Don't break the Bank: A not-so-perfect financial journey of a Nigerian student.

CHAPTER TWO

Tamuno, eh! Melissa exclaimed in her dialect. It was 11:45, and she had a lecture to attend at noon.

"How am I going to school today?" She mumbled.

Melissa lazily stood up from her bed. Her body wanted to move fast, but her legs walked in heavy, slow motions. She placed her hands on her lips for a second, giving a thought to where she'd start her money search. She rummaged through the clothes in her wardrobe, checking the pockets of trousers she'd worn, her bags, closed textbooks, and even her mini piggy bank (locally called saving box) to see if she'd find the least 200 Naira to pay her way to school and back. She tossed each trousers she had searched recklessly on her bed and the floor. The empty pockets left a flush of discouragement in her.

Just when she was about to give up, she found a rumpled 500 hundred naira note hidden at the bottom pocket of her customised tote bag. A stream of emotion wailed within her. Her eyes soon became an ocean of tears. She sat on her bed with the money in her hands. Life was now happening to her, rudely erasing the sweet memories she once had. This wasn't what she bargained for. She left for her class with unsettled emotions in her.

"What am I going to do to make money for myself now?" Or should I accept to date, Mr Abdul? At least he is rich, and he has been on my matter since my 100 level. She thought to herself on the drive to school.

"Gosh! No, please. The man is married jhoor. I can't do that." Melissa said out loud, swabbing the thoughts of her mind.

Melissa wasn't a saint; she has had her share of youthful bliss, pleasure and acted in ways she wasn't proud of, but dating a married man was just too much. She didn't want to be the reason why another woman would have pain in her marriage. Back then, when her father was still in their lives, she saw how her mum stayed up most nights praying, crying, and laying curses on the heads of the women who had an affair with him. She couldn't imagine someone placing a curse on her because of a man.

As the weeks travelled by, her classes became long and exhausting. It had become a mere latent routine to her. She experienced the deleterious effect of going for days without food. Her eyes were blurry; she looked dry and pale. She was lost in the face of her newly found reality. Gradually falling into an abyss, she welcomed thoughts that were once forbidden to her. The temptation to give in to Mr Abdul's demands skyrocketed following the recent unpleasant occurrences in her life.

"I won't do anything sexual with him. We'll only go on harmless dates." Well, if he gives me money, I won't reject it—no one has to get hurt, not even his wife! She said.

She called him up the next day, and they set up a dinner date at one of her favourite restaurants in town. She loved the place for its beautiful aesthetics and its a long list of exquisite wines.

~~~~
The night at Blu restaurant played out to be the most horrifying and longest night of Melissa's life. A night she later came to regret.

"Mel-Mel, what made you change your mind now? I was surprised when I got your call yesterday requesting us to meet here today. After chasing you for two years, you finally decided to honour me with your beautiful presence." Mr Abdul said, rubbing his palms in a circular motion on his stomach. His slender body and the way he dressed in well-tailored senator outfits made it difficult for one to guess his correct age. But Melissa knew the man was either in his late 40s or early 50s.

"Mr Abdul's loud voice competed with the Davido's song that played in the background at the restaurant. He talked with a mouth full of food, laughed at his treacherous jokes, and ever so often fiddled Melissa's laps with a suggestive smirk on his face. His skin was smooth, leaving no sign of poverty or suffering." This was a man who had a lot of money, to the extent of not knowing what to do with it; he splurged out cash without thinking. Melissa's hope to get money from him increased when she saw him transferring 100k to a beautiful-faced petite waitress who served them at the restaurant just because she had a charming smile and a warming customer service.