Meet Roni

Chapter 3 - Nice to Meet You!

The next day, Tuesday, if not for Sapphire's earthquake alarms and Prisca's calls by 4:30 a.m., she would have still stayed in bed. Before 6:30, she was dressed up and ready to move.

She called Prisca to ask if she was ready, and her friend confirmed that she was indeed and was waiting downstairs. Sapphire sprayed little amounts of her deodorant and perfume on herself before she stepped outside and locked her door.

About reaching the stairs, a young guy was already coming up the stairs. She waited for him to go past her because his hands were filled with bags carrying items. Their eyes met, and they wished good morning to each other. He was tall, brown-skinned, and quite handsome. She would have offered to help out of courtesy, but a friend was waiting downstairs for her. But wait—she hadn't seen this face before. She remembered what her friends said yesterday and turned to him.

"Hello, sorry, please excuse me." The boy turned a little to face her. "Sorry, not to waste your time, but... Did you just move in, or are you here to see someone?" The boy had a quizzical look on his face as he responded.

"Yeah, one of those two, but why are you asking?"

"It's because I've not seen your face before. No offense though."

"Are you the type that must know your whole neighborhood for your satisfaction? What if I've been staying here and I’m not always around?"

"I would have at least seen your face once.” She offered. “No need to get offended; I'm just asking for security reasons."

"I'm not offended; don't mind me. I just moved into that room opposite yours." He pointed with his lips to his room since his hands were full.

"Oh, how'd you know it's my room? .... me help you since I've taken some of your time". The boy would have refused, but he was enjoying their little conversation, so he gave her the smaller bag. After reassuring him that she was okay with carrying the package, he answered her question as they walked towards her room aisle.

By now, people had begun to open their doors, and some walked around and exchanged a good morning or a nod to both, or just to Sapphire, or just to the guy from any direction they were at.

"Well, I kind of saw you and your friends' drama yesterday." He had a smile in his voice as he spoke. Sapphire painfully groaned while he chuckled. A room after her room was a sidewalk or bridge that linked his wing to her wing.

"Just forget about what you saw yesterday; I'm not actually like that... It's just those... " She wanted to call them names but refrained and settled with

"Children, they are very annoying, but they're nice." They stopped at his door while he got out his keys, thanked her, and took his bag from her as she was about to place them on the ground.

"Sorry, I didn't get your name." She turned back to ask him.

"I'm Idemudia, but you can call me Mudia. How about you?” He stretched his hands for a handshake, which she took as she responded.

"I'm Sapphire, nice to meet you ... Mudia?" Her phone vibrated in her bag, and his room door was slightly open, but she could only see the walls of his room he had repainted, and the color combinations were superb.

"I'll catch up with you later after my classes, my friend has been waiting downstairs for me."

"Sure, sure. Sorry to keep you. But don't forget to come around when you've rested enough." His tone was insinuating, and it clicked in her head that he was referring to yesterday. She softly smiled at him. “Alright then, see you later.”

"Yeah, see you later, neighbor."

She went forward, passed his room, and went down the stairs. As she skipped down, she wondered why he took her aisle instead of his. It seemed shorter as she walked out.

Downstairs, Prisca stood at the compound’s gate with her arms crossed. When she saw Sapphire, she hissed and opened the gate. Sapphire smiled at her action and skipped merrily towards Prisca. She flung herself onto her friend's back and wrapped an arm around Prisca’s shoulder. It earned Prisca’s murmuring and shrugs.

“I thought you said you were done already... What was the extra twenty minutes for?”

“I know you like gist!” Sapphire wiggled her brows suggestively at her friend. “But sorry for keeping you waiting; I bumped into our new neighbor and helped him out with his stuff in his room.”

“Hmmm, with his stuff? And to his room too, wow! He was that quick, ehn?”

“Oh my…!” She granted a slap to the back of her friend’s head and said, “You’re an i***t! With his bags, Ni! Please, move away!”

It was Prisca’s turn to laugh at her outburst. “I don’t know why I hang out with you guys in the first place!” Sapphire quickened her pace to the side of the road where they could stop a cab.

“You get flustered so easily.” Prisca kept laughing even as she caught up with her. She then tried to sound serious as Sapphire motioned for a half-filled cab to stop with her fingers. “But wait oo … You this sly fox! I’m supposed to be the angry one. You want to change it for me ni and form vex abi?

“If you like, change the topic, change the weather, change your face, and form righteous. What kind of talk is that? You know how our compound is, and you’re making that kind of nonsense joke. You want them to form and twist the rumor into something else. You know I don’t like those kinds of jokes, especially at places like these that have spirits that carry messages to whom I don’t know.” Sapphire ranted out without taking a break. They were already inside the cab, heading to school.

“Ah! Be calming down. You’re reacting as if what I said is true.” She nudged Sapphire's shoulders with hers. “Shey, in your mind, you’re giving me all this talk just because you helped, man! with his stuff!” At this point, Sapphire kept repeating, 'Please stop; it’s enough', but it fell on deaf ears. “While I was jejely suffering my legs just to wait for you because see me naaw… I don’t have a man!”

They both continued their dramatic banter in the cab till they had gotten to the school gate. It was so interesting that the cab driver and another passenger sitting beside them got involved and seemed to be siding with Prisca. It was when they were about to get down that a female elderly passenger in the front seat said something in Sapphire's favor. It made Sapphire more dramatic as she exaggeratedly praised the woman and shouted and nodded ‘yes’, a ‘thank you!’ and ‘God bless you ma!’ to anything the woman said. The cab was still hot with both girls’ banter as they got down, paid, and waved them off.