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| Photo Credit: Olasubomi Cole |
The breezy evening was mildly illuminated
by the crescent-shaped moon. Demilade was so much in a hurry to get out of his
last class just to share some moments with the lady he couldn’t apparently get
off his mind. Optimistic, he found his way into Ofada Kitchen. The canteen
was a beehive of activities; lots of customers dined and wined at the same time, chatting and
giggling with one another. Attendants with rumpled faces were also busy taking
orders from a line of impatient customers, but Demilade could not seem to find
his favourite among them. He moved closer to the food stand with a wildly
thumping heart really hoping he would see Sewa. Still, she was nowhere to be
found in the canteen. He was slightly hungry but all because he couldn't find Sewa,
his appetite vanished.
Disheartened, Demi found his way out of
the canteen with his face soberly facing the floor. Unaware of others, he bumped into a young
lady who was engrossed with whatever she was doing on her phone.
“Sorry!” Demi and Sewa both apologized
almost at the same time, and as if acting a well-scripted movie, they slowly lifted
their faces to lock their gazes.
Sewa felt the movement of butterflies in
her stomach the second she set her eyes on Demi. Her heart raced wildly with imaginary
legs. She couldn't remember when last she had been so excited meeting a guy
that she had barely known for a day.
“You!” Sewa exclaimed, trying to subdue
the excitement in her voice.
Demilade was just too relieved to reply
her. He couldn't begin to describe how happy he felt just by seeing her. He
took instant notice of her conspicuous beauty. She was wearing a simple red
dress and she looked impeccable in it. “You're going home?” Demi said finally, staring
at the bag with a strap hung over her shoulder.
“No, school,” Sewa replied, trying hard
not to notice how unbelievably handsome he looked despite the fact that he
seemed exhausted.
“School? Are you a student of UI?” He
seemed surprised.
“Yeah,” Sewa nodded.
“Wow. I didn't realize.”
“Why? Because I work in a canteen?” Sewa
asked wryly, raising her brows.
Demi smiled. “Maybe. What level are you
in?”
“100 level.” Sewa replied.
"Oh, so you're a new
student?"
"Yeah." Sewa affirmed.
"How about you?"
"Me? I'm in 300 level."
"Cool." Sewa nodded.
They kept staring at each other after
the conversations dried up. Feeling awkward, Demi broke the silence. "Come
on, let's go. Let me walk you to the gate."
"No, no, don't worry. I'm....I'm
fine by myself." Sewa replied shyly.
Demi half-smiled. "Come on,
let's go. You know you don't want to walk to that gate all by yourself."
Sewa knew he had not differed from
the truth so, she succumbed coyly.
"So, since when have you been
working here?" Demi asked, staring at her keenly as they walked. Her
timeless beauty was revealed by the way the cool night breeze caressed her
face.
"Hmm," Sewa started
thoughtfully. “…that should be about eight weeks now.”
"Cool. Hope you enjoy working
there?"
Sewa chuckled and started in a tone
laced with sarcasm. "Yeah, right. With Madam Ofada and customers like you,
I sure enjoy working there."
Reading between the lines, Demi
laughed wholeheartedly and Sewa couldn't remember how to breathe. His laughter
effortlessly held her heart captive.
Oblivious to what he was doing to
sewa, he commenced in a bemused tone. "Customers like me? What have
customers like me done to you?" Demi found her amusing.
Realising how discomposed she was in
Demi’s imposing presence, she recomposed herself. "You were obviously
hungry and angry this afternoon so you decided to pass your aggression on
me." She said angrily not looking at his face. She wasn't sure if she was
angry at Demi or herself.
Demi laughed again and Sewa looked up
at him, wondering how someone's face can look so angelic. "It’s your fault
now. I was very hungry and I had no idea what you were thinking of while I
ordered for food. So you see... it’s not my fault." Demi defended roguishly.
Sewa became nervous when she remembered
it was Demi who dominated her thoughts while he ordered for the food. Reluctant
to further the discourse, she gave her gaze to the sightless floor.
Demi wondered why she was silent all of
a sudden. Had he said anything wrong? "Are you okay?" He asked with
concern.
Sewa raised her head and faked a smile.
"Why? I'm fine." She knew she wasn't. The guy was having way too much
hold on her.
"Okay," He didn't seem
convinced though. "So, what do you major in?" He purposely asked with
the aim of getting her to talk.
Sewa looked up at him.
