The First Time

Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

 He noted pretty well that she was in actual fact sensitively in pain. He could clearly see her misty eyes through her medicated eye-spec. She later bent over her desk wiping her eyes of tears with her handkerchief.

     He looked away somewhat coldly. But right inside his mind, he was melting with sympathy. He had wondered at how someone could be living and dying for someone who is in the oblivion of such.

Had he not cared enough to notice that he has lots of admirers among the female folks pining for his dear attention? Could Chidera be right when she asserted that many girls were jostling for his attention though not bold enough? Had he never cared to notice them as they writhe in pain? Had his attention to Chidera hurt this girls’ feelings and others like her? How emotionally distant has he become?

     He made up his mind to concentrate on the lecture. He kept wondering if Chidera had actually been observing him before their meeting on that fateful Saturday night. Was she only noticing him for the first time? Otherwise, she could not have been able to make out a keen observation. Something told him that his curiosity could be just right. No wonder she had easily accepted him despite raising some objections about boys. He was surprised at that even though he hardly approaches any female without an open door of acceptance waiting for him.

     At the end of the day, he tried to get back to Chidera without success. He was not happy at that. He had wanted to pay her a visit. He must have informed her of his intention to call at her lodge later in the day. Was that not too fast a move of him? He did not pay attention to the flinch of doubt in his mind―the warning sign to hold back a little.

     Bent on paying her a visit, he decided to go even though he had not informed her beforehand. He had presumably thought it will look like a surprise visit. He never knew if she would accept it or not. He had to find out himself.

     Later in the day, towards the evening period, as he prepared to leave for her lodge, it started to pour down heavily from heaven. He began to have a doubt if it wouldn’t be wise for him to reschedule his visit till the next day. He would then have a better chance of informing her thereabout and getting her approval. Maybe, the heavy downpour was just an ominous sign that he should not go. "Wait till when you had informed her about your intended visit," was a thought that kept popping up in his mind. No, he insisted on proceeding even at the slightest opportunity of the rain abating. He hates to procrastinate on carrying out a decision. He had made his mind up.

     It was as if the heavy downpour knew how he felt in his heart about paying her with that visit. It started to abate gradually till it was only a faint shower accompanied by a light wind. He made his way out of the lodge. He had made a few stripes of distance when the sun came overhead. Now nothing would stop his motion to his Chidera distinction―Famous lodge.

     He followed her descriptions. He was good at finding locations. He however gave it a second thought to find out how well known the lodge was. He started making inquiries for her lodge. It was to make sure he had not forgotten the direction she had given him. He was generously directed to his distinction.

He had gotten to the compound. Unlike most lodges he had been to, this was different. It was a cluster of houses, more than four in number, bearing the same name Famous lodge. He had noticed the first building by the left on entering the compound, and he had thought he had gotten to her lodge. It bored the name Famous lodge on the front beam of the house. But when he made further inquiries at the building, he was further directed to the second house by the right; standing in front of him.

     He met another girl, a student too, and inquired of Chidera. She too directed him yet to another house at the back of the building. He followed the girls’ direction and made his way to the back of the building and finally saw the house. It was smaller compared to the rest and behind the house stood yet another building much larger. The bigger house was the fourth building which was partially completed. Obviously, there were other buildings that he didn't explore. The compound was an indigenous compound.

     He walked up to the house facing him. He met a man and his family who were having some snacks for their lunch. He greeted them and asked after his would-be-host. The man immediately called her in quite a familiar way that he had thought he was her father. From the appearance of things, Chidera's room was in the adjoining room demarcated by a door but with an entrance from the back of the house. Her room faced the bigger compound accommodating the fourth house.

     She answered the call and came running out of the other adjourning room from the back of the house. She came out through a rather small gate that stood at the back of the fourth house as well as the second big house he had met a female student earlier. Yes, there was a fence that the fourth house was protected with. And it appeared that the fourth has its main entrance somewhere else that Kelvin didn't find out. From where the small house was sited was at the back of the bigger house.

She was shocked at first on seeing him standing at the door of the man's house when she ran out from the small gate. She briefly paused when she saw him as she emerged out from behind the building. She was surprised at his unannounced visit or rather a surprise visit. After greeting the man whom he later learned to be her landlord, she made for him.

     When she came to him, to his utter disappointment, instead of leading him into her house with the usual; “Oh, Kelvin, you never informed me you were coming. I could have been better prepared to attend and entertain you in my small way, but anyway come in and have a seat. This is where I live your blablabla,” She rather headed out of the lodge building and he was forced to follow her.

