Consequences

Chapter 8

When Nancy introduced me to Ola's of friends, she did it in such a way that it seemed so natural. She knew them quite well, as she used to hang out with them.

For reasons she wouldn't tell me, she decided to break away from them and only limited herself to just greeting them for a few minutes and then leaving.

I tried asking her what her reason was for distancing herself from them. Asking her that question was like putting a knife through her throat. She would look away.

"You won't understand why." Was all she would tell me. I took that to mean she didn't want to talk about it. And so I didn't bother to ask her again. But having introduced me to Ola's friends I found out a little detail that surprised me.

This happened on the first day we met Ola's two friends Dele and Lanre. They were sitting on one of the campus benches outside their department. They were also in the Business Administration department. From the look of things, they were going over the lecture notes.

When Nancy spotted them she told us to walk towards them and pretend as if were we going to see someone.

As we walked towards them, I noticed they were looking at us. The closer we came towards them the more they stared at us. Then they got up.

"Nancy baby!" They shouted in unison.
"My guys." she said
"Nancy,Nancy always looking cute and fresh." This was Dele the tall one among the two talking. I looked at the series of exchanges of pleasantries they were giving each other and felt like an outsider in their midst.
"Guys, this is Tola my course mate." She said introducing me to them.
"Ha, Nancy so this fine tin dey this Campus naim I dey roast" Lanre put both hands on his head while he closed his eye. I could only smile at seeing him do that.
"She's taken already and soon she's getting married." I looked at Nancy in disbelief. What was she trying to do by telling them I was getting married?

"Chai! Tola? God will bless the marriage." Lanre took both my hands and held them.
"Tola,Tola,Tola? God has blessed this marriage already. It is already written in Heaven. Amen."
"Aha, Lanre you dey bless marriage when you never see di man?" Asked Dele.
"Look as I don bless am when de man see am, na fire fire he go propose to her." I stood baffled and bewildered about all this talk about me getting married. But it didn't end there. Soon I saw two girls coming into our midst.
"Guys wetin dey go on. Nancy baby, wetin these guys dey yarn?"  said one of the girls.
"Anita na Lanre, he don become Pastor overnight dey bless marriage o."
"Aha Lanre, na which person marriage you go dey bless wey you no bi Pastor?"
"Meet our cute bride Tola." He said pointing at me.

There was silence from everyone as Anita, who was almost my height with a little weight on, sized me up from head to toe. I was beginning to shake.

Anita walked up to me and looked at me straight in the eyes. Everyone around stood still to see what would happen. She walked around me and like a dog sniffed at me.

"Inspector Anita your sanitary inspection suppose end now." Said Dele.
"So who be dis guy wey never cross me Anita but wan from back marry you?" She asked
"Me Funke never see who tell me say he wan marry me. Na you unknown soldier naim dem go look?" This was the second girl Funke, of slender and average height, addressing me like I had snatched her boyfriend from her.
"A beg make I hear word. Everybody luck na de same?" Nancy asked them.

I realized being in their midst was going to be tough especially the two girls.
"Look, girls whether it is the President's son, or the Vice-chancellor's son, or any of the professors son, Tola is getting married to someone in this Campus, case closed."
"No, Lanre thing don't work like that. Na turn by turn." Anita said.
"Aha women, when there are a lot of men outside, you are struggling over the few ones inside this Campus?" Lanre asked
"Look babes, outside naim you go see the well established ones. You know, the dudes wey dey seriously on." Dele argued.
"Ah nooo, I know no how dem take make their money o. Na for inside here you go see correct one, so you know say if he make the money na in a clean wey." Funke added.
"Oh, so when those Alhajis dey come carry ona go party na clean money dem dey spend?" Argued Dele.
"Abeg no go dat side. Dat one na enjoyment. No be when you wan settle down." Anita replied. Nancy looked at me and I looked at her.
"Tola, let's go before they twist your brain. Guys what about Ola, he no come?"
"Guys no understand him way again o..." Lanre started
"He go appear, later he go say I dey come. We no go see am again." Dele continued
"I feel say na dat babe dey shak am. Wetin be her name sef wey look like say na she clean pass? " Anita asked
"You mean Miss K?" Funke asked her, Anita nodded.
"I don tell am say him dey put hand for wetin big pass am. Me Lanre don tell am say dat babe level pass him own but him know want hear."
"A beg guys we get where we dey go so we go see later abi?" Nancy asked them. They agreed and said goodbye to us telling Nancy to bring me along the next time she was coming.

"Nancy what was that you did back there?" I asked as we were well far away from them.
"What did I do?"
"Telling them I'm about to get married?"
"Relax, its because I didn't see Ola that's why."
" But if Ola comes to hear about it how would he feel?" Nancy stopped as we were walking and stared at me.
"Tola what is wrong with you?"
"And just what do you think is wrong with me?" She clapped her hands and shook her head.
"Somebody tells you you are his wife and de tin dey chop your brain seriously. Tola are you well at all?" 

Probably not and that's because I was longing to meet Ola in spite of everything I had heard and everything any of his friends ever said. I wanted to know him in my own way and also to know who Miss K was.

"Nancy I wish I knew what is going on with me. But try and understand me will you?" I placed a hand on her arm imploring her.

"Na wao. I never see dis kin tin before."
"Hee Nancy, instead of helping me through this phase of my life, you are only worsening my situation. Which kine friend you be?"

"Tola take this tin easy. No rush am because now it's like your eyes are covered and you are not seeing anything. When the blindfold will be removed and you see clearly,it might be too late to turn back."

"A beg, which blindfold? I am with my senses. I only want you to make it easy for me to meet him."

"Okay." She said. I went home after dropping her off at her own place. When I got home the first thing I did as is my usual habit was to go to the bathroom and clean up. There was no one in the house.

Where could mummy and daddy have gone to at this hour? It  was fast approaching dinner time. So I called my mum's phone.

"Hello?" She replied when I called.
"Mum where are you people it's  almost time to eat."
"Ah Tola your daddy and I visited an old friend of your father, Mr. Segun. So find something to eat because we won't be back till late." Hearing the name Segun got my heart stopping. I couldn't find words to reply to what my mother had just said. I stood clutching the phone.
"Tola? Tola?" My mother was calling me but I ignored her. Then I heard her calling my father, "Ah, papa Tola? Come and talk to your daughter she has suddenly stopped talking to me o." My father came on the phone.
"My big girl how was lectures today?" I quickly adjusted my voice before responding.
"Fine daddy. Mommy said you people will come late."
"Yes, your mother and I just met an old school friend of mine and so we are spending some time together, so don't wait for us okay?"
"Ah okay so I shouldn't wait for you people before I eat?"
"Eat, find something to fill your stomach and relax. Maybe next time we are visiting, we'll come along with you. He has a bright and good-looking son..." He paused briefly only to ask his friend's son his name.
"My son what is that your name again?" When his friend's son told him his name, he got back on the phone with me.
"Did you hear the name my big girl?" I heard my mother's voice in the background.
"What is she saying let me speak sense into her a bit."
"Okay never mind your mother. Well now you know his name, would you like to meet him?" I wanted to but in my own way. This was too official and it was about to interfere with my plans of knowing who Ola really was. An I didn't want that.

Nevertheless, I agreed I would be happy to meet him.

"That would be nice, dad." I replied back.
"Good, then well fix a day so we can all come." He hung up leaving me wondering why this was about to happen. Was it already written in my destiny to meet him? I asked myself. I couldn't answer that question. I had to wait and see how events would unfold.