most wonderful dream ever.

We wrote our final exams to move to the third level in school and we went home for the holidays. We had become good friends at that time and Tolu wasn't my friend at all. She continued attending her church services in school while I attended the mosque with Khalid. I would sometimes visit him in his hostel and he would also visit me. We talked on phone and he walked me home whenever he could.

I had fallen even more for him and used him to console myself whenever pastor offended me. Pastor had to let me stay in my room instead of repairing the lock that his wife told him about. He started to look for all ways to complain about what I did.

He said I drank too much water, I couldn't iron his cloths, I wasn't attending church with them, I was praying in the Muslim way in a pastor's house. He complained about everything and at this time, he had never given me a penny from his pocket. I was living on the 3, 000 my dad gave me every month. He never did anything that made me want to go to church with him or iron his cloths or even drink less water.

I went home for the holidays and made sure I called Khalid everyday. It was a three-week break and by the second week, I couldn't wait for school to resume. I was so excited and just wanted to go back to school.

Three days to resumption, I received a call from Khalid, he said "hello, how are you, how is your mum, how is your dad, how are you siblings?" it was unlike him but I answered anyway and his voice started to shake. I became scared and asked "hope you are fine." He said "yes, but I want to ask you a question" I said "okay, go on," then he said "will you be my wife for the next session?"

I didn't say anything for almost one minute, I was speechless, I felt something down my spine, I wanted to grab him through the phone and give him a kiss, I just placed my hand on my chest to calm my heart as it was beating a thousand beat in one second. I was immediately teleported to a wonderland where I was with him holding hands and I felt so lightheaded. My heart was beating so hard I was afraid that it could burst at any moment.

Then he spoke again and I came back to reality, "hello, are you there?" he asked. I replied in the affirmative and but I said please give me a minute.

He held on for me and I thought of my status, "I am a virgin and getting a boyfriend now might mean having to go to bed with him one day. What if he turns out to be what I never expected. What if I say yes and he breaks my heart. How am I sure he is not a playboy. Why does he think he can change girls every session like this. Will I be able to concentrate in school anymore?"

I thought again and again and finally decided if I wanted him or not, I said "hello are you there?" he said "yes what do you say, then I gave him my answer. I said... 

To be continued next week.