Too Many Chances

Chapter Twenty Three

On the first day of our final exam, I was late. That was because I had been in a bad mood the previous day after having been told by my best friend that Maxwell was getting married soon.

I couldn't understand how he could move on like that. He was going to have his happily ever after without me. I couldn't believe the news at first, but after talking to his best friend, I was convinced that the upcoming wedding was real.

"Don't worry," said Riziki. "Someone would surely come along."

"Yeah," agreed Jamila. "Seems like Max wasn't meant for you."

"A breakup is better than a divorce, you know," added Christine.

"I'm done," I declared.

"Done?" Riziki echoed.

"What do you mean?" Jamila asked.

"I'm done with relationships. I don't want to date," I elaborated. "I'm closing that chapter."

"How can you say that?" Christine demanded. "You're still young."

"One heartbreak is enough," I responded. "From now on, I'll focus on me."

My friends laughed and gave me a disbelieving look.

"What?" I asked them.

"I have a feeling you'd get married before me," said Jamila.

"Not happening," I told her.

"Welcome to the world of single ladies," said Christine. "Let's focus on our careers instead. We wouldn't get heartbroken by them."

I pushed away the thoughts of the previous day's events as I headed towards the stage. Jamila had called to inform me that everyone was in the hall. All undergraduates were present except me. I knew I'd be damned if I missed that paper.

On my way, I wished I could fly for I was stuck in traffic. Minutes later, Jamila called to tell me that the lecturer was in class. I sighed when I reached town. Never had I walked so fast in my life. The lecturer sent a text informing me that he would not give me the paper if I were later than fifteen minutes.

I couldn't bear to miss that exam since it was my favourite subject. I texted him back saying I was almost there. I was giddy when I got to the hall. I had reached on time, that is, not later than the stated time. I was happy when the exam scheduled for that day was over.
A Muslim conference was held in our campus on Saturday. Students from different universities attended it. It was fun. My friend Riziki was present too. She sat between Jamila and me.

On that day, I got reunited with Victor, my high school crush. Victor, whom I had met at a school function years back. Actually, it was during a Physics contest that took place three days after I had been punished for something I didn't do. Some of my classmates had framed me for stealing a chemistry paper.

When I told Victor about it, he laughed saying that a smart person like me couldn't have done that. He believed in me, something my own mother had refused to do. At the end of the contest, Victor had emerged the winner. I, on the other hand, had been awarded for being the second runner up.

We exchanged contacts and that was the beginning of our friendship. Through our endless conversations, we had discovered that we loved similar things: basketball, cakes, books, and we enjoyed the same hobbies: reading novels, socializing, watching movies and going to the beach.

The only difference was that I loved breezing whereas he loved swimming. I didn't like swimming because I had had a bad experience in the water. Once, when I had gone swimming with Riziki both of us holding onto the tube, some guys swam towards us. We didn't sense any danger as they stroke up a conversation.