LOVE AFFAIRS

SEVEN

I turned and faced Aurelia, eyeball to eyeball. Law students kept moving back and forth. Our lecture hall seemed to be the only hall that was currently occupied.

"What are you driving at, Aurelia?"

She didn’t answer immediately, but swiped furiously on the screen of her large Blackberry mobile phone, until she suddenly stopped.

"Just swipe right". Aurelia whispered and handed her Blackberry mobile phone to me. I received it from her gingerly, and she turned her face away, while moving her knees rapidly. The pictures I beheld afterwards made me lose my appetite for the rest of that day. The hot weather suddenly became chilly for me. I felt like the only person in the Oba Erediauwa College of Law. The only sounds I could hear were the cooing sounds of the birds who dotted the flowers in the centre of the law college. Slowly and painfully, Asha’s voice began to ring in my ears. I continued swiping rightwards and didn’t notice as some exhaustion-ridden course mates of mine began to trickle out of our lecture hall, and onto the tarred road.

Aurelia’s knees were still moving as she continued staring into the distance.

"Who gave you all these pictures?" I managed to ask her.

"Is that your major concern right now, Pierre?"

"I just want to know, and yes it’s important that I know".

Aurelia yawned and slowly rose to her feet without another word.

"There are a few pictures remaining... I’ll get my phone from you when I come out of the lecture hall. She walked into our lecture hall, probably to rally’ her clique, and gather her things. As for me, I kept on swiping rightwards until I viewed the last picture in the Bluetooth folder of Aurelia’s Blackberry mobile phone.

Inside Aurelia’s Blackberry mobile phone, I saw several pictures of Bussy at Hotel De Mighty. It was a small hotel opposite the entrance of the Crown Estate. It was popular for its dancing and clubbing facilities’. The pictures showed Bussy wearing a skimpy pink gown, with heavy makeup. Bussy was captured on camera smooching a male student in the front passenger seat of his Honda Accord saloon car. Some of the photos captured Bussy and the young man in kissing sessions with Bussy, while squeezing her buttocks. The way he ravished and rough handled her in the pictures made me think it was all Photoshop at first.

The idea of Photoshop was soon dispelled when I saw Bussy and Felicia sipping some alcoholic drinks in some pictures. My heart must have sunk below my solar plexus when I saw how Bussy giggled while the hands of the strange man caressed her breasts and thighs. beneath her pink gown. The pictures were unbelievable. It was a good thing that the Law of Torts didn’t come around because I wouldn’t have been able to learn or assimilate anything if he had come to lecture.

Igbinedion University Okada was a small’ place and the students and lecturers all had a common mantra: Nothing done in IUO is hidden forever’. I tried to delete the crazy pictures out of my mind, but they stuck harder each time I tried. In one of the pictures, Bussy seemed to be getting a quickie from the strange male student, while balanced on the bonnet of his Honda Accord. It wasn’t so clear but the message’ had been duly passed: Bussy was seeing another guy and it was over between us.

Suddenly, I considered getting a car at that moment. It would have cost me nothing, but why the ladies in IUO were obsessed and sentimental about guys with cars still beats my imagination till this very moment.

"I’m ready to go, Pierre darling", Aurelia’s voice jolted me back to reality. I immediately handed over the Blackberry mobile phone to her. My hands felt cold, and I ignored the other girls who made up of Aurelia’s clique. There was no doubt they’d all been whispering and gossiping about my predicament’ inside our lecture hall.

"Thanks a lot... see you tomorrow".

"See you to, Pierre, bye". I sat until their footsteps were no longer audible. I entered the lecture hall and retrieved my black bag almost half an hour later. The entire lecture hall was empty, and all I could see was the image of the young man who’d been giving Bussy a quickie. After retrieving my bag from my seat, I stepped out of our lecture hall and walked to the side of the convocation hall. I sat on the tiled side which faced the large field and tried to clear my head.

I had no appetite, and the scorching weather hand no effect on me I still felt chilly and didn’t even feel the handle of the bag I carried with my right hand. I later sat at a small refreshment spot, and managed to drink a cold bottle of Amstel Malta. Money was never my problem. My parents were witnesses to that fact. It was sad that the first time I decided to give my heart to a lady, had turned out to be a beautiful disaster.

Thereafter, one of our (Criminal Law) lecturers divided us into groups for a particular project. Our group chose one of the huts to put heads together to finalize on our Criminal Law term paper. Before we concluded our meeting that day, we chose the main speaker for our group, the supporting speakers and the manner of delivery. Since I partook in the research and drafting of the final document for the presentation, I was not chosen as a main or supporting speaker.

We said a short prayer and soon began to disperse to our respective hostels. Suddenly, my GSM mobile phone began to ring. I stood behind the volleyball pitch, and was surprised to hear Bussy’s sweet and innocent voice.

"Hi", I managed to answer.

