Suitors & Sweethearts

Chapter 13

SIX

“Man, you’re walking on the wire with this one,” Henry Coker said while dribbling the basketball in his left hand as he took steps towards Ike who stood in the defence position of the court.

“How do you mean?” Ike asked as he waited for his friend to make his move. Sweat dripped down his back, his mesh sports vest damp and clinging to his skin. The sun was low in the hazy sky but the heat of the day hadn’t faded yet.

Ike couldn’t wait any longer. He’d been waiting around too much. He’d finished working on his report. Still, he awaited the final decision from Hillcrest with regards to their recommendations about him.

Waiting was driving him crazy. He had so much energy to expend. Not going to work every day and dealing with highly-strung teenagers meant he wasn’t burning off as much energy as before. And his libido was in excess as he hadn’t had s*x in months. Not since promising to wait for Lara. He hadn’t touched another woman.

“This affair you’re having with that girl—what’s her name?” Henry dribbled to the left.

Ike moved to block him. “You mean Lara?”

His friend bounced the ball into his right and headed in that direction to bypass him. He leapt from the ground, released the ball so that it banked off the backboard and into the basket.

He turned around, grinned, and backed off. “Yeah, her. I wouldn’t have made such an easy shot if you weren’t distracted by her.”

“Whatever.” Ike picked up the ball and bounced it a couple of times. He watched his friend and calculated his moves to score a shot. A crossover dribble, euro step, and a lay-up wouldn’t work since Henry had already used that move. Then again, Henry was probably thinking Ike wouldn’t use it for the same reason.

“Seriously, man, hasn’t she screwed up your life enough?”

His friend’s words cut into his thoughts.

“You lost your job because of her. If the school finds out you’re in a relationship with her, you can kiss your recommendation goodbye. You need that letter, man.”

Ike straightened and sighed, holding the ball up in his right hand. “I know. But every time I think about letting her go, it’s like I’m ripping out my own heart. I just can’t do it.”

Henry shook his head. “What have you done with my friend? Is she that great in the sack?”

Ike chuckled, bounced the ball off the floor between his legs, caught it with his left hand, paused, and lowered his voice. “If only. We’re not having sex.”

Henry stood there mouth agape and Ike took the opportunity. He powered up towards the basket in a jump shot. The ball curved high over Henry, who only reached up at the last minute, and descended into the basket.

Ike walked over to the bench and picked up the towel. He wiped his face and neck before reaching for the bottle of water, unscrewing the cap, and guzzling down half the contents.

Henry walked over to him with the ball in his hand. He dropped it on the ground beside the bench and picked up a bottle of water, too.

“You’re not having s*x? That’s got to be a first,” his friend said solemnly.

“Tell me about it.”

“This is serious.”

Ike shrugged. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I know I shouldn’t be with her. She’s sweet and intelligent. Someone like her shouldn’t be with someone like me.”

“She’s young. She should hang with her age mates. Boys her age.”

Henry’s words echoed his thoughts.

“f**k!” Ike flung the empty bottle of water at the trash can. “Do you remember what we were like at that age? We f****d any girl that let us.”

“Speak for yourself.”

“You know what I mean. It was all about fun. It wasn’t about serious relationships. And we weren’t even that good at it. More like fumbling and spilling than anything else.”

“As I said, speak for yourself.” Henry grinned as he wiped his face with a black towel.

A grin tugged at the corner of Ike’s lips but he couldn’t give in to his friend’s ribbing. “Anyway, the thought of any of those boys doing that to her just makes me want to hit something.” Which was why he’d hit a student in the first place. “Her first time should be special for all the right reasons. She shouldn’t have idiots like Malcolm Ibeh introducing her to sex.”

“Malcolm is the boy you punched, right?”

“Right.”

“Well, if she’s as intelligent as you say, then perhaps, she wants to wait a while before she has sex.” His friend tossed his empty bottle into the bin.

