Naya picked up the phone to see that it was
Philip calling, she hissed and dropped the phone, ignoring his call for the
umpteenth time. Florence her roommate gave her a knowing look and shook her
head. She knew Naya to be a very calm girl, stories had it that she took her
calmness from her mother. Her father was a retired military general. Her twin
was stubborn, while her twin had insisted on them going to study for their
first degree abroad, Naya had insisted on staying behind in Nigeria to the
disdain of her parents who had no option than to grant her desires because they
indulged the twins in all they did. Maya was to return to the country the next
day after completing her degree programme and Naya was to return home to her
parents’ house that day so that she could accompany them to the airport to pick
her twin sister.
Florence was her course mate and roommate right
from their 100 level days. They had met during their course registration when
they had secured admission newly and since then their friendship had blossomed.
Naya had invited Florence who was from a humble background to join her in her
self-contained apartment that her parents had rented for her off campus, she
fed and accommodated Florence free of charge. The phone kept on ringing and she
turned a deaf ear to it.
Florence: “Oooooh! Naya pick your call, now.
Hian!”
Naya: “I don’t want to pick the call, is it by
force? Shebi it is my phone?”
Florence: “Oya, put the phone on silence, I am
trying to concentrate on my studies here. Remember we have a test in GST 202
tomorrow”.
Naya: “Madam, if the ring tone of my phone is
disturbing you, go to the library. That is where serious reading is done”.
Florence: “Okay o, no vex”. She grabbed her ear
piece and blocked her ear with it. She knew better than getting on Naya’s bad
side anytime the issue centered on Philip.
Philip and Naya had met during the preparation
for her first semester examination in 100 level, he was a year ahead of her and
he often took tutorial classes for 100 level students. He was a cool dude with
cheeky face and dreamy eyes. He was the dream man of all the girls whom he
taught but he stayed away from ladies and concentrated on his studies. It was
this attitude of his that had attracted him to Naya who out rightly accepted
him when he asked her out to the surprise of all the girls. Over the years,
their relationship had waxed stronger with them going to read at nights
together and even in the library, they shared the same space. The phone began
to ring again and Florence began to hiss, the ear piece she had blocked her
ears with was obviously not effective enough in preventing her from hearing the
phone ring.
Florence: “Ohhhh. Naya now, okay if you don’t
want to pick the call, just switch off your phone so that we can hear word”.
Naya: “It is not like I don’t want to pick his
calls, it’s just that I feel so hurt right now that talking to him may bring
back emotions that I would rather allow to die”.
Florence: “What exactly happened?”
Naya dropped the novel she was reading and
faced Florence.
Naya: “I went to his house the day before
yesterday, I didn’t inform him that I was coming. I went to the corner shop and
bought ogbono soup ingredients since that is his favorite and guess what I met
when I opened the door?”
Florence: “What?” her eyes balls were almost
popping out of their sockets.
Naya: “You know that Nneka that won miss campus
this year? That 100 level girl?”
Florence: “Yes, what happened to her, is she
dead?”
Naya: “It would have been better if she was
dead. I met her and Philip romancing”.
Florence: “No, you can’t be serious”.
Naya: “I wish I am not. I met them kissing and
touching and smooching. Oh God, I can’t even imagine it”.
Florence: “You mean Philip was touching another
girl? Jesu o!”.
Naya: “I couldn’t believe it. And to think that
we had agreed on no form of body contact before marriage because I told me it
was against the will of God”.
Florence: “That is why I am shocked. That guy
that said he has never had any girlfriend before he met you? Me I dey even see
am like say him no fit toast girl until you gist me about how him take ask you
out”.
Naya: “I ran out of the house in anger. In
fact, I left the ingredients I bought there on the ground in his room there”.
Florence: “Naya, why now? You for carry the
ingredients come back, I for arrange the soup o. So you leave am make that yeye
miss campus wey no even fine cook am come siddon well chop? Your matter seff
dey tire me some times”.
Naya: “Hmmn, Florence, you too like food. In
fact, you can eat more than Adaku in Jennifer’s Diary. Anyway, I don’t regret
leaving it there, I can always get whatever ingredients I want to make my soup
here”.
Florence: “Hmmmn, my friend, my friend. I gbadu
your paroles mehn. In fact, I am your greatest fan, omo babalowo”.
Naya: “go jor, na me you dey wine abi? You no
well. Do you now see why I don’t want to pick Philip’s call?”
Florence: “I see o, in fact, don’t ever pick his
calls again. That guy is a big pretender and I don’t want you to have anything
to do with him again. When next he calls, give me the phone to talk to him, I
go treat him fuck up with my mouth, you no say you gentle. And as for that
stupid miss campus that only knows how to snatch peoples’ boyfriends and
husbands, I will deal with her. I will arrange boys to give her the beating of
her life. Foolish useless idiot”.
Naya: “No, you will do no such thing, leave the
girl alone. Was it not Philip that allowed himself to be seduced?”
Florence: “Forget that thing, jare. You are too
gentle and that is why people always take you for granted. Just leave that girl
for me, by the time I am done with her, she will develop wings and fly anytime
she sees anything that belongs to you”.
Naya: “I don’t understand you at all, one
minute you want me to forget all about Philip, the next minute you want me to
fight the girl he is cheating on me with. How do you explain that?”
The phone began to ring and Florence collected
it without looking at the caller and began to insult and curse, thinking it was
Philip.
Florence: “Hello, you are very stupid and
useless. In fact, you are a callous and pretentious nincompoop, you think you
can toil with my friend’s heart and go away with it? God will punish you,
idio…”
Mr Lanre: “Naya, is that you? When did you
become this wild?”
Florence on realizing that it was Naya’s father
calling returned the phone to Naya. “It’s your dad”, she told her as she handed
her the phone.
Naya: “Ah, mogbe!” she collected the phone and
brought it close to her ear. “Hello, daddy, good evening sir”.
Mr Lanre: “What is wrong with you, Naya?”
Naya: “I am sorry, sir. It was my friend that
picked the call. She thought it was…erm…”
Mr Lanre: “What sort of a friend is that?
Didn’t my number appear on your screen when I called? Anyway, remember to come
home early tomorrow, your sister’s flight will land by 1pm, we should be at the
park say around 3 when their bus will come in from Kaduna. You know how she
hates to be kept waiting. And as for your friend and what she just said, we
will talk about that when we meet”. He ended the call, as a retired military
man, he had formed the habit of being brief even while talking.
Florence: “Hope there is no problem? Sorry, I
thought it was Philip”.
Naya: “No, he was reminding me of the need to
go home early tomorrow. Florence, can you follow me home? I have told my twinny
lot of things about you and she is dying to meet you”.
Florence: “I am not sure about that, I don’t
like being around military men like your father, they scare the hell out of
me”.
Naya: “Don’t worry, dad is nice, besides, you
don’t have to be around him, we have our own room”.
Florence: “Fine, if you insist. After all this
place will be too lonely without you”.
Naya: “Great! We leave here by 10am tomorrow,
remember it’s a two hours’ journey from here home so that we can rest before
going to the airport”.
Question: Is Florence a good friend? Is Naya
doing the right thing by taking her home? Is Philip as bad as she is making him
appear?
cc: adelove.com
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