"Please, can we see briefly? I’m near the second hut..."

I ended the call and looked in the direction of the second hut. My course mates had since gone in different directions, and I stood watching Tracy and Felicia, walking on the tarred road back to New Girls hostel in the distance. They pretended not to see me, and I cared less, though I had nothing against them. I turned an dwalked back to the second hut. I stood outside it and leaned on the outer surface. I made up my mind to return to my hostel f Bussy didn’t appear in ten minutes.

"Hi Pierre, how are you?" I know you’re pissed off with me, so I’ll just go straight to the point".

"Please hurry up with it". I said and looked away.

"Now, I’m in 200 Level, there is much work to do and less free time on my hands... even for myself". Bussy’s voice was embedded in nothing but guilt. I said nothing but simply folded my arms across my chest, while she avoided my eyes.

"I won’t have time for you again, Pierre. It’s not as if I do not love you, but... it’s due to the situation of things, you know".

She waited for me to respond, but when I said nothing, a mischievous smile soon appeared on her face.

"I hope you won’t give my love to another girl, Pierre Abutu? I would want to be your Queen someday when you sit on the throne of your forefathers".

"The same way you were sitting on the bonnet of that boy’s Honda Accord, some nights ago?"

Bussy almost fell when she heard my last statement. It was as if a boxer had given her an uppercut without any prior warning.

"I have no grudge against you... my regards to Felicia and Tracy".

I turned and headed for my hostel. The clouds were turning grey and I’d forgotten to carry an umbrella. I kept walking until I reached the shop near the open theatre. I stood beside a stack of mineral bottle crates and stared at the tarred road and huts. In the distance, I saw Bussy take slow steps with her mobile phone on her right ear. Few minutes later, the same Honda Accord I’d seen in the Aurelia’s phone sped from the direction of the museum and stopped near Bussy. She pocketed her mobile phone and looked around, before getting into the front passenger seat. The Honda Accord sped towards the roundabout, took a left turn and headed for the estate gate.

Whether heartbreak, deceit, October Rush’ or show off, nothing was going to make me change my mind on my position pertaining to bringing a car to the university. I deleted Bussy’s phone number from my mobile phone, bought some sweets and candies before heading for my hostel.

The first semester examinations came and went. I journeyed back to my father’s palace in Idah, Kogi State for the holidays. Nothing in the palace seemed to ignite my interest and the reason was obvious. It was a good thing Asha had briefed me when she did. This made the first cut not to be so painful. As far as Rod Stewart and I were concerned, it was still the deepest. My mum sent me lots of edible stuff from Switzerland nonetheless, and memories of Bussy gradually faded from my mind.

I spent my free time in the palace gym working out and boxing. I remember my father telling me that no matter how nasty or provocative a woman’s words were, a real man would never allow it push him to hit her. Such wise words, but I sometimes thought of practicing’ some Wing Chun on the guy who snatched Bussy from under my nose. But the guy wasn’t to blame. If Bussy hadn’t made herself available to him when she did, he would not have grabbed her from my grip.

Bussy was to blame, and not the guy. He only followed his penile instincts, as far as I was concerned. But the kisses I shared with Bussy on several occasions always seemed evergreen. Those soft, sweet lips of hers... now to be feasted’ upon by another descendant of Adam.

Part II

Your s*x takes me to paradise

-Bruno Mars

Second semester was fast approaching and I began to prepare to return back to school. I would return to Aurelia, Asha, Sime, Sao, all my course mates and... Bussy. No, there would be no Bussy. God forbid. Even if she apologized and begged to come back, it would be over my dead body. When the day of my departure eventually arrived, my dad sent me back to Igbinedion University Okada, with the usual entourage’.

The second semesters were always known for a plethora of events and activities at Igbinedion University. Several student associations and unions were handing over in second semester, alongside several dinners, cultural activities, seminars, guest lectures and the likes. I’d been a witness to such events in my 100 and 200 Levels, so it was nothing new to me. I almost forgot to mention that live concert shows were popular , alongside the Miss IUO beauty pageantry. Such things didn’t thrill me so much, after all, they were prettier and curvy ladies back in Igala land.

Academic activities went on smoothly, and I maintained my seating positions at the front row of the 300 Level lecture hall. During breaks or whenever a lecturer was yet to arrive, my eyes usually locked inadvertently with the likes of Aurelia, Sime and a Direct Entry student named Talia. I had earlier vowed never to have anything intimate or romantic with any girl in my class, and I was not going to start now.

Slowly and surely, campaigns from interested candidates for executive positions in the Law Students Association began to enter top gear. The said positions were open to qualified students in 400 Level, 300 Level and 200 Level respectively. The positions would be occupied by duly qualified students whose terms / administrations would commence the next session. Although my dad warned me to steer clear off school politics’, I personally lacked interest in it, ab initio.