The First Time

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

     “Well, I am quite aware that the two had been amorously inflamed with each other, but I don’t seem to relate his plight with their affair. Anyway, it’s their lives,” Kelvin replied in a nonchalant way.     

     “Well, it’s not your fault. You don’t enjoy our many gossips here. But call it gossip or pork-nosing, I don’t give a damn! I would be the last person to see a boy like me writhing in pain. And as foolish as that would be because he is after a girl,” Iyke said as a matter of fact.                              “To hell with girlfriends if this is what it is all about,” Kristor said.     

    “How can a boy be giving all his money for keeps in the hands of a girl just because you sleep with her. She uses the money to buy anything she likes and feed fat while you go hungry. Could you imagine that Onoo had gone to eat his breakfast inside her house at this particular time of the day? Who hasn’t taken his lunch by now?” he retorted in annoyance.     

     “Maybe she didn’t go to the market on time and couldn’t prepare the food on time too,” added Kristor in a sneering manner.     

     “Are you sure she no hollam with juju?” Peter who’d rejoined them asked in amusement.     

     “Which kain witchcraft, aircraft or juju? Whatever the hell that means. For where? Our people said that it’s how you place your mat that you lay on it,” Kristor added.     

     “Listen, Kelvin, you’re my roommate. You quite knew I have girlfriends. Yes, I have them in every size, skin color, taste and texture, whatever. In a sense, I’m not speaking out of bitter jealousy. We all are well aware that we’re doing a pre-degree or a foundation program so to say. In my own viewpoint whichever lifestyle, one had decided to live on as a student he mustn’t treat his studies with kid gloves. Onoo is my fellow kinsman as such my brother. If he didn’t do well at the end of the pre-degree program even if I decided to ignore him, it would affect me because he’s my brother. I don’t see any logic behind him abandoning his studies just because of a girl,” Iyke continued with a concerned look on his face.

     "Yes oo. Iyke the Gee my man is the king of kinds and in kind," Alaska shouted sarcastically. 

    "Alaska behave yourself now. We're in a serious discussion here," Aricoco sneered at him with a mischievous smile.

    “Yes, he shouldn’t be sacrificing his future prospect just because of a girl. Every morning, afternoon, and evening he is in Kolia’s room, doing what?” Eme chipped in counting the times with his fingers.     

   “For God's sake instead of concentrating on his studies,” added Aricoco.

    "If he wants to keep a girlfriend fine but not like this. He should take care of himself first by feeding well," Alaska said.

    "What arrant nonsense. What if he becomes sick out of malnutrition? Will I be held responsible?" Iyke said.

     "Me I will not contribute any shishi to take anyone to hospital. That's why we are telling him to use his head," Kristor said in pidgin English.     

Kelvin looked at the busybodies and smiled. They all were no different from Mekus in some sense. Each of them has girlfriends or is busy trying to get one. 

    “At the end of the day, will he take her home as his academic performance to his parents?” Alaska asked in rhetorical amusement.   

    “I just can’t imagine how short-sighted Onoo had become. Does he not seem to read the mind of most girls like Kolia? They are after your money. They will dump you at the slightest chance on sighting someone more willing to spend more than he does,” Eme added.   

   “The ugly part of it all is that the girl is insolent, arrogant, full of insult, and disrespectful. She sleeps about, Onoo’s presence notwithstanding,” Iyke voiced out strongly.

    "Na typical Money for hand, Back for ground," Alaska shouted aloud.

Kelvin had once again become an arbitrator. Each time disputes or misunderstandings come up, his opinions were constantly sought after. He had learned to decline his opinions in some subject matters. The more he tried to disengage himself from events revolving around him the more he finds himself being wrapped around it. The likes of Peter, Alaska, Eme, and even Kristor had taken him into their confidence most of the time. This is especially the case with their relationships, family matters, social and academic challenges. He had won the trust and confidence of most of his colleagues in the lodge because of his non-partisan disposition. Kelvin tried to solve their emotional upheavals as much as he could to their delight. It came to a point; his opinion becomes the grand decider of issues in their section of the lodge. Matters had to wait till he was back from wherever he had been to settle it.     

