SISTER-IN-CAMPUS

EPISODE 2

"Today for the first time Hazy is wearing a dress!" Abby could be heard saying as the door handle turned.

"It's like seeing a palm tree in Kisii" Daisy joked as both of them came into room giggling at each other. When they saw Joyce they stopped and entered quietly like playful twins who had just gotten back to the house after sneaking out to play. Joyce sat on the seat scratching and massaging her hair thinking of what to. She had sat there for more than thirty her mind going back and forth over the same thing.

"What dress was she wearing?" Joyce asked them before they could say anything.

"Does it matter to a church lady like you?" Daisy asked provokingly.

"Joyce is there a problem?" Abby asked Joyce ignoring her question.

"No am fine" Joyce said trying to fix a smile.

"If you were fine you would be singing 'Akisema atakubariki' or 'Yesu nitie nguvu'." Daisy asked while making like peeping on her.

"Someone has put one of my beat dress which I was planning to put on tonight for the Wednesday fellowship,my charger is missing yet I need to charge my phone." Joyce lamented.

"Just that?" Abby and Daisy asked in unison.

"Is that too much?" Joyce asked puzzled with their laughter.

"Too much or too little?" Hazy appeared by the open door wearing a cunning smile. Joyce turned to look at her expecting to find her wearing her dress.

"I was to go meet my dad but the dress that I almost put on happened to be too large and heavy so I went to borrow from another friend of mine." Abby explained to Joyce even before she asked.

"So where is my dress?" Joyce managed to ask after relieved she had put on her dress.

"It is in my closet, you could have checked there instead of waiting for me for time's sake!" Hazy said as she sat on her bed.

"I don't get into people's things without their consent like you even if we share a room. So what of my charger?" Joyce was still angry.

"How the hell am I supposed to know that seriously?" Hazy answered in frustration throwing up her hands haphazardly. She stood up went for her closet which was half open and fished out the only dress in there and handed it over to its owner. As Joyce was returning the dress she saw her charger at the bottom of her closet. Soon she was charging her phone happily.

"Next time check all over properly!" Abby said angrily.

"If something is missing keep calm and search for it slowly" Daisy added.

"Okay am sorry" Joyce apologized as she settled on the table to do her assignments. She had fee minutes left for praise and worship practice.

FOUR DAYS LATER >>

Joyce was coming from a saloon at Mwembe where she had gone to be attended after the church service. She had not eaten anything since morning and was feeling tired and hungry. However turning the last corner and seeing the Kisii University gate right a head gave her some energy to walk faster. Her mind was racing ahead already thinking about assignments and tomorrow's classes. Some of her classmates knew she was a hard working girl and often confronted her to let them copy her assignments before handing them in. The class rep was the worst of them all. He often demanded for assignments earlier than required by the lecturer so as to get time to copy themselves. He too had bunch of lazy goons who flocked around him to benefit over the assignments. Unlike Ombija the class rep, Joyce never demanded for favours over the assignments.

"He he heh! We meet again!" Somebody said it behind her back and she turned only to see herself surrounded by three male students. She could not recall their names despite them insisting they had met before.

"So brothers what do you want?" She demanded without looking behind.

"Me I just want your phone number and the rest we can square out later" One of them said.

"Then what?" She wanted to know more about their mission.

"Pk you can save yourself many explanations by telling her you are interested in her?" Another one said.

"Interested? That is an understatement Galgalo. I want her!" Pk responded.

"You must be those guys I met last week. Not again! I don't like being followed like this!" Joyce protested. They kept quite till they passed the gate where again the conversation which Joyce though had died erupted again.

"Seriously don't ashame us like this!" It was Joe who was speaking for the first time since the conversation started.

"You guys just need to get deliverance! Get saved and stop following girls like a shadow does. Jesus came for sinners like you" she attacked them.

"Sinners! Is appreciating God's creation a sin?" Galgalo made his point in a rather comical way.

Joyce was about to head to her hostel when she stopped as she didn't want them to see her hostel lest they come knocking on all doors till they get to hers. The men stopped too like they were her body guards. They were offended but soldiered on like a trio of lioness waiting for buffalo stranded in a river to get tired. Just then Jaymo appears from the student canteen chewing some pks he had just bought. He shared with the trio and even extended to Joyce who shrugged her shoulders.

"Is chewing a ok a sin too my sister?" PK asked innocently.

"I don't want to be drugged!" She said firmly.

"Oh my goodness! Did you just call the pks you saw me buy from the shop drugs? What is wrong with this lady today?" Jaymo wondered showing others he was already pissed off.

"Just leave me alone! Am not your type!" Joyce said almost shouting. There was deadly silence.

"We will let you go but just know it's not over" Joe said finally.

"Yeah people like you will burn in hell if you don't submit your lives to Christ." Joyce added.

"Enough of this sister Joy. When can we get saved?" Jaymo asked trying to sound serious.

"Anytime when you are ready!" Joyce replied without looking at them. Her mind was already thinking about how to bring this spoilt men. She had always admired to be an evangelist like her dad Pastor Mwanga back at home in Vihiga when he was not pastoring at their local church of First Class Citizens of Heaven International Prophetic Ministry. She had always wanted to bring souls to Christ like her dad did. It was not an easy task for a lady like her. Men had always got attracted to her while pretending to be hearing her evangelize to them.

Her friend-in-Christ Petro had inspired her when he gave his testimony in church after graduating from Eregi TTC as a primary teacher. He had not fallen for college girls or any sugar mummies like Wekesa who did many sins while in the university of Nairobi to the extent he got excommunicated. She loved the way when Petro came home for a cup of tea her mum referred to her as a 'my son' while dad called him 'precious brother'. She always enjoyed the bible verses he sent her often though not regularly. All youths were always told to emulate him in education, spiritual matters and perhaps in marriage. If he got married he was likely going to be pastor since he was the youth pastor preaching to them in youth gatherings after sunday service. It excited her that she would be a pastor's wife one fine day according to her father's wish.

"Even now!" Galgalo asked eagerly like a Croatia fan expecting victory over France bringing Joyce to the present moment.

"We can meet on Saturday somewhere we fellowship a bit on the Word then on Sunday you present yourselves on the altar," Joyce responded with a bright face. Joe winked at his friends who smiled in return and did a hi-five except for Joyce who still felt skeptic about them.

"Which is your room then? So we can come for the good news?" Its Jaymo who asked boldly a question which all this time had been hard to project onto her hears. Joyce knew she had to have some company if she was expecting these men in her room on a Saturday afternoon for the purpose of keeping her testimony.

"Jupiter 13" she replied happily knowing they would not breach the deal by coming any other time than the agreed time. Her dad, mum, Petro among other back at home would be pouring praises on her when they hear of the evangelism she did in the university. She left slowly towards Hostel Jupiter as Jaymo and group turned to cross the road and climb the stares to relax in the field on the upper side of the college.