"Communication and Language Arts.”
"Hmm. What course is that? Never
heard of it before."
"Well," Sewa started drily.
"Since reading is all you medical students are good at, it’s really no
surprise if you've never heard of my course before. Or any other course for
that matter, apart from the ones in the College of Medicine."
Demi laughed at her exaggeration.
"Come on! Don't exaggerate. It's not like that. You're painting me bad. I
know of other courses, too, now."
"Really?" Sewa mocked with a
wry countenance.
"Oh, stop it!" Demi said,
laughing at the funny look on her face and Sewa joined him in laughing at
herself. Afterwards, they shared a companionable silence. The night was unusually
quiet, only the rhythmical sounds of their shoes could be heard. The love-lost
duo occasionally glanced at the starry sky.
"So, is it Med. and Surg.?"
Sewa asked, breaking the silence.
"Um…yeah. I'm a medicine and
surgery student."
Sewa gazed lovingly at him with
curious eyes. "Why Medicine?"
Demi shrugged and put his hands in
his back pocket. "Well,…I...I feel a kind of pain for sick people. So, I
decided that I want to save them." There was a sort of gleam mixed with
passion in his eyes as he spoke, and Sewa was touched in the heart.
"So, what's your own course
about?" Demi asked with keen interest.
"Hmmm," Sewa started
brightly. "...as the name implies, it's about communication and the
rudiments of language arts which are; reading, listening, writing and
speaking."
"Wow! Sounds like a cool course.
"Demi seemed impressed.
"Yeah, it is.
Thanks."
They were close to the gate now and
Demilade felt a sudden sadness engulf him. She was going to leave soon, he
thought. And he wouldn't get to talk to her and see her face till God knows when.
"Are you coming tomorrow?" He asked impulsively with hopeful eyes.
The question alarmed Sewa. Is he
taking an interest in me? She asked herself. No, it can't be. It can't be. Stop
dreaming, Sewa. Nudging her thoughts away, she replied, "No. Tomorrow is
my day off,"
Demi's heart sank. The hope in his eyes
dissolved. "I will be having classes throughout tomorrow." Sewa
added, not realizing the effects of her words on Demi.
Demi nodded while trying hard to hide
his disappointed. They were already outside the College's gate and they came to
a stop near the stand of a woman selling bread and akara. "So, when will
you be coming?" He sounded desperate.
"Oh,” Sewa paused and stared at
him suspiciously. She didn't understand why he sounded like his life was on the
line. "Emm....that should be the day after tomorrow."
Demi felt renewed with hope. I can
cope. It's just a day. I can cope. He assured himself. "Okay. I'll see you
then."
I'll see you then? Sewa couldn't help
but notice how casual he sounded like they had known each other for years.
"Yeah… sure," Sewa said awkwardly.
Erasing all her confusing thoughts away,
she thanked him sincerely and beamed. "Um, thanks for walking with me. It
was nice." Walking and talking with Demi on the calm, breezy night, had
been surreal to her, despite all the sorts of feelings that he invoked in her.
"It was my pleasure." Demi simply
said. He quenched his thirst for her by taking a final but quizzical look at
Sewa’s mesmerizing face.
Sewa too, gazed a bit more at Demi's
alluring face before calling it a night. "So.... um... bye... goodnight.
" She said, smiling at him.
Demi smiled at her, too. "Good
night." Sewa already turned her back at him before she remembered
something. She didn't get his name. She turned right back. "Wait! Your
name!" Sewa found herself saying the exact words as Demi.
Demi almost forgot to ask of her name
again. But he wasn't going to let that happen. Not again. Demi smiled
seductively. "I'm Demilade, you?"
Demilade. She loved the name. She smiled
like a baby. "Sewa. Adesewa." She blushed as she told him her name.
Demi's heart melted like candy at the
sound of her name. Adesewa. Amazing name for an amazing girl. "Um, I have
to go now. Bye bye." Sewa said hurriedly. She already got the name she
wanted. Demi watched her as she hurried to enter a cab. She waved at him after
she entered the cab, and Demi waved back at her. "Adesewa," Demi said
aloud to himself, looking love-struck after the cab had zoomed off, "I
think I like you."
Yetunde Oyelude, an indigene of Ogbomoso, Oyo State, loves watching movies, singing and reading novels. She is a prolific writer with an unpublished novel to her credit. She studies in the department of Communication and Language Arts, University of Ibadan.
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