Must Read: Life

7 years ago

Must Read: Life

‘He is not powerful. He who can beat everybody up. The most powerful is he who maintains his patience in the face of the
severest provocation.’ Hadeeth.

To say Ola was sad is an understatement. He was battered and his ego was bruised. He could not walk the streets without fearing he is being mocked. When he sees two people talking or laughing, he immediately assumes
he was the subject of their discussion. He felt used and rejected. He had been spent and
dumped.

Thence, his self esteem went to its all time low as he now saw himself as unworthy of any girl. If he is attracted to any girl, his mind tells him that she will reject and slap your face. To him, all girls are face slappers.

His uncles did little to ease his woes as they continued their tales of adventure and misadventure to his chagrin. They continued their philandering acts telling him that he had learnt the hard way and that with time, when his right girl comes along, he will go for her.

Tope on her part still saw Ola on the street. But she was not remorseful for what she did. She carried on as if nothing had ever
happened between them. Her results came out and she cleared all the subjects. Not even a word of thanks crossed her lips to her
benefactor. What a bitter lesson Ola was taught!

Ola picked himself up quickly and faced his work.

He avoided what could bring about any meeting between him and Tope. Whenever
they met accidentally, he did as if he had never met her. He channeled all his fury and energy into his study of his admission hinderance, Mathematics.

By the following year, he felt he had studied enough and made a go at the exams once again.

This time he did the two GCE exams,
WAEC and NECO. When the results came out, there was a little difference in them. He had passed Maths in the two of them. In one, he had the last credit, in the other, he had C5. He was ecstatic. He felt on top of the world and kept muttering his thanks to his Creator, Who had made him smile at the end.

By this time, things were a little bit easier for his mother. She had gotten a job that pays manageably well. Hence, it was time for him to head back to the classroom.
By his twentieth birthday, Ola had gotten admitted into the Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijebu Ode, to study Mass Communication. By that age too, he was given his first mobile phone. He believed his aunt that said that it cannot get worse, rather it can only get better.
His mum, coupled with his own savings over the years, got him settled in school earnestly. He brought with him to school his resolve of yesteryears, ‘no girlfriend, only studies, all girls are slappers’.

That was what rang in his
brain as he made his way to class everyday.
His schedule was what could be called ‘the square schedule’. He leaves home to class, class to the mosque, mosque to the library,
library back home. He had little time for extra curricular activities.

In class, he was as brilliant as ever. With both lecturers and students knowing him, though, unintentionally, just like the proverbial peacock with no hiding place. Due to his lackadaisical attitude, he had poor wardrobe sense, or say fashion or dress sense. He wears anything and any how to school. Yet, some girls in his class are attracted to him. They
just loved his way of life. He was free with the guys and they discovered that he was a talkative.

He taked and argued issues with them. But it seems he was shying away from the girls. The reason for this, they know not. Other than those with who he attends mosque programmes, he paid no
attention to any girl.

One of such girls who likes him was Ronke. She had always looked at him as he explains things to the guys and those hijab sisters in the class. She knew the guy was raw and untapped. In her eighteen years on earth, she had not seen any guy display such raw
power, finesse and intelligence as Ola possessed.

She knew he needs only a little refining and whoosh, he will be a loverboy.

She wasn’t the only one nursing this ambition, twenty one year old Labake is ready to spend her money and time to get this handsome guy’s attention. To her, he needs a change of wardrobe and a little cash in pocket because she had caught him on two occasions trekking the thirty minutes distance between the school campus and Ijebu Ode town. She must have this guy close to her. She needs him. He is independent. He is shy and timid but what baffles her was that he was free with guys and those ladies that covers their heads. What did he see in them? She wondered. Maybe because they were Muslims like him. Anyways, she needs him too because she did not come to TASUED to count
ceilings. She came there to get the grades and whatever lawful path that will help her achieve it, she is ready to tread.

Thus, two ladies lie in wait for him. Ola was oblivious of them. He continued his life as had been written for him…