Love & Denial

Chapter 2

Samuel approached Shemagh, striding confidently in his expensive outfit.

"Hello, lady! Sorry about the way the class behaved towards you," he said facetiously.

"Let me spare you the stress of introducing myself. My name is—"

"She doesn't need your introduction, Samuel," Lola interrupted.

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't notice there was a complete human here. I just noticed the half-human. You know, strange things draw attention," he said, letting out a swift laugh.

"How did you get here? You don't look like someone whose parents can afford to send their child to Covenant University."

"I'm on a scholarship," she responded with her head down.

"Obviously, it's not based on merit but sincere sympathy," Samuel sneered.

"How dare you say that to her!" Lola yelled.

All the while, David, one of the students in the class whose father is a business partner with Samuel's father, had been watching with indignation. He tried to stay at a distance, but when Samuel started yelling back at Lola, calling her an i***t for standing up against him because of a half-human, David left his seat and faced Samuel.

"Guy, what's wrong with you? Why are you behaving like an animal?"

"I believe this insult is not for me?" Samuel asked, as if unaware it was directed at him. David ignored him and turned to Shemagh, who was crying silently.

"Don't mind him. You are none of what he called you. Can't you see that he's the half-human? You're more human than he is."

Upon hearing what David said, Samuel hurried up to hit him but was stopped by his friends—the three ladies who had been rude to Shemagh. One of them, named Theresa, kept staring at David enticingly. Instead of being angry, David smiled at Samuel.

"Let's go, Shemagh," Lola said. David offered to walk them to the hostel. They left Samuel with his friends and walked away."

"Thank you for standing up for me," Shemagh said.

"It's okay. Don't let what he said affect you," David replied.".

"I'll make sure she doesn't," Lola interjected. "You haven't changed from the person I knew in high school." They both laughed.

"You studied me from a distance?"

"Your statement isn't a question, but I'll still say yes. I wanted us to be friends but couldn't come up to you. I felt you wouldn't want to relate with me."

"You were right, actually." she said and he smiled in surprise."

"I had my reasons, though," she said.

"What were they?"

"I wanted to live longer and keep fewer enemies."

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I'm saying. You just want to hear me talk. You were the desire of almost all the ladies in the class then. Even the junior girls couldn't resist you. They talked about how handsome and intelligent you are, your pink lips, dimples, and sweet English accent."

"I thought the ladies' attention was on Samuel?"

"That jerk? He doesn't even know what he wants. I wonder how he manages girls and academics; he's doing well in both." they both laughed.

"Hey, Shemagh, are you okay?" Lola asked, noticing Shemagh had been quiet. She had expected her to ask questions or laugh with them. It seemed to Lola as if they'd been together for so long she forgot they had just met hours ago. Meeting Shemagh made her change her mind about going to school from home.

David walked them to the hostel and stopped at the boundary where men were restricted from crossing. He gave Lola a hug, but Shemagh opted for a handshake instead.

Fortunately for Shemagh, Lola was allocated the same hostel room as her. Over time, they became very attached to each other, even though Lola did most of the talking. It didn't change her behavior towards Shemagh, who participated most when the conversation was academic or family-related. One thing that strengthened the bond between them was their openness to each other. Lola took care of Shemagh as she would her biological sister, doing most of the chores. They became each other's shadow, never seen apart. David became part of their friendship. He found Shemagh interesting because of her wisdom and intelligence. He began to develop feelings for her, hoping she felt the same. It became so obvious that Lola noticed and always teased her in his absence.

One fateful evening, when darkness silhouetted the sky, Shemagh stepped out to fetch water despite Lola's offer to do it. She saw Samuel and one of his female friends, Molly, cuddling at the boundary. Quickly averting her eyes, she hurriedly left the bucket of water outside and ran back to the hostel. Molly and Samuel laughed at her awkward run. She entered the room, slammed the door, and sat on the floor, panting heavily and blinking rapidly. She remained on the floor until Lola walked in with the bucket of water Shemagh had left outside.

"Why are you sitting on the floor? I saw this bucket of water outside. Is everything okay?"

Shemagh hesitated before responding.

"I went out to fetch water, then I saw Samuel from afar, cuddling Molly. He saw me and attempted to pursue me, so I ran inside."

"So sorry about that. That Samuel is something else. I'll give him a piece of my mind tomorrow," Lola said.

"But why didn't you wait for me to come back and fetch the water? I made it clear that you are restricted—no, prohibited! Perfect!" She snapped her fingers, having found the right word.

"You are prohibited from fetching water. Am I understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," Shemagh replied with a smile.

"You haven't told me the meaning behind your name, remember?" Lola said.

"I did. Have you forgotten?"

"But it wasn't complete. You didn't tell me why your dad gave you the name."

"You'll tell me while I cook," Lola said.

"Don't make it sound like a history lesson. You'll be done cooking before I even finish the story," she exhaled and began talking while Lola started cooking.

"My dad gave me the name when it was discovered that I wouldn't be able to walk properly. He believes the world is a desert for the disabled, with so many opportunities being denied to them. The desert symbolizes a wicked world, while the head cloth symbolizes protection."

"Your dad must be a critical thinker," Lola said.

"Yes, he is. I miss him so much. He was my only friend. Mom barely come home early to spend time with us; her business was her priority. But I don't blame her because she tried her best to give us a comfortable life."

"This is so sad. But thank goodness you're here now, and you're going to change the story."

"Yes," Shemagh responded hopelessly.