     At the onset, he had thought that she intended to say hi to someone in the compound. Then retrace her footstep into her lodge as a welcomed visitor. Or maybe, she was leading him to her main lodge where she resides as all the buildings bore Famous lodge as their name. No, That wasn't the case. She was leading him out of the entire compound!

     “Hi Chidera,” he said when she came to him almost abreast with him while they were walking.

     “Hi Kelvin,” she replied with mixed feelings.

     “Well, I had meant to inform you that I’ll be paying you a visit but to my surprise, you left earlier than I had expected. Still, I decided to call on you….,” he made to start up an initiative as she continued walking her way towards and out of the compound. Away from her lodge!

     “You did well, but I’m sorry I don’t like boys calling on me without earlier information or even paying me visits in the house. I don’t also like to visit them in their house for any reason either,” she announced the bombshell. He doubted her seriously. She doesn't want unsolicited male visitors.

     He had expected that he would be unhappy at that turn of events but he could not help but smile to himself. If he was, he never showed it then, and she too was also taken aback at the easy way he had reacted to what she had just said. 

     “Well, am not surprised if that is your own policy. You must have a well-founded reason for that. On my part, at least I’m happy to have come despite the rain and I have actually got to know the Famous lodge. Maybe, if I may repeat this visit I will not find it hard to locate,” He said rather humorously but skillfully covering up his initial feeling of disappointment.

     She looked at him for some moment as if wanting to change her mind. She realized how lightly he seemed to have taken to her objection on his unannounced visit. She noted he was eager to go back to his lodge though not in a haste. She had probably expected him to show signs of disappointment or rather in an annoying way resist her action.

     They strolled together out into the road leading to the campus and leading to his lodge as well while keeping at their conversation.

     “Well, you mean that if I had informed you earlier of my visit you would have welcomed me in and not helped me out as you’re doing now?” he was half-laughing when they had stopped at a point where he knew they are going to partway.

     “Oh, you don’t have to take it that way,”

     “And you don’t pay male students a visit?” he asked ignoring her. He knew that part was not a convincing one, even though it may appear to be true.

     “Well….I don’t,” she said with hesitancy glancing on the ground.

     “Well, I got to go…. see you tomorrow,” 

     “Ok…tomorrow…thank you for the visit,” she said a bit unhappy now.

     “Alright,” he replied smiling and waved back at her as he turned to go home.

She stood watching him for some time before she went back into the compound.

     As days wore into weeks, they began to see less of each other. He was rarely seen in the lecture hall except only when there was any lecture going on. The moment the lecture was over, he will fly out to the library. He had earlier found the habit of going to the library to occupy himself as a result of lecture draught.

     A real lecture draught, they started having only but three lectures per week and so to fill up the gap, he made the library his companion. In fact, he indeed spent most of the day in the library. Most times, he only leaves the library at the close of the day when the mid-aged two female library staff were done for the day. He was always the last man to leave the library each day. He became known and friendly with the library staff.

Before the pre-degree program came to an end, Kelvin had consumed almost all the fiction works of crime and detective thriller novels and some other academic textbooks in his field to feed his mind. He loved reading and writing as well.

     His relationship with Chidera suffered greatly. He was not intent on hurting her but because he held his studies above any other thing except God. His tenacious beliefs in the library influenced not a few of his friends. They on many occasions took to gathering in the library to discuss their school works. These include other vital issues paramount to their lives.

     At first, she took lightly to that development but later as he continued to pay lesser attention to her she became bitter with him. Though she will soften her mind and approached him with one or two of her academic problems which he eagerly helped her to solve. However, nothing more came out of it.

     Some weeks later, he and Kristor had intended to go up to a town named Ajalli to buy a General Certificate Examination form. He went up to her to help him keep his books for him till they were back. This she happily accepted. He felt it when he realized how she held his books to herself and bid him a safe journey.

     They came back three hours later. No one was in the lecture hall. They later found the whole departmental students in the Biology laboratory. They had missed the practical session.

     They located her seat and headed for her. He apologized for boring her by saddling her with his books. But she gently reminded him that she had not complained about anything and saw no reason why he should render an apology. If they had not made it back on time, she had planned to take his books to her lodge and bring it back to school the next day. It would have been an uncomfortable one for her to carry the extra burden of books, he minded himself of that.