Austere

Chapter 2:The Past

Nina reviews the news with her parents. She says she would not yield to their advice concerning the news and the regulations given by her father. Henry leaves in anger. Tina tries to console him, but her efforts are unsuccessful. Henry goes into the room and demands to be left alone. He begins to think aloud about the past.

During his younger days, Henry lived a life of fun. He didn't take life seriously. Henry had a friend called Billy. Billy attended the University of Lagos. He loved partying and was very close to Henry during their university days. Billy studied Business Administration while Henry studied Chemistry. They met in the hostel when Henry was in his second year. At that time, Henry was in the first class; he was serious about his studies and aimed to make his parents proud. However, his friendship with Billy turned disastrous. Henry started skipping classes, going out with girls, and attending parties. He didn't realize the harm he was doing to himself.

His course advisor, Miss Hailey, noticed his change in behavior and called him in for a talk. She advised him to be serious with his studies, reminding him that he was the best student in chemistry last session. Miss Hailey said, "Be serious with your academics; you are one of the best students in chemistry, and in fact, you were the best student last session." However, Henry didn’t heed her advice and remained adamant about his new lifestyle. He shared his experience with Billy, who responded, "In Nigeria, being in first class or being the best student won't pay off because there are no jobs, and the government isn't ready to support the citizens." Henry agreed with Billy, citing his elder sister Khole as an example. Khole had finished university six years ago and still hadn't found a job, despite graduating from the University of Ibadan, the best school in Nigeria, and being a first-class student. They wrapped up their discussion and went to get something to eat at a restaurant.

On their way to the restaurant, Henry saw a busty lady and was immediately attracted to her. He told Billy that he wanted to talk to the lady but was scared and nervous since it was his first time expressing interest in a girl. Billy encouraged him, and Henry was bold enough to approach her. He introduced himself as Henry and asked for her name. The beautiful damsel introduced herself as Sandra. Henry was amazed because his mom's name was also Sandra. His affection for the girl increased immediately. Sandra was a beautiful student of the University of Lagos, studying English Language. She wasn’t very brilliant but was an extrovert who loved partying and gambling. They exchanged numbers, and Henry asked which hostel she stayed in; she replied that she stayed in Queen Amina hostel. They hugged each other before Sandra left. Henry went straight to Billy and happily told him that he would pay for his food. They went to the restaurant and enjoyed their meal together.

The following day, Sandra beeped Henry while he was in the bathroom. When he came out and saw the missed calls, he was thrilled and called her back immediately. Sandra answered as if she had been holding her phone, waiting for his call. They greeted each other, and Henry asked how she spent her day. She replied with a smile. Henry asked if they could hang out together when she was less busy, and she agreed. Henry ended the call, thinking more about Sandra as his affection for her grew. He told Billy about his feelings for Sandra, but Billy warned him to be careful not to fall in love too quickly, reminding him that they had just met. Henry dismissed Billy's advice, thinking Billy was jealous of their friendship, which might turn into a serious relationship.

Henry attended his lectures, and his course advisor, Miss Hailey, called him in to ask if he had considered their previous discussion. Henry lied, saying he would change. Miss Hailey smiled at his response, and Henry left her office. On his way out, he met his close friend from year one, Gabriel. Gabriel told Henry he wanted to talk, expressing that they were not as close as they used to be and didn't study together anymore. Henry apologized, explaining that he didn’t have as much time now as he did in year one. Henry promised to make time for them to study and talk like they used to. Gabriel smiled and walked Henry to their faculties.

Henry then called Sandra and asked if she was less busy so they could hang out. Sandra replied that she was about to call him with the same question and suggested they meet up. They agreed to meet at the Faculty of Engineering since it was closer to their faculties. They were both happy to see each other. Henry asked if she would like to go on a date with him, and she immediately agreed. Henry took her to a canteen for an afternoon meal and paid for her food, which made her very glad. Afterward, Sandra requested permission to leave because she had afternoon lectures and tutorials, and Henry agreed, saying goodbye.

