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Tuesday 7 June 2016

THE CHAPTER WITH THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY

I brought out a piece of paper out of my missal. I cleaned the dust off of half of the pew. My roommate sat next to me— at the edge. Before long, two other guys and a girl sat on the pew. It was full by now. The girl sat right next to me. Somehow she kept on a hyperactive temperament.
"So you too, don't know how to speak Igbo, abi", she said.
I turned to see if I was the one being questioned.
"Hey, I'm getting better. You should have seen me way before now. You don't seem like an expert yourself."
"Don't mind me. I like teasing people."
"I'll report you to the priest."
"You're making me talk at mass", I chipped in.
"My mistake."
As usual, at the sign of the cross, I packed my things and started leaving.
I even forgot I came with a friend. Half way trekking alone with a favorite song in my ear, I realized something or someone was missing.
On getting to the hostel, he kept asking whether I got her number.
Then I realized he thought I ditched him for the girl.
It was useless trying to correct what seemed like the obvious scenario.
"So na where you take know am?"
"Na today be the first time wey I take eye see am. Wetin make you think say I know her before?"
"From una conversation."
"I don't know her. I just met her as you did today."
"That seems unlikely. With this your bone bone and wosky face. How she take gather mind follow you talk?"
"Guy, as you see me so, na how to chop dey my mind. You seem overly interested in her", I said giving him a suspicious countenance.
" I no fit talk about girl again?"
"No worry. I go track her down and get her number for you. Make you for rest."
"Guy I no send you oh. Besides, how you wan take track am down sef."
"Google it", I replied.
" You know, 'Google it' is not the answer to every question oh."
"Guy na wa for una oh. Una go church go dey chase girl", said another of my roommate.
" Guy, you no go church. We better pass you."
"The day wey I go ready to go church no be girl I go go chase."
"Guy na John chase the girl oh", I replied.
" Mr. Holier than thou, no be you the girl follow talk, wey you still come escort am?"
"He he he. Fowl nyansh don dey open oh, smirked the guy that didn't go to church.
" I no escort anybody. I come house straight. I no get strength for this talk. Believe anything wey you like. And you, no go church next Sunday. Dey here dey accuse the brethren", I slammed.
"I think I hit a nerve", said the guy that didn't go to church.

Let's call the guy that didn't go to church Ben. And the friend that went with me John.

Later that evening.

I was strolling to the ATM. I checked my card into the ATM and...
" You again. We met again. "
"Hey!"
"You seemed to have vanished after the mass ended."
"Ya. I think I do that subconsciously.
I don't really walk with people because I've got my music to listen to, I explained.
"A loner I see."
"What about you. You're a strong sanguine."
"How did you know that", she said with some level of surprise.
"Because you reek of it. But in a good way, of course."
We talked and talked.
Two sanguine meet. What do you expect.
Somehow, everything she said seem to make perfect sense to me. Even the weird ones. We were like mirror images of each other. By the time I checked my phone, I had spent four hours discussing with a stranger that really didn't seem strange.
But she would be the one that got away because one thing. Two like characters would tear up each other in time. It's one of the laws of nature.

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