Matters were brought to his desk for speedy disposal or an amicable settlement where there had been some altercation. Even when he had traveled matters had to wait. It would not be a surprising thing to hear anyone inform him of an impending issue that needed his urgent attention. For a while, he began to ask himself what it was that makes people take him into their confidence. Why will they reveal to him what they would not let their closest friends know about?     

    “Kelvin, do you think it's right for him to be behaving the way he’s doing?” Iyke finally asked for his opinion on Onoo.     

    “Well, Onoo is old enough to know what he is doing otherwise he wouldn’t be in it. I think he should be left alone for the main time since he could be too blind to see his errors. Any attempt trying to reconcile him with the realities of the moment will be met with self-defensive actions. If any help is to be offered, it would be more effective if such is done from a more mature manner than publicly ridiculing him," he replied. It was obvious everyone was listening to his response. "I had personally called his attention to my observations and I knew what he told me. On the other hand, I don’t think it would be wise for anybody to neglect his or her studies no matter what. I’m optimistic that Onoo understands that more than anyone of us here. This is his personal business. When the time comes, he will turn a new leaf if he was wrong with his present decision. Believe me, he would change for the better,” he tried as much as possible to express his views without siding any of the parties.     

Kelvin has discovered from experience that misunderstandings are more than meets the eye. It could have risen due to other hidden issues unbeknown to anyone of them. It was not connected at all with the Kolia saga. Kolia was only a front to vent their anger. So, it had not surprised him when the four kinsmen, Iyke, Mekus, Aricoco, and Onoo resolved their differences. Things got back to normal. They started cooperating as before in spite of the Kolia saga.  Kelvin had that strong feeling that there was no iota of truth that Kolia was a parasite to Onoo. In fact, it was the other way round.  

It was obvious that a good number of them at one time had wanted to have a moment of intimacy with Kolia. She declined the amorous advances only for Onoo to win her heart on her own terms. The whole hullaballoo was all about their wounded pride and jealousy. There was a unanimous feeling of animosity towards her. One for her rejection of their advances. Secondly for her attitudinal behaviors. Among all the girls in the lodge, Kolia was to a point an attractive but openly promiscuous girl among the girls in the lodge and also among the most intelligent.  Some of the males had thought her being promiscuous makes her an easy girl to get. That was what Onoo having won the race to her was soon to discover at a great cost to himself.

ONOO AND KOLIA

Onoo became seriously attached to Kolia than she was with him. He was determined to keep his affair with the girl no matter what. Not even the frequent sarcastic pressures and mockeries could stop him. It soon became a non-issue as the days passed by. The pressures gave way to reluctant acceptance.     

However, things changed at the end of the pre-degree program. Onoo was blind to see the handwriting on the wall. He was still in love. He was not aware that the end of the pre-degree had dissolved as much as ninety percent of the ill-fated relationships.     

Most of the relationships were s*x-based. It was faulty and on a shaky foundation. It all had but one purpose; to meet the selfish and immediate emotional needs of those involved. It lacked that depth of real, true love in security. They were all momentary flings.     

It was later told by Aricoco’s roommate during the pre-degree, Bukas. Bukas later became a close acquaintance with Kelvin and also as a lodge mate when they all later enrolled into their programs proper.     

Onoo utilized the break that followed the end of the pre-degree program to invest his time in some works. He was said to have saved lots of money by taking advantage of the opportunity given him by his father to manage his business. He came back more buoyant than he was during the pre-degree. He furnished his apartment to taste on getting accommodation within the campus. Kelvin was uncertain if Onoo was given provisional admission into the regular program. It was however told that Onoo had planned to make life comfortable for himself and for his girlfriend, Kolia. However, to his wildest shock, he met an emotionally distant girl, unlike the Kolia he once knew during the pre-degree. She treated him as cold as any girl would an unwanted overture from an unlikely suitor. It was gathered he was bitterly heartbroken.                                                              Kelvin made effort to unravel the reason behind Kolia's action. He narrowed it down to the disparity in the different programs offered by the institution; the regular and part-time programs. It appeared from his investigations that Kolia ditched Onno because he was in the part-time program, whereas she was in the regular full-time program. The second option; their relationship was no longer on the same page as it were before. She had found a better option and had to upgrade. To many people, they only need to find a plausible reason to justify their actions. It does not matter what anyone thinks about it.