Henry returned to his hostel and saw his friend Billy. Billy asked why he came back late, and Henry explained that he took Sandra to the canteen. Billy was annoyed because they had planned to use the money for gambling. Henry apologized and promised to get money from another source. He called his mom and asked her to send him money to buy textbooks. Henry's mom, Rachael, scolded him, reminding him that she had just sent him money a few days ago as his monthly allowance. Rachael, an educated woman with five children—Khole, Michelle, Henry, James, and Naomi—knew Henry was the most troublesome of them all. However, she agreed to send him some money but warned him not to ask for more for the rest of the month. Henry was overjoyed when Rachael sent him 50,000 Naira. Billy entered the room and asked if he had gotten the money. Henry replied, "My mom sent 50,000 Naira to me now." Billy suggested they use the money for gambling to increase it. Henry didn't refuse the idea, and they gambled with the money. Unfortunately, Henry lost the gamble and was very sad because his mom had warned him not to ask for more money. He starved himself for the rest of the month, and although Billy gave him some foodstuffs, it wasn’t enough.

Months passed, and Henry's exams were approaching. He became scared because he hadn't been studying and hadn't done well in his tests. Mrs. Rachael called Henry to check on him and sent him some money as his monthly allowance. Billy noticed the money and convinced Henry to go to a club and have s*x with girls. Henry initially refused because of his feelings for Sandra. However, they both ended up at the club, drinking alcohol and taking girls to a hotel for fun. Henry used his monthly allowance to pay for both himself and Billy. On their way back home, the police arrived at the hotel, investigating a report of a stolen phone and money. Henry and Billy were unaware of the police's presence. The police searched each room for the stolen items. When they searched Henry's room, they found the stolen money and phone and arrested the girls along with Henry. Henry began to cry, knowing his parents mustn’t find out about his arrest. He told Billy not to inform his parents yet, as he would try to resolve it himself.

The police arrived at the station and demanded Henry's phone. He refused, but they forcefully took it and called his mom, asking her to visit the station. Mrs. Rachael rushed to the station immediately after hearing the news. When she saw Henry, her face changed immediately. The police explained the situation, but Mrs. Rachael didn't believe Henry would do such a thing, as she trusted him. The police assured her that the investigation was still ongoing.

The police visited the hotel again and reviewed the CCTV footage. They discovered the real culprit and confirmed that Henry was not involved in the theft. The police returned to the station and released Henry immediately. Mrs. Rachael was relieved but very annoyed with Henry. She asked the police who the culprit was, and they decided to show Henry and Mrs. Rachael the footage. Henry shouted, "Oh My Gosh! Why Billy, my very good friend?" Mrs. Rachael was also shocked to hear Billy's name as the culprit. The police asked Henry where they could find Billy. Henry took the police to his hostel, but Billy wasn’t there. Henry then led them to another place where Billy might be. They arrived and barged into the room, where Henry screamed in disbelief, seeing Sandra and Billy together, having i*********e. The police arrested Billy and took him to the station. Henry followed and asked why Billy had done all that to him. Billy confessed that he was jealous of Henry and wanted to get rid of him. He said he decided to use Sandra as a weapon and revealed that he had been in a relationship with Sandra before Henry asked her out.

Mrs. Rachael took Henry home to advise him. Once home, Henry began to cry, apologizing for being negatively influenced. Mrs. Rachael forgave him and asked him not to repeat his mistakes. Henry stayed home for a week before returning to school. He attended classes and apologized to his friend Gabriel. As exams approached, Henry realized he hadn’t covered most of his courses. He couldn’t catch up and performed poorly when the results were released. He realized that moving with bad company does not pay off and promised to change and become a more austere person.

Tina barged into the room and found Henry lost in thought. She asked him what was wrong, but Henry refused to answer. As Tina tried to talk to him, they heard Lian shouting. They went out to find something strange happening.