“Oh, you don’t know her. She’s headstrong and knows what she wants. She wants s*x. And trust me, she’ll do it soon. With or without me.” And didn’t that idea just make his gut congeal.

“Hmmm. I still say you’re playing with your future and not in a good way. Any more screw ups and your father will go ape shit.”

“Yeah. I know. I’ll be careful.” Nothing else he could do short of cutting Lara off. “Anyway, let’s go clean up and then we’re going out. We haven’t hit the town in so long.”

They packed up the items they’d brought downstairs for the game and headed to the main entrance of the apartment block. The building was located in a large estate. The sport courts, basketball and tennis, were at the back. A soft play area was located at the side with a slide, climbing frame, and swings for children. The front housed the parking slots for the ten apartments and visitors, all in a walled and gated complex.

The apartments were priced higher than a normal student could afford. But Ike had negotiated the expense with his parents as part of the terms of his placement. He couldn’t stay in students digs during his internship year.

Henry had been his friend since their high school days. His friend’s family background was totally different from his. But they’d become fast friends once they’d bonded in school. In their first two years at university, they’d shared digs. So when Ike got the apartment, he still wanted to have his friend close. But Henry couldn’t afford even half the rent but he insisted on paying his way with everything else. He paid the utilities bills and shopped for groceries.

Ike stopped as he rounded the corner to the front door. Mrs. Bello was stepping out of her car.

“That’s one of the teachers from Hillcrest,” he said to Henry. “Please take my stuff up. I’ll see what she wants.”

“Okay. I’ll see you upstairs. I’m going to grab a shower.”

Ike wiped the sweat on his neck and shoulders as he walked over to the woman he hadn’t seen for a few weeks. “Good evening, Mrs. Bello. Are you visiting someone in the building?”

“Hi, Mr. Thomas.” She beamed a smile at him. “I came to see you.”

“Oh, okay. Come on upstairs.”

“No,” she said, her keys in her hand but the car door not locked. “Can we talk in my car?”

Grimacing, he stared down at his body. “I’ve just been playing basketball and I’m all sweaty. I don’t want to mess up your car.”

She waved her hand dismissively, pulled the door open, and got into the driver’s seat. “Don’t worry about that. I won’t be long.”

“Of course.” He nodded and walked around to the other side and got in, too. If she didn’t mind, why should he?

When he shut the door, she turned on the engine and the AC hummed. Cool air on his hot skin, bliss.

“What did you want to talk to me about?” he asked, feeling a little edge and that something must be wrong for her to drive out to see him.

She turned sideways to face him. “I have good news about your final recommendation letter. I was speaking to Mr. Idowu and managed to convince him that we shouldn’t mention the incident with Malcolm Ibeh in there.”

Ike closed his eyes and tipped his head forward as he sucked in a deep breath and puffed it out. Leaning back, he opened his eyes. “Thank you so much. I can’t tell you how much of a relief it is to hear this.”

At last, perhaps his luck was turning.

“Yes, I figured you’d want to know the good news.”

Mrs. Bello smiled but it wasn’t the full beaming smile he was used to receiving from her. Something sad darkened her face.

“Something else came up,” she continued.

His heart thudded in his chest and he just stared at her because he couldn’t bring himself to ask the question. What?

She looked away, her gaze fixed at some point outside the windshield. “One of the teachers mentioned to me that she’s seen Lara Johnson in your car twice driving past her house. I did a quick investigation and also found out that on those days she mentioned, Lara was not in attendance in school.”

She paused, as if to give Ike the chance to absorb his words.

He couldn’t even look her in the eyes even if she was looking at him. His stomach rolled and sweat beaded his forehead although the car interior was cool.

Shit. s**t. s**t. He should’ve known that it was possible for him to be seen together with Lara. His car was very distinctive. Not many people drove a Toyota GT Primo Sports and certainly not in his colour. But he always dropped her back home every time she came to his to make sure she got home safely.

