(Episode 11) Destiny Mismatch … A Compelling Story!

Philip was revived and he sat on the floor weeping and crying. The cleaner who was an elderly woman felt pity for him and she tried to console him.

Cleaner: “take heart my brother, na your sister she be?”

“Na im babe o, maybe na im place she dey come before wetin happen happen so”, the students around answered.

The blaring of Police siren caused a deafening silence among all gathered. Leading the police was Malik, Philip felt his heart beating widely against his ribs when he saw his friend leading the police to where the body is. “that is it, I am done for, that is why they say trust no one. Why did I even involve Malik in the first place? Now he has gone to tell the Police everything and they are here to arrest me. I should have known that he had always been jealous of my academic achievements”, he turned.

Malik: “Hello, Philip. Why are you sitting there on the floor with your body wet? Anything the matter?” he asked as he approached him.

Philip: “Malik you?”

Malik: “Yes?” anyway, officers this is the body, he said pointing at Naya’s body on the floor. I was in my room sleeping when someone came to knock on my door that a body was found lying dead in the lodge. Being the law abiding citizen that I am and the fact that I was brought up to be security conscious by my father, I decided to call you her first before I step out of my room.

Philip heaved a sigh of relief when he heard Malik speak. “He is a good friend after all, he thought”.

The police went close to the body and examined it, then they turned around to the student who were watching them keenly. “Where is the room of this body here”, one of the men asked.

There was silence, the sound of a pin falling on the ground would have been heard considering that silence that they experienced.

Officer: “I said where is the room of this lady?” he barked causing them to startle.

“She doesn’t live in this compound”, they chorused.

Officer: “So how did the body get here then? Who among you here saw the body first?”

The cleaner woman raised up her index finger, she had always had this fear for the police and she wished that she had ignored the corpse and continued her work when she first saw the corpse.

“come forward, the officer ordered”. She obeyed immediately.

“Tell us how you came about this”.

Cleaner: “Na this morning wey I come to clean the compound, na im I come this place”, she pointed at the place where the body was lying. “I come to carry brooms and packer and mopping stick because na for there we dey keep am. As I bend down like this, na so I see the body for here, I come shout con call the compound people make them come help me see wetin my eyes see”.

Officer: “How was she when you saw her?”

Cleaner: “Officer, fear no even allow me look her well.  Immediately I see the body for ground because this no be the first time wey I dey come carry broom for here and I never meet something like this before”.

Officer: “Are you sure about what you are saying”

Cleaner: “I swear to God who made me, na the truth be that. If I dey like, make Sango fire me for road before I reach house”.

Officer: “Which of you knows the lady here”, he pointed at the corpse on the floor.

Almost everyone standing raised their hand except the cleaner.

Officer: “How comes you all know here even though you said she doesn’t live here?”

“She is a student of this university”, one of them answered.

Officer: “Oh, I see. Another student death. Who can give us any information about her?”.

Philip turned around to see many fingers pointing at him. He quickly jumped up to his feet.

Officer: “Yes, young man. You seem to be the most affected by her death. Tell us what you know”.

Philip: “I don’t know anything about her death, sir” he mumbled.

Officer: “How comes they are all pointing at you then?”

Philip: “she was my girlfriend”, he summoned courage and answered.

Officer: “okay, student relationship, always getting complicated. “what is her body doing on the ground here and not on your bed?” he asked.

The cleaner opened her mouth to tongue lash him but she quickly closed her mouth when she remembered that it was a police man talking.

Philip: “Honestly, I don’t know what her body is doing here”. He replied weakly.

Officer: “you all can return to your rooms now and nobody must step out of this compound until we come for questioning”, he instructed.

“Pack up the body and take it away, be careful, you know what I mean”, he instructed his boys who proceeded in carrying out his orders immediately.

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After Florence moved out of Naya’s house, she bought the form to contest for the most beautiful girl in her department. It was her way of proving to Naya that she could achieve something of her own. She had become best of friends with the outing most beautiful girl in her department. On the day Naya’s body was discovered, she came to visit the miss Economics, oblivious of what had happened to her friend.

Miss Economics: “Queen Florence, this one that you are coming to visit me this morning, any better?”

Florence: “You make my head swell anytime you call me Queen. I pray say I win this contest o, if not the kind shame wey go catch me for this campus no be for here o”.

Miss Economics: “Why you no go win? I don tell you as the thing dey take be now, na you no wan cooperate o”.

Florence: “Babe, I don dey reason that matter o. So you mean say if I no service head of department and some other lecturers and SUG officials I no go fit win the crown”.

Miss Economics: “How you wan take win now? Welcome to the beauty world where you need to lie on your back as many times as possible for your beauty to be recognized. See me now, the girl I contested with fine well and she is very tall just like you but because say I don already settle the matter with all that matter, I won even though I fail all the question wey dem ask for stage that day”.

Florence: “Na true sha o, I remember that you failed all your question last year during the contest. We were all shocked when they announced you as the winner”.

Miss Economics: “You are not serious o. so, you mean say I no know book abi na wetin? Anyway sha, no be person wey read no book, na person wey pass exams. I sabi sort my way out of things mehn”, she giggled.

Florence: “Abeg show me the way o, I am really desperate to win this competition, even though it means me paying with the little money I have. I just want to prove to Naya and her family that they can’t have it all. This crown will go a long way to give me back my self-esteem”.

Miss Economics: “Which Naya? Didn’t you hear what happened to her?”

Florence: “No, what happened to her?”

Miss Economics: “Naya is no more, now. She is dead”.

Florence: “What! You can’t be serious. No, I mean you don’t know the Naya I am talking about. She cannot be dead, no way. That is not possible”.

Miss Economics: “I don’t know the Naya ba wo? Is she not your former room mate?”

Florence: “But what happened to her? How did she die? She was so healthy the last time I saw her in school”.

Miss Economics: “Her body was found dead this morning in Philip’s compound. I don’t know what killed her and when we ran there to go and see things by ourselves, security men were at the gate and they did not allow anyone in or out. Those inside where locked in and those outside couldn’t go in”.

Florence: “This is serious. Where is Philip now?”

Miss Economics: “Inside the compound now, you no hear as I say Police no allow anybody commot or enter?”

Florence ran out of the room without saying a word to her friend. “Ah-ah, Florence, where you dey go? I say police no dey allow people enter the compound, come back here”, she called back at Florence’s running figure.

Question: Where is Florence running to? Does she know anything about Naya’s death?