an unexpected visit

Finally O showed up one beautiful Saturday evening. I still remember very vividly his signature scent. Honestly, I was very happy to see him. I couldn’t gather the courage to ask him why I didn’t see him for 3 nights. Surprisingly, he just spoke my mind.
O- I was very sick. That’s why I didn’t come to see you these past days
YNV- Wow. What was wrong with you? Are you OK now?
O- Yes I’m better. How have you been?
YNV- I have been OK. I am so sorry, I didn’t know you were sick
O- How would you know when you have blatantly refused to visit me, let alone know where I live?
(I just smiled)

A smile has always been my weapon to end a discussion or to show neutrality. When I smile, I have not said anything about an issue neither have I agreed. O was right. How would I have known he was sick when I never looked for him? When I never even knew the nearest or farthest place to find him. But he kept coming to visit and one day, I told my friend U that I really wanted to go visit him. She encouraged me and I went to look for him one afternoon following his directions.

I met him outside his BQ coz he was living outside the school premises. To my utmost surprise, my elder brother’s friend saw me talking with him. Little did I know that my brother’s friend was O’s neighbour. I became a bit uncomfortable. Anyway, I was outside O’s room because I refused to go inside. Part of my strategies then was not to enter a man’s room alone. I was attracted to O, but I was still afraid of him and he kept saying to me ‘YNV, I am not a lion. I am not going to eat you’ and like I always did, I smiled. My brother’s friend actually came and said hi and asked what I was doing there. I told him I came to visit O. His face didn’t really show any sign of approval or disappointment. I told myself I had the right to do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. I consoled myself with the fact that O was harmless.

Two nights after, O had left my room. I had escorted him outside the hostel. When we got to a lonely path where I will usually stopped to run back to the hostel, he asked for a kiss and I ran away…lol. Whenever I did that, he would smile. But he never stopped caring or asking after me. He was still the silent man I knew. Always agreeing to everything I said. The next night, he insisted on taking me out to a show. O always complained I was always inside my room. It was an open show that was held in one of the open fields in school. It was that night I knew the real character of the guy I was dating. O laughed very loudly. It was a comedy show. He laughed so loudly. You know the kind of laughter that makes one run and keep laughing. Yes, that was his style. He cracked silly jokes with the guys standing behind us and he spoke the heaviest of Pidgin English. I was shocked o. I didn’t know that O was that lively. So I concluded that this guy was always silent around me just to make me feel comfortable. He didn’t know I preferred the real part of him. I just kept that discovery to myself. I felt like a detective that just solved a mystery.

Two weeks later, I got an unexpected visitor. It was my brother’s friend. I was shocked to see him. I left my book on the table because I was reading when he came in and he asked me to follow him outside because he wanted to discuss some things with me and my roommates were around. I followed him and we left the hostel.
D-So how is everything going?
YNV- pretty well. Very well sha. No problems at all
D-Hope you are finding school interesting. You know it’s very necessary to work hard
YNV- I am trying my best. Though it is not easy but I am doing it sha
(We kept strolling)
D- I am here because of the respect and love I have for your brother and your family. What do you have with O?
YNV- O?
D- Yes O. I was surprised to see you with him that day. Anyway, I just came to tell you that he is the last person you want to have something with. First of all, you are still a very young girl. You should be concentrating on your studies right now. O is not a good guy. He is known in this school for chasing young girls especially first year students, sleeping with them and dumping them. You are now his next target.
YNV-(starring in amazement)
D-He is also a member of the Buccaneer boys. Please desist from seeing him. He will do you no good. Forget about his looks. They are fake. He is just out here to destroy you.
YNV- OK. Thanks for letting me know. We are not deeply involved. He is just a very close friend (A close friend I don’t tell anything)
D- No matter what he is to you. You have to break every tie you have with him
(We stopped at a point and after some exchange of greetings, D left and headed towards the male hostel. I stood there starring at his silhouette as he kept walking and almost disappeared from my gaze)

Quietly with my face down, I walked slowly towards my hostel.
I was very flabbergasted, unhappy, confused and disturbed. I found it difficult to believe everything D told me. On second thoughts, I said to myself, what will D gain from lying to me? He was like a brother. I just concluded he was advising me. Right there and then, I decided to confront O. I decided I was going to ask him everything.