I didn't do it!

The sun stood directly overhead, turning the compound into an oven. Heat shimmered off the zinc roof of Julie’s house and the dry earth cracked under Reuben’s sneakers. He shifted his weight behind the wall, heart pounding so loud he was sure the whole street could hear it. He wasn’t supposed to be here. Not at 2pm. Not when Julie’s father was always home eating his afternoon rice. "Night, Reuben. Come at night," Julie had begged him yesterday on w******p. "My papa dey house for day." But hiding felt wrong. He wasn’t a criminal. He wasn’t a boy who had to climb fences and whisper. If he loved Julie, if he had news, he would say it like a man. In broad daylight. A door creaked. Reuben flattened himself against the wall. Sweat ran down his temple. Then footsteps. Light, careful, hesitant. Julie stepped out. She wore the same yellow dress from church last Sunday, but today it looked different. It looked like danger. Her long braids were tied in a low ponytail and her eyes scanned the compound like a soldier on watch. Left. Right. Back to the main door. When she saw him, she exhaled hard and rushed over, grabbing his arm with both hands and dragging him to the corner of the house where the mango tree cast a thin shadow. "You will certainly put me into trouble one day," she hissed, her voice shaking. "I have told you not to come looking for me in the day time but in the night." Reuben looked at her. Really looked. Her cheeks were flushed from the heat and from fear. Fear for him. He forced a smile. "Only a thief comes in the night," he said quietly. "Real men come in the day time." Julie's eyes widened. "This is not the time for your big grammar, Reuben. You will explain to my father the day he catches you. Trust me, I will deny ever knowing you." The words hit him in the chest. Deny him. Like he was nothing. "Wow," he said, and laughed, but it didn't sound like him. "I never knew you're related to Peter." "I didn't say I was going to deny you three times," Julie snapped back, but her voice broke at the end. For a second they both smiled. Only for a second. Silence stretched between them. The compound was too quiet. Even the generator from the next house had gone off. Somewhere behind the fence, a goat bleated. A hawker's voice floated faintly from the next street. "Ice cream... cold ice cream..." Life was going on, yet to them the world had stopped. Reuben cleared his throat. He had come for a reason. "Anyways! Scratch that. I came to tell you that I got an admission into DELSU." Julie blinked. "Hmmm!" "Why that?" Reuben frowned. "Are you not happy for me? Oh! You don't want me to be in the same school with you?" Julie looked away. "Not that. I didn't know what father did that I found myself in UNIBEN." The reality settled over them like dust. DELSU in Abraka. UNIBEN in Benin. Different cities. Different lives. "So, are you saying we won't be studying in the same university?" Reuben asked, even though he already knew the answer. "Exactly," Julie whispered. Anger flared hot in his chest. "This your papa na witch o." "Hey! Don't talk about my father like that," Julie said. "Ah! Sorry o. I mean to say wizard. Witch is ascribed to women and wizard to men, I guessed." She frowned immediately, stepping between him and the house as if to protect her father from his words. Reuben threw his hands up. "My bad. But you sef check am now, which wizard pass this one?" Julie didn't answer. She just stared at the ground, and for the first time Reuben noticed how exhausted she looked. "You are not saying anything," Reuben said softly. "What do you want me to say?" Julie replied. "The old man has all the power. I am handicapped in this situation as it stands now." Reuben sighed deeply. His joy over gaining admission had disappeared completely. For months he had imagined himself and Julie attending lectures together, eating from the same cafeteria, reading in the same library and walking hand in hand across campus. Now that dream had vanished in less than two minutes. Julie's parents had made it clear that they didn't want him anywhere near their daughter. According to them, Julie had a bright future. The statement had always sounded like another way of saying Reuben didn't. He hated that feeling. He hated being looked down on. He hated being measured before anyone even knew what he was capable of becoming. "You know what pains me?" he asked. Julie raised her eyes. "I worked hard for this admission because I thought it would bring us closer." "It still means your future has started," Julie replied. "But not with you." Julie swallowed. "You don't know that." "I do." "No, you don't." He looked at her. "You think God only works inside one university?" Reuben forced another smile. "You've started preaching." "I have to. One of us has to have faith." A gentle breeze finally passed beneath the mango tree, lifting a few dry leaves from the ground. Neither of them moved. "I prayed we would end up in the same school," Julie admitted quietly. "So did I." "I even filled UNIBEN as my first choice because I heard you wanted it." Reuben laughed bitterly. "And I changed mine because everybody said DELSU would be easier." "So we both suffered from listening to people." "Exactly." For the first time in several minutes, they both laughed. It was brief. But genuine. Then Julie's smile disappeared as quickly as it came. "I have to go," she whispered. "I don't want my father looking for me. If he comes outside now..." She didn't finish the sentence. She didn't have to. Both of them knew the consequences. Reuben nodded slowly. "It seems none of us has solutions to this," Julie said. "I have an idea," Reuben replied. Julie's face brightened instantly. "What idea?" "If we can't be in the same university..." He paused dramatically. "...then we can still be in the same city." Julie frowned. "What do you mean?" "I'll apply for an inter-university transfer after my first year." Julie shook her head. "That is not as easy as you're saying." "I know." "And what if it doesn't work?" "Then I keep trying." She folded her arms. "You'll waste time because of me?" "I'm not wasting time." "What is it then?" "I'm investing in us." Julie looked at him for a long moment. "You always know the right thing to say." "I don't always know." "You do." "I only know one thing." "What?" "I don't want to lose you because of distance." Julie's eyes became watery. "You won't lose me." "You promise?" "I promise." She stretched out her little finger. "Pinky promise." Reuben laughed. "We're still doing this?" "We started it in secondary school." "And we're in university now." "So?" He smiled and hooked his little finger around hers. "So." Neither of them noticed the curtain at one of the windows move ever so slightly. Someone inside had shifted it just enough to see outside. Only for a second. Only enough to notice two young people standing beneath the mango tree. The curtain fell back into place. Outside, Julie suddenly became uneasy. "I don't know why," she said, glancing toward the house, "but I feel like somebody is watching us." Reuben turned. He saw nothing. "It's probably your imagination." "I hope so." She took two steps backward. "I really have to go." "When will I see you again?" "I don't know." "You'll call?" "If my father doesn't seize my phone." "You'll text?" "If he doesn't check my messages." Reuben sighed. "This relationship is harder than WAEC." Julie burst into laughter before quickly covering her mouth. "Shhh!" "You laughed." "I know." "I've missed that laugh already." She smiled. "Take care of yourself in Abraka." "You too... in Benin." For a moment neither wanted to leave. One more minute became another. Then another. Finally Julie turned. "I'll be praying for you." "I'll be praying for us." She nodded once and hurried back toward the house. Just before reaching the door, she looked over her shoulder. Reuben was still standing beneath the mango tree, watching her. He lifted one hand. She smiled faintly before disappearing inside. The door closed gently. Reuben remained there for several seconds. The compound suddenly felt empty. The excitement of gaining admission was gone. In its place was a question he couldn't answer. Could love survive two different universities... and one very determined father? He adjusted the strap of his backpack and slowly walked toward the gate, unaware that hidden eyes had followed every step he and Julie had taken. Somewhere inside the house, a door opened. A deep masculine voice called, "Julie!" She froze. Fade Out.