He swallowed several times as he awaited the dreaded outcome of this conversation. The loss of everything he’d worked hard for these past years.

“While I don’t want to jump to conclusions as to why a student would be in your car, there is very little I can come up with to explain it. I need to stress that it is inappropriate for teachers to socialise with students. It is easy for simple gestures to be misconstrued.

“I’m not saying that you’ve done anything wrong. But I will have to insist that you stop associating with Lara or any other student of Hillcrest. I know you’re no longer a staff at the school. But I still have to write the recommendation. My reputation is at stake and I won’t make the recommendation unless I can get your guarantee that you will have no contact with Lara.”

“Mrs. Bello. I...” He trailed off as he couldn’t get himself to say the words.

Could he really promise that he would never see Lara again? On the other hand, he knew a threat when he heard it, and Mrs. Bello was threatening to ruin his future if he didn’t promise her to keep away from Lara.

“Look, I’m not trying to be difficult or mean,” she said when he didn’t speak for a while. “I understand what it is to be a young person. Everything seems more urgent than it is. People can make mistakes. But you see, I’m a mother. These students are like my children. Their welfare is very important to me. I want to ensure that when they leave Hillcrest, they leave in a good frame of mind. Lara is a young girl with a bright future. I don’t want anything that would derail that future.”

The implication that he could ruin Lara’s future didn’t escape him. He hadn’t really thought about it that way. At this age of her life, ruining her meant getting her pregnant. What if they had s*x as they’d been planning to after her exams and she got pregnant? What would that do to Lara? Of course, he’d planned to use precaution as he always did, but there were never any guarantees. The only guarantee was abstinence. The only guarantee was to keep away from Lara.

His heart hurt and he heaved a sigh. He had to do the right thing for Lara’s sake. “I understand, Mrs. Bello. I promise to keep away from the Hillcrest students.”

“Good. I’m glad you understand.” She puffed out air as if she’d been holding her breath.

Ike opened the car door and paused. “Gloria Rawlins is a close family friend and her parents expect me to watch over her.”

“I’m aware of your existing relationship with Gloria’s family, so she’s exempted. She’s a boarder, anyway, and isn’t permitted out of school until the end of her exams.”

The knot in his stomach tightened. He didn’t miss the skewed message she delivered. He could socialise with Gloria because her parents approved it. But he couldn’t socialise with any other student. He suspected the woman didn’t want him having a relationship with Lara. Period.

The old him would argue that as he no longer stood as their teacher and as long as they were legal, he could do whatever he liked. Or he’d give her a fake smile and nod but the minute she left, he’d stick his middle finger up in a rude gesture and do whatever he liked.

The old him had died with his brother. The new him nodded, stepped out, and spoke politely. “Thanks for stopping by.”

“No problem. See you in a few weeks at your presentation.”

He didn’t stay to watch the car reverse out of the spot. Instead, he headed inside and up the stairs. His feet felt like they were weighted with lead, each step heavy, and his body felt as if it would crumple in on itself. He opened the door to his apartment, walked in, shut it, and leaned against the wooden slab. Slowly, his legs gave out on him and he slumped to the cool tiles on the floor, holding his head in his hands.

A small creak announced a door opening. Henry stepped out of his room wearing a pair of blue shorts. As soon as he saw Ike on the floor, he hurried over.

“What happened?” Water drops glistened on his friend’s head and shoulders.

“I’ve been banned from associating with students of Hillcrest.”

“s**t,” Henry exclaimed and sat down on the floor in front of Ike. “How did that happen?”

Ike told his friend about his conversation with Mrs. Bello, expecting his friend to say ‘I told you so’ at the end.

Instead, Henry placed his hand on Ike’s shoulder. “I feel your pain. What are you going to do?”

Ike scrubbed his face. “I have no other choice. I can’t see her again. I have to end it.”

The phone in his shorts rang and he pulled it out of the pocket. “Speak of the devil. It’s Lara. What am I going to say to her?”

