GULLIBLE AND NAIVE LOVE.

Chapter Four: A year later

In a blink of an eye, a year had passed and I was back at home. I took a deep breath trying to recollect on my final year, final month high school experience.

I was undergoing a terrible stigma and this was stemming from a prayer session scheduled a month before the national examination. The prayers had all been going great untill the time when we're supposed to consult personally with the prayer warriors. In a way I was well aware of what was happening but why was I not able to control myself? I could sense that I was faking everything but why could I not stop? Or maybe it was real, I didn't know. I was full of resentment for my family, I was being overwhelmed with my unwillingness to forgive, they kept saying.

This little act made that final month at school lonely if it were not for the other four people stigmatized too. We became other people's companion, study friends and confidants. Our principal lead the stigma, how pathetic. Reading materials were hard to access unless we were the original owner. The squad of four would sneak in other people cubicles steal the reading materials, stay all night reading through and make sure they were back at their original location before 4am. We would then proceed to grasp last bit of sleep.

" I wonder how my performance would be," I thought silently not having any bit of confidence.

I was currently sitting in our living room back home after the big exams awaiting the big release of the results.

In an abnormally, it was the first time that results were being announced at 5 pm. How odd? That was everybody's thought.

"Your index number," my sister inquired. I tensed. Was I ready to see the results? Obviously no, but what was the point of avoiding the inevitable. "XXXXXXXXX," I mumbled the numbers.

My heart was in my hands waiting hard on those feedback.

"She did it," I woke up. "She made it direct to be a government sponsored student." I let out a sigh of relief. I had not realized I was holding my breath. That night as I was excitedly sharing my results to close friends, I contacted him. The number he had shared a year earlier stuck on my brain so well.

" Hi Bruce , this is Angie. I made it" The message was short and precise and without realizing I started viewing myself as his partner and so did he treat me as one. I'm not sure if this would quantify as my first mistake or not as I was bound to make several in the near future and not only that but I would topple my trauma. But then again who would know what tomorrow entailed. I let out an enchanted smile having received a feedback. Congratulations, it said.