“Just tell her it’s over. That you guys can’t see each other anymore.”

“But that will mess her up. She still has exams to complete. I will never forgive myself if she fails her finals because of me.”

“Okay.” Henry snatched the phone off his hand.

“What are you doing?” Ike sat up straight.

“Let me deal with this,” Henry said before pressing the button to answer the call and turned on the speaker. “Hi, this is Henry.”

“Oh, Henry. Hi.” There was a pause on the line as she sucked in a breath. “Can I speak to Ike, please?”

“He is busy right now. I’ll let him know you called and he’ll call you back.”

“O...kay. I’ll talk to him later. Thank you.”

“Bye,” he said.

“Bye.” She hung up.

Henry handed the phone back to Ike. “You’re just going to have to avoid her until her exams are done.”

***

Lara’s foot drummed against the floor of the bus as she rode it the few stops from her house to Ike’s. Excitement made her body tremble.

She’d finished her last examination paper yesterday. So she was officially free. Free from high school. Free to date Ike openly.

They’d seen each other whenever possible these past few weeks. Although he made her use most of the time to study, she was still glad that she’d had his company. He’d helped her out when she’d gotten stuck with any subject. Before each exam, he’d sent her a short message wishing her the best.

Now, she couldn’t wait to take their relationship to the next level. She planned to surprise him so she hadn’t informed him that she would be at his soon. But they’d agreed previously that once her exams were over, there wouldn’t be any reasons why she couldn’t go to his whenever she was free.

She hadn’t seen him for a couple of weeks so she couldn’t wait to see him again.

“Good afternoon, oga gateman,” she greeted the man who guarded the entrance.

“Welcome.” He waved her in.

She walked down the long drive but stopped in her tracks as she saw Ike coming out of his building. With him was a girl she didn’t recognise at first. The girl was leaning against him and they were talking in low tones that seemed way too intimate from where she stood.

Lara’s heart stopped and her legs became sluggish as she got closer. Another person joined them. Henry, his flat mate.

“Ike,” she called out but her voice came out so low, she wasn’t sure if he heard her.

Ike looked up and saw her. His expression registered surprise. He extracted himself from the girl whom she now saw was Gloria Rawlins and came towards her.

“Lara, you should’ve called me before coming over. I’m on my way out.”

“I called you several times but you didn’t return my calls.” She glanced over at Gloria who was staring at her with the usual malice.

Ike pulled her aside. He scrubbed a hand over his face before he spoke. “I’m sorry about that. The thing is, we can"t see each other anymore.”

“Why?” She glanced at Gloria.

“We just can’t.”

More distracted with the fact that Gloria was here, she didn’t fully absorb his words.

“What is Gloria Rawlins doing here?”

“She’s my friend.”

“She’s your...” Suddenly, the penny dropped and she stared up at Ike. “You are breaking up with me.”

He just stared at her with a distant look in his eyes and his voice sounded flat. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry?” Her gut rolled and she doubled over as she grew sick.

“Are you okay?” he asked, sounding concerned as he reached for her.

“Don’t touch me!” She flinched away from his touch.

She’d been such a fool. How could she not have seen this? She’d been so consumed by him that she hadn’t seen that he could have any other girl in their school. She wasn’t anything special. But Gloria was pretty and popular. Why wouldn’t he want her?

Tears burned the back of her eyes and her throat hurt.

She glared at him and then at Gloria. “I hate you!”

She stumbled backwards, turned, and ran towards the gates. Tears fell down her face as she walked on the street. Her vision blurred as her lenses clouded. She pulled the frame off her face and swiped her eyes. Half-stumbling, half-walking, she didn’t know how far she walked until she felt the presence of a car beside her and someone called out her name.

She wiped her face again and glanced back with a squint since she didn’t have her glasses on to find Malcolm sauntering towards her. She didn’t want to talk to him. So she continued walking.

“Hey, Lara,” he called out. She could hear his quickened footsteps behind her. “I just want to talk.”